Chapter 1: Web Site Marketing and Promotion

In this chapter, you will learn what Web site marketing and promotion is. You will also learn why marketing and promotion is so important to the success of a Web site.

Web Site Marketing and Promotion Overview

What do we mean by marketing and promoting a Web site? We are not talking about how you sell merchandise on the Web, or how you convince someone to buy something. Web site marketing and promotion is the process of letting people know about your Web site. Marketing and promotion a Web site also includes the methods used to encourage people to come back to your Web site.

No Directory Assistance on the Web

The Web is a great tool for making content available to millions of people, but it does a poor job of letting them know where to find things. Unlike the telephone system, there is no directory assistance on the Web. In fact, if it were not for marketing work of some sort, you would not be able to find any sites on the Web. This deficiency in the Web makes it important that you market and promote your Web site.         

Marketing and Promotion Methods

This book teaches the methods that the professional marketing and promotion services use to get the word out about Web sites. These methods are easy to use and understand, once you know what they are. We will explain each of the common methods used by experts, how it works, and how you can use it effectively. We will also give you examples of what we are talking about.

Why Market and Promote a Web Site?

Once you have a great Web site up and running, the next step is to market and promote it. Why do you need to market and promote your Web site? Here are some reasons:

Marketing and Promotion Help People Find You

When most people search for something on the Web, they go to certain resources and expect to find what they are looking for there. If they cannot find you through these resources, they assume you are not on the Web, or that you cannot be found. You need to learn how to use these resources, which are described in this book, to market and promote your Web site to your potential users.

Marketing and Promotion Helps Current Customers

For your current customers, the Web can be a convenient and valuable source for the latest information. Because information on the Web can be updated and made available to customers so easily, customers that use the Internet want to know how they can access your Web site.

Customers also like the fact that they can get information from you at any time they want from the Web. They do not need to contact you during certain hours.

Marketing and Promotion Creates Interest

Marketing and promoting on the Web includes trying to interest people in your Web site. These are people that you attract to your Web site because of your marketing and promotion efforts. These are people that might not even know who you are and what your business does, but they are interested in what you have to offer, which they learned about through your marketing and promotion efforts.

Marketing and Promotion Brings People Now

Many users might come upon your site in a few years, but you want them to come now. If you are doing business with your Web site, a few years down the road might be too late. You need to do things that help people find you now. Effective marketing and promotion will do this for you.

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Proper marketing is one of the keys to the success of any Web site, unless you do not care whether people come or not. Marketing and promotion can be easy, but you must make a conscious decision to do it. Do not assume that someone else will take care of marketing and promotion for you.

One of the poorest Web related business decisions is to spend a lot of resources to create and maintain a Web site but nothing or very little to market it. YOU CANNOT ASSUME THAT IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME. This attitude almost guarantees failure.

How Do I Market and Promote My Web Site?

If you are reading this book you already know about the need for marketing and promoting a Web site. Your question is most likely, "How do I do it?" Well, that is the purpose of this book.

Each of the methods presented in this book will help you market your Web site. You can use any combination of the methods. They are all methods to accomplish the same goal. Generally, the more methods you use, the better off you will be. Some methods are easier to do than others. Some methods are better suited to your Web site than others. Some methods bring about quicker results than others. Some methods cost more than others. Read through all of the methods and decide for yourself the ones that are best suited for your needs and resources.

Key Points on Web Site Promotion