Ad On Their Web Site example essay topic

1,618 words
Promoting a World Wide Web Site As we enter the new millennium, more and more businesses are deciding to go along with building what is called sites on the world wide web, better known as a web site. It seems as though these days to many people is that all you have to do is build a web site and you are set to go. Being as upfront as possible there is an extreme downside to this method. Just building the web site will not bring anybody to the web site. To get people to visit a web site certain processes have to be taken to promote the web site. There are numerous ways out there to promote a web site.

One very common and successful way to bring visitors to a web site is to send out direct electronic mail or commonly known as email. This is a very simple process in general. It simply consists of sending out emails at random or premeditated if you have the time. The emails need to contain a short paragraph describing a little about your web site and what it has to offer to those who visit the web site. Remember that with this method it is wise to not be too wordy otherwise this process can develop to be very time consuming and irritating to the sender and the receiver of the email. However it is possible to email well over 10,000 emails in just under an hour.

This process can only be done if everything has been thought out thoroughly and ready to go before the process has even begun. Another possible advantage to this method is that the recipient of the email may enjoy the site and forward the same email to people that they know. Emails also cost nothing if there is already access to the World Wide Web through an ISP (Internet Service Provider). This method is the most commonly used and it can and does work ("7 Ways"). A very similar way but much less direct method is simply to attach a signature to the end of outgoing emails. Most email providers offer this option.

It simply means that at the end of outgoing email that is sent out there will be a message of individual choice at the bottom of the email where a signature would normally be on a hand written letter, thus giving it the name signature. What the message says is entirely up to the sender of the email. It is recommended that more than one signature be provided to pertain to different types of people that are emailed. The message should include your web site name, address, and a short catchy little phrase to catch the eye (Kent 324).

Another method of promoting a web site is to enter the site in a search engine. A few examples of search engines are Yahoo, Alta Vista, Excite, Lycos, Infoseek, and Webcrawler. The whole process in itself is very easy but it takes time and patience. An application is provided for individuals by the search engine. The application requests name, web site name, web site address, a description of the web site, what kind of site it is, a list of key words, and what category would be desired for placement of the web site ("7 Ways"). Always double check to see what the search engine did with what they were given.

Check to see where the site was placed and to see if the site was placed at all. "Perhaps as many as 50 percent of all submissions are rejected" (Kent 320). If for some reason or another the site wasn't posted simply keep reapplying. Be persistent and keep registering but each time use different key words. Eventually the site will be posted (Kent 320).

An approach to promoting your site that does work quite well on a regular basis is to advertise by using banners and ads that link to the web site that is being promoted. The downside to this method is that it does get expensive. It is simple though. Simply come up with a banner design that is catchy and convince other web sites to carry the banner. Usually they will not do it for free so it is best to offer them a sum of money to carry the banner for a certain amount of time. Then negotiate down to what meets both web site's needs ("7 Ways").

Many sites will offer a chance to place an ad on their web site if in return the person desiring the ad placement will apply the web sites ad on their web site. This works well if it has the opportunity to have this setup with multiple web sites (Kent 325). There is another way and that is to apply to what is known as a link page. This is a web site that consists of only links to other web pages. Usually all the web pages have something in common with each other. Convincing the link page to accept the offer to contain the web site link to the site that is currently being promoted is easy although sometimes there is a small fee ("7 Ways").

The internet provides many news services that contain what is known as a message board. This is where there are always discussions on certain topics. This is a good place to sneak in an ad from time to time as long as it is respectfully done and doesn't disrupt the conversation. The best way to do this is by disguising the ad as a perfectly acceptable response to a conversation (Kent 326-329). "Go to where the people you want hang out". (Kent 334).

Do not get carried away because the promoter of the site can end up with a bad reputation that gives the site a bad reputation for what is called "spamming". Knowing how to post good messages is a way to promote the we site in itself. Show ads that interest people and do not use short flashy ads. Short flashy ads irritate people. It is bast to use long indirect informal ads that make it seem like a sensible conversation and not an ad.

It is best to only post messages from time to time (Kent 326-329). There are many software programs out there that will do most of this stuff extremely fast and efficient. The price of the software varies. The software will do in minutes what the average person could do in hours saving valuable time and effort. And all the information is saved making it even faster to redo the process again and again (Software). There are also promote web sites that are dedicated to promoting other web sites.

It is their specialization and naturally there is a fee. They offer just mainly the ability to fill out one application and be entered into practically every search engine available to the public. Some even offer free statistics to see how the web site is progressing (PromoteYourWebSite. com.) Also the more things that are offered on the web site the possibility for more people to visit the site increases dramatically. It will hook people in and keep them coming back.

A very good example of this is to give away free gifts. Giving away gifts is the best way to get a web site up and running the way that is desired. It will bring in visitor and those visitors will recommend others to visit. It's a ongoing chain reaction that happens everyday on the web. Everybody loves the word free regardless of what is free. It could be something as simple as a download (Kent 339).

Free information is another way to attract visitors to the wed site. The more that is offered the more that will come. It is best to make sure the information is something that others would be interested in. Look around at news groups and see what information is talked about often and then post some info on the topic on the web site. Then simply invite people to view the information but do it casually. Work it in the conversations (Kent 330).

Another way that will cost some money on most occasions is to write up a press release. A press release is basically an application to have the web site promoted through some sort of media whether it be the news, a magazine article, a radio program, a newspaper, etc. Just about anything that is seen or heard by a lot of people (Kent 339). The web site promoters can also offer what is known as an affiliate program. This allows viewers of the web site a chance to carry a banner from the web site on their web site. In return offer a small commission for each person that visits the web site through the link applied on their web site.

As the days go bye more and more people will have their own web site. Along with more people having a web site comes more ways to promote a web site in due time. It is always a good idea to keep up with the modern ways of promotion.

Bibliography

Kent, Peter. Poor Richard's Web Site. Lakewood, CO: Top Floor Publishing, 1998".
7 Ways to Promote Your Website". Website Promotion. n. d. n. p. 29 March 2000 web "Software of the Year 1999".
Website Promotion. n. d. n. p. 29 March 2000 web "Free Visibility Software".
PromoteYourWebsite. com. n. d. n. p. 29 March 2000 web.