Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

13.5. Your Chapter 13 Checklist

• Register one or more domains that capture the essence of who you are and what you sell and are easily recognizable to clients and prospective clients.

• Draw up a detailed plan for your web site before you start creating it, so you know the types of content it will contain.

• Make sure your web site has an About Me or About Us page that will help visitors become more comfortable buying from you.

• Provide contact information on your web site, but do not post your e-mail address; instead of an e-mail address, provide a form that visitors can complete to send you an e-mail message.

• If you have little or no experience creating a web site, consider hiring a professional Web designer, instead.

• To help search engines find your Web pages and give them a higher ranking in their search results, be sure to repeat the key words and phrases in your Web content that people commonly use to search for sites such as yours.

• Use pay-per-click advertising to drive more traffic from search engines to your web site; you pay only when someone clicks your ad.

• Once your web site is up and running, advertise it in outgoing e-mail messages and on all of your printed marketing materials, including your business card, letterhead, brochures, and flyers.