Attracting Visitors To Your Railroad Web Site

[E-8]

When you put on your railroad web site, what methods did you employ to attract visitors?

Perhaps...
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Web Rings
<LI>Search Engine Registrations
<LI>Posting your site address in directories
<LI>Exchanging links with other sites
<LI>Link exchange services
<LI>Nothing and hope people find you
[/list]

If any of the above, which ones? Maybe this discussion will help others develop their sites.

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Ship It On The FRISCO! (http://www.frisco.org)

[Stourbridge Lion]

I think Web Rings are a good starting point; but, you shouldn't join every ring there is.

I havn't had much luck in "Search Engine Registrations" and would like help understanding how to make this happen.

I do try to exchange links with every related site after verifing the content of the site. I search out these sites and post links even if they don't return the favor. Some sites just don't get updated very often so I post their link first just to break the ice as they say.



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Stourbridge Lion
stourbridge_lion@yahoo.com
Delaware and Hudson Virtual Museum (http://www.trainweb.org/dhvm)

[pray59]

Mine is only a layout site, but some of the more popular content is:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Photos (have lots and change them often)
<LI>Trackplan
<LI>Motive Power
<LI>Webrings (a link exchange round robin)
<LI>E-Passes (a form of layout link exchange)
<LI>Offer something different than most other sites.
[/list]

And get a hitcounter that collects statistics so you can modify your content for the most people.
I'm still very new at this too, I started 01/18/00, and have a lot to learn, but it's just for fun! http://www.trainboard.com/wink.gif

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Robert Ray
The NP & UP N-Scale Railroad (http://members.home.net/pray59)

[Alan]

The one that attracts most visitors is webrings. I don't think I have had a single hit from search engines, at least I have not noticed any on my stats summaries.
Reciprocal links with other sites can be good. Also listing on directories like the NMRA one.
Also take every opportunity to mention your site on discussion boards http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
http://Andersley.homestead.com
http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com

[StickyMonk]

web rings are good, but after talking to someone i know (an ex girlfriend) who used to work for a directory search engines are basicly a waste of time, as there are so many sites regestered with them its basicly a case of is it your lucky day, i put my StickyMonk site (thats my personal one) on all the search engines i could find and only once have i managed to find it......

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wheres all the C636's????
stickymonk.com (http://www.stickymonk.com)
Matts Photo gallery (http://monkhome.homestead.com)

[JPindar]

Well, I was just lucky with the first site I did.

Started with 4 pics, and a new shortline.

Well, it was going well, I expected maybe 500 visitors in a year.....nah, not so lucky
Got employees actually sending pics, and even stopping trains in remote locations to take pics.

Also, a free screensaver is a draw......thats fun, seeing how many have downloaded it, over 1600 so far, in almost a year, so, its publicity

try what ya like, dont copy another, a website is yours, plain and simple....go with yer flow

Jon

First site http://trainweb.com/ovr
Second http://cpr.railfan.net

[BNSF1079]

Hello RailFans,

well first let me say this , as the owner to two railroad web rings i think they are great ! as you can spend hours looking through these great rings , i own the "Brakemens" as well as the "Railroad Policeman" web rings , and i must say that i would be happy to show the ring stats to anyone who wants to see them these rings bring traffic to your site , and if you join and put the right html code on your front page to your site then you will get a lot of hits as i do go through both of my rings at least once a week and that is just me ! so i do hope to see more great web rings out there as well as great sites as i get so much knowledge from every one i can hardly keep up the with all the idea's , maybe that is what keeps me up all nite ????

Kevin
C.E.O.
PLUM-A-NEARLY RAILROAD INC. http://PLUMRRINC.web.com

Suncoast Model Railroad Club http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4711/club.html

Stop In And Feel Free To Sign Our Guest Books !

[virtual-bird]

Web Rings
yes but which ones do you use? I dont htink they are the greatest thing..

Search Engine Registrations
Well same thing. Also you need to have goot META tags for the engines to work ....

Posting your site address in directories
yea like?

Exchanging links with other sites
Yes.

Also signing guestbooks?


word of mouth. if your site is good nuff..

[espee2]

I am beginning to wonder about the effectiveness of web rings, I joined a popular web ring, promising me..."sit back and watch the hits increase dramatically..." well I've been with them 6-7 months, and I average only 8 hits in a two week period... That's because there are over 800 members, the sites that signed up earlier on, like right after the ring was started get all the hits... I got lucky though, I joined a brand new ring as member #4 and #5, and yes, I get alot of hits from that ring. Now that membership has increased to over 80, I get more hits, and I am the #2 and #3 "private" site in the stats, right below the ring itself and one other site... I guess the thing to do on older and highly populated rings is, to wait...and wait...and wait... till you move up the ladder as older sites remove themselves from the ring.

