Surviving In The Web Without Google

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Google is the king of search engines today and it is almost certain that your website will not get decent traffic if it does not appear in the first few pages of Google search results. The converse is also true. If your site is ranked well in google, you will enjoy tremendous amount of free traffic.
The Problem
Other than banning sites that uses illegal Search Engine Optimization Techniques, Google also put new websites into hibernation (also known as Google sandbox effect). Famous SEO techniques such as keywords optimization and linking strategies will not work on new domain names, ie new websites will not appear in Google search results for at least a few months. Instead of trying to outsmart the Google sandbox, why not focus your effort in getting leads without using Google Search Results?
As a webmaster and SEO researcher, I have created numerous websites and many of them are affected by the Google sandbox as well. This article outlines the techniques that I found useful in getting hits for my new websites without using Google SERPs.
Forums
A good way to start is to post questions or comments in forums. You will want to include your website address in your signature so that people can visit your website after reading your posts. The more busy the forum is, the more your signature will be exposed and the chances of your URL is being clicked will also be higher. The catch is that you must be friendly and abide by the forum rules, else your post might be deleted by the moderator.
Write Articles
If you do a google search for "Submit Articles", you will find many websites that are looking for articles to host. Write articles that are related to the keywords of your website and submit to their sites. Make your articles interesting and original. Visit the library, do research....etc. Writing good articles is hard work but your effort will be well rewarded. Copying other articles wholesale will only get you into trouble. This is the most popular SEO technique now but the problem is many people are spamming links in their articles. My suggestion is that you do not provide any outgoing links in your body but make sure you have 1 clickable url of your website in the author biography section.
Impress Your Visitor During Their First Visit
If you can make your website unique so that your first time visitors remember you, they will return to your site again in the future. They might also spread your url around for free. A website can be unique in 2 ways, either the content or design. Always ask yourself what makes your website special? There are millions of websites around, what makes people remember your site?
I personally hate websites that have a 1 column layout and start off with a header in red:
"Let me tell you a secret, I made 50000 thousand dollars this month and I want to share with you the secret...."
Websites like these were long outdated because there are millions of them appearing everyday in the internet. It only gives people the impression that the author is thirsty for money and nothing else. That is the problem if you advertise too much in your site.
One of the tips in creating effective websites is to make your index page fit within the window with minimal scrolling. Make your menu obvious. People are lazy. Make them click on your links and browse through your site rather than making them scroll. Use images and design elements to break the monotony of your web pages. Many websites are ranked very well in Google but they do not sell. People usually do not stay more than 30 secs after entering the index page.
Submit Your Site For Competition or Reviews
If your website is very well designed or has really great content, submit it for reviews. You will get free exposure, recognition and prestige if your site wins the "Site of the Day", "Best Web Design Award" or something similar. Putting the award on your site gives your visitor confidence in you and your services.
Remember MSN and Yahoo
Many traditional SEO techniques still works for MSN, Yahoo and other search engines. You should not stop optimizing your pages even if Google does not like you. Of all the techniques, I found quality 1 way links to be the most effective. This is not an article about effective linking strategies so I will not go into details. Always think of ways to built up back links. It works for all search engines.
Advertising
This is the most expensive option but might also be the most effective in getting hits for your site. Look for sites that are ranked well in Google and provide similar services as you. Visit their site and see if they provide an advertising section. If you can, advertise on their index page but be prepare to pay a few hundred dollars per month at least.
Another proven advertising technique is google adwords. Sign up for an adwords account at adwords.google.com. Your advertisement will appear in many websites across the google network, giving you great exposure immediately. The bad news is that you might need to pay a lot every month.
Blogging
I am putting this option last because it is the hottest topic nowadays and definitely worth investing. Getting leads from blogs is an effective technique, no doubt about that. By actively posting blogs and participating in conversations, you are exposing your website especially to people who share the same interests or are in the same industry as you, giving you quality leads. However, it is also interesting to note that statistics shows that most blogs just sit there and do nothing. Therefore, marketing your blog becomes another issue to worry about.
Conclusion
I have only covered a few important tips here but they are all valid optimization techniques and will make you visible to Google in time to come while waiting for the Sandbox to disappear. There are of course other ways to get hits without depending on Google. One popular technique is to buy guaranteed hits. Just search for "get hits" and you know what I mean. Sometimes, I think that being too dependent on Google is a bad thing. This gives Google the power to do what they want.