Bon Journal

Secrets to getting found on the Internet

Okay, you've got a beautiful site.

How come nobody knows about it?

Most people suffer from the "Look how beautiful I am! I'm waiting to be discovered" syndrome.

It can take awhile. It can take forever.

One of my cyberfriends wanted to be discovered instantly. He paid $100 to someone who promised to submit his site to the top search engines. The result? He found out that she sent the same e-mail to hundreds of people, collected the money, and disappeared.

Sounds familiar?

Submitting your site to search engines was at one time the standard way to get found.

What happened? Everybody did it.

Like people, search engines also have attention spans. The trick is to find a more innovative way of catching their attention.

What do I do to get found?

1- I define my target visitors - who are they, what are they searching for, where can they be found

2- I visit the sites where they are most likely to visit

3- I examine whether I can suggest a reciprocal link.

4- I examine whether these sites welcome original articles or content from me. An article is longer lasting than a link because it has more content value.

5- I announce the gems on my site on a bulletin board frequented by my target visitors

6- I answer a question on a bulletin board with a link to my site

7- I update the Bon Journal

8- I check my web statistics to see how effective reciprocal linking, article submission, and other searchability strategies are

It's an ongoing process. Along the way, I build relationships in cyberspace.

5 March 2004 Friday

Anne Ku's web advice

How to be found on the Internet or the Web