A Website is one of the most valuable marketing assets available to a business. A Website, unlike printed material, can be quickly updated and published to reflect any changes in your business. A Website can create a global presence for even the smallest company, increasing their potential customer base many times over.

Whilst the list of the benefits of having a Website could indeed be endless, these benefits will not see the light of day if potential customers cannot find your Website ? hence the need for Website promotion.

Website promotion should not be confused with search engine optimisation. Many of the tasks vital to the construction of a Website, such as content optimisation and clean mark-up, are considerations that fall under the search engine optimisation umbrella.

But what happens next? How do you make your quality count? Or, in another words, how do you bolster your listing in today?s most prominent search engine? How do you boost your Google PageRank?

Google PageRank ExplainedTo understand the relevance of the techniques described below, it is important to first understand the idea behind PageRank. PageRank assigns numerical weighting to indexed Web pages based upon a set of algorithms and is used by Google to determine the quality of a given Web page.

PageRank uses its vast link structure to determine the value of a particular page. One way it does this is by counting the Inbound links to a particular page. The more Inbound links you have, the greater the PageRank value of those links, the more your PageRank value goes up. An inbound link from a page with a PageRank of 10 will be weighted more favourably than a link from a page with a PageRank of 2, for example.

We will now take a look at some of the methods used to gain those precious inbound links.

Link Exchanges

A link exchange is the process of supplying a link to a Website in return for a reciprocal link to your Website. Look for Websites related to your particular business or sites that would appeal to those who might benefit from your services. Find sites that would be considered useful to your target market and suggest a link exchange. The reciprocal link will not only drive your traffic up but, most importantly, increase your PageRank value.
Link exchange ? an example

Dave owns an independent record shop specialising in reggae and dancehall. Dave provides links to his supplier?s and distributor?s Websites, who in turn provide a reciprocal link to Dave's Website. A nightclub promoting reggae and dancehall events provides a link to the Dave's Website, who, in turn, provides a reciprocal link to the nightclub?s Website.

Whilst outbound links will not have a great effect on your page ranking, inbound links (ie, links to your site) will prove to search engines that your site has worthy content. The quality of the site providing the inbound will be taken into consideration, so when making your shortlist of potential link exchanges, bear in mind the quality or PageRank of the sites you approach. Inbound links from sites that have been removed or banned from Google's index will have a negetive effect on your PageRank.

A word of Caution
Whilst spreading the word of your business by generating inbound links is a good thing, be careful not to raise the red flag against your good name by spamming. Using underhanded techniques, such as mass purchasing of text links and keyword stuffing may be interpreted as spamming and are frowned upon by Google. Using the same keywords in a number of text links can also raise the red flag in search engines.

Keyword stuffing ? an example

Dave sets up a link exchange with a number of suppliers. Dave?s niche area of the record industry covers the sale of reggae and dancehall records in Manchester. So, Dave decides to use the following keywords in his text links:

Reggae dancehall Manchester Music Records

Not only does the link text look confusing to the user, it would appear to a search engine that Dave has ?stuffed? as many keywords into his link text as possible. A more suitable link text might be:

Dave?s Records Manchester

ForumsWhilst link exchanges might take some time to get off the ground, forums provide an almost instant means of linking to your site, more often than not from content relating to your field of expertise.

Forums provide an excellent platform to demonstrate your expertise in your area of business, and many forums provide a signature feature allowing users to include a Web address or a small bio. Offer free advice to those seeking information within your field of expertise, making sure to include your Web address in your signature.

You might just be surprised with the amount of traffic you actually receive by using forums. However, be careful not to exploit forums to blatantly advertise your product or services; not only does it look unprofessional, but the practice of ?spamming? is frowned up by the forum community. Stick to the subject and only post responses to questions when you know you can provide the correct solution for a problem.

By doing so, you will build a reputation on the forum for being an expert in your field and, by providing a link to your site with each post, increase your Google PageRank.

Keep it FreshContent is key. Keep your site up to date and write informed articles relating to your field of business. By doing so you will not only demonstrate your expertise in your business area by providing invaluable information for prospective clients, you will also encourage those all important inbound links.

Make sure your content is relevant and up to date; nothing is going to deter potential inbound linkers more than having content that is irrelevant, out of date or poorly written.

Manage your Website Promotion Campaign

Effective management of your Website promotion campaign will be necessary to determine areas of your campaign that are working effectively and those that may require more attention. A good statistics package will provide instant feedback with regards the effectiveness of your campaign, displaying inbound links and keyword searches used to find your site. Check which of the inbound links are giving you the least traffic and consider changing them.

The promotion of your Website does not end when the site ?goes live?; in fact, this is only the beginning of you Website Promotion campaign. Inbound links are key to survival at the top, and can be sought using link exchanges, public forums and fresh, informative content in your area of expertise.

Whist these techniques will help promote your Website and ultimately raise your Google PageRank, they must be used with the understanding that keyword stuffing and spamming can do more harm than good and remember to give some thought when selecting your link partners.