Trying to raise traffic for awareness of Asperger's site

by missmystery

Posted: 14 years ago 15 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

This might be an odd post in an internet marketing forum, but afterall, I do want to make money to live comfortably, and not have to work so I can put all my efforts into awareness.

Basically I own an aspergers syndrome website and am trying to increase traffic for it and improve it, as well as my facebook and youtube channels.

I have been completely bombarded with an influx of information on this sort of thing, and really am keen to hear what works and where to start. I know for a fact that just pulling out a random idea and trying it doesn't relaly do anything.

If anyone has any tips or pointers for targeted traffic, I am all ears.

My website is not the best at the moment, but I would like to increase revenue for it and publicity.

(All white hat methods please)

Thanks to anyone who has any good ideas

#awareness #raise #traffic

Ruth P 14 years ago

I have a similar website on a health condition which is important to me and solely a place to help people.

1) Keyword: Although I built this website before I knew about IM, I applied the principles of IM to it. My site has a "catchy name" rather than being based on a keyword - but the first thing I did was to do some keyword research and found a keyword related to the niche that got a decent number of searches. I then added that keyword to the title of the website and focused all my efforts around that main keyword (it really worked!)

2) Connecting: Because this site is so close to my heart I generally got the first real visitors by connecting with people all around the net - forums and other people's blogs. This was very effective as it was all a real genuine exchange of ideas, support and so on. I also connected to people on Twitter and Youtube and even made real friends from this, I think you're on the right track thinking about avenues like that.

3) Articles: I also submitted helpful articles to Ezine Articles and Unique Article Wizard, explaining to people that they had a place to go if they wanted help and support.

4) Unique Content: I get a lot of visitors these days. People come to be with all their questions, I don't even have time to monitor it properly unfortunately. But I found that I get a lot of organic traffic for long tail keywords - that is, my site has probably become one of the biggest authorities on the topic, even though it was more of a personal blog at first and didn't always get updated very regularly.

-

This is turning into a long post - I'm not sure if that kind of thing is exactly what you were thinking, but I thought I'd let you know what worked for me.

~Ruth
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missmystery 14 years ago

Good to hear you've had some success with article marketing. I plan on submitting more articles to get myself out there.

I try to communicate well with people on my site.
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- indupriya 14 years ago
  
  Do lot of guest posts. They work really well. You can get lots of targeted traffic.
  
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2stace 14 years ago

You should also have a blog discussing the information on your web site because then you not only get double the exposure, but you also get people interacting with you and with other people via the comments.
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- Paul Myers 14 years ago
  
  MissMystery,
  
  The very first thing you need to do is make sure the site is optimized for Aspies. That's a VERY different model than most web sites use. You're going to have to go with very clean and flexible formatting, minimal graphics, and very clear content. The spelling and grammar will have to be near-perfect.
  
  Distractions must be kept to a minimum.
  
  You're also going to need to get lots of feedback on it from your visitors, and take it all as being sincere, no matter how harsh it might seem. Aspies tend to be very direct, and they don't waste much time apologizing for their perspectives on the truth. You'll need thick skin, and a lot of respect for the effort it takes for even a high-functioning autistic or Aspie to interact effectively with people who have different mental models.
  
  Get the site right, and provide them content that's relevant, useful and respectful, and they'll take care of a lot of the traffic for you. They make up a large, under-served and misunderstood audience.
  
  Paul
  
  Note: My use of the term "Aspie" is based on common self-referential usage by a fair number of people I interact with regularly who have been diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome. It is not meant in any way as a derogatory label.
  
  [ 2 ] Thanks
  
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missmystery 14 years ago

Thank for the replies. I've had good feedback from other aspies (I'm aspie myself) about what my site looks like. I don't want to cram it with junk.

Any good blogging sites, or article sites?

I'm just overwhelemed by options.
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- Paul Myers 14 years ago
  
  Fiona,
  
  The site is clean and simple, but I'd leave more space around the text, and move the left-side AdWords block. I'd also spell-check it better. I usually don't play the grammar cop, but I know that a lot of Aspies are persnickety about spelling errors. Not all, obviously, but enough to make a dent in your market.
  
