Promoting your website can seem like a daunting, complicated task. The truth of it is that it's not a trivial undertaking. But with some well laid plans, you can be sure that you're leaving no stone unturned and working toward the best possible results.

Step 1: Preparation

- Prepare your website for the search engines -

This is a critical phase where elements such as keyphrase selection and web page optimization come into play. Whether you have a website already or not, this is where you need to start. Your site must be prepared and optimized to ensure that when the major search engines and directories visit your site, they index it properly and favourably.

Step 2: Popularity

- Establish a network of incoming links from other sites -

It is crucial that you establish plenty of quality, relevant links to your site. This typically means approaching websites in your industry (be they indirect competitors, vendors, suppliers or directory owners) and asking for a link, or offering to exchange links. Having a strong initial link popularity greatly increases the chances that the major search engines will find you before you even let them know you