TommyRay Web Productions

Making your Webiste Work & Keeping it Alive

To make your website work for you, you need to give it TLC and nurture it.

     There are many MANY things you can do, but ignoring it or being absent from it for a lengthy period of time can bring things to a slow trickle or halt very quickly. Besides, you really should be logging in and making BACKUPS of your website on a very regular and frequent basis. This is very very important in and of itself.

     Visitors want you to be as active as you are reactive. Don't wait for someone to ask a question or make a post on the forums. Begin writting articles you can publish now and then. Make a new post that may spur some interest and discussion. Orchestrate a contest. Change out the news, photos and content on your main page a bit every now and then.

     Having your website address in your email signature helps, yes, but keep in mind that you can post that address in many other places. Guestbooks, blogs, your car, business cards, invoices, forum posts, social sites like facebook and myspace and twitter... EVERYWHERE you go on the internet should be looked at for possible places to advertise. However, be aware that in some arenas you should do so in a manner that reflects the current conversation or topic, lest it be considered as Spam.

     Some people are just TOO busy to be able to do all this all the time. In such cases, in fact in many cases, it would be wise to appoint trusted people as Moderators. A website moderator can make sure people are taken care of, answer thier questions, approve posts or photos and keep the site active.

     A websites popularity will help it get higher rankings in search engine results. It takes time for this to happen, so you need to be a bit dilligent. And doing all of this does not garrauntee a constant influx of new visitors, but it will help KEEP the ones you have, which is very very important to do! Staying power is valued more than traffic itself. However, if you need more new visitors to your site in hopes of garnering new members, then see my next article on "Getting New Visitors... for FREE!"

Here is a short easier-to-handle list of things you should do to keep your website alive...

1. Login frequently and check the forum & notifications
2. Login to your site frequently and make backups!!!
3. Always post your web address everywhere you can
4. Change Main Page Content Occasionally/Frequently
5. Post Forum threads that may spur response or activity
6. Start a contest to gain more activity
7. Assign trusted people as website Moderators