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Driving Targeted Traffic To Your Web Site

www.mybusinessname.co.uk is one of the most profound statements you can make about your business. Or simply put: "We are on the Internet, look up our web site and find out about our products and services". Or more profoundly:

www.mybusinessname.com "We are International".

Having a web site is the first step in establishing a successful on-line presence. Having the best possible web site, with appealing graphic design and using the latest technology, does not however guarantee success.

In order for your site to be a success, you need visitors and with the best will in the world having a "great web site" does not guarantee anyone will look at your site.

There are a number of ways in which you can promote your site to your target audience. These include:

• Conventional methods such as direct mail, radio and television advertising
• Telemarketing
• Press releases
• E-mail broadcasts
• Newsletters to opt-in mailing lists
• Banner advertisements and FREE banner exchanges
• Submission to search engines and directories

The conventional methods listed above tend to be expensive and as time goes on less effective as business managers are increasingly inundated with direct marketing messages many of which simply get ignored.

Telemarketing can be one of the most effective ways of attracting interest in your web site. You simply have to say: "Have you got Internet access? If so, simply enter our web site address" - and the implication is: "You'll find out all you need to know".

Press releases can be an effective way in reaching your target audience and in attracting interest in your site in the first instance or on the launch of a new product or service.

E-mail broadcasts can be very effective in generating a quick burst of traffic to your web site but you must beware the pitfalls of sending unsolicited e-mails or sending mail shots to poorly targeted lists of e-mail addresses.

Opt-in mailing lists provide one of the most effective means of generating repeat business out of your existing customer base, clients who trust you. A carefully worded e-mail message to people who have expressed an interest in receiving further information about your products and services can lead to extra sales.

An appropriately placed advertising banner can attract visitors to your web site. However, advertising banners tend to be expensive, charged on an annual or click-as-you-go basis, and surfers tend to be very suspicious of advertising banners generally.

Banner exchanges overcome the problems of cost but commit you to unwanted advertisements on your site over which you have little control.

This leaves search engines, the single most effective way of driving targeted traffic to your web site.

So, what are search engines? Why are they important? How do you get listed? What do search engines look for? How can you achieve a high ranking? What techniques should you avoid? In short, how can you drive targeted traffic to your web site?

The discussion that follows will be illustrated with examples from a case history: www.1stcallforweddings.co.uk. 1st Call for Weddings is a business that sells second hand wedding dresses, based near Reading in England. The web site first went live in August 1999 and now sees up to two thousand visitors a day, providing targeted traffic to the site and on-line sales for the business.

What are search engines?