When you are marketing your website, you have several choices. You can rely solely on the internet, or you can us a combination of online and offline promotion. Naturally, advertising online guides internet users to your site and they can easily browse the information, products or services that you have to offer. An offline approach, though, can also increase your traffic, particularly if you are targeting specific individuals or audiences. There are many different ways to promote your site. You can try one or two, or you may want to try them all.



Banner Advertising

A banner ad provides an enticing visual for the internet surfer which encourages them to click through to your site. Create your banner and distribute to a specific audience so that you can receive relevant traffic to your site. There are banner exchange programs that are quite effective, or you may trade links with another site that contains similar subject matter.

Get Your Name out There

Your website address should be on everything that you send out or hand out. Your email signature, letterhead, business cards, brochures and flyers should all have your web address. This increases your level of exposure and ignites a curiosity in people, leading them to visit your site. It is also a regular reminder for your site.

Online Contests

Many times, you can draw visitors to your site by running a sweepstakes or contest. Your visitors subscribe to an e-newsletter, complete a survey, fill out a questionnaire or register on your site to receive their free gift. You can offer something from your inventory, a gift certificate or an ecourse as the prize. Many people are very drawn to this type of contest.

Article Advertising

When it comes to the internet, it is content, content, content. Many people or companies will offer free, keyword rich content to other sites on the contingency that it includes a link back to your website. This is a win, win endeavor because your content is attracting traffic to the site it is on and your link is visible so that traffic can click over to your site.

Uniform Advertising

If you are promoting a company website, your URL should be on your employees' uniforms if possible. This is a great way to provide ?walking advertising? for your business and it does attract traffic. Make the site address legible (no fancy fonts), easy to read and somewhat understated so that it is not ostentatious

Promotional Items

Place your website address on your promotional items. This is an inexpensive and quite easy way to advertise while it also serves as a daily reminder of your presence on the web. Coffee mugs, bumper stickers, pens, T-shirts and key chains are all great for this type of advertising.

Yellow Pages

If you place an ad in the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory, make sure that you include the website address. This will draw targeted traffic to your site. If you include an interesting, but simple graphic or illustration and a snappy headline, your ad will be more eye-catching.

Company Vehicle

If you have a company car, you can place a decal with your logo and URL on the side. This way, people will see it and may be inclined to visit your site. If you have trucks that deliver products, they would be optimum for advertising your web address.

Catalogs

Catalogs are a great way for businesses to get information on their products or services in the hand of people who are interested in them. A phone number, preferably toll free, as well as the URL at the bottom of the catalog is highly recommended. Many people will read a catalog, and then place their order over the internet.