Growing a Successful Website

     It’s official. You have your very own website up and running. You’re itching to share it with others, but it’s like a ghost town. No one knows about it, and nobody’s there.

     So now what?

     Creating your own home on the Web is easy as pie. However, because the internet is such an enormous entity, the task of making it known to the public may seem hopeless. Don’t give up. Success is just a few simple steps away.

OTHER WEBSITES AND BLOGS
Visit similar websites, and post as a visitor. Leave feedback. Include your site address in your signature, or mention it in your text. Join in discussions on forums. Respond to questions relating to your topic on “Yahoo Answers”.

SEO (SEARCH ENGING OPTIMIZATION)
Land at the top of search engine ranking by creating meta tags, and use keyword-rich content. Try the Google Adwords Keyword Tool at https://adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool  .

SOCIAL NETWORKS
Set up a Facebook account for your business/site. Include a “like” button on each blog you create so that others can share your page with their friends.  “Tweet” regularly through Twitter. Create your own social forum/chat and “advertise” it casually. 

MEDIA
Write about your business/topic in the local newspaper.  Publish articles and/or advertisements in special interest publications and newsletters. Write a report that would be of great interest to your focus group, and share it free of charge, or very cheap. And always suggest that readers check out your site for further information.

     Doing a little something every day for your new website will act like water to a newly planted flower. Before you know it, your site will have blossomed into something positively beautiful.