Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual, 2nd Edition

Chapter 11. Attracting Visitors

Over the past 10 chapters, you’ve polished your Web designing mettle and learned how to build a variety of sleek pages. Now it’s time to shift to an entirely different role and become a Web site promoter.

The best Web site in the world won’t do you much good if it’s sitting out there all by its lonesome self. For your site to flourish, you need to find the best way to attract visitors—and keep them flocking back for more. In this chapter, you’ll learn some valuable tricks for promoting your site. You’ll also see how search engines work, how to make sure they regularly index your site, and how to work your way up the rankings of search results. Lastly, you’ll learn to gauge the success of your site with visitor tracking, and you’ll use a powerful free service called Google Analytics to learn some of your visitors’ deepest secrets (like where they live, what browsers they use, and which of your Web pages they find absolutely unbearable). Before you know it, you’ll be more popular than chocolate ice cream.

Your Web Site Promotion Plan

Before you plunge into the world of Web site promotion, you need a plan. So grab a pencil and plenty of paper, and get ready to jot down your ideas for global Web site domination (fiendish cackling is optional).

Although all Webmasters have their own tactics, it’s generally agreed that the best way to market a Web site is to follow these steps:

1. Build a truly great Web site.

   If you start promoting your site before there’s anything ...