How do I promote my website and/or services online?

The first question that comes to the mind of a website and business owner is "how do I promote my services online and get new sales?"

The wide world of Internet Marketing is a tricky one and is crammed full of companies and people trying to sell you ebooks, softwares, tips & tricks, services to promote your website / products / services through search engines / online classified ad / online websites / blogs etc.

The first thing you need to understand about marketing online is this: there is no fool-proof "free" way to get new sales. Sure, there are a few basic steps you should start out with but nothing will guarantee you success. It will require you to read, research and be willing to adapt / innovate.


Search Engines

The dream of every website owner is to get listed in the top 10 search results for major search engines like Yahoo, Google & MSN. If your business specialises in carpet cleaning then of course you would want your website to be shown by the search engine when a web surfer searches for "cleaning carpets" or "how to get rid of carpet stains" etc.

But here's the catch: all major search engines have secret ways in which they decide on how to rank your website.

And because there are many people out there looking to get free traffic any which way they can (by getting listed in the first 10 results for popular searches like "free music" - whether or not their site actually has free music), the search engines have decided that they, and they alone, will determine how a site will be ranked - whether it deserves to be on the first page or on the 100th page.

Because of this, and also because the amount of time it takes before your website gets listed in search results is completely up to the search engines (and some sites have taken as long as 6 months before ending up on the 100th page), the strategy to get listed in a search engine's results is often a long-term one - don't expect to be listed within 3 days and to be getting new sales within a week.

The Shortcut: So, is there a way to get listed quickly and easily in the search results of major search engines? Yes. It's called "Pay Per Click Advertising".


How The Shortcut Works

It's a simple concept of where you place your online advertisment that promotes your website under particular search phrases like "carpet cleaning" and the search engine will tell you the minimum amount you have to pay every time someone clicks on your ad. The minimum amount can vary greatly depending on how popular the search phrase is with advertisers like yourself. Some phrases can cost as low as $0.05 US per click whilst some like "movies" can be as high as $10 USD per click.

The good news is that you are in control of your daily budget. So, if you want to spend no more than $5 USD per day, you can just set it so that, after $5 USD worth of clicks have occured, your ad is remove until the next day. (Of course, you should keep in mind that $5 USD per day is still $5 USD X 30 days = $150 USD per month).

So, how do you go about getting the details on PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising)? Visit the websites below for more info:

• Google's "Ad Words": http://adwords.google.com
• Yahoo's "Search Marketing": http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com

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