1. Keep your content fresh. Many search engines drop sites that have stagnant content.

2. Add value to your website. You can offer to place links to their sites for your affiliates and partners, and then be sure to ask them to backlink to your site, too. You can offer advertising to your partners, making sure that the products relate to your area and of course, don't compete with your own product.

3. Offer opt-in lists to your customers for discounts and special offers. Place an opt-in link on your site for your customers, so you can send them a monthly newsletter or valuable coupons, either via e-mail or snail mail.

4. Remind your customers to bookmark your site. You can add a link to your home page with a script that does this automatically. Many sites have a button that says, "Add this site to your Favorites."

5. Provide a way for your customers to recommend your site. Add a link that says "Recommend this site to a friend" to your home page. This link should allow your visitor to e-mail your website link, with a prewritten title like "Thought you might be interested in this," just by clicking on it.

6. Brand your website. You want your visitors to always know they are on your site. Use consistent colors, logos, and slogans. Use the same images and slogans in your e-mails, too. Provide a "Contact Us" link on each page.

7. Inform your customers of your policies. Create an "Our Policies" page. Your policies should clearly state your philosophy and customer service principles. It's a good idea to post your privacy policy as well, so that customers know they are secure when they visit your site.

8. Answer questions. Create a FAQ page that addresses any questions that your customers are likely to ask about your product or your company. This helps to resolve customer doubts during their first visit to your site.

8. Make your site easily navigable. Include appropriate titles and keywords on each page of your website, so customers can find their way back to your site if they lose the bookmark.

9. Be courteous. Never spam clients who have opted in for newsletters or ezines with unsolicited emails. Offer them a way to opt out of mailings in each e-mail, and honor their request to take them off the list. They may still come back if they like your products, but they will certainly not come back if you continue to flood their inbox with emails they don't want to receive.