Making sure people will come to your website

By Laurie Macomber February 24, 2012

Here are some examples of ways other websites might come to link to your website on their pages – providing a URL that's clickable:

Your ads appear as a banner or button on a publication's website (you pay to run ads there) and they click through to your website;

You run Pay Per Click ads on Google or Facebook;

You issue a press release and an online publication picks up your story, complete with a live link to your website for more information;

You pursue free listings on Yelp, Manta, or other such directories;

You pursue free listings on directory sites for your particular niche business;
Your site is listed in the Better Business Bureau's website as a member;

Your site is listed in the local Chamber of Commerce's website as a member;

Your college alumnae group lists you as a past graduate;

Your URL is mentioned on YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or any number of social media sites';

Your products are on Etsy.

Where does a company's website fit in the overall marketing puzzle? Smack dab in the middle.

Everything you create to generate leads should point to your website for the full story. Think of a website as a silent salesperson, working 24/7 – not needing breaks and never putting in a workers' comp claim. It's there for you, round the clock – for credibility, sure — but often for leads and sales as well.

Nearly 350 million websites exist today, but just because you build one doesn't mean they'll come. How will prospects find your website?

People may be exposed to your message, say, driving by a big billboard, but they don't visit websites unless there's a reason to. You have to give them a good reason to click to your site.

There are just three ways a prospect will have arrived at your site. He or she either:

Knew your URL. It was on your business card, a direct mailer, or that big drive-by billboard, so they came directly to it.
Saw your ad or post somewhere, perhaps from an ad on Google, the local paper's online version, or a mention on a blog or a posting that included your URL in Twitter or Facebook.
Found your