I just started a new online business-How can I promote it?

[kristenrita]

I've recently started a business online with my photography. I've placed my photography on artfire (this can be found at http://www.artbyrita.artfire.com ) and I also made my own website that I recently got added to Google's index. I made this website to get extra traffic flowing into my online store and to also give people a way to buy prints if they have paypal. My website is Art and Photography by Rita - Home do you have any reccomendations on what do do with my sites to make them more popular (artbyrita.weebly in particular) or to promote my business? I need to have it show up on google when people search for it, because it isn't even close to being on the first page. I'm not very technologically savvy so I don't fully understand SEO or how to get my website to pop up on the first couple pages.

 

[orljustin]

do you have any reccomendations on what do do with my sites to make them more popular (artbyrita.weebly in particular) or to promote my business? I need to have it show up on google when people search for it, because it isn't even close to being on the first page.

I hardly see any kewording on these, which is how people would find it through google. That said, there are a million sites by a million photographers who all like taking pictures of the flowers in their back yard, so I can't see why you'd expect to show up on the front page of google.

 

[kristenrita]

I wasn't looking to be on the very first page, but I didn't want to be invisible either. I realize there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing I am doing, but I'd like to find ways to become known to people. Thanks for the tip about keywords.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Kristen, some prefer browsing images by thumbnail. To have to click each numbered box to get the next unknown image is kinda a drag. I quit at 12.Just something to think about.

 

[tirediron]

Read all you can about SEO; there are tens of thousands of pages written on the subject. In a nutshell, use the right key words, and the right header information, and wait (it doesn't happen right away). Having reciprocal links on your 'site is a big help too.

Get your own domain! Weebly and other free domains reek of amateur. It's inexpensive (as little as $75/year) and makes a huge difference to your appearance.

I think the biggest thing you can do to promote yourself however, is to improve your skills and technique. You've got some nice images, and clever ideas, but I see many images with technical (focus, exposure, etc).

Good luck!

 

[imagemaker46]

I went through most of them and there are some very nice images, but there are also some very average and some that don't look sharp. Promoting a website offering to sell flower photos is going to be a tough sell, as was said there are a very large number of photographers selling the same thing. You are also competiting against a lot of royality free sites for these types of photos. Do some research into SEO as I think it may be the only way you'll attract enough people to the site. Good luck