A2X Consulting

The worldwide web is still a little bit like the untamed Old West. As a result there is some amount of lawlessness that pervades. But there are also nearly unlimited opportunities for the motivated go-getter looking to promote an online business for free. While you might not have the mad skills to launch a viral video campaign, there’s still a lot you can do for less to increase your web presence. Here are just a few free ways to promote your website online.

1. Ad sharing/directories. Most people start with this type of free advertising much like they would start reading a book on the first page rather than in the middle; it’s just the standard place to begin. You can find all kinds of free services that will list your name for the perusal of visitors or show your ads on other member sites in exchange for you posting a banner or link of some sort on your own site. Easy, peasy.
2. Forums. Networking with peers and colleagues can provide untold opportunities in your professional life, so don’t hesitate to join industry forums in an effort to meet new people, get some advice on moving forward with your online advertising, and potentially even garner rave reviews from other members. If they like you enough, they may even offer to promote you to their clients or readers (if they write related blogs) as a way to essentially promote their own good taste and give their followers some added value. In short, nurturing good business relationships could help you to create brand ambassadors amongst your peer group (and although it will cost you time, it won’t require a dime of your hard-earned money).
3. Comments/guest posts. Another great way to get your name circulating for free is to pay attention to what people are saying and join the conversation. So start reading related blogs and offering constructive comments as a way to interact with the bloggers and their readership. If you stumble across a popular blog that you particularly like you might even offer to write some guest posts as a way to further attract the audience to your business.
4. Onsite blog. You might find that you have a knack for writing. Coupled with your passion for the online business you have created, you could have all the ingredients for a successful onsite blog. And this will provide you with the opportunity to bring more traffic to your site, endear consumers to your brand (through your own personality and knowledge of your topic), and of course, raise your ranking on search engines like Google and Bing.
5. Social media. Companies that have the money can opt for all kinds of major spends in the real world, from printed flyers, to skywriting and skytyping, to television ads. But if you don’t have the cash on hand for media coverage or stunts like aerial advertising, you should know that there are even better ways to reach a mass audience via the online arena, and they’re absolutely free. Although sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest weren’t exactly created as forums for advertising, they can do the trick if you know how to use them to your professional advantage. So make some friends in the name of your company and get busy finding ways to bring them to your website and endear them to your brand.