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Cheap Advertising Editorial:
Cheap Advertising
Secret
Weapon
The Web Design Directory
(a lot of this information applies
to non-web-designers - as there are niche specific
web directories for all kinds of sites that you
can get free or cheap ads on).
by: Michelle Echevarria
”How can I get more hits?”, “I
need leads!” These thoughts run through
web designers heads all the time. How can a web
designer get their services in front of people
who are actually looking for web design services?
The answer is the web design directory.
What is a Web Directory?
These directories are specifically designed
to bring together web designers and showcase
their work on one site. The people who visit
these sites are actively looking for web design
services, thus they are all potential clients.
Some of the directories categorize sites by either
state, county and/or web specialization. This
is a grand advantage because it allows you to
hit your target market more efficiently than
if you were to submit your site to just a general
business directory. What’s even better
is that all of the sites I have listed in this
article are absolutely free to post your link.
Finding Web Design Directories
Well where the heck do I find these directories?
Besides the ones I have listed here your best
route would be to log on to Google.com, type
in the key phrase “web design directory” and
you’ll bring up a ton of listings. Shift
through them and decide which ones you feel will
help your web site get hits. And just as an aside
even if the site doesn’t get you hits it
will help you with your search engine ranking.
So it’s a win win situation. Try several
different search engines with that same key phrase
or any alternatives you can come up with and
submit to your heart’s desire.
What do I have to do to get listed?
Some directories will ask for a reciprocal link,
which is not much to ask given the amount of
new traffic your site will draw in as a result
of being listed. I know as a designer you may
fear that adding someone’s banner, icon
or slogan to your site will look tacky or even
make you seem like a novice. The majority will
not ask you for a banner, none of the sites listed
here do, but if they do it’s up to you
as a designer to make that decision. This was
a concern for me at first but I figured out a
way to get around this.
Most of the link confirmations are automated
so no one will physically look at your site,
so adding just a text link will do the trick.
Once the link is confirmed it’s automatically
approved and listed on the site. This way they
have their link and your have your listing. Everyone
is happy. I haven’t had any complaints
yet so reciprocal links can work for you as a
designer. The only other challenge is finding
a tasteful way to present the links on your site.
The way I handle it is by creating an “affiliates” link
on my contact page this way it’s embedded
in the site. The user has to go to a separate
page specifically set up just to display reciprocal
links. There’s no need to disrupt the aesthetic
value of your site by placing a link on your
homepage.
Submission Must Do’s and Tips
Here are a few things you should prepare before
you start submission frenzy. You will want to
have the site title, URL, description, keywords
and contact information ready in a word processing
program so all you have to do is cut and paste
into the online form. It will make the process
a million times faster if you have the information
ready because while you’re submitting it
will be requested time and again. In addition
to your regular description you may want to have
a truncated version just in case the site doesn’t
accommodate lengthy descriptions.
Another tip for submittal is to submit your
own domain name link like www.yoursite.com, not
www.somebodyshost.com/yoursite. Your link may
be rejected and not to mention it’s unprofessional.
Also keep in mind that some of the submissions
may take a while. Any where from instantaneously
to a couple of months so don’t get antsy
when you don’t see your link after a week.
However, if you feel it’s taking too long
to see your link on their site feel free to email
the administrator and inquire about when they
think the link will be up. After all you’re
generating business for them by having their
link on your site. It’s only fair. If you
don’t get the response you want or no response
at all feel free to delete the link from your “affiliates” page
and make room for a reciprocal link that is going
to bring you potential clients.
Web Design Directory List
Below are some of the sites that really worked
for me. All four combined provided an at least
200% increase in my site traffic and resulted
in a surge in client inquires:
Other Web Directories:
About The Author
Michelle Echevarria has been in the interactive
industry for over five years as a web designer
and developer. She is currently freelancing and
plays a vital role in helping small to medium
sized businesses bring their venture to the Internet.
Portfolio site: http://www.bronxplanet.com,
corporate site http://www.davilldesign.com.
Email info@davilldesign.com
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