Promotion, Publicity & Distribution Part 3 for book self publishers provided by Self Publisher Resources- Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Canberra, Hobart, & Australia-wide!

Website Promotions & Search Engines

SEO and Marketing

To improve your search engine ranking focus on keywords. Keywords are what lead search engine users to your site. Choosing the right keywords is important.

But how can you find the best keywords for your website?

There are free tools you can use.

Write down all keywords that could relate to your business.

Analyze your business and think of any keywords that relate to your company or product. Ask your friends what keywords would they search for if they were looking for products like yours.

Avoid common words, focus on specific keywords.

The more specific your keywords are, more chances you have that your potential customers will find you.

When you have your list of possible keywords, find out which of them are most popular focus your search engine optimization on these keywords.

People often misspell words, include some misspelled words.

The first one is the Google AdWords keyword sandbox at

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox .

Submit your keywords and you'll get a list of popular queries that include your keyword and also a list of similar keywords to consider.

The second tool is Overture Keyword Selector Tool. This one shows you the related searches to your term and how many times that term was searched on last month.

The third tool is a free software, Good keywords for finding the best keywords for your web pages. It provides you with the following features: keyword suggestion, misspelled words, web page explorer, keyword phrase builder, site and link popularity, keyword organizer.

Once you have your keyword list, you can use the Overture View Bids Tool to find out what they're worth to other advertisers. You can check here your list of best keywords.

The trick is to pay very little money in pay-per-click advertising for some hot keywords related to your business.

Google AdWords also provides a similar service, but only to registered members. Google doesn't show you the highest bids. You can use their tool named Traffic Estimator and see the traffic estimates for different bid values.

More places where you can find lists of popular keywords

http://buzz.yahoo.com/- you can find here the most searched terms on yahoo.
http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html- What people are searching for at Google.
http://50.lycos.com/- The 50 most popular searches on Lycos.

Once you have a ood list f keywords write your text/paragraghs for your website using hem at least 2 times each. Using a few lines then a line break is good for the reader. Reading on a computer screen is too hard if thre are many lines joined continuosly.

Make your website easy to navigate. The best websites re he simples ad easiest to navigate. They are also the most profitable.

Learn the basics of search engine optimization

Powerful web content includes keywords people use to search for your site. To get a high ranking, your web content must be loaded with keyword phrases and still remain engaging to read.

Don't let your content get stale As with most marketing materials, it's easy for your message to run its course.

A website is a constant work in progress. Build it and they will come doesn't apply here. It must be refined and added to on a regular basis to keep it fresh.

Pay attention to the warning signs

If your website has been up more than a few months without sales, take a serious look at these guidelines and rebuild it.

Submitting your website to online directories is easy. It will improve your position in search engines and you can often see your listing in an hour. You can use free listings or paid listings.

When you click on the link go to the submit my site link and start typing your stuff in there. Follow the instructions and use some good business related keywords in your advertisement text.

A good idea is to have some online adds saved ready to copy and paste right in there.

Always copy and paste anything into your notepad first, not straight from word as there is formatting in word that could interfere with the text on web.

If you use a website builder then you will know this.

When submitting your site to directories etc just submit a few here and there. Don't go crazy and do heaps at once because the search engines and google especially prefer a more natural flow.

Here are some of the good ones I have tested, You can submit articles and press releases too:

http://www.hotfrog.com.au/ totally free and I also noticed my listing up in a few hours, fantastic. This one also has a keyword tool feature.

www.aussieweb.com.au The paid version is only $2.00.

www.searchsight .com/submit.htm free and paid version.

www.comoneaussie.com Fantastic.

Don't forget to use your keywords

Submitting your site to these engines can bring extra mail and newsletters to your mailbox.

You might want to create a mailbox to use just for these before you start. You will find some handy tips and information from the mail. Having a seperate mailbox means you can sort through your information on your time and keep your other mailbox for your potential clients.

So You want to be a blogger

So, you've elected to jump head first into the wonderful world of Web. After all, just about everyone has a site so why not you?

The site looks great. But now what? Who is going to write and put your ideas into words? Simply follow these guidelines:

Content is crucial

If you've invested in design and left the content as an afterthought, you may as well just throw your money away. Powerful - and targeted - copy is what sells your product or service, not pictures or flashy introductions. Most people simply scan websites, with the average visitor deciding in 15 seconds or less to stay or not.

Clever headlines with stimulating text will grab your readers' interest. Tight, focused, clear and concise copy will keep them there. Write only about half of what you would have used in a hard copy version. Don't confront readers with long continuous blocks (yawn!) of text. And use hypertext to split long information into multiple pages.

To make your text easy to scan: • Highlight keywords using typeface and color variations (hypertext links are another way of "highlighting"). • Use meaningful, easy-to-scan subheads • Use bulleted lists. • Stick to one idea per paragraph.

Use headlines

And use them well. Your headlines should be powerful enough that your prospect wants to keep reading.

Talk up benefits - not product.

Describe benefits your potential customer can see, hear or feel if they use your product.

Show that you understand their issues and how your product addresses those issues.

Write your marketing copy from the buyer's perspective.

Sorry to tell you this, but people don't care about you.

They're on your site because they want solutions.

If you provide a solution to a problem they have, you're more likely to make a sale.

Imitation is flattery

Model your website after other successful sites. Visit other websites and take a close look at what they do well and what they do poorly. Then, compare your observations to your own site and make the appropriate changes.

Use testimonials and informational links

People don't know you personally. You'll need to convince them you are who you say and you will do what you promise. Use accounts from happy customers to convince your readers that you can be trusted to deliver a top-notch product.

Provide them with other resources and links to articles, product reviews or survey results to inform them regarding your product, so they have the facts they need to make an informed decision and compelling reasons to buy from you.

Make it easy to buy from you

Many people like the luxury of using a credit card online, so offer that option. But some people simply won't buy online, usually because of fears about the security of their credit card information. So give them options and make checkout easy.