Having a website is only the first step in embracing the Internet technology to increase your business's visibility online. And it is just a small step. With so many companies offering website design service, you shouldn't have much problem finding a reliable company and getting your website done. However, the completion of your website does not mean the end of the story. You should continuously market your website, make it known to your targeted audiences so that it helps to generate sales or serve your customers better. Below are some of the techniques you may consider to market your website:
- Make full use of your existing resources. You should include your website address in your name card, letter head, receipts, packages, etc. If you drive a car, paint it somewhere. Companies pay Comfort, SBS to do so. It would be a waste if you do not do it with your own car, free-of-charge.
- Post your website to directory listings, online classifieds. Some of them are free of charge, like Yahoo! Classifieds(http://sg.classifieds.yahoo.com/), Craigslist(http://singapore.craigslist.org/), Singapore Online Classified Ads(http://www.onlineads.com.sg), while some charge a fee, like Yellow Pages(http://www.yellowpages.com.sg)
- Submit to search engines. People are increasingly using search engines to find the product/service they need. In order for your website to be listed in the search result, you need to submit your website to the search engines and tell them what your website is about first. You can start doing so with the big 3, namely Google(http://www.google.com/addurl), Yahoo(http://sg.search.yahoo.com/free/submit) and MSN(http://search.msn.com.sg/docs/submit.aspx)
- Exchange links. Ask your business associates, partners and even suppliers to include your website on their websites, and you do the same for them in return. There are 2 reasons for doing this. Firstly and most obviously, this will help to generate direct exposure. Secondly, it helps to improve your listing in search engine result. It is generally true that the more websites link to your website, the higher rank your website will get in search engine listings(Of course some experts may argue about SEO stuff like content, keywords, etc. But, hey, this article is only to provide some basic knowledge!).
- Complement with conventional media. By conventional media, I mean TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, etc. They still receive lots of attention, despite of the booming of the Internet. So, if you have the budget, consider advertising your website there.
Do take note that your website marketing efforts should be continuous and not just one-time thing. You need to monitor the performances of those various marketing methods from time to time and make some adjustments accordingly.
