This is the age old question of all web sites. Every client, every customer, every person I run across asks "How can I bring more people to my web site?" There is no easy answer and solution to this problem. Just because you built the site doesn't mean people will come to it or even know the site exists!

For a business web site to have value it must generate an income. By stating income, I am not inferring that your web site have eCommerce potential. This is only a way of generating income. If the purpose of your site is to educate, which in turn causes people to call you and buy, then you have succeeded in generating income from your web site.

The formula to a successful web site is to have people come to your web site. Those people should be turned into customers. Those customers should then become life-long customers who, by word-of-mouth or other means, drive more people to your web site - starting the process over again. But how do you do this?

Search Engines: It is estimated that up to 90% of the people coming to your site will visit you through a search engine. Statistically, this means Google, Yahoo, or MSN, although there are literally hundreds of search engines. The solution to bringing more people to your site via search engines is a simple one: Be within the first one or two pages.

The answer is much more complex.

Each search engine uses different methods on how to build your rank on their sites. These are typically a closely guarded secret, such as the Google Algorithm. These also change every few years, so you have to keep a watch on what is new.

Online Promotion: Online promotion deals with such things as Pay per Click (PPC), incoming linking strategies, bulletin boards, blogs, press releases and article submissions. Basically, the key is to get your name (web site name) on as many web sites as possible to let people know you are on the internet. This can also fall into the form of banner advertisements, online ads and keeping your web site in the minds of previous customers through emails and newsletters.

Another way to generate an income is through something like Google AdSense. This is a type of affiliate advertising where Google places ads in your site that work off of keywords based on the content of the page.

Affiliate marketing is when you choose the company you wish to promote and place an ad on your web site. Depending on the details of the affiliate, when a customer clicks on the ad and buys something, you are given a commission for that sale. This is called "pay per performance".

Online promotion is also very involved and requires research on your part or that of your online marketer's toolkit.

Traditional Marketing: When working on the internet you cannot forget the basics of marketing and promotion. Business cards, flyers, postcards, and business letters should all be a part of your online arsenal of promoting your web site. Your web site address should be on every invoice, your letterhead, and anything that your customer receives from you. Do not forget the importance of the follow-up. Thank your customers from using your web site. Collect email addresses, just as you would actual addresses from your customers.

What you need to do is combine your traditional marketing with your online promotions. Make your list. Know your customers and keep in contact them.

This is, by no means, a complete list of what you need to do to bring customers to your web site. Volumes of material have been written on every aspect of this information and if you are serious about bringing people to your web site, you should hire a professional that specializes in online marketing. An online marketer focuses on your goals and allows you to spend your time building your business in more a traditional fashion.

If you have any questions regarding online marketing or would like to know more about bringing people to your web site, feel free to contact me with your concerns.