To maintain a successful business website, you have to keep your visitors coming back. Unless you offer them something to come back to, then chances are they will not. You will need content on your website that not only interests them, but also changes regularly.

1) Articles- Articles give your visitor something to read. Undoubtedly, sometime in the future, you customer will have a question, or want more information about the product or service that they received from your business. If the articles pertain to your business and the products and services that you offer, then they will be able to access the information.

You do not necessary have to write these articles yourself.

You can post information about your products directly from the package, or makers website.

There are several article directories online that provide good, quality content at no cost to you. It is as simple as visiting the directories, searching for articles that suit your business, and then copying them into your website. You are only required to provide a link back to the original authors website.

2) Contests- Who does not want to win something? By offering contests (especially if they change frequently) gives your visitors something to come back for. When the visitor signs up for the contest you may also want to include a link to your newsletter.

The key is to change the contest frequently, whether it be weekly, monthly, or semi-annually. Just remember, the more you change your contest the more times your visitors will come back to your site.

3) Coupons and Discounts- You may want to provide coupons or discounts for your previous clients to entice them to return to your website.

You can use the coupons a number of ways. A few ideas are:

-A buy one get one free.
-A specific percent discount (such as 10%)
-Free or discounted shipping

Discounts are easy to administer, provided you have a shopping cart. The typical way discounts are given is by code. A code word such as “springtime” allows customers with the code word to receive a discount.

Alternately, you may want to provide a printable coupon on your, and accept it at your physical location.

4) Forums- Forums provide something that everyone craves: conversation. If a forum is provided on your site, the visitor will have a reason to visit your website frequently, whether it be to ask a question when help is needed or to keep up on a conversation.

You can host your forum from your site, or choose to use a third party forum, whatever your prefer. Both have their pros and cons, it just comes down to what is best for your business.

5) Blog– Believe It or not, people are interested in what you have to say! A blog will not only allow you to update your clients on your business and life, but it also gives you a great opportunity to add those much needed keywords to your website.

There are quite a few free applications available that make blogging easy.

6) Newsletter- A newsletter is one of the best ways to keep your visitors coming back time and time again.

You will want to include part of a unique article or tip in your newsletter, and then a link to the rest. This will force your viewers to visit your site to get the remainder of the story.

Once again you do not have to write all the content yourself. Using free article directories will cut the time it takes to put a newsletter together in half.

One of the newest phenomena’s hitting the business world on the internet is using interactive community sites, such as Myspace to promote your business.

The reasons are clear as to why business owners have chosen to promote their businesses on Myspace. With an average of over half a million long ins a day, Myspace is easily one of the most popular website on the internet today. With this kind of traffic, every business is sure to find a target group that is interested in their products, or services.

Perhaps one of the best reasons for using Myspace to promote your business is the fact that it is free. The only investment you will need is some time to build your profile, and time to find and add people to your “friends list,” which in this case is actually your targeted group.

Setting Up Your Profile

Once you sign up, you will be asked to create a profile. Your profile is the single most important thing when you decide to advertise using Myspace. Your potential targets and clientele will look at this profile first. It will literally give them their first impression of you.

You will want to set up your profile with as much information as you can, however do not overdo it and make it seem as if you are just trying to get them to read about your business. A good balance is key.

Do not over use images or other media within your page, so it will load fast for even the slowest of internet connections.

Gaining Targets

One have everything setup on your profile, you will want to begin looking for targets. You will want to look for the type of people that may be interested in your business.

Myspace provides a search feature that allows you to search by age, gender, status, and location. Use this feature to search and find people in your area. Click on their profile, and if they fit your criteria, the use the “add to friends” button. A message will be sent to them, and then they will be able to add or deny your profile. Once you see that they have accepted you, then post a “thank you” message on their profile.

Proper Myspace Etiquette

When using Myspace to promote your business, you will want to practice some etiquette. It is easy to overdo it, which can greatly hurt your image, especially with potential local consumers. After all, the idea is to promote your business, not to hurt it’s image.

Spaming, or sending unsolicited messages to random users and addresses, is strictly prohibited, and will get your account deleted. Never send unsolicited or unwanted messages to anyone. However, if the person contacts you first (whether it be by comment, or message) feel free to communicate with them about your business.

Another type of spamming, which is potentially dangerous for your business, is over-posting comments. The comment system on Myspace allows you to post comments on other’s profiles, that is usually viewable by everyone that views that person profile. This can be a great way to reach additional contacts, provided that you follow some rules. First, never post a comment solely about your business. Instead, you can post a message thanking that person for accepting your friend request, or thanking them for sending you a friend request, whatever the case may be. The only acceptable way you should post a comment about your business is if the user posted a comment on your profile first. Never post pictures on other users profile.