Best way you promote your site?

[mrmerck]

Lets limit it to one suggestion..What is the BEST suggestion you have for promoting your e-commerce site?

Thanks!

[The Old Sarge]

Get 2 one-minute video ads for your site and run them 5 times each during the Super Bowl game.

Oh ... you mean on a limited budget. :D

A combination of SEO and print ads. (Print ads = anything printed that gets in the hands of potential customers.)

[roban]

Get 2 one-minute video ads for your site and run them 5 times each during the Super Bowl game.


:eek:

If you are promoting through search engines, for Google you'd want plenty of relevant back links and for Yahoo you'd want to optimize for key words and content. Since successful e-commerce sites have things in common such as:


a product people want
decent pricing
customer loyalty
trust


If you have these elements and a way of getting visitors to your site, you should be successful.

[GroovyGal]

I personally use Stumble Upon, the referral traffic is priceless. It helps to be a contributing member and to stumble regularly. Social networking (in general) is a good way to promote ones site.

For search engine traffic, writing relevant and constant content.

[veikoh]

Depends what product you are selling, what the competition is and what gives you the best ROI.
Choose between three ways:
1. SEO, link building using article marketing, social networking, etc. Time consuming process but can be free (do it yourself) or hire a specialist.
2. PPC - by finding right key phrases with low cost can be very effective. Anyway allows you to manage your profitability.
3. Affiliate Programs - when affordable, pay decent commission and let your affiliates to do the marketing for you.

[cringwall]

Get your product catalog on Google Base - it's free. Tip-match your product titles to popular keyphrase searches - make sure your product titles 'fit' the alloted space when you see the google product search that often appears at the top of an organic search page.

[bubu_lina]

Proper key words have worked for me so far (key phrases, to be exact).
But i would suggest trying to add your site to some price-comparison portals such as shopmania.com or pricegrabber.com - it's a way to make sure you get good quality traffic (people really interested in the products you offer)

[The Old Sarge]

bubu lina,

In your experience, does linking to price comparison sites bring converting customers? How does your own pricing compare?

I've always figured, perhaps erroneously, that if I didn't have very close to the lowest price, I would simply cut my own throat by linking to those sites. You know ... why would a shopper buy from me if they found it cheaper somewhere else.

[itHighway]

Add articles to your web site. For exmaple, if you are selling Clothes, search articles (http://www.ithighway.co.uk/resources_articles.asp)related to Clothing, designs, fashion etc and copy those articles to your web site.
Click here (http://www.ithighway.co.uk/resources_articles.asp) to get an idea of what we are talking about.

[bubu_lina]

@ Old Sarge: obviously, having the lowest prices would be a natural lure for all customers, but since most of us can't afford that ( i know for sure i can't..), some price comparison sites offer the possibility to pay for a higher rank in their list.
I know it's not quite fair to the consumer (and the consumer also knows it, as you may see in this article http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL1023805820071012 ) but ... all's fair in love and war:)

[Yehudab]

Make sure to long tail your products while using PPC in Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search and Microsoft adCenter. Include all product models throughout your campaigns for cheaper keywords.

[balsamsue]

You mention.. back links....
Being new to this.. would you explain back links to me?
Thanks,
Sue
www.vtbalsam.com

[The Old Sarge]

Back links are simply links to your site FROM other sites.

There are two-way links, where you have a link to them and they have a link to you.

There are three-way links where sita A links to site B, site B links to site C and C links to A.

One-way links, A links to B and B does not link back.

[balsamsue]

Yes, I got it.
I'm finding that sites I'd like to have my link added to, want a reciprocal link back. As much as I hate the thought, looks like I really need a links page added to my site..
Thanks,
Sue
www.vtbalsam.com

[JEccles]

Why limit it to one suggestion? There is no one great way. You really need to do a multitude of things. Here is a great article I got from SitePronews - lots of juicy suggestions.