Fabulous website, no results? Marketing your website is vital

Here's where we post info about interesting things we learn, what's happening in the Great Interwebs, and about all the fruits of our labour - the stunning websites that we design, develop and launch!

16 December 2013

Fabulous website, no results? Marketing your website is vital

You’ve got a fabulous new website, but its not getting the results you expected?  If you thought that you could put up a website and your sales will come rolling in – you’re mistaken!

The success of your website is more than the sum of all parts – i.e. its design and function. You should first take a look at what you’ve done to promote the website.

Not marketing your website is just as good as leaving paper brochures sitting in your office, waiting for visitors to come in and find them.

There are many ways to promote your website, here are just a few: 

  • Make sure that your URL (website address) is printed on all stationery, business cards, and correspondence. Include your website on your email ‘signature’ and make it a hyperlink so that email recipients can visit your site with just one click. Your website address could also appear on any signage, including branded vehicles.
  • Invite visitors to sign up to your contact list and send regular offers to them manually or more easily via an email marketing feature on your website. This mechanism can also be used to send out news releases about your business, or publishing an e-mail newsletter.
  • Start a business blog (an online journal that is frequently updated) dedicated to a particular topic and update it with the latest news, views and trends.
  • Sign up to online forums and promote your site within these.
  • Ensure your website is listed in all key directories, specialised and industry directories online and paperback.
  • Offer to exchange email newsletter ads with businesses that offer complementary services/products and request a reciprocal link to their website.
  • A good web developer will use techniques to ensure that your website is easily found when people search the internet using keywords. These techniques are called Search Engine Optimisation. Ensure your web developer uses these techniques as standard development practice – there is no reason why you’d not want your site search engine optimised.