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Creating an Event Website to Promote Your Special Events
Creating an Event Website to Promote Your Special Events
by Rick Hendershot,
Trade Show Tips
A special "Event Website" might be a perfect way to promote your event. But is
it worth the effort?
Let's say your company or group decides to hold a special event six or twelve
months down the road. Eventually somebody on the planning committee will suggest
the group create a special website for the event: "We can create an online
registration form, include information about the special speakers and
entertainment, post a schedule, and provide links to accommodation, travel
agents, etc., etc."
Sounds like a good idea.
But how can you
maximize the effectiveness of such a site? Will it be something that people
actually refer to and use? Or will creating it just be a waste of time and
effort? Do you have somebody in the group who can get this kind of site up and
running quickly? Or will you have to defer to your already overworked company
webmaster or the same creative volunteers who are always exploited for such
projects?
And will anybody apart from a few select insiders (your committee members)
actually be able to find the site once it is set up?
Here are some of the more important issues to consider
before you go ahead and create another website that nobody looks at.
1. Will its content be "deep" enough
to make it more than just an online announcement?
Many websites start out as good ideas, but quickly fizzle when their creators
realize they don't really have much to say. In the case of event websites, the
"depth" of a proposed site will depend on the event itself.
For instance, say your Agricultural Society is running a Fall Fair. Wouldn't an
event site be ideal for providing details about competition categories, judging
criteria, daily schedules of events, as well as online registration forms,
entertainment highlights, and general program notes? In other words, an extended
event of this sort provides lots of fodder for making a site "deep" enough to be
a valuable resource for visitors and participants alike.
On the other hand if your committee is in charge of organizing a one night
Fireworks Display (July 4 in the US, May "two-four" in Canada) then chances are
the program will be pretty light. There's not much need for a complete website.
You would be better off just creating a web page or an announcement and asking
the webmasters of relevant sites to give you some exposure.
Of course there are lots of events right in the middle between these two
examples. Family Reunions, for instance. What could be better than a
"Jones-05.org" site? You could include contact information, program
descriptions, historical photos, comments from family members across the
country...on and on it goes.
2. Should your "site" be part of another already existing one, or
should you register a new domain specifically for your event?
Say you are organizing the 50th Anniversary Acme Widgets Company Picnic. The
Company already has an active website -- www.acmewidgets.com. And the company
website already has a skilled webmaster. Would it be better to ask your company
webmaster to put your event in a directory on www.acmewidgets.com -- for
example, www.acmewidgets.com/50th, or www.50th.acmewidgets.com? Or would you be
better off to create a brand new "domain" just for the event -- something like
www.acme50.com?
First of all, don't worry about the cost to create your own
site. Yes, it does cost something to register a
new domain and find a host. But these costs are insignificant in the larger
scheme of things. You can register a ".com" domain for as little as $12.95 (per
year), and an .info or .biz domain for as low as $7.95 or less. And hosting is
very cheap as well. The standard these days is about $5.95 per month for a
reliable host. See a good source for domain registration and web hosting in the
links below.
Much more important is whether or not your group has the know-how to actually
create a website from scratch and then maintain it for a year or more. If you
have an experienced web designer or webmaster on your committee he or she will
probably be able to set the group up for next to nothing. If you don't, I
suggest you find one before tackling the job. This is not the time for flying by
the seat of your pants.
If you are able to find someone with the necessary skills, then it's a
no-brainer. Go ahead. Register your own domain and build your own site. You
won't have to beg your overly protective company webmaster for favors. And just
as important, you will be able to register a memorable domain name that will
help you in your promotional efforts. Which do you think would be easier to
remember and find: www.acmewidgets.com/50th or www.acme50.com?
3. Is it possible to get some Search Engine recognition in the
relatively short time your site will be in operation?
In case you haven't noticed, this is the same question that every webmaster or
web marketing persons asks: "How do I get traffic to my site?"
In the short term the only way you can attract traffic to your site is by
"advertising". And the most common, most effective form of advertising these
days is called "Pay Per Click" (PPC) -- you know, "Google ads" -- those little
text ads you see down the side of the Google search pages.
You would probably be surprised how easy PPC ads (especially Google) are to set
up, how broad is the range of events or products they can be used to promote,
and how much control you have over your limited advertising budget.
