What is the alternative?An alternative, or rather, a supplementary means of web site promotion is using niche market directories. You do not ignore the search engines, you merely use additional forms of online promotion.
A niche market directory is a business directory that targets an specific market, or even a sub-section of a market. A directory may target the travel industry, or travel in a specific region, or even only travel agents in a specific region.
How does this benefit you?1. Increase your chances of being found on search engines: Apart from your own listings in search engines these directories are also listed there. And with good directories, even your listings will get listed on the search engines.
2. Get more targeted visitors: As the directory targets your niche market, the visitors that browse the directory are already from your target market so that, by the time they click through to your web site, they are highly targeted visitors.
3. Get a higher sales conversion: As the visitors that click through to your web site is already highly targeted your chances of getting an enquiry or a sale is much better than the untargeted visitors you often get from search engines.
4. Increase your link popularity: A part of the search engines ranking system looks at the sites linking back to your web site. A link back from a directory in your niche market can add to your link popularity helping you in your search engine rankings.
5. Free advertising: Many niche market directories offer free listings, allowing you to promote your business without spending a fortune.
6. Expand your net:
Each directory you list in expands your source of traffic. Listing only in search engines probably gives you about 5 to 10 sources of traffic. Additional listings in 10 directories increase your sources of traffic to 20, in 50 increases it to 60, and so forth.
7. Targeted advertising:
Search engines list you in a general database. Directories, by its nature, are divided into categories and sub-categories and you select the category that is most suitable for your business, further increasing your targeted marketing effort.
8. Multiple listing options:
Most directories offer you multiple listing options such as featured listings and listings in multiple categories. These option further increase your exposure not only within the directory but often on the search engines as well.
9. Control your listings
Most good niche market directories allow you to log on and make alterations to your listings and to your contact details. You can therefor ensure that your details are always up to date.
10. Your marketing partner:
Most directory owners actively market their directories within their niche markets to ensure the maximum number of targeted visitors. You benefit from these marketing efforts without having to spend an additional cent. In addition, most directories ask their listed business to link back to them, further increasing the directory traffic and as a result, your traffic of targeted visitors.
Marketing your business on niche market directories can increase you online success substantially due to the increase in your targeted visitors.
If you haven't done so yet start looking for directories in your niche market - simply do a search engine search for "{insert your niche market} directory" and start exploring.
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Jens du Plessis is an Internet marketing consultant and
trainer. He has been involved in Internet marketing since 1996 and is
currently involved with the development of Internet marketing in the
building industry in South Africa. Directory Marketing is one of his
latest projects. Visit http://www.directoriespro.com
