After creating the perfect website or even just a small website, you'll want people to come visit it; otherwise, it's just a pretty picture that only you can see. Promoting a new website is key, because very little random traffic will come your way without it. Promotion can take a variety of forms; most are simple and cheap, but you can always spend more to get more.
Instructions
1. Add a website to search engines. By adding a new web page to search engines, people will be able to find your website when they search on keywords that are related to your site. There are thousands of search engines, but there are only a few top search sites. Google is the leading search engine. There are services that you can use to submit your site to many search engines at once. There are free versions that submit to a dozen or so sites and then paid versions that will submit to hundreds or thousands of sites (See Resources).
2. Use Adwords. Google's Adwords program lets you advertise your website all over its network of sites. This includes millions of websites in almost any genre. You can agree to pay as little or as much as you want for clicks on the advertisements that take people to your site. You will pay only for actual visitors. This can be cheap and effective. This method is referred to as pay per click.
3. Use business cards. Get business cards printed with your website name and a short description. Post the business cards on bulletin boards that allow for this type of use. Share your business cards with your friends. Distribute the cards anywhere that is relevant, and always have some ready to hand out.
4. Use email to promote your site. Use email in the way you use business cards. You can add a message to the bottom of all or some of your emails to promote a new website. You should also directly email people who might be interested about the site. Never send unsolicited spam. Just email your friends and people you know who might want to know.
5. Advertise on message boards. Join groups or message boards that are relevant to your website's topic, and post a message announcing your new web page. First check the rules to see if this is allowed. If it's relevant to the board or group it will usually be allowed. You could also put the site in your signature so it is promoted with every message you post.
6. Use word of mouth. It's simple and old-fashioned, but it works. Tell everyone you know about your website, especially in conversations about related topics. Don't beat people over the head with the news; just tell them what you have been up to and why you think it's an important new site. It's even easier to do this with social websites such as Facebook and Twitter. You can reach many of your friends at once. But you may want to wait to talk to your friends in person, as many things can get skimmed on social sites.
7. Pay for advertising on popular sites. Many popular websites have a program to allow you to advertise your website on their site. Find program details for advertisers by searching their site. There may be a minimum amount of advertising you have to purchase.
8. Consider banner exchanges. These are largely out of date and no longer used, but they do still exist. A banner exchange is where you create a banner-sized advertisement and submit it to an exchange site. You then post code on your new website, and it will display advertising on your page. Your banner will in turn be advertised on other sites. The problem with is that it makes your site look cheap, and unless you get traffic on your site, your banner will not be displayed on other sites.
