Look at Your Site From the Users Perspective

Why are they there? What makes sense for them to see and to visit?  How do you link the classifieds.  A simple text link can work, as long as this fits in with the rest of your navigation.  You want to integrate the classifieds link so that is appears to be part of your site.  I like  to tell people that we add content to their web site.  See if you can use this idea when you set up your whole site.

Keep it Simple

Don't distract your visitors with too many options.  Make your site clear and simple to understand and navigate. A site map with links to all the sections can be a great way to let users look around, but don't make this your first page.  Think of the first page that visitors see as your only chance to keep them.  Don't just give them a "headline", tell them why your site is different, or why they should stay and look around.  "EPage Network Classifieds" does not tell a visitor to stay, but "Classifieds and Auctions: Best on the Web!" along with "The Worlds Largest Auction and Classified Network" tells them that this might be worth checking out.

Have Fun

Try not to get stressed out about things you cannot control, and do something about that which you can control.

Marketing Sites to Check Out

Corey Rudl may be a name you recognize, and maybe not. He has been one of the more visible Net marketeers, and he has a full marketing program that he sells through an affiliate program. I have heard lots of great things about his programs, you can make the choice about buying his materials or joining his program yourself.

Jim and Audri Lanford run NETrageous, a site dedicated to helping you become successful on the Internet. There are some great articles on press releases, publicity, and marketing resources.

Jim Wilson has been online for a long time, and he has put together a great site at VirtualPromote chock full of information and links that all of you will bookmark. He has information on resources, search engines, marketing and more

Dr. Ralph Wilson (unrelated to Jim) has a newletter called Dr. Ebiz that I really like, and he has some great resources on his site, WilsonWeb. He also produced a great article: Web Marketing Checklist: 29 Ways to Promote Your Site.

Ken Evoy has created a whole series of programs, including Make Your Site Sell, Make Your Price Sell, Make Your Net Auction Sell, Make Your Knowledge Sell (getting the idea of his theme). He can teach you how to pre-sell a product or idea as well, which is great in getting conversions and sales. He now has a Free trial of his Site Sell product.

Rob Frankel is the best branding expert on the planet! He has a great book, Revenge of Brand X (How to Build a Big Time Brand on or off the Web); runs the free FrankelBiz email list where you can get great discounts, help, and business from other members; FrankelTips where he will answer your branding questions; and now I-Legions, where you can hire him to bring revenue-generating Branded Community programs to businesses like yours. Tell Rob I sent you!

The Internet Affiliate Marketing Association is all about Keeping it Fair in Revenue Share. The benefits of membership are many and anyone is free to join this worldwide association. iAfma.org is global and members can think local in regional iAfma.org chapters. The online discussion forums are the cornerstone of the proceedings, but members are encouraged to meet face-to-face at various networking events. This site is also where you'll find the latest industry news, quality information, tools & various resources. Guest membership of iAfma.org is FREE.

There are lots of other great sites out there. Do some reading, have some fun, and good luck.

If you have other suggestions that have worked well for you, please write to waller@epage.com.