With so many people putting up websites, it begs the question, "Are you using the web effectively?" Tens, hundreds, and thousands of dollars are spent on web technology every year, but is the cost worth it? The answer is, the cost is worth it, but it's not worth it if you do not make effective use of what you have purchased. The following important steps must be done in order to use your website effectively. Are you doing them?

Step 1: Meta Description Tag

Your website must have the meta description and meta keywords tags filled in correctly. The meta description is used by search engines to list your website "main purpose". It's the very first thing that people will see when they find your website via a search engine like Google. The question is, will they be attracted to your website based on what has been written? The meta description should contain a short description of your "main purpose". Many large companies like Microsoft or IBM have a very short meta descriptions. It is suggested to have a meta description of under 255 characters (or about 50 words or less).

Step 2: Meta Keywords Tag

While the meta description is important to give people a good idea of what your "main purpose" is all about, you also need the meta keywords information filled in. The meta keywords are equally, if not more, important than the meta description. The meta keywords are a list of keywords that you would like search engines to recognize when people do a web search. For example, if they search on "peanut butter", they will be more able to find your website if those words appears in your list of keywords. On the Web Chancellor system, you can enter up to (approximately) 100 keywords.

Step 3: Search Engines

While filling in your meta description and meta keywords is good, so that search engines can easily process and recognize your website, this is just the first step. The next thing you need to do is to submit your website to various search engines. Why is this important? Because while some search engines will "automatically" find you, they will find you much better and much faster if you actually submit your website to their search engine. There are a lot of search engines out there. Do your hunting and searching to find out which ones they are. Then, submit your website to those search engines. This may seem like a lot of work, but once you have submitted your site to numerous search engines, you'll be very glad you did, because then many more people will be able to find your website. And that is why you have a website in the first place, so people can find you - right?

Step 4: Web Lists

So you've filled in your meta description, and your meta keywords, and you've submitted your website to the many search engines. Is there anything else that can be done? Yes! Of course! The next thing you need to do is to find all the lists on the web that contain repositories of information related to your cause. Is your organization a church? Then you need to find out where various organizations that list churches list them. You will need to contact these people in order to have your church put on their lists. This is a very important step and people will find you as you list your website on lists like these. Normally, for any organization, there are scores of lists that you can list your website on, not just one! Find them out! Some lists are regional, state or province wide, or nation wide. Lists comes in many shapes and sizes. Get your website on these lists! (most will not charge)

Step 5: Personal Advertising

Now the hard part! (Just kidding!) You need to personally advertise your website! Make sure your website is listed on your business card! (Do you even have a business card? Better get one so you can start giving it out!) Change your letter head on your stationary to include your website address. What about your main sign for your organization, is your website address listed on it? And what about your email signature line? Do not forget to add your website address to that. And how about your phone message? As an organization, you should always advertise your website address on your phone message.

Remember. Your website is as valuable as the effort you have put into making it known.