Getting Hits

Publicizing your web site is easy and costs nothing if you do it yourself. All you need to do is:

1. First complete at least your home page (index.html) before you go in search of publicity. Some of the search engine spiders or indexing robots record every word on your pages and index you that way. So, it's a good idea to have several important keywords incorporated into the text of your home page and any other related pages.
2. Visit the major search sites and submit your URL. Using your web browser visit search sites like webcrawler and select the "add URL" button on their home page. You'll be prompted to add URLs of pages you'd like to be indexed via an online fill-out form. If you have a Sphnyx Site, your URL will be something like:

   http://www.sphynx.com/your-id/

   If you have a Sphynx Server, your home page will have the URL:

   http://www.your-domain.com/
   or
   http://your-domain.com/

   Other search, indexing or reference sites include:

   • Yahoo
   • HomeCom Global Village
   • Lycos
   • The WWW Yellow Pages
   There are many others. These will get you started. Just do a webcrawler search for "search sites" to get links to many, many more. Just remember to examine the search sites' welcome or home page for a button or line that says "submit URLs" or something similar. This is work and it does take time to do, but it pays off in visitors to your site, if you have something they want to see, do or get.
3. Be creative and resourceful. After you have registered your URL with the major search sites, look for other ways to publicize, publicize, publicize. Try free add-a-link pages that let you add your URL as a hyper link. Trade links with others who you think could benefit from a link from your page to theirs. Many people are more than willing to trade links.
4. If you are high profile and want lots of visitors, you might consider paying for an ad on a well traveled page. Just make sure you've exhausted all the free publicity options first.
5. The best way to keep people coming to your site is to provide something worthwhile for them. Why do you visit web sites? To get software? To get information? To be entertained. The keyword here is content. Give 'em something they want, need, or must have. See our 7 DOs and 7 DON'Ts for a successful website.

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