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• Search for appropriate meta-indexes
• Request a link
• Provide the details necessary
• Look at sponsorship or banner advertising opportunities.
Meta-indexes can be arranged by subject (such as sites that provide
information on book publishing) or by geography (tourist sites in Alaska).
As mentioned before, the major search engines are a good place to start.
For example, to find tourist sites in Alaska, conduct a search by entering
+Alaska+tourist+directory. Once you find a good list and start to
check the links, you will likely find other lists. Bookmark or keep a
record of the meta-indexes you like for future reference.
When requesting a link to your site, send an e-mail with “Site addition
request” in the subject area of your message. Include the following
in the body of the message:
Figure 18.4. Google’s Search Options page.
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296 101 Ways To Promote Your Web Site
• URL
• Description of your site
• Why you feel your site is appropriate for the list
• Your contact information in your signature file (see Chapter 9).
Once you have identified indexes that appeal to your target market,
determine whether additional opportunities exist for sponsoring or purchasing
banner advertising on the site. Meta-indexes that relate to your
market are a great place to advertise because they are accessed by your
target customers.
To make your link stand out, inquire about adding a prominent link
or icon to the meta-index page along with a short tag line, in addition to
your company name. If you provide the GIF and the HTML, the metaindex
owner might be happy to include it.
Keep in mind that the compilers of the free meta-indexes are motivated
by noncommercial reasons and are under no obligation to add
your site to their list or process your request quickly. However, more
and more meta-index sites have a commercial focus.
A listing on a meta-index might be free, but there could be a fee
charged for placing a hypertext link within the listing. However, there
also are meta-indexes that charge a fee for the listing. If you are considering
paying a fee to be included in a meta-index, consider the volume
of traffic the meta-index receives, whether the traffic is targeted, and
the cost involved in relation to the return on investment. It might be
wise to contact those already listed in the meta-index to see if the listing
has been a good investment for them.
Internet Resources for Chapter 18
I have included a few resources for you to check out on meta-indexes.
For additional resources on a variety of topics, visit the Resources section
of my Web site at http://www.susansweeney.com/resources.html.
There you will find additional tips, tools, and techniques.
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Maximizing Promotion with Meta-Indexes 297
Essential Links: Portal to the Internet
http://www.el.com
Essential Links is a portal to Internet portal sites, news headlines, search
engines, Web directories, references, and utilities.
Internet Resources Meta-Index
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/MetaIndex.html
A meta-index of the various resource directories and indexes available
on the Internet.
Metaplus
http://www.metaplus.com
The Webmaster’s Ultimate Resource—A meta-index of the directories
and essential sites.
Virtual Library
http://vlib.org/Overview.html
The Virtual Library is the oldest catalog of the Web, started by Tim
Berners-Lee, the creator of the Web itself. Unlike commercial catalogs,
it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers who compile
pages of key links for particular areas in which they are experts. Even
though it isn’t the biggest index of the Web, the VL pages are widely
recognized as being among the highest-quality guides to particular sections
of the Web.
WWW Meta-Indexes and Search Tools
http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/globe/metaindex.html
A Library of Congress Internet resource page.
WWW Meta-Indexes and Search Tools
http://www.fys.ruu.nl/~kruis/h3.html
A Library of Congress Internet resource page.
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19
Winning Awards,
Cool Sites, and More
There are literally hundreds of Cool Sites, Sites of the Day, Hot Sites,
and Pick-of-the-Week Sites. Some of these sites require you to submit;
others are selected based on such things as:
• Awesome graphics
• Dynamite content that is useful and interesting
• Uniqueness
• Fun features.
If you are selected for one of these sites, it can mean a huge increase
in the number of visitors to your site. You must be prepared for the
increased traffic flow as well as the increased demand for online offerings.
In this chapter, we cover:
• Where to submit your site for award consideration
• How to win Site of the Day—tips, tools, and techniques
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Winning Awards, Cool Sites, and More 299
• Getting listed in What’s New
• Posting your awards on your site
• Hosting your own Site of the Day.
It’s an Honor Just to Be Nominated
There are sites that find and evaluate other sites on the Internet and
recognize those that are outstanding by giving them an award. The award
sites are generally quite discriminating in terms of selecting which sites
are the recipients of their award. They have established criteria defining
what they consider “hot” or “cool” and base their award selection on
those criteria. Figure 19.1 shows a variety of awards.
What’s New Web sites are designed to inform Internet users of new
sites and updates to existing sites, and are often selective in which new
sites they promote. The owner of each site also selectively chooses awards
for Site of the Day, Week, Month, and Year. As mentioned earlier, some
of these sites require you to submit an announcement or site description,
and the awards are granted based on criteria such as graphics,
dynamic content, uniqueness, and the “fun” quality of your site. Other
Figure 19.1. A collage of some of the more popular award sites.
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300 101 Ways To Promote Your Web Site
sites grant their awards based solely on the personal likes and dislikes
of the owner of the site and do not adhere to any criteria at all.
Some awards are taken just as seriously as the Academy Awards.
The Webby Awards have a very comprehensive nomination procedure.
Information regarding the Webby is available on their Web site at
http://www.webbyawards.com.
When you win an award, you post it on your site for all to see. The
award icon is usually a link back to the site that bestowed the honor
on you.
Choosing Your Awards and Submitting to Win
There are different levels of prestige associated with the award sites.
Some are an honor to receive. Some are highly competitive because of
the number of submissions they receive.
Some awards are easier to receive than others, such as those from
commercial sites that give out awards in an attempt to increase the traffic
to their own site. Traffic increases because the award is a graphic
link displayed on the winner’s site that visitors can follow back to the
award giver’s site. Other Webmasters give out awards to anybody and
everybody who makes a submission. The award is granted with the sole
purpose of building traffic.
The bottom line is that awards are valuable assets. The average Web
user cannot tell which awards are the prestigious ones and which are
given to anyone who submits. So, submit for any awards that you choose
to, as long as your site is ready. (A sample submission form is shown in
Figure 19.2.)
Where you place these awards is important. If you win many awards,
consider developing an Awards page with a link from your navigation
bar to house them.
Something to consider before you submit for an award is whether
the huge amount of new traffic would benefit your site. If you sell T-shirts
emblazoned with WWW cartoons, then any traffic is good traffic, and
awards could benefit your site. On the other hand, if you are a marine
biologist specializing in red tides in the Arctic, then the traffic that Site
of the Day would bring might be more of a hindrance than a help in
marketing your services. Always determine if the marketing tools and
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Winning Awards, Cool Sites, and More 301
techniques will increase visitors from your target market before deciding
to include them in your online marketing strategy.
Getting mentioned on one of the popular Cool Sites lists is probably
the single biggest way to draw a tremendous amount of traffic to
your site. However, that traffic is like a flash flood—fast and furious.
Be careful what you wish for—you just might get it! Be prepared! Have
a plan that you can implement on a moment’s notice. If you offer something
free from your site, be sure that you can access a huge volume of
whatever it is and that you have a plan to distribute quickly. If you
offer a free download from your site, plan to have a number of alternative
FTP sites available to your visitors. If you have a call-in offer,
make sure you have a telephone response system
in place and staff to handle the huge volume of
calls you might get. You need a plan to handle a
huge volume of e-mails as well.
Once you have decided that the type of traffic
that comes along with winning awards fits with your
marketing strategy, make sure your site has the makings
of a winner and then submit to as many award
sites as you can.