|
|
Launch Your Web Site's Success
Like it or not, your web site will
remain virtually invisible to the bulk of the Internet unless you
take the proper steps to draw attention to it. But take heart, driving
qualified prospects to your site is not difficult if you plan properly.
A proper plan for launching your web site will take into account
all four phases of a successful launch: preparation, pre-launch,
launch and post-launch.
Preparation
This phase could also be called the
research phase and should begin at least three months in advance
of your launch date. The preparation phase should include:
- Develop your advertising campaign.
Create banner ads, text for posting to classified ads and full
page text ads. Be sure to follow the rules of good ad development
and test market the ads for effectiveness.
- Competitive research. This means
gathering information on the competition. Who is ranked highly
in the search engines? Visit their web sites, analyze their page
structures, utilize what you learn to hone your web pages. CAUTION:
Copyright law on the Internet is not always clearly defined. Be
sure your research does not extend to "borrowing" your
competitors keywords or copy.
- Research the publications and
media outlets specific to your product or service. Develop a press
release. Make sure it is newsworthy. NOTE: Just stating "Web
Site XYZ Now In Business" is not usually considered newsworthy.
The editors of these publications are looking for items of interest
to their readers. Give details, explain the who, what, when, where
and why of your product or service.
- Identify businesses in complementary
industries that also have a presence on the Internet.
Pre-Launch
It is usually adequate to begin the
pre-launch phase about sixty days prior to the launch of your web
site. The pre-launch phase should contain, at a minimum:
- Submit your optimized web site
to the search engines and directories. Excite, Infoseek, WebCrawler,
Lycos, Alta Vista, Hotbot and Yahoo account for better than 80%
of the searches performed on the web, focus your attention here.
- Develop strategic alliances with
the businesses you identified as complimentary in the previous
phase. These alliances should include cross-promotion of products
and services, reciprocal linking, and editorial recommendation,
if appropriate.
- Submit your press release to to
the media. Remember, the goal here is to develop a relationship
with the media. Make certain your press release is newsworthy
and do not harass the editors in attempt to get them to publish
your information. Done properly, this is an efficient, low cost
way to get a large amount of attention for your web site.
Launch
The third phase of the plan is the
web site launch. Essential elements of a successful launch include:
- Strategic advertising. Arrange
to run banner ads on major portal sites. If possible, pay by the
click through, not by the impression. Submit ads to several high
traffic classified ad sites. Run ads in ezines on subjects related
to or complimentary to the specifics of your product or service.
Develop a method of identifying which ads are drawing traffic.
This information will be invaluable in the post-launch phase.
Make sure all advertising and tracking is in place by the launch
date.
- Begin your direct mail campaign.
Only use true opt-in email lists! Spamming is the most certain
way I know to lose your email account, web site, ISP and your
reputation, both personal and professional. The best way to have
a true opt-in email list is to gather it yourself by asking visitors
to your web site to join your mailing list. Maintain records of
all subscriptions. Always make it at least as easy to unsubscribe
from your list as it was to subscribe.
- Post announcements in related
newsgroups. Not all newsgroups allow business postings. Be sure
to familiarize yourself with the rules of the particular group
before posting your announcement. The consequences of newsgroup
spamming can be as severe as the those pertaining to email spamming.
Post-Launch
A few weeks after the launch of your
web site, it is time to do an evaluation. Having tracked the statistics
both prior to and after the launch, you should be able to see improved
traffic and increased sales. Now is the time to take stock of what
is working and what is not, what needs fine tuning and what should
be left alone. After the evaluation, it is time to begin the cycle
again.
Clearly, the process I have described
is not a recipe for over night success. It is, however, a methodical
and practical means of organizing your promotion efforts to build
the kind of long term success that should be the goal of any true
business person.
Tony L. Callahan is president of his
own Internet marketing company, Link-Promote http://www.link-promote.com.
He also publishes Web-Links Monthly, a newsletter full of tips, tricks,
tools and techniques for successful web site promotions. To subscribe,
send e-mail to: web-links-subscribe@topica.com.
Copyright 2000, Tony L. Callahan, All Rights Reserved
|
