ow to bring traffic to your business website

Has your new business website failed to attract the visitors you thought it would? Is there tumbleweed blowing across your guestbook? Here are a few possible reasons why...

Is your website copy search engine optimised?

Getting listed on the front page of Google (or Alta Vista, Yahoo and the rest) is the one thing that everyone with a website aims for. Submitting your site to the search engines isn't enough, though: you have to make sure that your business website contains the right key words - and enough of them - to make sure it gets indexed.

Creating keyword rich copy isn't as straightforward as you'd think, however. It's easy enough to litter your website with the key words you're hoping people will use to find it, but try making it sound natural. Not quite so easy.

It's important to remember that the search engine spiders aren't your only audience. You're not just writing for search engines; you're writing for real, live visitors (and prospective customers) and there's nothing more off-putting to your visitors than search engine optimised copy which reads like it was written by a robot. (well, animated gifs and irritating mouse-trails are pretty off-putting too, but that's a whole other article...)

This is why a good copywriter can be one of the best investments you'll make when you're setting up your business website. Once you have your copy right, it's time to ask yourself the next question on the list:

What's your website link popularity?

Search engines like Google work by tracking how many time people click on a link that takes them to your website. Placing your link on as many sites as possible, however, isn't the answer; most search engines will only consider links on sites which they consider to be "credible" -- i.e. websites which they've already indexed. Place your links carefully - and check out www.linkpopularity.com to see how well you're doing.

Have you considered pay per click for your business website?

Paying for popularity may seem like a strange and cynical idea, but hey - it works. Programs like Google's Adwords, and www.overture.com allow you to "buy" yourself a place on the results page for the key words you choose by paying for every click you get. This can be a great way to kick start your search engine optimisation campaign, and by setting a daily budget, you can make sure you don't break the bank, too.

Have you given people a reason to visit your website - and a reason to come back?

Driving traffic to your website is all very well, but if there's nothing there worth visiting, they won't stick around - and they definitely won't come back.

A good quality, well-designed website is an absolute must, and it also helps if you can give your visitors something to do while they're there. Allowing visitors to sign up for a newsletter, or obtain a free quote will allow them to interact with your website, and take something away from it - and it may encourage them to tell someone else about it. That means more visitors to your website, and more potential customers for your business. You can't say better than that.

Hot Igloo Productions Ltd. is a website design and editorial services company based in West Lothian, Scotland, with clients all over the world. Quite apart from the most stylish websites around, Hot Igloo also offer writing, editing and proofreading services. Check out the Hot Igloo website at www.hotigloo.co.uk or get more great articles direct to your inbox by subscribing to the newsletter.

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