Looking for advice on promoting my web site

Hey all,

I've got a web site that I've been working on for about 7 years part time (sometimes very part time) and I think it's starting to take off, but I really need to better market / promote the site.

I've done some google searching on online marketing and, I've got to be honest, most of it seems like a sham. Either it's SEO "experts" who are just plugging their sites, or some CPC scam that doesn't really drive traffic or one of those "We'll send you 1million visitors" scams.

I'm working, right now, on developing some press releases and a press room on my site, and I'm manually compiling a list of local and regional newspapers to which I can send my press release, but I'm really looking for cost-effective ways to promote the site.

Anyone have experience on how to do this that would be willing to share here?

Thanks

PS: The site I really want to promote is yourlistonline.com

Do you know what your market is?

Ask everyone who currently has a list to answer a few market research questions.
Why did they add a list? What is it for? How useful has it been? How could it be better?

The amazon gift card is good.

Once you know the sort of people who would like a list then target them. I would have thought wedding lists are good - so go to wedding dress shops and other wedding type places and leave cards / promo leaflets with them?

Put some examples up maybe - I have not looked at an example list but what fields are there to fill in. Could it be used for things other than shopping lists - you mentioned holidays - so could it be a list of places to go to / things to do while on holiday that everyone can add to, a list of actions with the person responsible that clubs could use maybe.

Hope it helps - sorry about the to do lists - am in that sort of mode myself at the mo.

Sue

Well, what do you mean it is tarting to take off? Is it starting to make enough money for you to not work on any other things and it can support you month-to-month?

Promotion, ha? A mix of online and offline promotion - link building, silo site structure, Yahoo and Bing PPC (Google became too expensive), press releases, wrap your car with your site's URL and tag line for branding reasons, make broaches and t-shirt and give them away to friends and neighbours, stick stickers on bus stops and posts...

The biggest bang for your buck will be SEO and press releases. But press releases only to the wire services with a hope that a TV station will feature you. Remember NO ONE will feature you because of your site (unless it is ALREADY popular), they will want an unusual/interesting/shocking personal story CONNECTED to your website. They will not feature a site on it's own.

I'd change the domain as well - It has to be immediately recognisable to point to a "wish list" site.