How to get your website out there - choose a good website name??

[xappeal]

Does anyone have any tips for choosing a good website name, and getting the word out about it.

I have a couple of friends who are journalists, but don't get to write anything fun. They asked me to do up a easy to use joomla site (like I had done for myself before), but now they want to know how to 'get it out there'

I've only ever done web stuff as a hobby for a fixed audience and know nothing about how to get publicity. We've picked a name, but is it any good?

They wanted a celebrity gossip site, I suggested www.onenightinperez.com

I really want to help them get the word out, thanks for the help

 

[angelwatt]

Well I'd do some reading on SEO (search engine optimization) to make sure the pages get read correctly.

There are some blog type sites that'll let you submit a url (possibly for the RSS of the blog) to make it easier to find for people doing searches. I haven't done this.

Make friends on the net and have them create links to these sites. Creates a little bit of a neighborhood.

When they make comments on other people's blog and such sites they can often put a web site in so that'll create a link at the comment. I get a few hits that way from A List Apart.

There's some other options out there, just do some Google searching.

 

[ChrisA]

1) The bottom line is that FIRST you need good content. Something people WANT. This is by far the hardest part. Get this first.

2) Tthe way search engines work is that they count links that point TO your site. Those with the most links are ranked higher. You have to get others to link to your site. How? See #1 above.

3) But how to get #2? Join some relevant email lists and yahoo groups and the like. Put you web site in your signature. Answer some questions you find on these list by pointing to your site. But do NOT actually promote it. Let it come out in the norma course of convertion. This can take a long time but say with it

4) Yes you can try and "game" the system and seed some search engines. and put good keywaords on your pages. But Google tries hard to make sure this does not work. So it's cat and mouse.