10 Effective ways to promote your site!

What good is your site if no one is around to see it or find it !

Promoting your website doesn’t have to cost you any money. BUT you do need to tell others about your site... and I don't mean just your mates...

I'm sure you thinking Free?? Noting is for Free - well at this point in your business you might have some time to spend on your site improving and promoting yourself - when you business takes off you can pass off your work load to someone else to do and pay them but for now you can do these 10 things to improve your site.

1. Solidify your website SEO

SEO, or search engine optimisation is totally free (all be it your time witch does cost you money if you are a busy person - If you feel this is to much contact us and we can help you with custom packages. ) is hands-down one of the most effective ways to get your website ranking on Google (and other search engines). Unlike SEM (search engine marketing), it’s totally free – the competition is open to everyone, based on the quality of the content you publish, how easy it is for your visitors to navigate your site, and the number of links you receive from the outside (backlinks - connections). Among other factors, good SEO is accomplished by setting certain keywords and phrases throughout your website and other techniques, like adding alt text to your images (Google can't see images you have to tell them what they are ) and optimising your headings so that your website is more easily found by search engines. SEO requires some time and effort (dont have time and effort or patience for this - give us ring). The websites we build are automatically indexed by Google so you are one step closer to ranking on google just by having a site with us. See our website options here.

2. Take advantage of email marketing

There’s a reason you will always see email marketing placed high up on articles that talk about how to drive traffic to your website. Why? Because it’s proven to be effective over and over. (For every £1 you spend on email marketing, the average rate of return is £38) Sure, anyone can send a newsletter and get some hits, but one that is carefully written and effective is almost an art form. Keep your content punchy, your CTAs prominent, and your tone pressing to get across to your reader. That is what will separate you and the sea of other newsletters your visitors have subscribed to. With our websites you will have a built in email marketing system to go with your snazzy new site. If you dont have a email marketing system give us ring and we can help set you up with one.

3. Start a blog

Blogs are amazing in order to keep your site indexing and reduce bonce - keeping clients engaged. Having a blog on your website can increase your ranking on search engines, help establish yourself as an expert in your field, and dramatically improve your conversion rate. The best part is : in writing articles - you will force yourself to research your market, and in turn broaden your knowledge and grow your professional skills. As for the technical side of starting a blog, sites build by My Business Online make it super easy to create amazing blogs that can be connected to your site in just one simple click. Not much of a writer - Not to worry. - our blogging expert team can help you with custom articles written for you and your industry ( a bit like ghost writing - but we do all the work ) Remember that a blog needs to be casual and eye level so that you can appeal to anyone from beginner to expert. And, like many things, after some practice it gets easier over time. Lucky for you, we’ve created the definitive guide on how to start your own blog, so you can be well on your way to becoming a blogging pro.

4. Try guest blogging

In addition to starting your own blog, you may want to bring in a guest blogger. This is a popular tactic that is mutually beneficial for both parties involved. Having another writer in your industry write a post on your own blog allows you to dive into the person’s network and hopefully get some quality leads in exchange for your article. Not only that, you’re building relationships along the way with people in your industry therefore growing your own network. You both get exposure, traffic, and social media shares. I’d say it’s a win-win for all.

Vice versa, it’s strongly recommended that you become a guest blogger yourself – that is, you start writing articles to be published on other platforms. Here too, the benefits are huge: your website’s link appears on external pages (giving a nice boost to your SEO), you get exposed to a new audience, and you improve your writing skills by trying new formats. ( Again not keen on the writing thing - give us a shout and our team will sort you out with some great articles from £35 an article )

5. Harness the power of social media

Social media works! If used in the right way. Businesses that use social media as a tool can tap into a following that helps fuel brand awareness and overall growth. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat (and hopefully it’s a combination of one or all of them), posting and commenting is important to build a community - people want to buy into your brand and ideas and social media is the best way to do that. You will need to regularly engage with your audience - this can also increase the chances of them sharing your content, which is free promotion for your website - magic. Don’t forget to cross-promote so all of your networks get to benefit from as much of your content as possible, like sharing your Instagram video to Twitter or your latest blog post on your Facebook page. You can also add a social bar to your website so that your visitors can easily find your social profiles and share your website. Social media is also a great place to share your blog posts.

6. Submit your site to online directories

While a majority of people will be searching Google to find what they’re looking for, submitting your website to online directories is still a good idea. You want your URL in as many places as you can get it so that more people can find it. So why not take advantage of this free advertising space - be aware - some of these directories will want to charge you for the privilege - to start off with its a good idea to go for the free option - then once you see what sites are good traffic pullers for you you can start paying for a premium service. Depending on the industry you work in, there may be a dedicated directory for your business type. If you have a brick and mortar store, submitting to local directories is even smarter. Free services like Google My Business allow you to claim your business so that when someone searches for your business your website plus a map with your location, hours and contact will appear on the right side of the results page. Other places you’ll want to look into adding your website or business to are Angie’s List, Yellow Pages, Yelp, Tom Tom and Bing. Remember, the more the merrier. Seeming a bit over whelmed or worried you dont have time to do this all - feel free to contact us and we can build you a custom package to help you market yourself more affectively.

7. Post on forums

Self promotion is great and you know what - creating an alter ego and posting as a consumer is even better. Forums are another way of getting your website out to another crowd that may not normally run across it. You can start a new thread on a well known forum like Reddit and let others decide if it’s worthy of getting upvoted, or you can engage in an existing conversation thread that is on-topic and throw in your website when appropriate. (Please, don’t spam. It’s just plain rude.) As with the directories above, try to find forums that are specifically about your businesses’ industry so that you can reach your specific audience in a more intimate way. If you can’t find a forum that’s specific to your business category, don’t fret! We can help you start your own forum and build one for you. This way your website can be the destination forum spot for your industry.

8. Reach out with outreach marketing

Outreach marketing involves connecting with others in your business category, bloggers and influencers to promote your website in some way, shape or form. The technique starts with identifying the targets you need in order to attain your goal. This involves reaching out with a pitch, and following up when necessary. This can be done via email or social media, and depending on your targets’ following, one may be better than the other. The idea is to create a lasting relationship all while getting the exposure for your website you originally set out for.

09. Say it with your signature

Your email signature is basically an online bumper sticker, in that people are going to see it whether they care to or not. This, however, can very much be a good thing for you and your website. Make sure that at the bottom of any email that you send out (regardless to who) you place your business logo, links to your social accounts and website, plus any other contact information. Online promotion? Easy peasy. Make sure you set it up to have your signature even when you reply to a client not just when you initiate an email.

Make sure your hyperlinks works! We want to drive as much tarffic to your website as possible.

10. Focus on quality

When making your own coffee, it’s easy to fix if you’ve made it too strong. Simply add some more water and let it brew to even out its potency. However, adding too much water will ruin the entire pot. When creating content to advertise or promote your website, focus on creating quality work or you’ll end up with a watered-down mess that no one wants. This tip can be applied to all of the other tips you’ll find in this article. Attention to detail and a “quality over quantity” attitude will be one of the best things you can do for your business in the long run.