| The champagne has been drunk and the cakes eaten | | | | Nothing to blog about? How about: Alexander, one of |
| - the publishing of the website has been successfully | | | | our sales team, realised that his mother was still using |
| celebrated. Now it is time to think about increasing | | | | her ancient sewing machine. This made him think and |
| awareness of the website, about how to increase | | | | instigate some research which showed that ... |
| traffic on the website, how to attract new visitors to | | | | Oh yes, make sure you decentralise your blogging. |
| the website. The different sections of this article will | | | | Don't just appoint a single blogger, encourage a |
| cover ways of increasing traffic to the website with | | | | number of your employees to write something new. |
| cost-free or low-cost methods. | | | | 5. Launch your own TV station |
| We should say - if you are a web or marketing guru, | | | | We don't of course, mean cable TV. But find a |
| this article may not tell you anything new. But be | | | | personable employee who can, in front of a camera, |
| aware that, in essence, we have put together this | | | | present press releases in an interesting way. Place the |
| information for our existing customers who are all | | | | filmed material in Youtube and place links to it on your |
| experts in their own fields, but whose day-to-day work | | | | website and blog, and announce it in Twitter. |
| does not include the generation of website traffic. | | | | Create your own channel in Youtube and, in time, |
| Each section of the article features 10 ideas to boost | | | | many useful clips of interest to your target audience |
| traffic on your website. | | | | group will be collected there. |
| 1. Place information about your website in free internet | | | | 6. Observe the basic principles of SEO when publishing |
| directories. | | | | content on your website and blog |
| This has two main benefits - firstly it can improve the | | | | It is important that your content can be found by |
| position of your website in search engine results. | | | | search engines. Thus, when creating content, observe |
| Secondly, many people continue to search directories | | | | at least some of the principles for optimising search |
| for information and will consequently find your site. | | | | engine results: |
| How do you decide which directories to place your | | | | - Headings must include important key words (sewing |
| information in? You probably already know a few. But | | | | equipment) |
| finding more is quite straightforward. The simplest way: | | | | - Introductory text must include important key words |
| type the phrase that interests you into a search engine | | | | - An article's address must include important key |
| and you will get a listing of directories, some of which | | | | words (sewing.lv/articles |
| will be free. Better still, add the word 'directory' to your | | | | housewives-use-ancient-sewing-machines) |
| search phrase. | | | | - An article must have a page title, description and |
| Example: you sell sewing equipment. Search for | | | | appropriate key words |
| 'sewing equipment directory. The results show that it is | | | | - Articles should have images. Image titles must include |
| worth placing information in the following directories: | | | | important key |
| - Freeindex | | | | words(housewives-use-ancient-sewing-machines.jpg) |
| - Tradeboss | | | | and images must have ALT text with significant key |
| - Dmoz | | | | words (Image - housewives using ancient sewing |
| - Hotfrog | | | | machines) |
| - etc. | | | | - Within the text, add links to important key words |
| When placing information in directories, definitely include | | | | leading to other articles (for example, the words |
| important key words in the description: | | | | 'ancient sewing machines' are a link to an article 'The |
| 'sewingbrigade.lv sells sewing equipment and sewing | | | | history of sewing machines in the last century') |
| supplies, advises on the servicing and maintenance of | | | | - Within the text, put important key words in bold text |
| sewing equipment, as well as providing warranty | | | | (but do not get carried away) |
| service for sewing equipment' | | | | - Within the text, the proportion of key word should not |
| Don't forget to also register in the Skype directory of | | | | exceed 5-7% of the total word count |
| companies. | | | | 7. Advertise in search engines on a cost-per-click basis |
| 2. Tell the world about yourself with regular press | | | | If your website can still not be located by significant |
| releases | | | | key words, definitely utilise the cost-per-click (CPC) |
| It is a long time since press releases were directed | | | | advertising option. For example, place advertisements |
| exclusively at the mass media, through the medium of | | | | in Google Adwords or Yahoo. The internet already |
| your website you can reach your target audience | | | | has many good articles about the effective use of |
| without middlemen. | | | | CPC advertising. CPC means you only pay for actual |
| - Write frequently, at least one release a week | | | | clicks. For example, lodge your advertisement so that it |
| - Place your press releases on your website - search | | | | is only displayed when someone searches for |
| engines will index them and a large proportion of | | | | 'professional sewing machines' and you only pay if |
| visitors locate them through search engines, searching | | | | somebody actually clicks on your advertisement. |
| phrases of interest to them (for example: 'sewing | | | | Also, utilise available tools for finding appropriate key |
| machine repairs' will lead them to your article 'New | | | | words and traffic forecasting. One of these is the |
