11 Steps to Create a Successful Website

Step 10: Take your Website Live!

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AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Start a Blog

Company blogs can be used both to enhance your business Web site and drive more traffic to it.

If you house it on your site, use it to report company and industry events, comment on relevant major news stories and let people know when you’ll roll out new products or services.

Blogs offer an air of expertise – although sometimes undeserved – and readers may well come to rely on you, and revisit regularly, for trustworthy and useful information. Customers want to trust the products and services they buy – where better than from an expert?

Blogs can also bolster your “street credibility.” After you start blogging you may see more “hits” from professionals inside your industry. After that, possibly invitations to sit on business panels or speak to industry groups. Best of all, even calls from the press.

Housing your blog off-site with its own URL let’s you fly the company flag in a second Web address and invite more visitors to your flagship site.

Now, double check the instructions from your Web host for taking your site live – and hit the launch button!

Congratulations, you did it – but you’re not done yet. You never will be if your new business Web site is to succeed to full potential. Move on to Step 11, the end of our series, and we’ll tell you all about it. 

Resources

Web Site Registration:

Search Discussion Forums

Publicity and Advertising

Blogging

Pages:

Comments

Inspired by this new series on SUN and some of the good ideas presented in this article, I`m writing a 3-part series on some things you can do to give yourself a traffic boost (for CHEAP/FREE!) once you launch your site. As a small business owner and a person that works with small businesses, I know I`m always looking for ways to market that are cost-effective and within a small business owner`s budget. Part 1, which discusses using forums for networking and marketing. was posted to...

I use an ad button created for me by a close friend and designer. I shoot it over to photobucket, then copy and paste the URL link to it in free business directories and reciprocal advertising with business associates. I also use the ad button in my follow-up e-mails after I`ve met with a prospective client so they can remember who I am.  I just use the "insert image" function and put it below my signature.  The ad button consists of layers of rotating images and icons that reflect...

That`s great Linda - along the same lines, I have a ad up on Craigslist right now in the small business section. And of course, it`s important to remember to keep reposting these things and keep them fresh! (I reposted my ad yesterday and got a response within an hour!) You also mentioned Squidoo, which is another great free traffic booster. Along those lines, there`s sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, Ryze, etc.

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