Q: How do I get customers to my website?

1. A: Everyone wants their website to be an overnight Internet sensation, but there just isn't a quick and easy way to do it. While there are some organizations that claim that they can get you to the top of the Google results pages in a matter of days, ranking high for a term that no one is looking for won't help you. What matters the most to you is business relevant traffic to your site.
2. Here are a few quick thoughts to get your idea generator primed:
1. SEO. As usual, there's more to this than a meets the eye. It's not as simple as some organizations will make it out to be. You don't have to go all out and understand the more technical terms like canonical tags or the new Schema.org markup language from the Google-Bing-Yahoo team up. However, you should know some of the basics that you can implement immediately, such as identifying your keywords, making good use of your title, and creating useful and engaging content that highlights your specific keywords.
2. Email. Every email you send out should reference your website. That reference is easy enough to put into your signature file, along with your contact information. If you use Google Apps or Gmail, here is an extra bonus. You can use a plugin from www.wisestamp.com to enhance your signature's presentation. It adds your website information as well as your contact information, your social networks, and your IM information. There's even room for incorporating your latest blog post. The point is that every time you send out an email, you should advertise your website address and give your contacts some flexibility in how they can reach you.
3. Newsletters. If you are sending out a hard copy version of your newsletter via USPS, make sure that your website address is somewhere on the front page along with your other contact information. If your newsletter is an online version, however, you can link to relevant articles or information on your site so that anyone wanting to read more simply has to click the associated link. What's appealing with the online version is that most email vendors allow you to include a "forward to a friend” link, which makes it easy for your current customer base to forward it to a potential prospect who may be interested in your material.
4. Social Networks. The big three that come to mind are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. There are others in play. Some of these networks specialize in building a particular community. But all offer some way for you to put your website URL in the profile. Naturally, when your site changes or you have a new blog post, you can update your network by posting an update to your feed. You should also add your web address to your Manta profile if you haven't done so.
5. Business Cards. You can use business cards to promote your site anywhere you have a face-to-face meet up, like a networking event, a seminar or workshop, or a business meeting. These decorated pieces of paper hold your traditional contact information like your address and phone number, email address, website address, and your next generation contact information from your social networks.
6. Documentation. Your letterhead, invoices, marketing collateral and any other printed documentation should list your contact information and your website somewhere on it.

There are still other ways that you can promote your website address and get people to visit. Before you venture into your site promotion activities, however, consider your target audience. Just like your sales activities, you want a specific type of visitor to stop by your site. These people will interact with it, be more receptive to contacting you, and in all likelihood will come back for continued engagement. Target these people in your campaigns and you will get potential customers to your site.

Author: - James Limardo