How do I get my web site noticed?

Looking at the hits I've gotten on another hub about SEO (search engine optimization) I thought I might look to introduce you all to another few sites that can help get your website out.

Just to paraphrase from my earlier post on SEO, the best way to get your website noticed is to create backlinks (by posting comments on other sites, blogrolls, etc) to get Google's crawler to come to your site as often as possible. However, posting a million links in a single day to your site is not good. Google looks at the backlink build up. For traffic to look "organic" it must be gradual and growing.

If you can post 1,000 links in one day, that's great, however you'll have to do 1,100 tomorrow and 1,200 the day after, etc. Sounds overwhelming to me, so start slow. You're just trying to get the ball running on your site, eventually when your clients or visitors come to your website, they will begin to tell everyone else about it and your work gets a lot easier!

I'm sure you can get away with posting on a few people's blog that you follow, using your website as a link when you comment, but please be thoughtful of what you post. Nothing is more annoying that sorting through hundreds of spam comments that need moderated. The best thing is to find forums where people are already discussing topics or trends that relate to your website.

That's where I have found TheFreeAdForum.com to be helpful. It's a site where you can begin to find forums that may be a good match for you to post on. They also allow you to post your link as a signature and you are able to view and comment on other people's sites.

Another great way to find forums and blogs that apply to your interest is Blogsearch.Google.com . Where you can search blogs by category, last post, etc. So if you have a personal finance blog, maybe searching for "finance" or "budgeting" would provide your best links. Once at the sites, please be kind and make accurate observations of the content. If there is something you like there, let the author know. In return when commenting, you can leave your "nick", email and a link back to your site.

A nice site to submit too, if you have a lot of multimedia content is Stumbleupon.com. Actually if you haven't already, you should add all the social media links you can to your site, so when people like something they let everyone else know (an example is here.) Social media sites like Stumbleupon put your website in a rotation where users of the website scroll through and if they like something they leave comments or give it a thumbs up. It's a free, easy and lucrative way to great your site noticed! (Note: quality contributors are rewarded the most)

And lastly, Forums.Digitalpoint.com an all in one site. Where you can post asking for suggestions on your site, hosting and just about anything you can imagine. This site is a great tool for finding out what the underbelly of the internet looks like, as many administrators and users gather to exchange just about everything from visitor traffic to targeted content.

With these sites (and many others like it), you will be able to find relevant places to post links back to your site. The whole method for organic traffic is to put your link places where your potential visitors will be already (without having to pay for the link). It takes a lot of time and something as simple as joining two or three forums, that are targeted to your use, and posting once or twice a day can provide substantial exposure. However, the reward is continuing traffic to your site and increased earnings!