Consider buying pay-per-click advertisements in popular search engines like Google and Yahoo!, or using Overture. You'll never pay more than you specify per click and per day, and these can be very effective while you are still working to build a search engine ranking that puts your website on first page! Beyond search engines

Include tools on your site for visitors to tell others about your website, products and destinations! Consider using electronic postcard tools or offering subscriptions to free email newsletters (which should, of course, contain links to your site!). The topics of email newsletters and multimedia tools will be covered in subsequent articles in this series.

Consider writing articles for submission to Web article banks, sites which offer free articles for use in websites, email newsletters, and other communications (You may be reading this article via an article bank submission!). In return for use of your article, you receive a listing of your name and company and a link to your website. This can also be a good way to establish yourself or your organization as an "expert" in your field or tourism domain.

Also consider frequenting relevant Usenet discussion lists (e.g., rec.travel.japan) and Web-based bulletin boards, or joining email discussion groups, to offer advice in your area of expertise or about your destinations. Don't spam and do follow their rules of "netiquette", or online behavior. Do include your Web address and a short business description with your "signature" at bottom of your responses. Not only will you attract visitors to your site, but you'll learn about concerns and interests of potential customers. You can incorporate questions (paraphrase or attribute) and your answers into an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on your website!

Paid Web banner advertising can be cost-effective if properly targeted and timed, and if message is right. The same holds true for ads in print and other media (but these are outside scope of this article). In conclusion

There are many techniques for attracting visitors to your website. Make sure you cover technical basics like search engine optimization, but don't focus on technical tricks or spam methods—you may be removed from search engines and turn away potential customers. Offer quality content, find online partners to share links, and be a bold online networker!

The next article in this series will present (Sept 2004) guidelines for creation and use of websites.

(Seattle, USA; August 2004)

Wrong! Creating and marketing with RSS Feeds can be both extremely profitable and incredibly easy!

Originally RSS Feeds were created for broadcasting stations and newspapers, but once 'average Joe' discovered them and started 'spreading news', their popularity surged to masses!

There has been a lot of speculation lately that next generation browsers (Navigator and Explorer) will contain ability to read feeds directly. If this isn't a testament to growing popularity of RSS Feeds, I don't know what else could convince you!

Position yourself ahead of pack on this RSS Feed phenomenon!