If you are a business owner nowadays, it’s impossible not to have a company website.
In fact, business websites have already been around for decades, but only in the last years have we started seeing them more like the highly-effective lead generation tools they should be.
But, before getting leads and converting them into customers, you’ll need to attain another major objective: attracting traffic to your website. You should intensively promote your website online, but here comes another challenge:
How do I promote my website online for free?
We have compiled a list of 21 proven methods for attracting more awareness and traffic to your website. Feel free to put them into practice.
How to Promote Your Website Online for FREE
1. Directory listings
There are numerous services allowing you to list your business and its website at zero costs. Because your website link is included in these listings, potential customers will easily reach you online. The best-known business listing sites are Yellow Pages, Google My Business, Yelp for Business Owners, and Yahoo Local.
2. Social Media
Social media should represent a major component of your online marketing strategy. One of the first benefits you’ll enjoy by getting a Twitter username or Facebook page is listing your website for free. Anyone interested in your business can simply check your company information and get your website URL.
3. Commenting on blogs and forums
Marketing experts recommend small businesses to allocate half an hour each week to comment on industry blogs and forums. You can include the link to your website in your comment or in your signature. Make sure your comments are not spammy or overly-promotional, though.
4. Email signature
Often overlooked, this method is very effective when it comes to attracting website on your traffic. Once you have established one-to-one communication with someone via email, chances are they’ll check your website, especially when you use a specialized app to develop your signature.
5. Press releases
Reaching the main media outlets through press releases is difficult to attain by small businesses, but this is not your first purpose. By submitting press releases to websites such as Free Press Release or PR.com you will benefit from a free and easy way of generating backlinks.
6. Social media bookmarking
Services such as StumbleUpon or Digg help their users explore, discover and bookmark websites based on their interests. What business owners need to do is submit their websites to these platforms and take advantage of yet another opportunity to create a backlink for free.
7. Article marketing
This method implies writing an article for your niche and publishing it on a website such as Hub Pages or EzineArticles; of course, you will include a link to your website in the article or in your profile. Unfortunately, this method has lost some of its popularity since these websites have implemented stricter rules for posting articles, but still it’s worth giving it a try.
8. Search engines
The majority of Internet traffic actually comes from search engines. In most cases, you won’t need to submit your website to search engines, but it’s always a good idea setting a webmaster account with Google, Yahoo and Bing and make efforts to improve your SEO strategy.
9. Photo sharing
Websites such as Picasa, Photobucket or Flickr enable you to post visual content related to your business and include a link back to your website. You can try this method even if you are not a professional photographer – just post content related to your business, such as photos of your products, headquarters, staff, or anything relevant.
10. Video sharing
If you’re not on YouTube and other similar video sharing websites, it’s high time you created some business videos and uploaded them!
11. Blogs
Since the rise of content marketing, many companies have started a business blog. If you decide to create a blog, host it on your website and regularly update it with fresh and valuable content. If your posts get shared on social media, readers will eventually reach your website as well.
12. Podcasts
Podcasts are audio files produced in radio talk show format; these resources are usually available on iTunes or SoundCloud and can be downloaded and listened to on a variety of devices. As you have probably guessed already, the podcast’s description is another place where you can include your website link for free.
13. Customer referral systems
By providing excellent customer service, people will recommend you to their friends and families and start a viral marketing campaign for your business and share your website without you even asking.
14. Free classified adds
You can post an ad for your products or services for free on websites like Free Ads Time or Classifieds for Free and include your website link in the ad copy.
15. Banner advertisement swaps
What if you had your website featured on some other business’s website? You can make a deal with someone in your industry offering complementary services or you can use services such as The Banner Exchange.
16. Reciprocal links
This method is very similar to the previous one, but in this case you are swapping website links. Link Leads is an example of service enabling you to find someone willing to post your link on their website.
17. Emails
Most times subscriber lists are built through an opt-in web form, but if you use another method for building lists as well, emails represent the perfect opportunity for sending prospects to your website.
18. Joining online communities
Being active on discussion groups from your industry is another way you can promote your website online and attract traffic.
19. Content marketing
Aside from holding a company blog, your business can create and share other types of content as well: tutorials, eBooks, reports, webinars, and infographics. Remember to include your website link in every piece of content.
20. Guest posts
Guest posting is creating an original piece of content for another blog or website with a mention of the author and their website. Can you think of someone who would be willing to accept a guest post from you?
21. Asking bloggers to review your products
Most bloggers are constantly looking for a new topic to write about, and if your products or services are relevant to their audience, they’ll be happy to write about them and include a link to your website.
Time to Take Action!
Which of these promotion tools are you using already? Share your experience with us and let us know which method worked the best for you!
Do you need help with any of these? Not a problem! We’re here to help. Give us a call now at 1-877-347-3172 or click here to contact us.
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