6 Mistakes You Need to Stop Making When Promoting Your Website
We spoke earlier about some excellent resources for
getting the word out about your website and the importance to making good connections online. With so many websites on the Internet today, and more being added daily, it’s crucial to let people know you exist. The only thing worse than being some random website that nobody will ever see, is being some random website owner that goes too far in an effort to promote their site and in essence, drives visitors away. Don’t be that person! Here are six mistakes you should never make when promoting your website.
1. Don’t Spam.
This one seems like it should be obvious and yet, how many pieces of junk mail do
you still have to delete from your inbox each day? Unsolicited email is never acceptable
in any situation. Sending spam is the quickest way to get your site blacklisted,
which will undo all of your hard work. Don’t spam. Ever!
2. Don’t Pay for Traffic
Submission services promise hundreds of visitors daily in exchange for your hard
earned money. We’ve all seen the advertisements online: Just $19.95 and we’ll submit
your website to 500 search engines. Get real! There aren’t 500 search engines in
the world, let alone even half that many that are worth submitting your url to.
If you want simple tips on how to promote your blog or website, check out
these
five ideas or hire a professional marketing specialist. Concentrate on submitting
your site to major search engines, and then wait for your pages to be indexed like
everyone else.
3. Don’t Leave Lame Comments to Gain Backlinks
Commenting on other blogs, news venues or websites might be a good way to gain backlinks
to your website, but it can also completely destroy your reputation, get you blacklisted
or put you off people’s radars. If you’re going to take the time to comment, leave
some valuable insight, a bit of knowledge, or share a personal story. Do not leave
comments like “Nice blog.” Your comment will be deleted. Leaving lame comments is
the equivalent of spamming. Think of your website as a business; each and every
thing you do matters. Represent yourself in a helpful, positive manner and be genuine
at all times.
4. Don’t Talk About Only Yourself
In real life, you don’t walk around speaking only of yourself and your interests.
If you did, you’d likely have no friends and your family wouldn’t be too thrilled
about spending time with you either. When on social networking sites, forums and
other Internet venues, don’t spend all of your time promoting yourself. Interact
with other people and share links of interest that aren’t directly related to your
website or blog. You have a personality. Use it. Remember the 80/20 rule: speak
of others 80% of the time and only spend 20% of your networking time talking about
your website.
5. Don’t Steal Content
It’s OK to be inspired by other businesses and authors, but don’t steal their content,
pictures or ideas. Plagiarism is not only bad net etiquette, but it can land you
in legal hot water as well. It’s perfectly fine to use a quote from another author
as long as you link back to the source. Anything beyond that is simple theft.
6. Don’t Make Ads the Main Focus
People come to your home on the web to read what you have to say, not to be bombarded
with so many ads that your message gets lost in the process. Imagine if you were
to watch a television show that featured commercials every thirty seconds. Would
you be able to focus on the storyline and enjoy the show or would you change channels?
Advertising is fine, but always put content first. If ads are the first thing people
notice when they land on your homepage, it’s time to rethink your business model.
Passion is what has driven everyday ordinary individuals to become A-List bloggers
and superstars online. You can reach the same heights by remaining true to yourself
and following a few simple rules of etiquette.