Marketing can be viewed as the wide range of activities nvolved in ensuring that an organisation is meeting the needs of its customers and getting value in return. This will typically involve: in market analysis which focuses upon finding out what potential groups or markets exist, which of these should be targeted, what products and services should be developed for these markets, what pricing should be used and how products and services should be distributed; in market research which is used to find out more information about target markets, competitors, market trends and customer satisfaction levels; in ongoing promotions which can include advertising, public relations, sales and customer service. Whilst the Internet can certainly be used as a very effective tool for carrying out specific market analysis and market research activities, for most organisations the major marketing opportunities it presents lie in the areas of advertising, customer services and online selling. The ability of the Internet to access a global audience yet, at the same time, offer one-to-one communications with each individual visitor to a Web site has changed the face of marketing for many organisations. Suddenly, even the smallest company is given access to a powerful tool that can give them a marketing reach that would never have been possible within existing budgets. However, what many fail to realise is that simply having a Web site is no guarantee of success. It will require marketing support if it is to be anything other than one of the myriad of Web sites which bring little or no additional business. It requires time, skill and knowledge which could be obtained by using the services of a good local Web developer or support organisation but in many cases the Web marketing activities will have to be undertaken by the business itself. This guide will be of particular use to small businesses. At the start of the Internet boom it was felt that having a Web site would give you a distinct advantage over competitors and that the increasing numbers of Internet users would inevitably find their way to your site. It did not really matter whether you were using the site as a marketing tool or were one of the early companies selling on-line. Web technology was relatively straight forward. Search engines were important but there was enough time for them to go out to available sites and index their contents using the appropriate software. You did not have to submit your site in order to be listed. Things have changed. The Web is now well accepted as a powerful business tool, providing access to new customers and new markets. There are now thousands of additional sites added every week and simply having a Web site is not enough. Attracting potential customers or visitors is even more important than the development of the actual sites. It is as though you now have to consider two on-line audiences. There are people who will actually read the content displayed on your site and different people will have their own views and interpretation of what is displayed. There are also computers who see everything as black and white, 1's and 0's and for whom there is no interpretation. Having a comment from a satisfied customer or a stamp of approval from an accreditation body might give a visitor the impression the site can be trusted but it means nothing to a computer which is analyzing content. It is also important to recognise that marketing on the Web is just one of the tools within the marketeer's armoury. A successful marketing strategy will incorporate a wide range of techniques, including both online and traditional approaches, such as adverts in newspapers and magazines or direct mail shots, and it is essential that any Web marketing initiative is viewed firmly in this context. The requirement to have a coherent marketing message, a consistent company image and commonality between online and traditional techniques has never been greater. Section 6 of this guide will look at some of these issues in more detail.

Table of Contents:
1. INTRODUCTION 4 2. WEB MARKETING TECHNIQUES 7 Use of banner ads Affiliate programmes Viral marketing Exploiting newsgroups Analysing Web site visitors 3. SEARCH ENGINES AND DIRECTORIES 11 Keywords Page title Page description Other means of increasing search engine rankings Overcoming the problems of frames and search engines Ensuring access to all Links from other Web sites Key points 4. SEARCH ENGINE REGISTRATION 19 Registering with search engines Paying for search engine services 5. NAMING ISSUES 22 Importance of domain names Use of Real Names 6. WIDER MARKETING ISSUES 24 Integration with traditional marketing activities Legal and regulatory considerations Marketing overseas 7. SUMMARY 29 Appendix 1 USEFUL WEB RESOURCES 30