  The design will be fine for mild to moderate Aspies, but the more intense folks in the crowd may find it distracting. Those are the folks who most want the info you're providing, and you can cater to them without losing the milder side of the audience.
  
  It's good to see an Aspie running a site like this. I've seen people of the type commonly referred to as "neurotypicals" try it, and they invariably get it very wrong.
  
  I loved the myths page, by the way.
  
  Traffic... For one thing, I'd put a link in your sig file about your site. You probably want to wait until this thread is done, so it doesn't come across as promotional, but there are a lot of Aspies and high-functioning autistics in this group.
  
  I would also start a blog, paying attention to specific myths and truths about the syndrome and how it affects the life of an Aspie. Those would be relatively easy to keyword load in appropriate ways. And I'd include tips on adjusting to communicate effectively for people with varying degrees of intensity of the effects of the syndrome.
  
  A clumsy sentence, but I don't personally like the word "severity" for this situation, because it sounds like something is broken, rather than just being different.
  
  A good, well-written blog could draw a lot of traffic and interaction. Especially if you can get some guest posts from recognized experts.
  
  Also, play up the title. "AspergersGirl" is a cool hook. That can draw a lot more focused audience than something like the medhelp or psychforum styles might.
  
  I'd definitely participate in those other forums, by the way.
  
  Once you get the hang of the blog posts, spiff some of them up and syndicate them as articles. But focus on the on-page SEO to start with. And get a grasp of the silo style of site development. That's better explained by someone with more experience in that structure, but it will be worth your while.
  
  Also, if you read a lot on the subject, post reviews of various books on Amazon. Legitimate reviews, telling the pros and cons, along with your perspective on the utility of the books. I don't recommend that strategy for many people, but it would work well for you.
  
  That blend should work well for your niche, in terms of organic search traffic.
  
  Paul
  
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stevecl 14 years ago

Probabley a good way to get traffic is to write some stuff about Gary Mckinnon, this has been a fairly high profile case in the uk in relation to him being extradited to the US on hacking charges. Gary suffers from aspergers which is believed to have caused his actions.

Just My
2 cents
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missmystery 14 years ago

Thanks for your opinion. I'll probably start with more blog posts etc. I'm trying to get more traffic to my youtube and facebook pages too.
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John Durham 14 years ago

Have a stepson with aspergers... it's a tough one. Will try to help spread your site around some.
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bucksuper 14 years ago

Mm, is the site for people with aspergers or family and friends of people with aspirers?

My 11 year old daughter has aspergers that I diagnosed on wikipedia. There's all types of people on this site but please consider me a resource if there's anything you need. I run a boutique coding, design, consulting firm and have been very succesfully online marketing full-time since '99.

Feel free to hit me up anytime or I may be in touch if I don't hear from you first.
Best of luck!
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Brian Kerr 14 years ago

My sister has it, so you touch close to home. Living with a family with asperger's I know a lot about the demographic and the social circles revolving around it.

I will give you this little tip as a demographic. Mom's who have children with issues, love facebook games such as farmville and bejeweled. It helps them escape at night. I would target that segment heavily. Be creative.
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- Tina Golden 14 years ago
  
  Mom's who have children with issues, love facebook games such as farmville and bejeweled. It helps them escape at night.
  
  Really? That's interesting. My oldest daughter is an Aspie, my middle has ADHD and my son has bi-polar disorder. I wanted peace for five minutes a day, not games. I could be different than the average in that market, perhaps.
  
  I didn't see the website anywhere in the thread, but if you'd care to PM it to me, I'd love to take a look.
  
  Tina
  
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Kathryn Mc

14 years ago

What about a section, or maybe just an article somewhere, that addresses how Aspies are represented in the media. A tie-in to pop culture would not only generate more traffic (being totally new to IM, I am unclear as to exactly how this increase in traffic occurs, but I know a relationship exists…if nothing else I think it would improve your page rank) but it would be very useful content for your visitors, as lots of people have no personal experience with Aspies and rely on media stereotypes to understand this condition.

