|
|
|
|
||||
Web Books
HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide |
© 2001 by David Karlins. All Rights Reserved.
There are as many web sites in cyberspace as there are stars in the cosmos, as there are grains of sand on the beach. There are as many web sites as … well, you get the idea. The question is - with all those web sites out there, how is anyone going to find yours?
To an extent, the type of promotion you are going to want to do depends on the type of site you are operating. If you are developing a site for a plumbing supply outlet in Amarillo, Texas, you probably aren't interested in getting hits from New Haven Connecticut, or Buenos Aires, Argentina. Unless, of course, you plan on developing your outlet into an internet giant that ships plumbing supplies all over the world.
In any case, to promote your site effectively you should have a clear sense of who you are targeting with your promotion. Or to put it another way, who you want to bring to your site, and why. Effective and knowledgeable promotion can make the difference between a web site that - no matter how elegantly and cleverly constructed - lies on the Internet like a dead fish, and one that continually brings in attention, visitors, and business.
You should utilize a combination of web-related and traditional means of promoting your site. You also should learn some of the basics of web promotion, so that your efforts at reaching your intended audience or clientele are most fruitful.
Anyone who has been on the Internet is familiar with search engines, such as Northernlight, Lycos, HotBot, Excite, etc. A search engine is a tool that scours its database looking for matches with a search request entered by a user - search engines do not examine literally all the sites on the Internet to match your request. While this method is undoubtedly better than embarking on a cyber-search without benefit of a search engine, several potential problems are immediately evident.
For one, there are, to paraphrase Carl Sagan, billions and billions of sites out there. An unrefined search can turn out tens of thousands of "hits". Being swamped with too much information is as useless as not having any. Also, a search for one item may turn up many sites dealing with an unrelated subject but similar or similar sounding wording. For instance, someone trying to find out about roster changes on the Edmonton Oilers hockey team may be inundated with information about the cargo ships used to transport fuel. Finally, even the most wide ranging of search engines cover only a portion of the estimated total number of web sites - usually well under 30%.
Different search engines use different methods to develop and search their database. Entire books can be (and have been) written on this subject alone, and if you want to understand more about how search engines function and how to maximize the likelihood of your site appearing prominently in appropriate searches, and utilizing different search engines, you definitely should read one of them. But a little bit of information can help in promoting your web site.
Most search engines use tools called spiders or crawlers to track down new web pages. These spiders search the Web continually, add new web sites and update their databases. You can also find, on the main page of virtually every search engine, a button that enables you to submit your site to that engine. For instance, in Yahoo, scroll down to the bottom of the main page, click on "How to Suggest a Site", and you will be taken to a page of instructions. There are also web services you can look up which register your site in many search engines and directories.
One method some search engines use to determine the worth of carrying a site is the number of other sites linked to it. This is often a good reason to try to arrange mutual links with various sites related to yours.
Directories are not quite the same thing as search engines, although the function and end result of them can be similar for many users.
The popular portal yahoo.com allows you to nominate your site to be included in a content category. To do this, follow the links on the Yahoo.com home page until you get to a content area that matches your site. Then click on the "Suggest a Site" link. You'll be prompted to provide info on your site, for inclusion in that category at Yahoo.com.
Particularly if you are operating a business, and promoting and advertising it on your site, you should investigate linking it to "white pages" and "yellow pages" directories, including directories for your hometown or region. Just about every municipality runs a web site these days, and more and more, this is the first place people look when they are in need of a service or commodity.
A meta-tag is a piece of HTML code that is entered on every page of your site. Meta-tags don't affect how your page looks or how it is displayed on a visitor's monitor. Their function is to enable search engines to see what your site is about. There are two main types of meta-tags - keyword and description. I advise using both.
A Keyword meta-tag focuses on words that indicate the content of your web site. As you can see in my example from the introduction to this series, I used a number of keywords in my site's meta-tag, to enhance the chances of people searching in a variety of ways to reach my site. I also used some of the same words repeatedly, but changed the capitalization, in case a search is case-specific.
