They Get Noticed

Nothing else really matters if nobody ever sees your site. Thankfully if you have a site with a good interface and good, timely, content you can build an audience for it.

Unless you are a Big Corporation with thousands to spend on advertising, first step is to get your site listed in largest search engines and directories. This sounds simple, but doing it correctly takes quite a bit of info and time. First of all, you have to know difference between a search engine and a directory.

A search engine has a database of web pages - a user visits it, asks it a question and it returns relative web pages. AltaVista is an example. A directory is a categorized collection of web sites - a user visits and chooses a category they are interested in and "drills down" to find what they are looking for. Yahoo! is best known directory.

Many search sites blend line between search engines and directories, but when promoting a site, you need to treat them a little differently. With search engines, you don't stop with your index page. Make sure every single page of your web site gets indexed by all large search engines. With directories most important thing is to make sure your site is listed in correct category.

We believe that most important place to be listed is in Yahoo! Next we suggest getting all your pages listed in Inktomi database that handles spill over search results for Yahoo! and also powers HotBot, Direct Hit, Canada, Anzwers, and others. Finally we suggest getting all pages listed in The Open Directory Project, AltaVista, Infoseek, Lycos, Excite in that order and then concentrating on smaller search engines.

While these tips will not by themselves guarantee you a successful web site, they will point you in right direction. Take an hour and surf web checking out web sites that work - do they employ these three principals? Does your web site?

3. Now comes main body of your web page copy. Start by describing pain and frustration your product or service can solve. This is where you really hook reader. People LOVE to read about pain in their own lives. "As price of gas rockets skyward, you find more and more of your tight budget is squandered at gas pump. One by one you're having to drop good things in life just so you can pay for GAS!"

4. Follow that with a bulleted list that names features of your product or service. Next to features, list benefits each benefit brings. People are in a hurry. Bulleted features and benefits are quick to read.

5. Finally, put links to your order page about a third of way down page, at middle of page, and at end of page. Many of your best customers make up their minds quickly. You don't want them to have to hunt all way down page to find link to buy.

You bet, these are very simple points. But you would be amazed how many sites that aren't selling are fouling out on these small but essential copy techniques. Try them on your opening page-and watch sales grow!