For specific tie-ins, I’m thinking the movie Adam that came out last year, and possibly the movie with Claire Danes about Temple Grandin (who had autism, but I see you mention autism a few times in your “Myths” page so maybe it’s worth including).

In either case, you have two very popular actors who are sort of in your personal age range (I’m guessing you’ll have the greatest appeal to visitors in your same age range??) and who are totally sexy. They are searched for on Google I’m sure. And I’m sure they did plenty of interviews about how they prepared for their roles, what they learned about Aspies/Autistics respectively, which you could quote or critique.

So you could take this in a lot of different directions, if you like the general idea. You could offer your opinion on how accurately Aspergers was portrayed; you could get a few expert opinions from psychologists about the movie’s depiction and quote them, all sorts of things. If you’re a non-profit, maybe you could get permission to post a portion of the film (or pay licensing if it’s affordable—I don’t know what the price to do that is). You could even SELL the DVD I suppose.

Thanks
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missmystery

14 years ago

Have a stepson with aspergers... it's a tough one. Will try to help spread your site around some.

Thanks! Vey kind of you

Mm, is the site for people with aspergers or family and friends of people with aspirers?

My 11 year old daughter has aspergers that I diagnosed on wikipedia. There's all types of people on this site but please consider me a resource if there's anything you need. I run a boutique coding, design, consulting firm and have been very succesfully online marketing full-time since '99.

Feel free to hit me up anytime or I may be in touch if I don't hear from you first.
Best of luck!

It's for family and friends as well. Thanks very much for offering your help, i'll send you a PM if I ever have a question

My sister has it, so you touch close to home. Living with a family with asperger's I know a lot about the demographic and the social circles revolving around it.

I will give you this little tip as a demographic. Mom's who have children with issues, love facebook games such as farmville and bejeweled. It helps them escape at night. I would target that segment heavily. Be creative.

hehehehe. I don't need to sell anything off my site, i'm more after creating another one related to IM for that. I mean if I can gain income without selling off the site it's a good idea. A lot of the people I connect with are Mums of autistic kids, who I am happy to help seeing how hard it was for my mother understanding me.

Really? That's interesting. My oldest daughter is an Aspie, my middle has ADHD and my son has bi-polar disorder. I wanted peace for five minutes a day, not games. I could be different than the average in that market, perhaps.

I didn't see the website anywhere in the thread, but if you'd care to PM it to me, I'd love to take a look.

Tina

I think many people use games as a relaxation chilling out thing. I know I do.

What about a section, or maybe just an article somewhere, that addresses how Aspies are represented in the media. A tie-in to pop culture would not only generate more traffic (being totally new to IM, I am unclear as to exactly how this increase in traffic occurs, but I know a relationship exists...if nothing else I think it would improve your page rank) but it would be very useful content for your visitors, as lots of people have no personal experience with Aspies and rely on media stereotypes to understand this condition.

For specific tie-ins, I'm thinking the movie Adam that came out last year, and possibly the movie with Claire Danes about Temple Grandin (who had autism, but I see you mention autism a few times in your "Myths" page so maybe it's worth including).

In either case, you have two very popular actors who are sort of in your personal age range (I'm guessing you'll have the greatest appeal to visitors in your same age range??) and who are totally sexy. They are searched for on Google I'm sure. And I'm sure they did plenty of interviews about how they prepared for their roles, what they learned about Aspies/Autistics respectively, which you could quote or critique.

So you could take this in a lot of different directions, if you like the general idea. You could offer your opinion on how accurately Aspergers was portrayed; you could get a few expert opinions from psychologists about the movie's depiction and quote them, all sorts of things. If you're a non-profit, maybe you could get permission to post a portion of the film (or pay licensing if it's affordable--I don't know what the price to do that is). You could even SELL the DVD I suppose.

Great! Thanks heaps.

I'm going to include a link to my site in my sig as people asked for it, I'm not trying to sell you anything with it

Thanks

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