How to Promote Your New Website
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I love my work as a strategic website designer. But I don’t just want you to have an attractive and appealing website. I want you to enjoy visibility, credibility, reach, results, growth, and revenue.
For me to feel good about the work I do, it’s increasingly important to me that you understand this:
Your new, beautiful, strategically designed website will not bring the results you hoped, unless you commit to extra work to promote it and boost your traffic.
Today, it’s time for some tough love.
Truths:
Whether you work with me on custom website design, or you purchase one of my DIY templates, your website has been thoughtfully designed to look great, work well, and maximize the chances that your visitor will take action.
I’ve either set up your SEO for you (VIP custom client), or shown you how to configure it yourself (template).
Your new website is now positioned to be the home base, or mission control, of all your marketing efforts.
But your website cannot, in all likelihood, succeed on its own. I’ve built you a rocket, but your rocket needs fuel.
Your success will depend on how much effort you put into getting the word out.
You can hire help for some of this effort, but a lot of it comes down to you.
Myths:
You’ve launched a beautiful new website, and now traffic will just come!
Search Engine Optimization will make money for you while you sleep.
In rare cases, this might be so, but honestly, it’s the exception.
No matter what those spammy messages in your inbox tell you, getting to page 1 of the Google results is hard.
Making money through online marketing is fast and easy.
Paying for adverts is a simple and cost-effective route to success.
You don’t need to put any more time in.
I’m thrilled that you’ve launched your new website. I just don’t want you to think your work is done.
Here’s how to make your new website work much harder for you.
8 easy steps to promote your new website
Add your new (or refreshed) website link to your email footer.
Update your social media profiles.
Share the new site on social media. Use a mockup tool like Smart Mockups or Tech Sini if you’d like, to make your post more enticing.
Send an announcement to your email list. If you’re only just getting started with your email tool, for goodness sake make sure you learn how to send a simple note!
Share or announce your new website in groups (online and real life), networking circles, your alumni association, professional groups, and places where you volunteer.
Start sharing your lead magnet, where it makes sense. Don’t be obnoxious, but you can share it from time to time on social media, mention it in real life conversations, or offer it as a resource when someone asks a relevant question in online groups.
Tell Google about your sitemap. Here are easy instructions for doing this, if your website is built with Squarespace.
Invite anyone who worked with you on the website (copywriter, photographer…) to share it too.
These initial steps don’t take long, and they’ll be a big help in bringing some traffic to your website fast.
Your ongoing plan: how to get traffic to your website organically
Figure out an achievable, long term, marketing plan that takes into account the “sweet spot” of what you love to do, and where your audience is paying attention.
There are myriad ways of promoting your work. You should not attempt them all, or even more than a few.
You might love to speak, but hate to write.
You might hate social media, but love book clubs.
You might enjoy conferences, but resist email marketing.
You might enjoy hosting Zoom workshops, but avoid TikTok.
You get to choose.
Be honest about the time you’re willing to spend on marketing, and how it fits alongside your other work, family responsibilities, life in general, and rest.
If you don’t yet have an audience of your own, getting in front of other people’s audiences is key for getting traffic to your website. This typically means you’ll be a guest, whether on their blog or podcast, at their webinar, or at their meeting.
Pick a small number of achievable tactics that you’ll use to promote your website, for free.
If you hope to drive website traffic through Search Engine Optimization, understand this is a long term strategy.
Even if you’re not focusing on SEO, plan to review and update your website content every few months. Stale websites get pushed down the search results.
Related: Best SEO tools for beginners.
Remember: if you enjoy it, you’re much more likely to stick with it.
Put time in your calendar every single week to carry out this plan.
With everything you do, aim to bring people to your website, so they can either buy from you, request information about working with you, or join your email list. Often, mentioning your lead magnet is a better website traffic booster, instead of starting with your eventual Call to Action.
Get accountability and support, if you need it, to help make this happen.
If you need a new skill (like, how to pitch yourself as a podcast speaker), either get the training you need, or focus on something you know how to do now.
Be realistic. Don’t aim too high at first, for the publicity you pitch for. For example, don’t expect to get on national TV if you’re an unknown indie author.
Be kind to yourself. It’s usually better to measure your effort, rather than outcomes. (For example, number of guest articles pitched, versus number accepted.)
Don’t be afraid to lean in to what makes you unique.
Keep going. Stephanie Chandler, founder and CEO of the Nonfiction Authors Association, says “plant a marketing seed every day.” Whether you plant one every day, or plant 6 on a Sunday afternoon, be persistent, and you will gradually increase your website traffic organically.
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This combination of self-awareness, planning, and tenacious action to promote your new website is what we work on together during my Launch Accelerator intensive. I offer this to my custom website clients because I truly want you to maximize the results you get from your website investment.
During this dedicated week, I will coach you, cajole you, support you, and train you in taking the steps above!
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Would you like me to design and build your strategic Squarespace website?
As a professional specializing in strategic website design, I’m an expert in creating a home for your work that’s both stunning and effective. If you’d like technical expertise, marketing strategy, and all of the website implementation taken care of, hire me and I’ll treat you like a VIP.
After careful preparation together, I’ll design, build and launch your website in just 2 weeks. Learn more, and then schedule our free and friendly chat.
Other resources for getting the most out of your website
And for the essential steps in your website project, take a look at my free 50 Step Website Checklist.
