We would all like to find the one key that unlocks the floodgates, allowing a mass of visitors to pour into our websites. Unfortunately, there is no one thing that will do that.

There is no secret to tell you, no magic spell to cast on your website to make it all happen. Yes, it's going to take good, old-fashioned, hard work. Sorry. But before you begin experimenting with all of the new, unproven methods of promoting your website, make sure you have all of your basic elements in place. In other words, get your eDucks in a row!

Some of these strategies may seem very obvious to you, but you'd be surprised at how many of us (I won't mention any names) are not using these basic strategies to drive traffic to our websites. Here are 8 things you should do to get your eDucks in line:

***1. Make sure you have your own domain name***

There really is no excuse today not to have your own domain name. Prices have come down since the registration services have been opened up to more than one company. Not only does it give your website more credibility, but it also makes it a lot easier to include in your ads and other materials (not to mention easier for potential customers to remember). Also, you really should not use the free website hosting for a business site. This will immediately discredit the site. Prices for hosting have also come down and you should be able to get everything you need starting at less than $10 per month. The perception of the website visitor is that a "legitimate" business should be able to afford decent hosting and their own domain name.


***2. Make sure your website is presentable***

It doesn't have to be fancy or even that creative, but it should be easy to read, easy to navigate, and easy on the eyes. Check your spelling (better yet, have someone else check it for you). Check your links and test your forms to ensure they work. The most important thing is to develop your message so it grabs the visitor and entices them to take the action you desire (order your product, request more information, sign up for your newsletter, etc.).

***3. Put your website address on EVERYTHING***

Make sure you have your website address (URL) on your business cards, letterhead, envelopes (hey, why shouldn't the mailman be exposed to it?), your company car, your signs, your invoices, and anything else that identifies your business. Make the address stand out; don't hide it in a corner in small print. Don't give the recipient any chance to miss seeing that you have a website.

***4. Focus on your URL in your advertisements***

Make sure your ads include your website address. Where a regular ad has very limited space to send any type of message, an ad that includes a website address is greatly enhanced. Now, the goal of the ad is to simply entice the reader to visit the website, where you have a much better opportunity to get your message across and "make the sale". Don't just add your URL as an afterthought. Make it the focus. Also, don't forget to add your URL to your Yellow Pages listing.

***5. Include your URL in your voicemail messages***

Let's face it, the world has developed a 24/7 mindset. But we don't all man our phones 24/7, so we have our voicemail handle the off-hour calls. Only if the caller had just visited your website - it is open 24/7! Well, don't waste the opportunity to tell the caller that. Simply add a sentence to your message that invites the caller to visit your website.

***6. Add a signature line to every email you send***
It's easy to set up a signature file to add to your email when it's sent. Try to keep it to no more than 4 or 5 lines. Include not only your home page URL, but also URL's to special aspects of your site (a particular product, specials, or a link to an auto-responder containing a special free report). Don't waste this opportunity to bring a potential customer back to your website.

***7. Have a follow-up plan***

Getting visitors to your website is hard enough, as we all know. But, what do you do with them when they come. Hopefully, every visitor will make a purchase or contact you in some other way, but we know that won't happen. However, there are some additional things you can do to help you stay in contact with those visitors, build a relationship and bring them back in the future. Having an email newsletter is one way. You will receive their email address and permission to contact them periodically. Make sure you have something of value to offer them in you newsletter though, or you will quickly lose them. There are other ways to get contact information as well. Set up an auto-responder that contains a special FREE report for your visitors. When they request it, you get their email address. Or conduct a monthly drawing for something of value to your visitors (it doesn't have to be that expensive, just something targeted to your visitors).

***8. Always keep your website in mind***
I've seen many businesses create a website and then forget about it, seemingly believing that it will take care of itself. Well, let it be known here and now - it won't! An effective website needs to be included in your everyday strategies. Whenever you make a decision in your business, get into the habit of asking yourself, "how can I use my website to enhance this decision?" Always keep it at the top of your mind.

There you have it. Eight basic things you can do to make sure you have a solid base to work with. Take care of these things and your eDucks should soon turn into eBucks!

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The author, Steve Wood, designs & hosts web sites and offers a
web site design course at http://webdesigncourse4u.com. He owns
and operates Wood Interactive, LLC at http://woodinteractive.com.
You can receive Steve's Web Site Design Tips & Tricks by sending
a blank message to: mailto:tips@woodinteractive.com
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