How Do I Market My Site?

Skinny · 01-30-2008, 10:19 AM

Hey guys,

So I've built sites and learned graphic design so I created a web gallery (see sig). With this project I hope to learn how to market my site.

I've always lacked in this aspect.

So how do you market a web gallery?

What marketing techniques bring in results?

Thanks for your input.

Skinny

toinkzzz · 01-30-2008, 10:34 AM

try to advertise your site in classified ads site.. one way to advertise your site..

dmdelectronics · 01-30-2008, 11:16 AM

hmmm..find what you're good at, and try that.

gregdavidson · 01-30-2008, 03:56 PM

Stick with forum and video advertising and you should be just fine.

arcel · 01-31-2008, 05:46 AM

try submitting to some social bookmarks.
it might help you.

pinkfluffybunny · 01-31-2008, 07:44 AM

Goals and objectives!

Goals - what do you want the site to do for you?

Objectives - things you do to reach your goals - make them quanitative

Figure out Who your target audience is.
What they want, and give it to them.
Then entice them to take an action once they get there.

I like search engines because prospects pre-qualify themselves. In other words if they are looking for a particular product or service (or related) they search for it and hopefully arrive at your site.

One person searching for your product is worth 100,000 bulk emails. Search engine placement is important! Then you monitor your site stats and see what visitors are doing. Tweak the site to increase conversion.

Getting the right people to your site is more important than getting a bunch of the wrong people.
I can get 5000 visitors a day to any site in one day (you just drop some porn in a folder and post it on a few boards), but that won't sell your product or service.

So what are the goals of your site?
Are there any? Did you throw it up hoping to make a few bucks on advertising?
Who are you targeting? businesses looking for web developers, kids with time to waste looking at sites, etc.

You can't market without goals and knowing the demographics. Do some research.

Don't look for a quick magic solution, it's all about hard work. Research, plan, develop. It may be that a gallery was not the right direction to reach your goals.

So the answer is - you don't market a web gallery, you market your goals and a web gallery may just be one objective.

swapw · 01-31-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny

Hey guys,

So I've built sites and learned graphic design so I created a web gallery (see sig). With this project I hope to learn how to market my site.

I've always lacked in this aspect.

So how do you market a web gallery?

What marketing techniques bring in results?

Thanks for your input.

Skinny

I've checked your site, it's a huge link back site?? If this is for SEO purposes for webmasters, target toward that direction and nothing irrelevant or fancy.

photocrats.com · 01-31-2008, 08:10 AM

I suggest to submit your site in classifieds site and directories.

Skinny · 01-31-2008, 08:26 AM

Great points. Let's see if I can answer some questions.

Quote:

So what are the goals of your site?

My goal for the site wasn't to make money off advertising. That will eventually come into play but as you can see I have no advertising at the moment and I'm not about to use adsense.

I'm mainly a freelance graphics designer specializing in logos and web graphics but also do web design.

I wanted to give something back to the designing community (I guess that would be my target audience) and the web gallery provides myself and hopefully others with inspiration.

The web gallery won't be the only thing. It's only a start. I won't go into detail now but I'm hoping to add useful things for designers.

Advertising will eventually come in and hopefully with enough visitors I can get a good stream of revenue.

Quote:

it's a huge link back site??

I felt that websites should be given due credit for their hard work. . . so I didn't put in a nofollow. Having said that I only publish the best designed sites so I don't think I want to just be a site where people are submitting links for SEO.

Skinny

pinkfluffybunny · 02-01-2008, 07:00 AM

Hmmmmm,

Why the WhoisGuard?

Makes me suspicious that things may not be on the level.

Here's the deal, start out with a site that lets people know what you do, target a geographical area at first (bring in some business and money to keep you working), then expand the geographical area, you'll have to take on the competition in each geographical area.
You don't have to take on everyone at once.
Example: "logo design Atlanta Ga."
"graphic design Atlanta Ga.",
etc, etc.

If you're asking questions on this board you're not ready to take on the big boys world wide yet. But you can kick the crap out of the locals....

Put your gallery on hold,

BradP · 02-01-2008, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny

Great points. Let's see if I can answer some questions.

My goal for the site wasn't to make money off advertising. That will eventually come into play but as you can see I have no advertising at the moment and I'm not about to use adsense.

I'm mainly a freelance graphics designer specializing in logos and web graphics but also do web design.

I wanted to give something back to the designing community (I guess that would be my target audience) and the web gallery provides myself and hopefully others with inspiration.

The web gallery won't be the only thing. It's only a start. I won't go into detail now but I'm hoping to add useful things for designers.