Don't go overboard and insert every conceivable topic mentioned, however slightly, in your site into the keyword meta-tag. But make sure it provides a comprehensive list of the main topics and items to be found on your site. Think of the ways in which a prospective visitor may be likely to launch a search for something your site has to offer, and include it in the keyword meta-tag.
A "description" meta-tag provides a brief - one sentence or less - description of your site. Be sure to make it right to the point. Not all search engines use the description meta-tag, but those that do will use your description of the page rather than the opening words of the site. The example shown here illustrates the descriptions written into meta-tags and how they turn up in search engines, in this case Northern Light.
Crafting meta-tags properly can boost the likelihood of your site turning up in web searches. In the introduction to this series, I give examples of meta-tags from my site. Look back at them and refer to them, if you don't remember. I also mentioned, in Step 4, that learning a little HTML is a good idea. Now is a good time to put that example together with that advice, and make sure you have properly written meta-tags on your pages.
To insert the description meta-tag in HTML, use the following italicized examples for models, beginning and ending with the angle brackets. Put in on your page after the <HEAD> tag: <meta name = "description" content = (then, type a short description of your web site)>. To insert the keyword meta-tag, also after the <HEAD> tag, type: <meta name = "keywords" content = (then, type in the words you think people will use to search for your site, preceded and ended by quotation marks - " ")>.
Look at the example from page source of Unleash.com web site (choose View, Source on your browser):
<meta name="KEYWORDS" content="coreldraw, photo-paint, corel, graphics, seminar, training, teaching, tips, tricks, video, videotapes, learn, draw, paint, photo, unleashed productions, unleashed, foster coburn, pete mccormick">
<meta name="DESCRIPTION" content="Best Tips and Tricks for CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Flash and the World Wide Web.">.
The keywords and description here will quickly connect a browser looking for info on Foster Coburn and CorelDRAW.
The Internet is a wonderful thing, but successful promotion of your site requires using multiple forms of announcing it to the world. The simple fact that you have a web site, and include it on your business cards, brochures, and other business materials indicates to the world that here is a business connected with the cutting edge of modern technology.
Increasingly, as people realize they can learn about your undertaking or business through going to your web site, they are likely to investigate what you have to offer by checking out the site. It's easier than going to the establishment, often more informative than making a phone call, and can be done at any time of day or night, any day of the year. But, here again, it's best to be systematic.
When you think your web site is the way you want it to look and you're ready to draw attention to it, go over all the material containing your business information. Everything - business cards, receipt forms, brochures, etc. should be revamped to include the web site. Maybe financial considerations will compel you to change step by step rather than all at once, but in any case you should redo all your printed business material as quickly as possible.
Advertising in traditional media should be utilized to promote a web site. Concentrated and focused use of advertising in magazines, newspapers (including community newspapers), and billboards can bring a lot of attention to your site quickly.
Notify everyone on your email and snail mailing list of your new site.
Finally, and very importantly, develop as many link exchanges as you can with related sites, or sites that have intersecting or overlapping customer bases. This is one of the more potent methods of bringing visitors to your site.
Discuss the articles with David in the Graphics Unleashed Discussion Forums
Choosing a Web Authoring Tool · Eight Steps to Implementing a Web Site · Step 1: Grabbing a Domain Name · Step 2: Publishing Your Web Content - Finding a Web Server Provider · Step 3: Develop Your Web Strategy · Step 4: Design and Create Your Site · Step 5: Publish and Test Your Site · Step 6: Promoting Your Site · Part I: From CorelDRAW to the Web · Part II: Creating Web Page Background JPEG Files · Part III: Creating a Hover Button in CorelDRAW
Flash 5 Tutorial 3: Using Masking in an Animation ·
Flash 5 Tutorial 2: Creating a Logo with a Shape Transition ·
Flash 5 Tutorial 1: Create a Splash Screen
Copyright © 1995–2013 Unleashed Productions, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
