Can People Find Your Site?

You can build it, but will they come?

• Pick a good domain name
  • It is estimated that 47% of all website referrals come from direct navigation
  • Try and make your domain name obvious and memorable
  • Use the same address for email accounts
  • Keep your domain name short
  • Use .com if possible
  • Buy multiple domain names and forward them to main site
  
  
• Titles, Keywords, and Descriptions - all serve to unify
  (Resource: SearchEngineWatch.com)
  • Keyword Density
  • Keyword Tool
  
  
• Search Engines need text links or graphical links with "ALT tags" to properly index your site (Example: Haggen.com)
  
  
• What does your site look like to a Search Engine?
      Lynx View (MTC-inc.net) versus Our View (MTC-inc.net)
      Lynx View (BigFresh.com) versus Our View (BigFresh.com)
  
  
• Reciprocal links Who Links to You?
  
  
• What does Google know about you? site:bellingham.org, Google Toolbar, Google Sitemaps, Google Explained
  
  
• Use Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, and Google Site Search to better understand your visitors
  
  
• Self-promotion through brochures, business cards, radio spots, etc
  
  
• Partner and affiliate sites
  
  
• Web advertising - Banners, Articles, News, etc. (Example: WhatcomCountryGuide.com)
  
  
• Pay-per-Click advertising: Google AdWords or Overture - Yahoo Search Marketing