(This article was previously posted on our old blog and has been moved here.)

I have had several people approach me lately concerned about a drop off in inquiries from their web site. Here’s a few things I suggested to them. Maybe they’re helpful to you too.

One of the first things I try to emphasize to people when we discuss their web site plans for their business is that a web site is NOT a set-and-forget project. Sooooo many people go into it thinking that once their web site is up the phone will start ringing off the hook.

My advice to folks is that the web site is another tool in their overall marketing strategy. Just like other advertisements the web site needs to be promoted. List the address on your business card, letterhead, pens, pads, shirts…anything you can to get the word out.

Another thing is that sites need INBOUND links. That is, links from other sites to yours. You can think of them as referrals. The more referrals you have the more traffic you will get. More links also carries weight with the search engines. If a lot of people are willing to link TO you then there must be something to this site of yours…right? Just make sure your inbound links are relevant and legitimate. Don’t fall for the ‘if you link to this site for me I’ll link 2 sites to you’ scams. These kinds of things can actually hurt your web site ranking.

Developing a good set of Inbound links takes a lot of legwork. You need to watch for good matches and cultivate these links. Don’t forget to get listed in directories and don’t forget to check on reciprocal links every so often. If someone does a link exchange with you, i.e. you link to them, they link to you, then make sure they didn’t just put your link up on their site for just long enough to get you to put a link to them on your site. Sometimes people take links down after they think they got what they wanted.

Keep doing your regular networking! If you go to your local Chamber of Commerce events and networking group meetings don’t stop just because you started a web site. There’s NO SUBSTITUTE for solid, in-person business relationships. The web site just enhances that.

And don’t forget to update your site periodically. Give your visitors a reason to keep coming back. You can develop some serious word-of-mouth about your web site if you have something useful for them to go see every so often.

That’s just a few things. There are a lot more but hopefully this helps.