Social networking websites like Twitter, Myspace, Facebook  and  plenty of others are now being used as part of web promotion. It is a perfect place to entice people to visit a site because millions and millions go to these sites everyday. A description along with a link of the website being promoted placed on the marketing professional’s page is sufficient to start increasing traffic.

Another method that is becoming really popular right as a means of marketing is blogging. There are many free sites and also paid blog sites that can be useful for the purpose of promotion. To generate traffic through this method, it is essential that the contents of the blog are beneficial to a target market and it should be regularly updated as well.

Forum posting and commenting on blogs similar to the website being promoted can also be done but there are times when reference to external links are not allowed on these channels. In such cases, the signature field of the profile can be used to market the website being promoted.

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a widely implemented strategy used to generate traffic in to a website. A targeted market can be directed to a web page through results on search engines if this is used properly. It is essential that a marketing professional knows about SEO but if not, there is an abundance of SEO specialists that can be employed for this purpose.

Another effective website promotion strategy is through editorial submission. There are plenty of article submission directories on the Internet where write ups on topics related to the website could be submitted. Of course, links to your web page could be placed as reference so anyone who is reading the article could go directly to the website being promoted. A really popular article submission website at the moment is Ezine Articles. There are also some site directories where anyone could send their websites so it could be a part of that directory.

Pay-per-click is also a popular method for generating more traffic to a website. This can potentially provide huge traffic in a very short time. The Google AdWords uses this particular concept that provides great traffic volume to a website. There are other programs similar to the AdWords that available for purchase on the web.

A guestbook can also be placed in your website. That is where visitors could type in their email addresses. A marketer should provide updates   and other promotional materials to anyone who signed up on the website’s mailing list. Using email addresses with the site’s domain name included in it might also be helpful in increasing popularity and the website’s name recall.

These methods are just a few things that anyone could follow to generate more visitors in a specific website. Besides these online means, a website can also be promoted in person through fliers, business cards, and other printed publication. All of these methods are done to ultimately increase the reputation and popularity of a specific website to its targeted audience. It is more effective if many of these methods are done at the same time.

Typically, local business posting will outrank just about any other page on the internet because of the tremendous pagerank power that a site like Yahoo Local or Hotfrog enjoys. And, Google Local’s reach and power is absolutely unparalled-Google puts local results *above* the natural results for thousands of business related search categories in local markets. And then, of course, is the pagerank value that your own site enjoys from the high-powered backlinks that large business directories enjoy.

We recently posted on our review of the 6 Best Free Local Business Directories for Backlinks, Customers & Hits.

In this article, we’ll point to some sure-fire tips and tricks to get every ounce of mileage from a local business directory posting.

Always Assign As Many Categories As Possible

This is paramount. Google local allows you up to 5 categories (and recently began allowing free-form categories). With most local business directories each business category under which you register will create an individual entry on an individual category page. Thus, your entry might appear in 5 different places in a directory. Each page is a backlink for traffic and for pagerank value, and your listing will quite simply be seen more often. 

Get Reviews

Reviews from happy customers can help boost your rankings within the local directory. Google local is the greatest example. While their ranking system for local entries is a secret, it obviously favors entries that have received reviews. I’ll bet you’ve done a favor for a client at one time, right? Ask them for a review. Send them a clear and concise email with instructions and a link to write the review. Beside the ranking power within the directories, reviews will increase the conversion power of the local entry; readers are more likely to follow up on your ad if they see a positive review from a member of the community. 

Also, positive reviews can offset a present or future negative review. If a negative review does happen, a positive review can soften the blow. 

Upload Pictures

The larger local business directories are quite advanced, and most include the ability to upload pictures. Always upload the maximum number of pictures. A full and complete listing is always more likely to rank higher within the directory. And again, viewers are far more likely to act on a complete listing rather than a sparse one. 

Complete All Optional Fields

When creating a local business entry, you may have noticed many optional fields such as business hours, payment types accepted, and languages spoken. These fields are optional and most folks just skip them. 

You should always fill out every optional field possible. In some directories, the extra fields have the effect of enlarging the directory entry, while omitting it would just display nothing. So, your listing might be 5 or 6 inches tall on a results page, while your competitor-who skipped the optional fields-will have a simple 2 or 3 line entry. 

Also, some directories allow (or will allow in the future) users to use the optional fields as search criteria (i.e., the ability to search for companies that accept Google Checkout, etc). Naturally, you’ll want to come up in any such search result.  

Two Locations? Make Two Entries

If you have multiple business locations, make separate entries for each location. Then, each location will show up in searches separately (many folks search by zip code). And, each entry will represent a backlink. I have clients with Yahoo Local directory pages with a pagerank of 2 that link back directly to their website; That is a very valueable backlink. 

Write a Compelling Business Description With Keywords

This goes without saying, but 75% of folks don’t bother. A compelling business description will convert viewers and draw them to your site. And, if you description is focused on your primary keywords, then your local business entry will likely rank for those keywords. 

Good luck!

Craigslist offers little guidance beyond that somewhat cryptic admonition. And don’t bother emailing for guidance–Craigslist remains committed to a “hands off” approach.

Craigslist advises, “You may post to one category and in one city, no more often than about every 48 hours.” You’ll also get this message if you are re-posting a message that is nearly identical to a message already in the system.

Oh well.

Need help with your internet marketing and Craigslist Promotions? If so, reach out to us today.