Advertising will eventually come in and hopefully with enough visitors I can get a good stream of revenue.

I felt that websites should be given due credit for their hard work. . . so I didn't put in a nofollow. Having said that I only publish the best designed sites so I don't think I want to just be a site where people are submitting links for SEO.

Skinny

Your gallery showcases a few interesting website designs but it is easy for a competitor to do something similar to your concept unless you make it unique.

Maybe you can offer some of your design services for free to attract more traffic, else it will be mostly webmasters who are submitting their links.

BradP · 02-01-2008, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skinny

Great points. Let's see if I can answer some questions.

My goal for the site wasn't to make money off advertising. That will eventually come into play but as you can see I have no advertising at the moment and I'm not about to use adsense.

I'm mainly a freelance graphics designer specializing in logos and web graphics but also do web design.

I wanted to give something back to the designing community (I guess that would be my target audience) and the web gallery provides myself and hopefully others with inspiration.

The web gallery won't be the only thing. It's only a start. I won't go into detail now but I'm hoping to add useful things for designers.

Advertising will eventually come in and hopefully with enough visitors I can get a good stream of revenue.

I felt that websites should be given due credit for their hard work. . . so I didn't put in a nofollow. Having said that I only publish the best designed sites so I don't think I want to just be a site where people are submitting links for SEO.

Skinny

Your gallery showcases a few interesting website designs but it is easy for a competitor to do something similar to your concept unless you make it unique.

Maybe you can offer some of your design services for free to attract more traffic, else it will be mostly webmasters who are submitting their links.

Skinny · 02-01-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Why the WhoisGuard? Makes me suspicious that things may not be on the level.

The whoisguard was put their while things were in design phase. I've just forgotten to undo it. Besides what could be "off the level" about a web gallery?

Secondly, it is not a design firm. . . and it is not meant to be. It will eventually grow to be a designers resource.

Also about being unique. I understand the concept is the same as others but eventually there will be differences (I don't have the time now but in the futures there will be other stuff). Secondly, I've looked at many startup css galleries and they copy many entries from other css galleries.

I actually take the time to look for sites on my own instead of relying on other css galleries for my content.

Skinny

nalds20 · 02-01-2008, 12:20 PM

ok...... marketing your website... you need to learn some
SEO Techniques such as Link Building

directory submission
like Article submission to article directories
Social bookmarking
promotional ads in free classified ads

Avril · 02-01-2008, 01:56 PM

This article will help ==>> http://www.atartec.co.il/articles/oct.shtml

a1omads · 02-01-2008, 02:46 PM

Hi

It looks like you offering webdesing service or templates, it is right you can submit your site to "web designer directory" "webmasters directory" "web design directory" template saler directory" look these keyword in google, yahoo, and live.com

if you are not webdesigner or template saler please let us know so we can find some other way to advertise.

Good Luck

Skinny · 02-01-2008, 03:08 PM

Okay seems people are confused here so let me clear this up:

My site is a web gallery. This means that I do NOT provide web design services . . do NOT sell anything.

What does the site do?

A gallery is a showcase of well designed sites: think CSSMania.com, CSSHive.com, etc. These are galleries that inspire web desigers to build good sites. They don't offer the service themselves.

There is an about box on the site that is pretty clear. . . (though I'm starting to wonder).

Edit: I modified the about text. Hopefully the site's goal and aim is clearer.

Skinny

pinkfluffybunny · 02-02-2008, 05:48 AM

Without text to describe each site, you just have a link farm. That's just lazy.

PR died years ago, just a scam now, link farmers selling a worthless product to the uninformed. No matter how many times I prove it, the lazy seo guys won't believe it - that's good for me - Most of my business re-designing sites to make them productive after the PR guys take the money and run.

to put it bluntly, you don't have a site - you have a gallery with links to sites

You are trying to do the opposite of what the engines want - you should have a product or service people want, not try to get people to want it or force it on them - that's a whole other marketing field

Skinny · 02-02-2008, 10:38 AM

Interesting. . . I could add a description. I've thought about that and perhaps that is something that could be improved.

I'm not sure what you are talking about PR and how it relates to me. Frankly I really don't care about PR and don't freak about it. It's about traffic.

There are tons of CSS galleries that are very very successful and generate thousands of visitors a day. They do it because of the service provided. Many are in a similar format to my own.

Content will eventually be coming in other forms as I have mentioned repeatedly but adding a description is a valid point.

How long would you suggest a description be. People hate to read a massive page. . . a short paragraph?

Skinny

sale_vcc07 · 02-02-2008, 11:08 AM

I suggest to submit your site in classifieds site and directories.