You were probably told that your Web site would help increase business. So you put up a site and waited, and not much changed. Unfortunately, there are few companies that can really live by the old adage “if you build it, they will come.” And unless your company is one of the top consumer brands or on the Fortune 500 list, you probably don’t fall into that category.

Now don’t go “unplug” your site after reading that. In today’s world, if you don’t have a Web site, you virtually don’t exist … at least not on the Web. Think about it; have you ever tried to look up information on a product or company and found it didn’t have a Web page? You were probably a little put off by the lack of readily available information. You may have even opted to use a competing service or product, simply because of the lacking Web presence.

The truth is, in this information-at-your-fingertips era, if your company does not exist on the Web, you may be on the verge of extinction.

Now you might be asking why if you have a Web site, you aren’t seeing more traffic or leads. Think of it like this … in your neighborhood there are hundreds, maybe thousands of houses. At Christmas time, which houses do you drive by to look at their light displays? The ones that are best maintained, most appealing and put more effort than that of the neighbors. Right?

Unfortunately, just because you built a house and put up on string of lights, people aren’t going to flock to your front door. Like these houses or any thing else, a Web site must be maintained and promoted, and requires work.

Here are a few simple ways to drive more traffic to your Web site, and ultimately more sales, to your business:

« Program. Unless you’re schooled in the HTML language, you likely do not know if your site is equipped to receive a high ranking in search engines. Ask your site administrator what he or she has programmed in the header of your site. Be sure you give him or her a few short sentences that adequately describe your organization. If you are a children’s shoe company, be sure your description says “children’s shoes.” If you sell a product in San Diego, be sure “San Diego” is in your description. Remember, these words do not appear to your site’s viewers, this information is solely for search engines. The higher you rank on the search engines, the greater the likelihood that potential customers interested in your services will visit your site.

« Link. The Web is endless. You could probably do nothing but surf the internet for a year straight and still not see all it has to offer. One page takes you to another page, and yet to another, and another. So why aren’t you taking advantage of this seamless flow of information? Find like organizations or ask business partners to post links to your site on their site. And do the same for them. Not only will this increase the chances of more people seeing your site, but the search engine algorithmic “spiders” see links in and out of sites as favorable, thus boosting your ranking.

« Contribute. Write an article. Do an interview. Give a speech. Host an event. And when you do any or all of these things, be sure your Web site is a prominent part of the communication. Point people to your site to obtain more information or to contact you.

« Archive. Think of yourself and your business like a mini-New York Times. Everything you do can and should be archived. And what better place to do that than on your Web page? Create a news and/or resources section of your site and post relevant news articles, interviews, videos, fliers, presentations, brochures, etc. there for your customers to view and download. Direct customers to your site to access this information in everything and anything that you do.

« Socialize. It doesn’t matter whether you’re inherently a hermit or a queen bee, on the Web any one can be social, and every business should be. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have a ripple effect when used properly. If you create a social presence for your brand and communicate with fans or followers properly, you will find that your customers will start to do the talking for you. With a social network on the Web, all it takes is a click of the mouse for these viral marketers to find your page.

« Update. Nobody reads yesterday’s news – not in the newspaper or on the Web. If your Web site is talking about last year’s promotion or an older generation of a product, they’re not going to read your site either. Keep content fresh and interesting, and you’ll keep customers coming back for more. When you update your site, tell people. If you don’t, nobody else will.

« Promote. Why is your Web site better than that of your competitors? We don’t know, but we bet you do. Tell your customers why your site is better, faster and easier to use. Even if it is something small – you updated your site’s look, you offer online ordering, or you have posted a new resource. Make your own news and communicate through all of your networks – social, in-store, online, etc.

Just like your product, your Web site is something that can only do as well as it is made and marketed. You invested in your Web site, now it is time to make it pay for itself.

For more information on Web site promotions, contact us at info@consultmyagent.com.