Help Your Customers Find You in Cyberspace

That said, don’t have a flurry of posts, then three or four days of inactivity, then another flurry of posts. With some blog platforms like WordPress, you can post-date a blog post; then, the post will be published automatically at the appointed date and time. So, if you’re busy with other things during this critical time of year, fill the gap in the blog with prewritten, post-dated blog content.

If you don’t already have a blog, start one. Depending on where it’s hosted and how quickly it garners links, expect it to get picked up in the search engines and ranking within weeks.

3. Woo Bloggers

Bloggers are a powerful force on the Internet. They help build brands, start trends and wreak havoc on reputations. Consider initiatives that will generate some positive buzz in the blogosphere.

For example, if you have really cool products, consider sending some free samples to bloggers with no strings attached. You could spin it as an early Christmas gift in appreciation of their blog. If they think your products are cool, they’ll probably link to you.

But don’t make the bloggers feel like they’re being bought off. Sending them some useless tchotchke, such as a baseball cap with your logo, isn’t a way to win favor with bloggers, either.

4. Act on Lockdowns

It’s common for e-commerce sites to have a code freeze during the holiday period to minimize the likelihood of introducing errors during this peak selling season. Even if the lockdown already occurred, or is imminent, you have options. For example, you could launch a microsite or blog. Or you could use proxy technology or URL rewriting to get around the code freeze.

If you don’t have time to implement rewrites, have a third party create a real-time proxy of your site to fix spider-choking structural issues, such as complex dynamic URLs, JavaScript-based links, frames and flash navigation. Some proxy technologies, such as GravityStream, can be used as a search engine optimization test-bed for rapid-fire interactive testing, allowing quick revisions to title tags, body copy, navigation and anchor text, all during an IT lockdown.