Internet Marketing

New Zealand Internet Marketing

Get noticed on the Web with effective Internet marketing. We share our top ten tips for marketing websites, including submitting your site to directories, keeping your visitors returning to your site and making sure your keywords are working for you.

• Web Promotion
• Web Design

A great website is just the first step in getting some leverage for your business in the online world. You may have a site that's attractive, easy to navigate and functions well, but you have to let people know you're on the Web! If you're new to Web promotion and Internet marketing, follow our top ten guide to New Zealand website promotion and getting noticed on the Web:

1. Submit your site to directories and search engines
Online directories are a great place to start your Internet marketing quest. Many directories offer free listing of sites, while others will list you if you link back to them from your site (this is called reciprocal linking). Links from popular directories will send a good deal of traffic your way and improve your ranking in search engines. Submit your site to NZS.com and other popular New Zealand and international directories.

2. Make your keywords count
Optimise your website's pages by making sure your top keywords appear in the page title, in your meta tags and within your site content. When deciding on keywords to target, do your research: find out which keywords are popular but not highly competitive. Schedule a regular check to see how you're ranking for your chosen keywords and keyword phrases. If you're unsure about this aspect of website marketing, talk to a New Zealand Web Promotion expert.

3. Boost your link popularity
Getting other sites to link to yours will encourage search engines to pay more attention to your site and give you a higher ranking. As part of your Web marketing strategy, request link exchanges with sites of interest to your visitors (this will require that you link to them and they will reciprocate). Remember to ensure sites linking to yours have good Google Page Rank and quality content.

4. Spread the word via email
How many emails do you send each day to clients and potential customers? Use your masses of electronic messages to communicate your Internet marketing message. Adding your new URL to your email signature is a great website promotion technique, letting the world know where you can be found online.

5. Keep in touch with a newsletter
Ezines, newsletters and blogs are the new favourites in Internet marketing circles. They're a great way to increase traffic, improve sales and keep your subscribers up to date with the latest happenings in your field. Keep your newsletter informal and include some kind of entertaining, humourous or personal element to connect with your readers.

6. Entice visitors to return…again and again
Whether you offer services, products, entertainment or information, you'll benefit from making people want to return to your site. In short, it's not only new visitors you should be thinking of, but the loyal followers who form your customer base. Encourage visitors to bookmark your site for future use (how often have you been meandering on the Web and forgotten the URL of a great site?) and entice punters with special offers and giveaways ('free' is one of the higest ranking search terms worldwide on the 'net).

7. Create good content
Quality content is key to good New Zealand Internet marketing. Featuring well-written, informative articles on your site will pull visitors in, keep them coming back and encourage them to link to your site. Articles should be relevant to the content of your site so they'll appeal to people who use your services, buy your products or visit your site for information.

8. Keep your site updated
It's not enough to have good content; it has to be fresh from the oven. Keep your site updated – schedule this on your calendar to make sure it's done regularly. How often you should update your site depends on the industry you work in, so check with your Web designer. Some sites require daily updates, while others will only need to be spruced up every few months.

9. Let your visitors have a say
Encourage people to return to your site with the use of a forum or blog (also known as a weblog) where readers can post feedback and discuss topics of interest with others. Creating a community on your site will mean a much greater number of return visitors and links to your site.

10. Stay at the top of your Internet marketing game
Whether you consider yourself a Web marketing guru or an Internet novice, you'll benefit from keeping up with developments in online technology, the Internet and the latest in techniques for marketing websites. Take your pick from the numerous Web promotion newsletters, blogs and information sites.

Looking for more information? Find New Zealand Web promotion in the NZS.com directory.

Do you want to write for NZS.com, New Zealand's top Web directory? We are looking for New Zealand writers for our unique new article writing program - whereby you can write and submit articles for our website, and you will earn 50% of the revenue from the advertising on your article's page. Check out the Article Authors homepage to apply now!

Business images from Flickr: Internet Marketing, New Zealand Flag and Wellington Buildings.