For instance, say I want to promote the (imaginary) Hendershot Family Reunion
set to take place in in the summer of 2005. I could create a Google ad that
would pop up every time someone did a Google search for "Hendershot",
"Hendershot family", etc. My ad could have a headline as simple as "Hendershot
Reunion".
Now there aren't many Hendershots out there, and I wouldn't expect too many
Jones or Singhs or Crespos to click on my ad. And since I only pay when someone
actually clicks on my ad (remember "Pay Per Click"), this advertising would
likely not cost much. I could reach a pretty large part of the online Hendershot
"community" in about as efficient a manner as possible.
For more information on Pay Per Click ads, see the link below to my article
called "Testing
Your Products with Google Adwords."
In the longer term the only reliable way you can get traffic to your site is by
getting the Search Engines on your side. Wouldn't it be great if every time
someone did a search for "Hendershot" Google would immediately bring up a (free)
link to my Hendershot Reunion 05 site?
Unfortunately this sort of recognition usually takes several months or even
years. So your typical event site will not be able to easily get it. But there
are some things you can do to give yourself a "leg up".
First, choose a memorable domain name that
contains your most important keyword. If I could get "hendershot-reunion.com",
that would be about as good as it gets. This will help the SEs know exactly what
your site is about.
Second, create lots of Search Engine Optimized copy.
That means make sure you have a clear idea of what your site is about, write
copy that clearly and forcefully reflects this topic, and be sure to build lots
of your primary keywords into your text -- especially at the beginning and end
of your most important pages. If you have no idea what I am talking about,
email me and I'll send you
some links to some helpful information on the topic.
Third, once your site is up and running, submit it to Google.
Just do a search for "Submit URL" and you'll find the link. Submitting sites is
not necessary once they are interlinked and have been indexed, because Google
(and the other main SEs) will automatically spider them. But submitting a new
site may kick start the process.
Fourth, try to get as many relevant, quality "links" pointing to your
site as you can, as quickly as you possibly can.
The importance of quality links cannot be overstated. Virtually all the major
Search Engines rely on inbound links to tell it whether your site is important
within its area of focus. And this is how you get ranked and rated, and how your
site will come up high when people do relevant searches.
Develop a link strategy right from "Day 1"
Your objective should be to get
as many "inbound" links as you possibly can from sites that are likely to
generate traffic for you. Don't be shy about this. Get your site up and running,
and start working your strategy immediately. Getting the Search Engines on your
side takes time, so don't wait to implement your strategy. Keep two things in
mind when going after listings (or trading links).
First, look for links that will potentially generate traffic
-- sites that have visitors who might be interested in your event.
Second (and possibly more important), look for links that will increase
the "findability" of your site. That means look
for "quality links" that will enhance your site's importance in the eyes of the
Search Engines. "Quality links" have two things: "relevance"
and high Page Rank. (For an explanation of
"quality links", see "Basic
Linking Strategies...")
Here are some suggestions for what to include in your strategy...
Swap links or post listings with "relevant" agencies, organizations, and
directories. For instance, if you are organizing a "family reunion", look for
websites about your family, and about family reunions. Ask them for a listing,
or swap links with them. If you are doing a "Fall Fair", get links from other
agencies and organizations in your community, and get listed on "event"
announcement sites, "what's happening" sites, etc.
Submit postings to relevant forums, newsgroups and article archive sites. Some
of my highest ranked links come from articles posted on sites like
Ideamarketers.com, and Goarticles.com. There are many sites like this and
getting postings is easy and absolutely free.
Consider buying links from high ranked directories or sites that will
give you an automatic link for a fee. The grand
daddy of pay for inclusion directories is Yahoo. But there are cheaper
alternatives. Our own service called
Linknet
will give you thousands of links on hundreds of different sites in a relevant categories for a
small fee.
Follow these steps carefully and chances are your event website will be a
powerful means of promoting and enhancing your event. With a bit of planning and
hard work your special event website will help you make your event the
outstanding success you are hoping for.
Rick Hendershot has been
involved in the graphic arts, prepress, and web design businesses for many
years. He is founding publisher of the
Linknet News.
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