Thankfully the phone hasn’t stopped ringing yet, but the questions I’m being asked now are clearly different to those in the not so distant past. The common theme is quite clearly about getting more from existing websites and web applications than it is about creating new ones, a change which is clearly sensible.

So, as you’d expect, a large number of the calls I’m receiving are regarding search engine optimisation and building more traffic to websites. So when I was asked again today “how can I bring more people to my website” I decided to try and get some ideas out there and this is really what I said to my client.

The main thing is to write good quality content – loads of it, I know this has been said to death, but the more articles or posts you can get on a website the better. And what’s more, never delete any of the articles, build them up into a vast, deep website with lots of well-structured good readable content. Never delete any of it, even Mr. Tim Berners Lee himself says “cool URI’s don’t change“, so keep that content up and don’t ever remove it.

Remember that people don’t always find your website via the homepage, so the more pages you have with good content, the more visits you are going to get, the more links you are going to get and the more visits and links you get the better your website will rank.

This will do more for you than any amount of writing good keyword lists, great descriptions and building links from free directories.

• Do directory submissions
  Use the free list of directories at vilesilencer.com
• If you run a shop upload your products to
  Froogle
  Kelkoo
  Google base
• Do search engine optimisation on your website If you run a big shop, use .htaccess to turn your dynamic urls into more search engine friendly versions, here is an example:
  www.yourshop.com/index.php?category=324234&subcategory=453&subsubcategory=345345&productid=32421 

  Could become:
  www.yourshop.com/Cars/Fast/Supercars/lambo.html

• Do a Google sitemap
  Use the tool here: http://www.auditmypc.com/free-sitemap-generator.asp
  Submit the sitemap file to Google sitemaps
• Get your business listed in Google local
  Make sure you choose the UK version
• Do on-page search engine optimisation
• Think about the keywords you want to rank highly for and use them in your website.
• Make sure you have proper meta tags, title tags, alt descriptions
• Make sure your html is properly formatted
• Does your site look good?
• Submit your site manually to the top three search engines
  Submit to Google, MSN, Yahoo
• Consider an Adwords campaign
  This can bring in a lot of good revenue if used correctly.
• Use Ebay in conjunction with your online shop
• Lots of people shop at ebay so go to them, you can include a link to your site in your listings.
• Tell all your friends via email
  They’re your friends they won’t mind a bit of spam from you!
• Use a signature at the bottom of your emails with a link to your website
  Curious people will take a look
• Do paper marketing
  Leaflets, flyers
• Advertise in the Yellow pages
  Everyone has one
• Get listed in the ODP
  The ODP (otherwise known as DMOZ.org) is used by Google, and Yahoo to drive listings, being included will result in a lot of free backlinks to your site.