marketing my site

[Bethers]

Re: marketing my site

Beth,
Look at my links pages - then right up what you would like for a short link for your store - I'll add you to both Pinata Palace and A Child's Palace - I'm sure I can find a category that works. Make sure that you use anchor text (the title you want clickable) that is a word/prhase people are using to find sites like yours.

If you want ideas on what to write - look at the link to me page on Pinata Palace (you can get there from the resources page).

Email me to any of my sites emails and I'll get a link to you done.

[makingreatstuff]

Re: marketing my site

Thanks alot Beth. I'm really tired tonight but I really do want to pick your brain a little bit more but just not tonight. I will probably jsut email you in the morning if that is ok with you. Nite Nite

Beth 2

[Bethers]

Re: marketing my site

Email me whenever - no hurry! And sometimes I answer faster than other times, too!

[karel]

Re: marketing my site

Paul,
I did start a new thread and after doing some detective work I figured out that it was because you probably don't have the font that I used on your pc and because it was size 48 it defaulted to Ariel which made the last word drop down to the next line. I made my banner thingy a picture using the font that I wanted to and now it seems to be fine. Please check on your pc and let me know...........thanks so much
Beth

That's fine now Beth 2 : )

Good luck with your site and do let Beth help you, she is a bit of a star when it comes to improving your site.

[karel]

Re: marketing my site

Oh dear, Beth i don't want to keep adding problems to problems , but do want your site to be right for you.

http://www.makingreatstuff.com/cartoon_characters.html

The page above, all the text overlaps where the pic sizes are, just above your paypal buttons.

http://www.makingreatstuff.com/sports.html

Also here, pretty much all your inner pages, I am not the expert on why, but maybe someone else can come along and put there opinions across on the reason's, you may want to start another thread asking peple what they see.

[Vasili]

Re: marketing my site

Back to the original question, and to a solution/strategy alluded to but never fully answered or resolved:

Do you in fact have a Marketing Plan? (If so, is it written within context of your Business Plan?)

The imperative to have each has been stressed many times here at VodaTalk, and each has been discussed with specific suggestions that have direct results (many of which with little or no cost). You should do a Search to find some of the relevant threads to give you some pointers and save you time and aggrivation (look in the Business Development and Search Engine forums).

> The point is, there is no excuse not to have a Plan, one well-thought and reality-based, just as required for any Business venture if it is going to be successful. Merely having published a website (less than 6 months, mind you!) is really a single step on your path to profitability.....you need to have a map to follow if you hope to arrive at your planned destination.

Trying this solution and trying that remedy is not the way to go, and it becomes obvious that you spin your wheels! An online business is like any other: it requires thoughtful effort and investment (time, "sweat-equity," capital, creative development, and more). And, also like any other business, it is fruitless exercise without support from appropriate marketing and promotion.....traditional or non-traditional.

There are a lot of tools offered here with VodaHost, and a tremendous amount of proven support, but you are the one that has to put it into action to achieve realistic results.

[makingreatstuff]

Re: marketing my site

thank you. your comment is very impressive. I thought I was prepared but I can see that I wasn't completely imformed or knowlegeable so I do appreciate your time helping me.
Beth

[zahaniszakuan]

Re: marketing my site

HI all,
Just join VODA family. Well, makingreatstuff, i bet U've already receive a lot of traffic by now. As for me, I've just finished ( me also not sure whether i've finish or not... ;o)) let me say, just published my website in almost 1 month, trying to sell Malaysia Travelog, A Guide for Travelers who wish to visit Malaysia, but until now, I did not make any sell. I can see some traffic, but I guest it's from my colleague. I've some banner, google adsense, send my link to google,yahoo,hotfrog etc, but still dont see a lot of traffic.

Dear experts, any advise?

[karel]

Re: marketing my site

I sell around 30 books a week on my main site and this grows every month. Like everyone else I started with little or no sales. As Vasalli says YOU have to work hard and have some sort of plan as to where you are going, people can advise you all day, but it is up to you what you do with it.

I receive around 250 hits per day, around 120 are unique hits, through this comes around 5 sales a day. Firstly I am in a pretty niche market where there is not as much competition, as people who say want to sell jewellrey, wooden toys etc. But it does not matter what market you are in, you can make it succeed with hard work.

My hits are broken down as such.

Search engine traffic 50%. I have with the help on here learnt so much about seo and what to do and not what to do. I also have a site full of content which makes it easier for me to get links, although I have worked very hard at this.

Traffic from articles 15%. I write articles all over the web, these then get picked up and placed on other sites and help me with one way linking. These articles do take time, but again you get out what you put in.

Advertising away from the internet 10%. This is just a guess but I know it helps, I pop a leaflet/poster in every book I sell for people to place anywhere they feel people will benefit from my site. I have had many people email me and say they saw my poster in their doctors surgery etc..

Links from forums 10%. I do go on forums away from this one that are relevant to the subject and answer people's questions without being pushy and this does get me good traffic, not only that but 100% relevant traffic.

Links from other sites 10% I have linked and received links with good quality sites that bring me decent traffic, one in articular gets me 150 hits a month. Linking is not just about search engines but getting traffic, I can now be a little chosier with who I link with and don't lnk with sites that wont benefit me.

Word of mouth and other ways. 5% I also receive quite a bit of traffic through word of mouth. I always answer emails and feel I have something that people really want and word of mouth does get round. I have had many return buyers or people who have told others to visit me. Treat people well, have a good product and people will come back.

I would also say that it is important to have a neat professional looking site that people will trust to buy from, would you give your bank details to a site that looked unprofessional and untidy. People need to trust who they are buying off and I for one am careful on-line with who I pass my details on to.

This forum is great and builds up my knowledge, look through previous posts and hang around, you will learn so much.

Paul

[zahaniszakuan]

Re: marketing my site

Hi Paul,
As per advised given, I've made some changes to my site, major changes. So would appreciate if U can browse thru and made some comment.

Really appreciate what U've told before, because make me relised that my site looks like I've been promoting googles not my product... ;o(

[T Scott]

Re: marketing my site

Could be my eyes, but...
Hard to read white text in the yellow box. Here

[MoodyMare]

Re: marketing my site

I agree with T Scott. That yellow is quite bright! And very hard to read the text.

I found this colour chart helpful, while doing up my website.

http://html-colour-codes.com

[Vasili]

Re: marketing my site

(This is not the place for site reviews, but to share Marketing Insight)

[sedona]

Re: marketing my site

Paul,

Thank you for your breakdown of traffic percentages. I'm sure many besides myself will find it useful. Happy Holidays!

[karel]

Re: marketing my site

Paul,

Thank you for your breakdown of traffic percentages. I'm sure many besides myself will find it useful. Happy Holidays

!

No probs hope it helps some people. There are many more ways to get traffic, think off-line as much as on-line. Tell people about it, if selling a product on ebay or from your site, pop a thank you card with your web address on it. I do make up and perfumes, this includes house partys, again everyone that buys gets a card. I put brouchers together and hand them out and get orders this way, again my site is on the broucher, every ebay sale I pop in card.

It just takes a little work but once you build up a steady stream of customers that come back, then you can do well.