How To Build Traffic, Links, & Buzz for a Site That Doesn’t Exist
For new players in the field it can be a debate, but not for professional SEOs and those that are aware of the Sandbox. You’ve got a new feature, or venture, or product. Technically it’s strong enough to stand on its own two feet. But, will it get any love from Big G? The answer is a big fat NO.
If you’ve got a new product or feature and you have an existing brand or website that it can roll underneath, from an SEO standpoint the best option is to stick it on a sub-domain or sub-directory of the site.
That said, what if isn’t something that can roll into an existing site? It may be a brand new venture that needs its own domain..its own brand and identity. Then you need to tackle the Sandbox problem head on.
Is it possible to start building links for a site that doesn’t exist? Natural links? Natural links from credible sources? From authoritative sources? With traffic and product buzz? Most don’t even think about it, but it can be done and I’ll show you a real world example (I don’t know if this was intentional on their part, but it’s an example nonetheless)
Step 1: Use the Brand.
It is phenomenally easier to successfully launch a product when you have a well known brand, personal or corporate, behind it. Know who Guy Kawasaki is? He’s a founder and Managing Director of Garage Technology Ventures and one of the guys responsible for the Apple computer. He’s a venture capitalist with a lot of credibility. Think if he launched a new site that people would be interested? Damn straight.
Step 2: People Want What They Can’t Have.
It’s like Adam & Eve and the Forbidden Fruit. It’s like that Seinfeld episode where Elaine forbids her co-worker not to date George and it makes her want him. It’s a human instinct to want something that another person says you can’t have, or view, or taste. Make a club super-exclusive and people will wait in line for hours to get in. So, what did Guy Kawasaki do with his new site Truemors.com? He put the site up but password protected it.
Step 3: Leak It To the Press
Publicity is key to launching new products and services. Why not start early? You’ve got the domain up and password protected. So “someone” leaks it to the big bloggers and other media that you, the big brand, are working on a new project called XYZ.com and it will be releasing soon. It gets their interest but leaves them wanting more. People start to discuss it. They start to link to the site. They start to check back at the site periodically to see if the password protection has been removed. Pretty similar to this deal at Techcrunch.com.
Step 4: Give ‘em A Little More
Some time passes by…a week, or two, or a month, and “someone” releases more. I wouldn’t wait too long or some may not remember the previous teaser. A screenshot is released. Oooh, this new site/service/feature/product looks interesting. The links and discussion continue.
Step 5: Launch With a PR Blitz
A good PR team can be a huge help in generating links and traffic to a site, new or old. You’ve done a lot of legwork getting people talking about this new site/service/feature/product from your brand and now it’s time to bombard the media with the launch. Give a handful of elite bloggers exclusive access to the site one day in advance or an interview to be released on the day of the launch. Send out press releases. Get air time on TV or into the magazines and newspapers.
I bet when you launch the new site you have hundreds, or even thousands, of links and a decent amount of traffic. You’re off to a good start. I know Guy’s is on the way.