Most small business owners and entrepreneurs now realize it’s important to have a presence on the Web so that your customers can learn more about you and even shop for your products online. But just being on the Web isn’t good enough. You also have to be an authority on the Web.
Think about your company for a second. What ever widget you sell you want your customers to think of you as the best, most knowledgeable company out there, right? Same with the Web. Similar to your online marketing efforts, you want your customers to see you as the leader in your industry, and you want that brand attribute to come through in all of your online visibility, including your Web site.
Here are 13 ways your Web site can be more of an authority on the Internet:
1) Google says you’re an authority: Google is still the top search engine, so make sure you get in good with its search rankings.
2) Online Press Room: Download The PR Toolkit and learn how to make an information-packed press kit you can have for the media. Turn items like press releases into digital pieces and create a section on your Web site where the media (and your customers) can go to learn more about you.
3) Get On Twitter: Establish a Twitter account and join the conversation with others about common areas in your industry. Whenever you have a new blog post or something new offered via your Web site, promote it to your network of friends on Twitter, which will drive them to your site.
4) Other Social Media For Authority: Take advantage of other social media to promote your Web site as an authority figure. Social media like LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, and even MySpace all have important communities that can help turn your Web site into an authority figure. As an example, promote discussions and blog posts on LinkedIn Groups where people will see that you have something valuable to say - via your Web site.
5) Make Inbound Links A Priority: There’s a reason why they call it the Web. Literally it’s designed like a big spider web. The more inbound links you have the higher authority and search ranking your blog or Web site will have.
6) Leave Comments Elsewhere: Seek out other blogs that rank high in visibility. Read the blog posts and be sure to join in on their conversation. You’ll be amazed at how you’ll start to get noticed by the people behind those blogs. They’ll even start adding you to their blog roll which will be good for your inbound links. Here’s a tip - leave a comment on someone’s blog and then promote that conversation on Twitter to drive traffic there.
7) Author A Guest Post: Approach the owners of other blogs and ask if you can contribute a guest column on an important topic. You’ll get to have a by-line and most likely be able to link back to your blog or Web site. Readers will see you as an instant expert on the subject.
Develop Lots Of Content: Don’t simply launch a blog and then have just three or four posts sitting there. Develop fresh, quality content frequently. The best bloggers post content multiple times each day. If you don’t have time for that, be sure to post content at three-four times a week at a minimum.
9) Size Up Your Competition: Find out all the players on the Web in your category. The Web is a little bit different than real life business. Don’t make enemies. Establish relationships with other Web sites that are authority figures in your category.
10) Search Engine Optimization Bible
11) Landing Page Optimization: Landing pages are essential for today’s online marketing. A landing page lets you customize a campaign to a specific audience and helps drive traffic back to your Web site.
12) Yahoo! search marketing: Pay Per Click ads can be your best friend when used effectively. Identify the best keywords for your blog or Web site and then work with Yahoo! to place PPC ads for even more traffic.
13) Outbound Linking: Of course, don’t just make it all about you. It’s important to have good inbound links but you also have to share the love with the rest of the world, too. Check out this resource to help build successful and meaningful outbound links.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
John, Your site is filled with great tips for anyone on the net. Thanks for the wonderful site!
Appreciate the feedback.