how can i advertise my business online for free so that anyone can see it?

Answer 1

A few free resources – check out the sources box for links:

1) Create a blog pertaining to your field

2) Use Yahoo! Local & Yahoo! Groups – Be sure to read the TOS for each one!

3) Write articles pertaining to your field and/or expertise.

4) Advertise on Craiglist

Also, consider signing up for an affiliate program. These programs enable you to advertise on other's sites (your affiliates) and once a sale is made to you, your affiliates & the program are paid a commission.

I listed a few handy sites & articles relating to marketing, promotion & advertising. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

* 301 Do-It-Yourself Marketing Ideas: From America's Most Innovative Small Companies by Sam Decker
* Off The Wall Marketing Ideas: Jumpstart Your Sales without Busting Your Budget by Nancy Michaels, Debbi J. Karpowicz
* Guerrilla Marketing for Free: Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits by Jay Conrad Levinson
* Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide: Over 1500 Great Marketing Tricks That Will Drive Your Business Through the Roof by James Stephenson

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

Hello,

I think you've got some really great and really comprehensive answers so far. In fact I myself plan to visit some of the links provided in the answers so far.

But what business are you in or plan to be engaged in? It's unclear in your question whether you already have an online business you want to advertise or you're looking to create an online business and then advertise.

If, for example, your online business is or is to be "mature-audience/adult-content" related the answers you get would be a bit different.

The lesson in this could also very well be a note of caution. For maximum results, wherever you chose to advertise you want to be specific. Your ad should be targeted to a specific audience, and the goods and/or services you provide should be very clear and specific... price, terms, contact info, etc. must be also very clear.

Thank you very much for your question. Your asking it has helped me find free ad resources.

Regards

Answer 3

Compared to offline businesses, the investment required to start an online business is minimal. A popular way of earning money on the internet is by providing information and services. This can be monetised by advertising or charging a subscription. You can also make money online by selling products on auction websites like eBay or through your own website. More information available at http://tinyurl.com/syw6m

Answer 4

Craigslist is good (but be careful they have strict guidlines and you can be banned very quickly) Another great idea is to start an affiliate marketing program there are hundreds of great sites that will advertise your business for you if you agree to give them a percentage of the sale you get good advertisement and it doesn't cost you a thing unless a sale goes thru.

Answer 5

The above are good. You also might want to check out http://emoney.ztweb.biz/ They're getting a lot of publicity and they do free link exchanges, as well as cheap paid advertising with lots of options.

Answer 6

-Free classifieds on the net
http://www.kkasual.com/ ("Classified" section on the upper center side-a lot of good and free info also)
http://www.usnetads.com/
http://classifieds.yahoo.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/
http://www.adtoad.com/
http://www.freeadpost.com/
http://www.inetgiant.com/
http://www.classifiedsforfree.com
http://www.freejobservices.com/Free%20Stuff%20&%20Resources/Index.htm
and many others...

Also start a blog to promote your site, it's free:
http://www.blogger.com
http://360.yahoo.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ etc, etc,...

-Try Search Engine Submission- in my opinion the second best way to advertise (There are so many around and some charge a setup fee, others don't and some are free)
http://www.addme.com/
http://www.myfreeseo.com/

Try banners exchange
http://www.e-bannerx.com/


Free community papers Ads
Email campain, etc,etc,...

Good luck

Answer 7

Get a Yahoo 360 page and keep hanging out here

Answer 8

Submit to free to grab article directories

Answer 9

Answering Yahoo Answers :)

Answer 10

"If you build it, they will come" is not necessarily true on the Web. Putting a website up is one thing, but getting visitors to come to your site is another. The process becomes even more difficult if you have limited resources to market your business.

Here are some shoestring marketing ideas that can help you get the visitors you need at the least cost possible:

1. Create the best content you can with the best products you can possibly offer. Your content is your best advertisement - if visitors love your content, then they will go back and spread the word to others.

2. Make it easy for users to recommend your site. Viral marketing is very important -- and easy to tap on the Web. But give your users the tools. Get a Recommend this Site script from websites such as cgiscripts.com and similar directories of scripts. Some even go as far as giving incentives to those who recommend the site to their friends. If only 10 people go to your site, but these 10 people invite 10 more - that's additional traffic that you get for FREE!

Recommend Site Scripts (various) http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Website_Promotion/Recommend_Site/
Big Nose Bird Recommend this Site http://bignosebird.com/carchive/birdcast.shtml
CGI Resource Index http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Website_Promotion/Recommend_Site/
Hostscripts http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/Site_Recommendation/index.html

3. Rank well in the search engines (organic search results, not the pay per click). SEs can be a big source of traffic. The key is to create the best content in your niche. If you have good content, other websites will gladly link to you and offer your site as a resource to their audience. Check the on-page factors and be sure to get linked from authority sites in your topic area.

If you are going to read only one piece on search engine optimization, I suggest you read Brett Tabke of WebmasterWorld.com's "Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone: 26 steps to 15k a day." http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm

SEO for Google http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/google.htm
SEO for Yahoo! http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/yahoo.htm
SEO for MSN http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/msn.htm
Tying It Together: SEO For The Big Three http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052006/seo.htm

4. Send out press releases. While outfits charge as much as $650 per release, there are free press release submission places on the Web. Press releases allow you to (a) attract media attention; (b) get more back links to your website without sending each website an email request; and (c) get more visibility especially if your press release gets in Google News or Yahoo News.

http://www.prleap.com/sign_up.html
http://i-newswire.com/
http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/
http://www.pressbox.co.uk/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi
http://www.pr.com/press-releases
http://www.prfree.com/
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/index.shtml
http://www.theopenpress.com/
http://www.przoom.com/
http://www.prweb.com
http://www.newswiretoday.com/
http://www.free-press-release.com/

5. Submit articles. Write articles and submit them to websites accepting author submissions. You get exposure for your business; establishes you as an authority in your field, and allows you to get backlinks for your website. If 50 websites publish your article and it contains a link back to your website, then you easily get 50 links from a single article. The more links you have, the greater your chances for increasing your search engine rankings.

Here is a comprehensive list of where to submit your articles http://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=AhzreGmnCUicOoyedqypscUjzKIX?qid=1006022407481

6. Improve your conversion. Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article "10 Ways to Convert Visitors to Buyers" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/072005/conversion.htm for tips on how to improve your conversion rates.

7. Post a link to your site for free where it is allowed (always read the Terms of Use). Examples are:

Craigslist http://www.craigslist.com
Google Base http://base.google.com
Classifieds for Free http://www.classifiedsforfree.com/...
Text Link Exchange http://www.txtswap.com/
Recycler.com http://www.recycler.com/
Yahoo Classifieds http://classifieds.yahoo.com/
US Free Ads http://www.usfreeads.com/