7 Ways to Build your Web Presence

1. Buy a domain name. Make sure it can be understood if someone hears it over the phone or if it's said in conversation.
2. Find a website host (or webhost). Free is good, but paying a little money to not have webhost forced ads will mean more people dropping by. There are many webhosts, and instead of suggesting sites that may or may not be in business when you read this, we suggest Googling for a good webhost review site. We suggest to compare a number of webhost review sites, to narrow your webhost choices down.
When you have narrowed your list of webhosts to your top 5 webhosts, we suggest that you consider 5 things before setting up your account;
A. Customer Service availability,
B. Costs for support "extras" setting up scripts, database crashes, etc. These may add up at the most inopportune times,
C. What is included with the monthly fees (Scripts, Services, etc),
D. Bandwidth use limits, Storage space, etc. Fees for going over bandwidth use limits can be prohibitive, so make it a routine to check bandwidth use,
E. Review sites are good, but look through forums for feedback on a webhost. Also, see if you can email or speak to a person about their experience,
one extra-
F. Keep a full backup of your site in your home, for "Webhost" disappearances, website crashes, etc.
3. Create a Site. We suggest using Wordpress, but you can use any solution you are comfortable with using (html, drupal, etc).
4. Create Social Networking pages (MySpace, Facebook, etc). We call these Mini-Sites. Maybe you can offer special offerings there, to drive people there. The more "footprints" you have on the internet, the more spots for people to find you.
Make sure every place you set up a mini-site, it;
A. Describes and Generates interest in what you do, and
B. Links back to your main site.
5. Create a blog. Even before the days ruled by talk of podcasts, people read blogs (Guess what, they still do). Create a blog to accompany your other New Media choices. Take time, and write timely, helpful and interesting posts. Try to research and prepare posts in bulk, write them out, then release them on a consistent basis, over time. Also, link to, and comment on other blogs that deal with similar subjects.
6. Be A helpful, constant presence on forums. Never spam forums with just info about your show or site. Be helpful, be on topic, and be a part of the community. Use signature lines to promote, without being obnoxious. Mention your particular show, if it is on topic, and it could be helpful to the other posters.
7. Create a Podcast or Vidcast (Audio or Video). I mention this last, because people normally start here first. Find a subject you really like, be consistent with your show, build a community, and build a strong, web presence with the tips here.
Good luck!