Deciding to build a Website to get your company online is an important decision in this burgeoning digital age. However, simply having a Website is no longer enough to get you noticed. The vast quantity of Websites on the Internet quickly obscures the quality sites that become overlooked in the information deluge. To maximize the exposure that a Website receives, the most effective method is to pursue the site’s target audience by direct marketing. This requires reaching this audience through the various online channels that such users would utilize. Typically, search engines head the list of how users discover the sites that carry the information, products, or services they are looking for. However being ranked any lower than the Top 30 strongly decreases the chances that your Website will be seen. Achieving a top position with your targeted keywords is important to increasing your visibility to your qualified audience. Once they have found your site, if they are satisfied with the quality of it, they will often pass the information along to others in newsgroups or mailing lists that they belong to. In addition, this process of viral marketing through various online discussion channels can benefit from the seeding techniques of an experienced company. For all the people who have seen, and liked, your site through the first two avenues (search engines or online discussion channels), some may add a link to your site on their own Websites. Links are valuable to you for several reasons. First is the free, increased visibility that you receive. Many people also perceive links as endorsements of a site or product, thus growing your credibility. The other added benefit of links is that many search engines now incorporate the number of inbound links to your site when positioning you in their listings. Word, good or bad, travels very fast across a medium such as the Internet and the goal is to employ this awareness to increase traffic. Gabi Shanee is with Qliq-On Corp. For more information, check out their web site at www.qliq-on.com
