Com and Get It Answering the new "age-old" question, How do you get surfers to visit your Web site?

Here's the bad news: Search engine Inktomi recently surveyedthe Web and counted a mind-numbing 1 billion Web pages. Wow. Just adecade ago, the Web didn't exist. And even five years ago, itwas just a playpen for supernerds. No more. Now every businessneeds a Web site-but just because you build it doesn't mean asoul will ever visit. "Putting up a Web site can be likeopening a store in a back alley," says Jim Datovech, presidentof Gaithersburg, Maryland-based IT consulting firm Operon Partners."You've got to work to win visitors."

What's more, traditional marketing campaigns don'tnecessarily produce results for Web sites, warns Mark DiMassimo,president and creative director of DiMassimo Brand Advertising, aNew York City-based agency that handles many dotcom clients. A casein point: "Generally, television advertising for dotcoms hasbeen very ineffective," says DiMassimo, whose agency surveyedconsumers and discovered that only 6 percent of heavy Web userssaid they had ever visited a site due to a TV ad.

"Put your dollars where your customers will be," urgesDiMassimo. Seem basic? Not to the dotcom companies that plunkeddown tens of millions of dollars to buy Super Bowl ads."Having money is no excuse for spending like a drunkensailor," says DiMassimo, who adds that the critical testalways has to be, Will my potential customers see the material?

Baiting Your Hook

What works in luring visitors to a site? Although heavily fundedInternet companies can make seven- and eight-figure deals to buyprime advertising real estate on major Internet portals and onlineservices like Yahoo! and AOL, you're likely priced out of thatrace. So winning visitors becomes a matter of creative, persistentmarketing. The good news is that it's still the little thingsthat will bring plenty of traffic your way.

For instance? "Always put your URL on letterhead, businesscards, in e-mail signatures-wherever potential visitors are likelyto see it," says Datovech.

Another low-cost traffic builder: "Get active in onlinediscussion groups and chats, and, where appropriate, always giveout your URL," says Shannon Kinnard, author of Marketing With E-mail: A Spam-Free Guide(Maximum Press). Sell bird toys? Scout out the many groups thatfocus on birds-a good place to find them is at Deja.com, a site thatarchives discussion lists-and get active. That will spread the wordabout you and your site.

Posting items for sale on major auction sites such asAmazon.com, eBay and Yahoo! is another big-time traffic builder forany Web site that retails. Those sites let you identify yourself toviewers, and a few dollars spent on putting out merchandise for bidmight just bring in lots of traffic from surfers seeking moreinformation.

Classified ads offer more possibilities for traffic generationon the cheap. Check out both Excite and Yahoo!. Classifieds arefree there, and viewership is high.

When it comes to off-line advertising, expert opinion is mixed.Some pros advocate big spends on traditional media, while otherstell you to fish where the fish are, which means advertising onlineto promote an online store. One idea is to incorporate your URLprominently into offline advertising for offline products orservices, but not to launch an offline campaign for an online-onlyproperty. When money is tight, go where you know you'll findsurfers.

A Direct Approach

For many businesses, using good ol' e-mail may be thesurest-and is certainly the cheapest-way to build traffic to theirsites. "E-mail still gets results," says Hans PeterBrondmo, chair of PostCommunications.com, a San Francisco-basede-mail marketing firm that numbers Palm Computing, Victoria'sSecret and Wells Fargo among its clients.

One key to making e-mail effective: Use "opt-in"sign-ups, where Web site visitors are asked to indicate whetherthey want to receive e-mail from you. How to get sign-ups?"Offer a free monthly newsletter," says Kinnard."The key is to give really good information."

Effective newsletters usually mix news about trends in yourfield with tips and updates on sales or special pricing. Anotherkey: Include hyperlinks so interested readers can, with a singlemouse click, go directly to your site and find out more aboutspecific topics of interest.

Once your marketing efforts start attracting surfers, and thencustomers, to your new business, you'll need to find outexactly who's buying your products or services. Getting to knowyour market will help you chart the direction of your new dotcombusiness.

Know Thy Customer

If there's a first commandment of doing business, that'sit. Knowing customers is easy in a brick-and-mortar store. Talk tothem, size up their clothing, hear how they form sentences. Atraditional storefront owner knows a lot about who's stoppingin, but how do companies on the Web know their customers when allthey amount to are wispy cybervisitors?

The good news: Every Web site visitor leaves a trail that, whenproperly analyzed, will tell you the country of origin, browser andplatform used (such as Windows 98), Internet service provider andmore. This data is collected by Web hosting services in a"Log" file, but only hard-core techies could ever havethe patience to scroll through a log, because it contains amind-numbing avalanche of details. Your Web hosting serviceprobably provides-free of charge-a basic analysis of those logs. Ifso, the company will run the log through interpretive software andtuck the output in a folder that's usually called"Stats."

Better analysis is easy to come by using third-party softwaretools designed to dissect log reports and automatically producespiffy, usable reports that will tell you not only which countriesare producing visitors but also those visitors' ISPs and more.Top choices among analysis tools include:

• WebTrends Log Analyzer: This program offers a cool toolset, including a "geographical profiling" tool thatallows for tracking visitors' specific cities of origin. Get atrial download from www.webtrends.com. Cost: $399 (all pricesstreet).

