Advertising (How to get people to find your site)

There are a couple different ways you can go about this, plain straight out advertising. Buying ad space on other sites, using print media, making sure your URL is on every other form of advertising you do for your business.

There are less obvious ways to advertise your sites as well. Simple things like following forums about topics relevant to your business, and posting there, keeping your URL in your signature. While that can be a great way to get known, be very sure that the topics you post about are relevant, or you can generate negative publicity, be banned, or kicked out etc. Not really good with the web community, they tend to not let people who abuse their realm kindly.

Start a blog! Make sure again, that it’s interesting and relevant. Don’t start a blog about your cat, and expect people to buy your refrigeration units.

Blogs are best updated daily, or more often. If not people forget to come visit! You can also use the blog as a way to network with other businesses that are complimentary to yours, friends and family. I’ve found that people read/visit blogs most often when they contain images. If you can draw a diagram of something, scan it, do it in Photoshop, or take a picture of a product, people will come back for more.

If you are using a blog to create awareness of your company, I suggest forgoing the quick and easy “ad banners”. Although people are used to seeing them, it can confuse the message. Instead fill the extra column with links to relevant sites, polls, trivia etc. Something to engage the user, without sending them away.

(Apologies for editing/typos etc, I haven't been through to edit anything before I post it. Wanted to throw up as many ideas as I have, when I have them, for final edit later as the book comes together)