Marketing Your Business Online Successfully – A Starter Guide
1) Create a Website if You Donâ??t Already Have One
If you have never created a website this is not as difficult as it may seem. There are a lot inexpensive or even free all-in-one services that will guide you through how to do so. A couple of my personal favorites are Blogger and Googleâ??s WordPress. Both are free and very easy to use. Donâ??t get confused by the fact that they are â??blogsâ? and not sites. Blogs are just as effective as full-fledged websites for marketing your small business, if not more so. You can post pictures, articles, and have multiple pages. Try to make the name of your site relevant for the keywords people would use to search for your service. For instance, if you are a lawn care service company in Seattle, you could consider â??Jacks-lawn-service-Seattleâ? as a relevant name.
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2) Write Relevant Content on Your Site Using Keywords People Would Use to Search for You
 Users love articles that help them solve problems. Use your expertise to write relevant articles on your site or blog, making sure that you use keywords in your articles that users would use when trying to search for someone offering your services. For instance, if you are a veterinarian with boarding facilities, write an article about the qualities to look for in a kennel or boarding facility and ensure you include keywords such as the name of your town, â??kennelâ?, â??dogâ?, â??catâ?, etc.
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3) Submit Your Site to the Major Search Engines and Relevant Directories
Itâ??s helpful to inform the search engines that you exist and fortunately they make it easy. Google and Yahoo are the two biggest as of this writing. Submit to Google here:  www.google.com/addurl/ and to Yahoo here:  siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit.
Also submit your site to any relevant directories. Search for industry-related directories that users might reference. And make sure youâ??re listed in the increasingly popular rating sites like Tinkn.com. They are an excellent way to specifically target your local audience. You can oftentimes add features to your listing like detailed information, offer promotions, and add a link back to your site, for a fraction of what a yellow pages ad would cost.
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4) Use the Social Networking ToolsÂ
Social networking sites like Facebook are another great way to promote your small business online. You can post a personal profile and catch up with old colleagues and friends. But the added benefit of course is that you can link to your site and build your credibility in your community. Ensure of course that what you post on these sites is truly what you want represented of yourself. Remember that you are creating your personal â??brandâ?.
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5) Create Links to Your SiteÂ
Links are very important to the major search engines. The more links you have from other sites to yours, the more important you look to search engines relative to your competitors. If you are a member of an association, check with them to see if they will add your link to their website. Oftentimes your community will have a local site that may be able to list your business. And donâ??t forget your suppliers and other partners. They have a vested interest in your business being successful so make sure you ask them to add you to their site.
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Getting the word out about your small business in the online world may seem like a daunting task if youâ??ve never done so before. But by using the tools provided here and a little perseverance, youâ??ll be on your way.
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Kristin Hartshaffer is co-founder of Tinkn.com.
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