Initially, search engines were the ideal way to find information -- and get it to the right audiences. As Web technology matured, however, the number of search engines and submissions in them grew in astronomical proportions and continues to do so. Being at the top of the search engines today is no longer as easy. Besides, says Mary Westheimer, president of BookZone, the Web's largest publisher community, this approach isn't the "end all" in online marketing.

"When we first started BookZone in 1994, there were no search engines," recalls Westheimer, whose site at www.bookzone.com serves 800 publishers. "Now we've almost come full circle, with the search engines being so overwhelmed with entries that you can't rely on them for traffic."

The once celebrated race to the top of the search engines has become so aggressive that those site owners who are determined to stay in the top 10 constantly must research their rivals' pages, craft different home pages for each major engine, and resubmit, resubmit, resubmit. "It really isn't practical for most companies," says Westheimer. "Luckily, there are other ways to build meaningful traffic to sites. Links, for example, can account for as much as 85 percent of a site's traffic. We can tell when our publisher get good links -- all of a sudden their traffic and sales jump."

BookZone's focus on the publishing industry has helped them zero in on how to best help their clients, all of whom are publishers, authors or companies that serve those audiences. "This means our marketing on their behalf is focused, too," observes Westheimer. For instance, BookZone's BookFlash media release service is subscribed to by 3,000 reviewers, librarians and members of the media who are particularly interested in publishing news. Their emphasis has also helped the company become the largest publisher community on the Web. Such communities are a growing online trend.

Founded in 1994, BookZone helps publishing professionals develop and promote Web sites and single-title listings. BookZone is one of the oldest general book sites on the Net, serving more than 77,000 book lovers a week. It's also the only one of the major book sites that has adopted an "outside of the box" approach to Web bookselling. "While other sites are simply bookstores grafted onto the Net, BookZone allows publishers and authors to sell their books directly to readers," says BookZone President Mary Westheimer. "This encourages linking -- the lifeblood of the Web, and one of the key aspects of online marketing."

For more information about BookZone or to schedule an interview with Mary Westheimer, call Sheri Eisenhauer at (303) 279-4349. To get a prekeyed version of this release, use the button at the bottom of this page and it will be emailed to you or your production department.

SIDEBAR:

IN ADDITION TO SEARCH ENGINES:

• Drive interested customers to your site by establishing links with other sites your audience visits.
• Use "ezines" to share information ... and gently remind your customers that you can help them.
• Develop strategic alliances with other sites that can sell your products.

For more information, contact:

Sheri Eisenhauer
MarketAbility
1-888-55-TWIST (8947
twist@marketability.com
http://www.bookzone.com/