• HitList Professional: You can get some 40 types ofreports in a few mouse clicks. It's a full-featured, fast andeasy-to-use tool. Get a trial version at www.marketwave.com. Cost: $395.

Before deciding to buy, ask yourself whether you really need thelevel of analysis being offered. Many low-traffic sites don't,and, for them, the free files provided by their servers may besufficient. When traffic increases to more than 100 visitors perday, you probably need more fine-tuned analysis, and it's timeto buy a more sophisticated tool-but not before then.

Getting to Know You

Logs provide a step toward knowing your customer, but more canbe done:

Survey says: In this morning's e-mail, I got adiscount coupon from Amazon . . . with a string attached. If Ianswered a half-dozen multiple-choice questions, I would earn a $15credit good on any electronics item sold by the company. Throughhighly specific questions about competitors and Amazon's ownproduct offerings, prices and service, Amazon picks up valuableinsight into the thinking of customers and competition. Whyaren't you doing likewise?

Don't wait to put a survey on your site-do it as soon asyour site is up and running. Keep it short and offer a tangiblereward. Choose, say, 10 or 100 customers. Then-and this iscrucial-read every answer that comes in. If you want to find waysto run your business better, look at it the way customers do.

Mail time: Read and respond to as much customer e-mail aspossible, because it too opens a real window on customers and theirmotivations. Sure, for every customer who has good things to sayabout you, nine will write with complaints, but read it, absorb itand stay alert to trends. If one person complains about yourpackaging materials, it's no big deal. If 10 do and you onlysent out 12 orders last week, you have a problem-but the greatthing is that now you also have the opportunity to fix it.

Private Eyes

Keeping Customer Information Private

Now that you're excited about gathering information on yourcustomers, know this: It all has to be done gently, respectfullyand cautiously. Web site snooping is a very sensitive topic thesedays-and odds are, sensitivities will only increase as more usersrealize exactly how detailed a trail they leave behind whenvisiting Web sites.

But there is a remedy, one that lets you gather the informationyou need while also reassuring visitors. It's simple: Develop aprivacy policy, and post it on your site. Be clear, simple anddirect. A good strategy is to say: "We never sell informationthat we collect about you to anybody." And if you offervisitors free sign-up to e-mail newsletters or sales notices, bequick to remove anybody who asks to be taken off your list ofrecipients-preferably on the very day you receive the request.

In You They'll Trust

In an era when "knowing thy customer" is seen as thepath to riches, it's hard to resist collecting the vast storesof customer data that tumble into your lap when you create a Website. Know where a visitor has been before-what sites he or she hasvisited earlier in the same Inter-net session, for instance-and analert marketer can use that insight into the surfer's intereststo tweak the site's offerings so they more closely match whatthe surfer wants.

For dotcom entrepreneurs, that means don't screw up, andyou'll gain visitors' trust. And once they trust you, theywill buy from you.

Bowled Over

Turned on by pink, retro bowling shirts? How about bowlingjackets and T-shirts? In 1998, Tucson, Arizona, entrepreneur GaryForrester, 47, thought there were enough bowling fanatics out thereto make a success of Bowling Connection, where almost everything abowler craves is on sale. So far, he's been proved right.

Entrepreneur: How do you promote the site?

Gary Forrester: There's a helpful site calledSelfpromotion.com that makes it easy to list your sitewith all the search engines. We also promoted Bowling Connection bypassing out fliers at bowling tournaments.

Another way we promote on an ongoing basis is by putting itemsup for auction on eBay. It's not only another source of income,it also drives people right to your Web site to order more of yourproducts. And it's only 25 cents to list each item. This hasprobably been the most cost-effective advertising I've everseen.

Super Mom

It's amazing, the opportunities that still exist on the Web.Ask Maria Bailey, 36. A onetime marketing executive with AutoNationUSA, she launched BlueSuitMom.com in Pompano Beach, Florida, onMother's Day 2000 with the aim of meeting the needs ofexecutive working moms. Her take on the Net was that there weresites geared for working moms in general but none aimedspecifically at executives who also happen to be moms. So shedecided to build one. BlueSuitMom.com offers opportunities fornetworking, news geared for executive moms and tips on topics suchas time management.

Entrepreneur: How do you promote the business?

Maria Bailey: We promote our business mainly by creatingstrategic partnerships. For instance, we have a partnership withStork Avenue, the largest retailer of birth announcements. Theywere willing to put our logo on 15 million catalogs in exchange fordriving traffic to their site. We also rely on the strongword-of-mouth network moms and businesswomen create, and networkingwithin women's professional organizations, human resourcesdepartments and parenting organizations. In addition, we sponsorevents such as parenting conferences, and distribute our content toother Web sites to build brand recognition. We've been verylucky in creating great press.

What unique advantages do you have vis-à-vis other Websites?

We felt the best advantage we could have was to be the first tomarket-and we were. Being the first site aimed at executive workingmothers has allowed us to create all the great press we'vereceived.

What's been your biggest surprise in building thisbusiness and your biggest disappointment?

The biggest surprise has been how quickly the site and idea havegrown. The response we've gotten from other Internet companies,offline retailers, marketers and associations has beenoverwhelming. We can't keep up with the people who want to dobusiness with us.

The biggest disappointment, or the biggest surprise I didn'tanticipate, was I never thought raising money would take so muchtime out of each day. It's a constant "chicken or theegg" game when you're juggling raising money, hiring goodtalent and getting the product to market.