Economic Development Online - Marketing Your Website

Getting the Word Out

Once you have a web site, you will want people to visit it so you can promote your community as an excellent location for business. There are ways to market your site for free or at a cost. EconomicDevelopmentOnline.com recommends implementing the free options first - then evaluate the benefit of spending your money on advertising.

Web listing (free or paid)

One of the most popular ways to get web traffic to your site is by listing your web site with the major search engines such as Yahoo, MSN, Google, Ask, AOL and others. Each has its own process for listing your web site so read the directions carefully.

Another option is to have a company submit your web site to the popular search engines. This service is usually provided for a fee or for free if you place the company's link on your web page. Keys to look for include number of supported search engines, frequency of submissions, and reporting capabilities. Here are some examples of multi-site submission companies. Microsoft's bCentral Submit It, Market My Site, siteannounce.com and the grand daddy of domain registrars Network Solutions. Today, many of the search engines are very sophisticated and they find your web site using their own technology.

Another method of winding up near the top of search results is to pay for it, which is known as Pay-per-click. The major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL all provide Pay-per-click services that show your webpage in a "sponsors" section at the top or right side of all returned search results. See it in action at Yahoo under the Sponsor Matches section.

It is important that your "meta tags", keywords and title describe your website. These are terms that most companies would use when trying to locate the services your agency offers. Title descriptions, keywords and metatags provide an efficient means for search engines to find your site's most recognizable attributes and increase the probability of appearing in a list returned by a web search.

Web Links (free)

You can also generate web traffic by having your site linked to other web pages. This can include the chamber of commerce, economic development organizations, county and state web pages, or other associated sites. Of course you will have to ask these organizations to list your web site. These links are helpful because site visitors with an interest in this related site may have additional interest in your web page. This process is also free.

Advertising

Another popular way of getting eyeballs (industry terminology for visitors looking at your web site) to your site is through web page advertisements, banner links and paid sponsorships of searches. This can be an expensive proposition so make sure it will be worth your investment. The benefit of this strategy is that your advertisement can lead the user to your site with one click of the mouse. Should you choose this strategy, make sure you advertise with a site that expanding or relocating businesses would visit. These could include commercial real estate sites or search engines. You can also advertise your web site through traditional print media for a cost. If you use this strategy, make sure you target your advertising with a publication that expanding or relocating businesses would read. These publications could include business journals, industry-specific magazines, local/regional/national newspapers or other appropriate publications.

Media

Some of the best free advertising you can get is through articles about your web site. If you redesign, add interesting information, or do something special to your web site, send out a press release. The local or regional media may publish a story because their readers might have an interest. If your web site looks like all the others it will be hard to justify an article, but if you have recently implemented some advanced technology this may draw media attention.