You can get started in advertising a website with these tips

Advertising a website can seem confusing if you’re new to e-commerce. But with some planning, you can take your new site from creation to success.

But just one channel won’t work. Make sure you’re using all of these tools and techniques to advertise your website.

Press releases

Even in our technologically advanced times, the old-fashioned press release is one of the best ways to let prospective visitors or shoppers know about your new website,

Make sure the press release contains valuable, share-worthy information, and doesn’t come across as just a commercial for your site.  Not only is a self-promotional press release less likely to generate reader interest and sharing, it probably won’t make it past most journalists in-boxes.

SEO

Who doesn’t want free advertising for their website?  SEO (search engine optimization) is the way to push your website to the top of the search engine results.  And unlike pay-per-click, it doesn’t cost you each time a visitor clicks on your listing.

Be sure your website has good keyword usage in the URL, titles and content, a solid description and straight-forward link navigation within the sites. If you’re new to the world of SEO, hire a consultant to help you plan and execute an SEO-friendly site.

~Social networks

Gone are the days when Facebook and Twitter were dismissed as toys for teenagers and college students posting about their daily adventures.  These social networks are now recognized as powerful tools for communicating with fans, friends and customers alike,

Create and use branded social profiles to advertise your website, promote new products and share information about your industry.  But don’t let the “official” use of these channels overshadow their greatest strength as tools of connection.  Use your social sites to listen to customer needs, concerns and issues, or to respond to call-outs from happy fans.  Each post is advertising a website, without the off-putting, in your face commercial aspect so many people now distrust.

Content

Content, both on your site and on other sites with links pointing back to your web pages, is a critical part of advertising a website. 

Make sure the content contains information people will want to share, with links they will be happy to follow.  Avoid self-promotional content — instead, let the usefulness or uniqueness of the information do the selling and advertising for you.

Direct mail

The news of the death of direct mail is premature.  In fact, direct mail is still one of the best ways to reach new prospects, and share information about your company and its website. 

Careful targeting of the right demographic with your postcards, flyers, mini-catalogs or even full catalogs can alert large numbers of people to the products and services your company offers. 

Print or broadcast media

Articles or news stories in local, regional or national magazines and journals can bring many new visitors to your website.  While the press release may be step one in this process, providing complete articles, or offering your service as a free “expert” in your field are both very effective ways to land a feature article mention of you, your company and your website.

QR codes

Posting QR codes in ads, on ad boards or in promotional material is a great way to bring visitors directly to your website.  Smart phone can scan these little codes, driving brand new prospects from the source to your site in seconds.  The simple process means that many people will follow the codes even without any advertising telling them what to expect on the site;.

Word of mouth

No matter what other tools you use, word of mouth advertising remains the A-1 way to advertise your company to people who are like to shop and buy.  The fact is, people trust people more than ads, so make sure your website and your company give customers something good to share.