I have very little time to sit and market/promote my site, so I try to maximize my promotional opportunities as much as I can, without having to spend any money to do it! OK, I'm cheap. Well, no. I haven't had great success with these search engine placement softwares that put you on 16 million sites. They also produce a large amount of spam (and porn) that, frankly, I can do without.

Although I've been pretty lucky with my search engine placement of late, I've always used the age-old method of "linking" to promote the site. Every opportunity I have to sign a guestbook or leave a link on a links page, I take. Being linked to as many sites as possible REALLY improves your search engine placement. And, unlike some of the automatic submission thingies, you know where you're putting a link. If you don't like the subject matter of a site, you can pass it up. But, it's nice when you do a search and your site comes up No. 1 and then the next 6 or 8 results are pages that you are linked to.

What I've also done to optimize the SE results is to create a splash or flash page to my site. Between that and your homepage, you can cover all the bases with key words and key word phrases. Kind of a double shot.

Also, get yourself on some of the great directories out there. If your site is on a particular subject, find directories and listings on that subject. For instance, my site is about "collecting" so I'm on some of the directories and listings for "collecting" and "collectibles". Usually just a matter of signing up and placing a small button or voting mechanism on your site. Voting-type sites are great because people can click from your site to vote AND you also get credit for folks clicking on your listing on the directory so it's kind of a 2 for 1 deal.

I can't stress enough the value of using an email signature. No matter what email I send, I use a signature that has the site name, a bit of description and a link to my site. Kind of like the signature we use on the forum here. It's worth it to take the time to create a signature on any of the forums you participate in, as well. I've had a lot of folks checking my site out by following a link from an email or from my sig on a forum.

Another great "linking" opportunity is to apply for awards. I don't do that any longer, as I just don't have the time. That's the rub on that one. You have to have the time to fill out applications and time to wait for the award presenters to view your site. But, that too, is a great 2-1 reciprocal linking opportunity. Just make sure that you have the extra server space to display the awards that you win.

I don't sell on eBay any longer (since I started my own auctions), but when I did, I created one of those "About Me" pages. Even as a buyer, I still get people checking out the "About Me" page, and my site, from the links that I put there. And, it's FREE!!!

A great way, I've found, to get new folks familiarized with your site is to have a small contest of some type. People LOVE that stuff... especially if there is a prize involved. I'm just finishing up a "Scavenger Hunt" contest on my site and it's been VERY popular. And the prizes are something that I was given for free to promote my site. So, it's a win-win. But, the use of a Scavenger Hunt involved getting people in the far reaches of my site, rather than just to the homepage.

Another neat thing to have is a free service of some type. I've chosen to have greeting cards, as I can easily work them into the theme of my site. I checked my stats the other day and from December 1-25 I had 357 cards sent. That's 357 folks who had the opportunity to look at my site. Then, you have all of the people that they've sent cards to ... coming to pick up their cards. So, really, it's double!!!! And, I only offer a page with 16 cards at any one time! But, I keep changing them to keep the variety fresh. The card script I use is FREE AND you put it right into your webpage. You don't link to someone else's site. http://www.mypostcards.com

An interactive site always helps. If you can get people "involved" in as many aspects of the site as you can, it helps. Let them contribute news, pictures, artwork ... whatever. People enjoy being "a part" of something. Always reward them by giving them credit (link to their site, their name posted ... or something a simple as a posted "thank you".)

Another great way to promote is just plain old word-of-mouth ... not on the Web, on the street. My husband has told friends at work about the site and even some strangers, when they've gotten into a conversation about the Internet. The old ... tell two friends and they'll tell two friends, etc. still holds true.

Try to be as "accessible" to your visitors as possible. Doesn't mean you have to allow them to IM or ICQ you at all hours of the day and night, but always have your email or a comment form and encourage people to ask questions. And, above all, make sure that you answer them in a timely manner.

Collecting South Park has gotten me emails asking me questions about the show and the characters probably more than about collectibles. But, any questions I can answer I do. If they ask about where they can find a collectible, I try to point them in the right direction or supply them with a link. Sometimes even doing a bit of research or searching to help them out is appreciated ... and often remembered. You'd be surprised how this builds loyalty to your site. People like to know that there's a genuine "person" behind the site.

Like I said ... I have less and less Web time anymore, so I try to optimize what I have. Kind of the poor wo(man's) marketing and promotion. But, I hope some of this helps!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I started designing websites in late 1997 and have had one ever since. My current website is all about my addiction to collecting South Park Memorabilia. The site is the first, and hopefully will become the official community website devoted entirely to South Park collectibles and collecting.