| sewing machine repair centre opened') | | | | Google Keywords Tool. |
| - Publish your press releases in distribution networks. If | | | | 8. Create free tools and place them on your website |
| your target group is only within your local language, you | | | | If your website features useful free tools that can |
| can restrict yourself to national networks (for example, | | | | relieve an improve the work of people within your |
| Latvia has Leta, BNS, Tribine.lv, Digg.lv, a number of | | | | target group, they will definitely pass on that |
| niche portals). If your target group uses English, don't | | | | information to their friends and colleagues, also to |
| waste energy by sending press releases to all the | | | | internet channels. For example, the following useful |
| world's media. Instead, place your article in distribution | | | | tools could be created and placed on the sewing.lv |
| networks (for example, ezinearticles.com, | | | | website: |
| findarticles.com) and press release distribution | | | | - Calculate how much knitting yarn you need for |
| networks (for example, prweb.com), where it will be | | | | different articles of clothing (jumper / hat / socks) and |
| found and re-published by thousands of media sites | | | | sizes |
| and blogs | | | | - Calculate how much cloth you need for different |
| - Nothing new has happened and you have nothing to | | | | articles and sizes of clothing |
| write about? What about this example - a press | | | | Your website developer can definitely help you devise |
| release from a company selling sewing equipment | | | | and create these types of tools. |
| 'Research reveals that 20% of housewives still use | | | | 9. Enable information about your website to be easily |
| sewing machines acquired before the war'? | | | | disseminated |
| - What is important is that at least 80% of your | | | | Have your website feature tools which enable visitors |
| releases are about issues of interest to your target | | | | to simply and quickly share the link with others. For |
| group, and only 20% are on company news. | | | | example, utilise the Addthis mini-tool - a tiny application |
| 3. Create a Twitter profile | | | | enabling users to quickly share the link to your website |
| Even if, to date, your typical customer has been a | | | | with many different community portals and |
| 60-year old who hates anything to do with the internet, | | | | communication platforms, including Facebook, Delicious, |
| times change, forcing target groups to adapt. Find out | | | | Twitter, etc. |
| about and utilise the new internet communication | | | | 10. Place your information on suppliers' and partners' |
| methods. | | | | sites |
| Create a Twitter profile and place a widget on your | | | | A blazingly simple means which, sadly, we frequently |
| website (some examples can be seen in the Twitp | | | | forget. Ask your accountant for an outgoing payments |
| blog, and technical execution can be entrusted to your | | | | report for the last six months and identify those |
| website developer), which automatically shows the | | | | suppliers and partners with websites. Place information |
| latest tweets. Naturally, link to the most interesting | | | | about you on their websites: your company's name, a |
| twitterers in your sector. How? Enter key word(s) | | | | description (containing significant key words), a link to |
| from your sector in Twitter's search engine and you | | | | your website (with alt text including key words), your |
| will find thousands of people worth keeping up with by | | | | logo (whose file name and alt text includes key words). |
| clicking their 'Follow' tab. | | | | The outcome - firstly, the larger number of incoming |
| Nothing to write about? Example: We have discovered | | | | links will improve your website's position in search |
| that 20% of housewives utilise ancient sewing | | | | engines, secondly, you will attract visitors directly. |
| machines. Read the article | | | | How do you start a discussion and achieve a result? |
| 4. Create a blog which will be your personal mass | | | | The easiest way is to write an e-mail to your supplier |
| medium for communication with your target group | | | | and then make a follow-up call to explain how the |
| Utilise the main platforms (for example, Wordpress) at | | | | organisation of information discussed above can have |
| absolutely no cost. If you want your own design and | | | | a positive impact on the position in search engine |
| title, the cost will not exceed a few hundred euros. | | | | results for both your own and your partner's websites. |
| Link the blog to your website (for example, if you use | | | | Stress that you are offering win-win cooperation. We |
| the Wordpress platform, ready-made technical | | | | have to admit here that a two-way exchange of links |
| solutions are available to automatically display the | | | | is less effective than one-way, but to achieve a |
| latest articles from your blog on your website page. | | | | one-way exchange, you will need to offer your partner |
| The simplest way is to utilise your blog's RSS feed), to | | | | something else, not necessarily expensive, but |
| your Twitter profile and to other communication | | | | appealing enough for him to provide a link on his site |
| channels. If you put new information on the website, | | | | for at least one month (some ideas - lunches, gift |
| report this in your blog and Twitter and vice versa. | | | | vouchers for solariums or go-karting). |
| Allow the followers of one channel to keep up with | | | | This article will be continued in a few weeks. Stay up |
| other channels. Bear in mind that blogs are a relatively | | | | to date! |
| informal environment. | | | | |