You might think that all you need to promote your website is to create it and then give out the URL, but it's not quite as simple as that. There are a number of different ways to get your website address out there, and not all of them are immediately obvious. The trick is to combine several of these methods, both online and offline, and to use them as efficiently and as effectively as you can.
Offline Promotion
First, let's take a look at ways to promote your website offline. The first is pretty obvious: add it to your business card. Yes, it may be a long line of text, but if you do it in a small font and put it at the bottom, it won't look that intrusive. Alternatively, you could make cards that only have your website address on them. These aren't as useful as a full business card, but they can be helpful. If you own a store, for example, you can drop a card in the bag with your customer's items. Don't forget to add your URL to invoices, catalogues, flyers, and any other printed material that you might hand out.
Another use it to put your website address on promotional materials. Bookstores can put their website address (and other useful information) on bookmarks or bookplates that customers can take with them and use with their purchase. Keychains, magnets, bumper stickers, and ink pens are also items that customers will use or see often, so they're prime targets for your web address. The only problem is that if your website URL is long, it might not fit.
If you produce a product, look for a place to put your website URL where it will both look attractive and be seen. For magazines, you can put it on the back cover. If you make CDs, put the website on the jewel case insert or on the booklet. If you provide a service, don't be discouraged; there are still plenty of ways to get your website address out there. A restaurant, for example, can add their website to take-out menus or even custom-printed napkins.
Online Promotion
Promoting your site online is both a bit easier and a bit more difficult than offline promotion. It's easier in that you don't have to print, produce, or order things with your web address on it. It's also less expensive. Say you want to promote your restaurant's new website. If you do this by adding your website to take-out menus, then you either delay advertising your site until all of your current take-out menus are gone, or reprint your menus so you can begin promotion immediately. Both require money, of course, but the second option requires you to actually lose money since you'll be replacing your current menus.
Online promotion avoids all of that ' it doesn't take any money to put your URL out there. What it does take, though, is time. In fact, online promotion can actually take up more time than offline promotion, which is where the 'more difficult' part comes in.
To successfully promote your website online, you have to find other sites to advertise on. This can be somewhat difficult. You have to find sites similar to yours then email the website owner and ask them to include a link or post a banner for your site. Usually, it's polite to offer to post a link or banner to their site in return (this is called link swapping). However, in some areas, other sites aren't going to want to advertise the competition.
Paying for ads on websites is another way to get your URL out there, but it's also expensive. If you're a small business, going this route is probably a bit too pricy. However, it does bring results.
Finally, don't forget to add your web address to your online 'business cards': your email signature, message board signatures, and anywhere else you can think of (your profile on things like MySpace, for example). These are easy and cheap places to advertise.
A good combination of both online and offline promotion can get your website name out there very quickly, and before you know it, you'll have hundreds of people viewing your site.
