Up-n-Running... Now What?

[Jenny]

Hi there -- finally, oh, finally, I have my very own website to hawk my very own treasures... I am oh-so exicted and delighted and beside myself withglee... Yes, glee...

Here it is: http://oldbagnewtricks.com/

I do have some local marketing mailers to go out next week. Also, I am donating a collection to our local PBS fund raiser -- they link donor sites to theirs.

My question... oh, geez, I have a million of them... how do I get my site seen by more folks. How do I exchange links? How do I move it up on the Periodic Table of Every Site Ever Made. I have heard tell about the use of key words and phrases... where would one write them?

Any and all direction pointing would be oh-so-most-appreciated.

Thank you Ever so Ever,

[zuzus_garden]

Congratulations, Jenny, and welcome to selling on the WWW!

how do I get my site seen by more folks - Great Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and every form of marketing you can think of, from passing out business cards to a balloon floating in the New Year's Macy's parade.

How do I move it up on the Periodic Table of Every Site Ever Made. I have heard tell about the use of key words and phrases... where would one write them? Make a list of your keywords - the words and phrases your customers would enter when searching on the web to find your site. Then use this tool http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ and enter your keywords. It will tell you how often people search on the words you like. The order in which you write your keywords matters. I keep an Excel file with my top keyword phrases that people search on most. You need to add your keywords to your web pages both in the title and description. You need to incorporate your keywords into your copy (the text that appears on your website) in a way that make sense and is easy to read.

Enter "SEO articles" in your favorite search engine and read, read, and read about it. This is my favorite site for SEO and marketing: http://www.searchengineforums.com/apps/searchengine.forums

How do I exchange links? Write your link exchange text (include your keywords!) and create a banner. Find websites that you like, that you believe your customers would enjoy visiting, and that use similar keywords. Email them, and ask if they would like to exchange links with you. You add their link to your site, and they add yours to theirs.

Best of luck!
Zuzu

[Genuine Bloom]

How do I get my site seen by more folks?

There are a ton of articles and other resources on the net talking about this. Not all of them are good...but after you read about a thousand (only kinda joking) you start getting an idea about what ideas are good and what aren't. One thing I think is a really good idea to try out (and I will be as soon as my site has more stuff and is more together) is to submit press releases via an online newswire service like http://www.prweb.com This can help your press release picked up by media, but your press release gets picked up by Google and such too, so people searching google may find your website that way.

Read through the old posts of forums like these and look for similar discussions on promoting websites. Use Google or other favorite search engine to search for promoting websites and other keywords you think would help find info on that.

How do I move it up on the Periodic Table of Every Site Ever Made. I have heard tell about the use of key words and phrases... where would one write them?

If you need a little help with your meta tags (the title and description and keywords shown in the html file of your pages but your visitors don't see) you can try using the sample tool here http://www.netmechanic.com/powerpack/meta.htm The other place for your keywords are in your content...the sentences and paragraphs on your site that your visitors read and the text links. If you know nothing about meta tags you might want to research that a little. I can't think of any link right now that explains them...but if you ask I'll try to find a beginners explanation for you.

People and search engines look for content. So if you can write little articles that visitors to your site might like then maybe include them on your site somewhere?

How do I exchange links?

In addition to what Zuzu said, make each request for links personal. Don't just say "Will you exchange links with me?" For example, say something about their site that you liked in order to show that you actually looked at their site and aren't just spamming them. Maybe suggest why you think it would be beneficial for them to exchange links with you. It's usually best to exchange links with sites that compliment (but not necesarily compete) with your own instead of something more random.

[Jenny]

Zuzu and Sharyn:

Thank you both so much for all your very valuable information. I have copied both of your responses and filed them in my business file. I have Favorite Listed the links you both provided. And I've peeked briefly at all those sites as well.

Sharyn, I think I understand a wee bit about meta tags (I kinda ran into something whilst bulding my site ... now if I can only run into it again.)

Zuzu, by way of one more question, but how on earth do I "create a banner" so as to use in exchanging links? I am assuming that this is essentially a logo of sorts that is coded with a link to me... Or am I totally wrong?

This is fun and exciting and scary -- but mostly fun! :D

[zuzus_garden]

I am assuming that this is essentially a logo of sorts that is coded with a link to me...

Yes, you're right - it's an image file that when clicked on will go to the site.

...how on earth do I "create a banner" so as to use in exchanging links?

I can share what I did, and hope others will jump in and answer your question with how they did it as well. I have an art program called Paint Shop Pro. I use it to create logos, banners, business cards, and artwork. It's also what I use to resize my product pictures. To make our software logo, I drew a picture, photographed it with a digital camera, and then resized and colored it using PPS. You can scan a drawing as well, but then you need to be able to resize it.

How do you resize your product pictures?

Again, I don't know what everyone else has used, but hope they will share too!

Zuzu

[Jenny]

Zuzu:

I resize my photos in the software that came with my camera. When I "upload" pictures from my camera to the computer, I resize them, rename them and settle them into their appropriate files -- all the tiny dinettes go into one file, all the carry bags go into another...

So, let me see if I have this right... If I were to link Bill's Manure Shop on my links page, I would copy Bill's logo, arrange it on my Links Page and create a link from my page to Bill's site?

Simple as that? Right?

(I don't want to send notes to compatible businesses suggesting we trade links and then me not knowing how to do it. I'm willing to be ignorant -- but not idiotic -- not on purpose. ;) )

Thanks for all your input Zu -- your help is most appreciated.
And anyone else -- just jump right in -- there is no suggestion too small.

Jenny

[Jenny]

Sharyn: I've been studying and studying that NetMachanic site -- it's fascinating. And perchance it might be making more since. I didn't previously know to enclose my phrases -- it says to enclose them with quotes -- but I also see an example where the phrases are enclosed by arrows or less than/greater than signs. Do you know what the difference would be? All this stuff I'm learning is just amazing. When I built my site my computer geek son was completely bowled over -- I irritate him by calling the CD/DVD player and CD burner by their given name of "cup holder"... I think the boy child was born with no sense of humor, as the first dozen times I referred to these components as "the cup holder" he very carefully and slowly explained that these are NOT cupholders. Maybe if I'd quit tormenting him he'd find my antics more amusing. maybe not.

Anyway, I am most grateful to NetMachanic and if you know the difference between when one uses quotes and when to use arrows please share.

Thanks tons,
Jenny