10 Free Promotion Ideas
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Here are ten ways to promote your site or blog that won't cost you a dime.
1. Post on forums and comment on blogs.
Posting your site on forums and blogs will both bring in traffic and help your search engine ranking. You don't have to spam hundreds of forums asking them to go to your site. Putting your link on a forum can be as simple as including it in your signature.
Keep in mind that you should never comment on a blog for the sole purpose of promoting your site. Spamming blogs could be potentially damaging to your reputation, which will cause you to lose traffic in the long run. Your credibility as a writer will take you a lot further than your Google page rank.
2. Add your site to directories.
This is one of the easiest ways to increase your link popularity, which helps your page rank on most major search engines. Here are some of the most popular directories:
DMOZ (open directory project)
DMOZ is one of the most popular directories online, ranking 368 on Alexa. Being listed in DMOZ means that you'll automatically be listed in Google's directory. It takes a long time to get listed because each site is reviewed by an editor, but it is well worth it.
IllumiRate
This directory is pretty similar to dmoz. It's free to submit your site and each site is reviewed by an editor not only for the quality but for the reliability of the information.
MavicaNET
A huge directory with over 370,000 sites and 31,000 categories. They also have 30 supported languages.
The Directory Guild
A directory with PR5 and PR3+ on almost every sub page. They ask for a reciprocal link when you post your site.
3. Issue a press release
If you have an article on your blog or news site that is truly newsworthy you might want to consider issuing a press release. Sites such as prleap let you submit free press releases to major search engines.
4. Provide testimonials.
If there is a product you own that has worked for you, you can e-mail the company with a testimonial. Ask them to put a link to your site underneath your testimonial if they put it on their page.
5. Use networking sites.
It's important to have an online presence if you want to create a name for yourself blogging, or even as a business selling a product. Social networking sites such as myspace, linkedin, and facebook are the easiest way to do this. If you spend time networking with other people in your niche it's more likely that they will bookmark your site and want to hear what you have to say.
6. Advertise on your car.
Advertising on your car is a very low cost, high exposure way to advertise. For a $2 sticker you can advertise to hundreds of people a week. This isn't 100% free but the amount of exposure your site will get will outweigh the money you spend. Most people on the road won't write down the name of your site and go to it later, but there are people who will, believe it or not. This is why big-name companies like Foxtons and Redbull have jumped on board board with this method of advertising. It's especially effective if you are selling a product and want to create brand recognition.
7. Run an e-zine or newsletter
Newsletters will keep people coming back to your site. Some people like a site but just forget about it over time. A newsletter will keep your site fresh in the mind of your readers. Feedburner allows you to e-mail your RSS feed for free to people who subscribe.
8. Exchange links
Ask bloggers and site owners for a link exchange. Most will be happy to offer one if you have the same type of site. This will give you more link popularity which will make your site more visible on search engines.
9. Join a webring
10. Create an award for excellence
Create an award for excellence that you issue either monthly or annually. E-mail the winners with a banner or button saying that they have won and ask them to have the image link back to your site.
Trying to promote your site or business can be an arduous experience...unless you get the right promotional products and strategies. People love getting free things, so buy a stress ball with your site's logo for all of your friends or personalized coolers with your URL. If you're creative, you'll find lots of ways to promote your site.
Posted by Crystal 10:58 AM
Labels: site promotion
6 comments:
- At July 13, 2007 10:40 PM nuaim said...
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nice info..thanks for this..im really sure this tips are very usefull..
----nuaim
http://how-to-solve.blogspot.com - At July 14, 2007 11:33 AM clickme said...
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nice 10 ideas, another 1 is join review back.com
-iCalvyn.com- - At July 22, 2007 3:59 AM Simon Tay said...
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That's a great blog!
I had added your blog into my blogroll :)
Great work!
Simon
http://simontay.blogspot.com/ - At October 17, 2007 11:38 PM jblu said...
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good info. it's also a good idea to ping your blogs on a regular basis. good work!
- At October 26, 2007 11:10 AM Mike said...
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Great tips, didn't know about IllumiRate.
I like the name of your blog, I'll be back =D. - At December 27, 2007 11:35 PM Tom Nucatola said...
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Great piece! I can't wait to see more of your work.
