Planting Seeds in All the Right Places
Building awareness of your web launch
5/19/98

by Eric R. Ward

When you launch a new site, one of the first things you need to do is tell people about it. You probably start by submitting a URL to search engines and directories. Don't stop there, though. If you do, you're missing out on opportunities.

Planting the seeds of success
To really build awareness of your web launch, you need to plant seeds in many different places. Too often, developers use a shortcut site submission service to submit their URL to the major search sites, such as AltaVista, HotBot, and Yahoo. This means your front door is probably being indexed, but doesn't do much to drive traffic to other sections. There's much more you can do to bring in visitors.

I use a process I call "holistic" site promotion. This approach involves submitting to the top search sites, but also employs other methods. These can include some of the following:

• Seeking out subject-specific outlets
• Contacting appropriate editors and site reviewers
• Optimizing HTML markup for specific search engines
• Submitting the site's features or sections individually

The last approach can be very effective. Start by looking at your site's features. For example, do you have an email discussion list you could promote separately by submitting it to directories such as Lizst and Tile.Net? Focusing in on your site's features and sections can increase your submission options.

Where to begin
For every Web launch, there are search engines, directories, guides, e-zines, site reviewers, announce sites, and other outlets that will want to know about it. Some may be interested in the broad subject coverage you offer, while others will be drawn to specific features. To achieve a holistic approach to site promotion, you'll need to target both types.

Here's the tough part. Once you've finished with the dozen or so promotion outlets that we all know about, how do you find the rest? Here are some tips and resources to get you started.

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