Promoting Yourself Online
Let me begin by telling you a bit about myself.
I am a programmer that specializes in something called "Seach
Engine Optimization", which is the art and science
of making a Website rank high for a desired keyword. I have
been contracted to do this work by dozens of Fortune 1000
companies; I teach this topic at several computer schools,
and I make my living at it. I consider myself an expert at
online marketing, and I am giving out these tips for free.
These tips are meant to help independent escorts market themselves
for free, AND discover other ways of making money online (while
you sleep) that does not involve you compromising yourself
in any way.
There are essentially two ways to promote yourself online
- Free
- Not Free
We're going to begin this article by talking about promoting
your Website for free.
Creating and Marketing a Website for Free
The Internet is the greatest research tool that has ever
existed. Search Engines give consumers access to more information
than is humanly digestable. We are going to discuss the step
by step approach to creating an effective Website and marketing
it online. Even if you have a Website, you will benefit from
reading our tips on creating a good Website, because we would
be amazed if you have done everything right, and we're very
confident that you've probably missed out on a few important
points.
- Get a Good Designer
There are FAR too many people who consider themselves "Web
designers". Additionally, in the adult world there
are far too many men offering "trades" for their
questionable design services. Always hire a professional,
they deliver better work and you can hold them accountable.
- Don't Let the Designer Use
Flash
If you don't know what Flash is, consider yourself lucky.
If you do, resist the urge to be impressed by the "movie-like"
nature of Flash. Flash is BAD because search engines do
not understand anything other than text. For that reason,
Websites that are well coded are easily read by search engines.
Take our word for this, and hire a designer who understands
how to keep a site simple for search engines, yet aesthetic
for the user. We recommend the following firm (we have absolutely
NO affiliate with them, we read the magazine
they write for tips): Happy
Cog.
- Understand How Your Clients
Search
Before you do anything with your Website, it is essential
that you understand what people are searching for online.
The first thing you HAVE to do is refine a "keyword
list" of the search terms that people are looking for
that are relevant to you. Without this list, you are piloting
a boat with no destination in mind. The winds will blow
you about.
Let's assume that you are an escort in Atlanta, just as
an example. Here are step-by-step instructions on what you
would do:
- Go to the Keyword
Suggestion Tool kindly provided by Overture. *This
tool tells you how many people were searching for a
given search term in a specific month, AND it gives
you suggestions*
- Type in "escort" and see what comes back.
- As of this writing, the fourth term on the list is
"atlanta escort", with 26,834 searches (the
real number of searches is MUCH higher, as these searches
do not include all search engines).
- Play around with this tool and get a list of 5-10
search terms that are appropriate for your Website.
Ok, so now you have your keyword list. So now what??
- Create Relevant "Themes"
on Your Website
Unless you have some content on your Website that is creating
a theme for "Atlanta Escorts", then search engines are not
going to see you as being very relevant to this search term.
So how do you do this?
First, you must write SOME content about yourself that describes
you as an escort in Atlanta. Do not overdo it -- don't repeat
"Atlanta escort" over and over again. Make sure
your content is written for human beings, not search engines
(this means don't "stuff" your page with keywords).
Now tell your Webmaster that you want to have a few of your
search terms in:
- Your HTML title tags
- Some header tags (H1, H2). If your designer complains
that headers don't look good, fire him or her and hire
someone who understands
how to use style sheets.
- In the anchor text of at least one link
- Find People to Link to Your
Website
Perhaps the most important factor in ranking high is having
many quality links to your Website. Search engines believe
that if many people are linking to you, then you must have
a site worthy of that honor. So find other sites to link
to you, and try to get your keywords in the "anchor
text" (the clickable text that brings people to your
Website).
You may want to have a "link exchange", which
is what we have on our site. Your Web designer can find
link exchange software to put on your Website here.
Some of the software is free. If you are truly desparate,
contact
me and if I'm not overwhelmed with work, I may do it for
you (for a nominal fee).
- Submit Your Website to Relevant
Directories
There are many, many Websites that will list your Website
for free.
- DMOZ
is a large, free directory that Google
features.
- Jane's
Guide
is an impartial, high quality site that you should submit
your site to.
- Do your research and find others
- Keep Getting Links
Make sure they are from topically related sites, NOT Online
Casinos, sites that sell Inkjet Toner, and anyone else desparate
for links. Having thematically related sites link to you
is IMPORTANT.
- Now, a Word About Paid Advertising
Paid advertising does work, especially online since you can
track the results far more than print advertising.
As many of you know, sites such as Cityvibe
& Eros-Guide
are popular directories that charge escorts for a listing.
Whether or not these sites are worth your money is up to you
to figure out. Additionally, depending on where you live,
the free service Craig's
List might be worth checking out. Craig's List has an
"Erotic Services" section. In many cities, such
as San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles, Craig's List
is a VERY valuable site (and FREE).
One important thing to understand about advertising is the
concept of a Return on Investment, which simply beckons
the question, "Am I spending more on advertising than
it is generating for me?".
In addition to escort guides, there are a few other important
places to consider spending money:
- Other Resources for Your Marketing
Endeavors
Some of these Websites are meant for those with some technical
skills. We're going to recommend both information Websites
and companies that can do the design and Search Engine Optimization
for you.
- Search
Engine Promotion on Webmasterworld.com
- The
Cheapest and Best Web Hosting Company Ever -- please
note we don't make a dime by referring you to them.
Escort Directory.org is using this company and paying
only $1.99/month for a robust hosting plan. Use them,
you'll be glad.
- How
to Have a Successful Site in 12 Months
- A
Bay Area firm that does Search Engine Optimization work
on adult sites
- General
Search Engine Marketing Guide
- Read
Our Next Article About How to Make Money With Your Website
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