CPP cast film "How do I get free website promotion?" is a question I'm often asked. The thing to remember about free website promotion is that nothing is truly free. If you're not spending money to promote your website, you'll have to spend time. So, why waste time on some website promotion methods that will only bring you negligible returns? If you're prepared to work on them, these five free website promotion techniques will reward you with increased website traffic. 1. Promote your website through powerful search engine optimization. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it's the best thing since sliced bread when it comes to free website promotion. SEO is the process of attracting search engines to your web pages, and the great thing is, it's not difficult to learn and apply to your own website(s). By working on search engine optimization, you can improve your webpage's page ranking and drive more traffic to your website. And isn't that the ultimate goal of free website promotion? Start with my basic rules of search engine optimization. When you're ready, move on to some finer points, like applying keyword density. Tip: If you're using non-text content on your webpage(s), such as photos, image maps, or JavaScript, include text in your image ALT tags for the search engines so they have something they can read. 2. Promote your website through reciprocal linking. When others place links to your website on their websites, you receive free website promotion. You also gain a better search engine ranking for your webpages. The top three search engines (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) use inbound links as an important component of the formula that determines a webpage's ranking. Be aware, though, while this form of free website promotion isn't a "numbers game," the quality of the links really matters. So you should focus your efforts on establishing high-quality reciprocal links. The standard process is to find and identify relevant websites that you'd like to have link to yours, then send an email to each webmaster requesting a link on their website in exchange for a link on yours. Tip: You can check a website or webpage's ranking before attempting reciprocal linking by using tools like Webpage Ranking Query and Link Popularity Tools, such as SEO Tools. Google's toolbar also has a webpage ranking display feature. These tools can conveniently check the status and progress of your own website and/or pages. 3. Write articles to gain free website promotion. The benefit of this free website promotion strategy is, again, that others promote your website for you. If you get your popular, long-lasting articles published on well-known websites or magazines, they can sit there for a very long time providing free website promotion for you without any further effort on your part. However, there are catches. First, you must be able to write on a subject or topic that others will want to read and/or publish. Second, you must find quality places to publish your articles and convince people to make the decision to publish them. When you find them, ask if they can use a specific piece, including your article, so they can look at it right away if they're interested, and send it via email. Make sure to mention in your email that they're welcome to freely publish the piece. Also, ensure your work ends with a resource box or "teaser" that promotes you and your website. Tip: If you want to be published on a website or magazine for the first time, spend some time reading their content to see what type of material they might want, and if there are any obvious gaps in their content that you can cover. Then tailor your material to the specific needs of the website or magazine. Related topical articles: The data of Interstar users may be obtained this week by means of transmission. Raw milk tested nationwide has not detected melamine. Rangers' Hamilton confirms alcohol relapse. New York Giants' winner Cruz dance enters the Super Bowl spotlight. As Facebook prepares for its IPO, investors wonder if Zuckerberg has a twisted business...