Promoting Your Site: How to Pre Launch

There is a common mistake that many people make when they start a new site. That mistake is to wait until they have launched their site to begin thinking about promoting it. This article will explain why you shouldn't wait so long, and how to get your promotion started on the right foot, before your site goes live.

You may wonder why so many people make this mistake. Well, there are a few common reasons:

They want to have specific links and content to show readers on the site.

Launching a site the proper way is very time and energy consuming.Adding pre-launch promotions to that “to-do” list is no small task.

Many vehicles are not specifically made to work with a pre launch strategy, which means you need to be creative with the tools that you are using.

Many site owners, especially for smaller sites, do not have the funds to hire a professional web marketer, and those who can, do not understand how to properly pre-launch a site.

Many site owners do not understand the value of working on a site's promotions before the site is launched.

The set up

Before you can do a pre-launch promotion, you will need to have some basic things set up. Do not worry. These are mostly things that you will have to do to set up your site anyway.

First, settle on your name and URL. Before you can do any promotions you need to consider these things essential. This is not only because you need a name to attach to your site, but because you do not want to end up promoting a site that you can not have. Sure, your idea for "iblew-it-up.com" may be great, but if that domain name is taken, then you will need a new one. Any promotions that you do before you have a solid name concept that you own may end up promoting another person's site.

To check that a site is not already owned, first, open your web browser and type in your intended URL. If there is not a site there, take the next step, which is to visit Who is and do a check to see if your target domain name is already owned. If it is not, purchase the domain name following the usual channels.

Now you can start setting up the bare bones of your site. The first step is to make a solid introductory post on your site. If this is a blog, your job will be very easy; just make a first post.  If your site is static, this may require some basic HTML skills while your site is in development, but this is essential. That way, if a visitor makes their way to the site, they will not find a blank site.  Elements of a good, “coming soon” post include the following:

A description of what your site is about and what it will cover.

A listing of a specific date of launch when they can come back.

A subscription or notification sign up list, though this is optional. If you include this, people can come back to your site once it is up and running. While this is technically optional, it is a good idea, since many people will forget about the site without a reminder.

Now we can talk about pre-launch promotions.

Lucky for you, the tools of a pre-launch are relatively easy to use. They can also become a valuable part of your post-launch marketing strategy as well. If all goes well, you will be able to move from your pre-launch promotions to your regular set up without having to do much more than add on a few extra tools.  Let’s take a look at some of your possible tools and which ones will be right for your pre-launch strategy.