My personal favorite way to get hits is every so often announce an up-date at "TrainOrders" or another RR related discussion group... Search engines are a good idea, although you may only get a few hits from them... Getting your own domain can help too, instead of a mile long URL and hope people can remember it, get a catchy personal URL that is easy to remember, or find a place that will do "forwarding" for you.

Please visit me @
www.tunnel13.com (http://www.tunnel13.com)

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espee2

[Robin Matthysen]

It is an interesting phenomenon that those of us that create web sites want to see how many people we can get to visit it. I can understand it if it is a business venture and we get rewarded for the number of visitors we get but for those of us that have web sites for personal interest, what matter is it how many visitors come.
Having said that I do what ever I can to get more visitors but am primarily interested in railroad vistors. My web statistics tell me that 86% of my visitors only come once. I can assume then that the remaining 14% who are regular vistors are those who want to see how my model railroad is progressing. http://www.trainboard.com/biggrin.gif If you are in that category come and visit at http://members.xoom.com/Matthyro/index.html
One site you can go to that will bring many various visitors to you once you fill in necessary information is http://www.mmgco.com/top100.html
Good luck http://www.trainboard.com/wink.gif
Robin

[virtual-bird]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Robin Matthysen:
It is an interesting phenomenon that those of us that create web sites want to see how many people we can get to visit it. I can understand it if it is a business venture and we get rewarded for the number of visitors we get but for those of us that have web sites for personal interest, what matter is it how many visitors come.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


If nobody looks at the site whats the point of spending hours creating and updating it?!


I still say links from other sites are a great way....

[espee2]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Robin Matthysen:
It is an interesting phenomenon that those of us that create web sites want to see how many people we can get to visit it. I can understand it if it is a business venture and we get rewarded for the number of visitors we get but for those of us that have web sites for personal interest, what matter is it how many visitors come.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

In reality...I get a rush out of it... I average about 100 visitors a week... not much... I'm just about a year old. I figure it's like inviting 100 guests each week, to my home to see my layout, and other Railroadiana, and not have to serve refreshmants... it is a rush when you get 250 visitors in less than 24 hours.


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espee2

Home: www.tunnel13.com (http://www.tunnel13.com)¤
layout: SP's Newberg Branch in N scale (http://tunnel13.com/newberg.html)

[virtual-bird]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by E-8:
When you put on your railroad web site, what methods did you employ to attract visitors?

Perhaps...
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Web Rings
[/list]
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well my views on webrings have gone to ****.

I have applied for 2 different railway webrings for our club site, and not one has checked our site... I got 2 mails saying that due to 42 days of inactivity, we have been removed from the ring queue, and the number we had has been removed.

translated:-
Im too lasy to do anything, and just want people to look at my site.. You can apply again and look like a fool, have our code on your site, and advertise for us for NOTHING in return if your a moron..

But as I have now done I have removed the code and happily will never use a web ring ever again..

One is Geocities Railway and another is i cant remember but I removed it and its gone.

Go to search engines, and work with other people with sites with similar interests (in this case railroads) to yours.

[Alan]

When I have joined webrings, I have a HUGE jump in visitors. By checking my sites' stats., I have found that I have never had any contacts from search engines.

After the initial surge when first joining the rings, visitors still come from them at a fairly good rate.

Links with other sites is better than search engines, also.

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Alan

The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale!

www.ac-models.com (http://www.ac-models.com)
Andersley Western Railroad (http://Andersley.homestead.com)
Alan's American Gallery (http://galleryusarail_tehcaj.homestead.com)
Alan's European Gallery (http://eurogallery.homestead.com)
Alan's British Steam Gallery (http://britishsteamgallery.homestead.com)

[sajay]

The web rings I have joined have served me well.

I think the best way to pull in visitors is to get "linked" from other sites. Early on in the life of my site I got linked from an, apparently, very popular model railroad site. This link brings in a lot of visitors! E-Passes are another method of getting "linked".

I have had no luck getting registered on any search engines, however I have received some hits from directories (AOLSearch and others).

Basically I try to get linked from anywhere I can. I noticed that TrainBoard has a links page so I submitted a link request. Railroad Builders.org has an Associates Page that has brought a few visitors. And about once every week or two I go on an "E-Pass hunt" and try to get 4 or 5 new e-pass exchanges.

Oh yeah - posting an update notice in forums like this, or rec.models.railroad, provides a quick, but not long-lived, boost in visitors. Just be sure you really do have something new.

[This message has been edited by sajay (edited 06 July 2000).]

[Colonel]

Sajay,
One idea is to post your signature with your website on the forum that way people who read your posts can then take a look at your site. BTW I have E-passes on my website, you are most welcome to visit and apply for a pass http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif

Colonel

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http://users.bigpond.net.au/railroad2000

[slynch]

Hi Folks, Prior to additon to web rings little if any traffic. Reason for the counter?, purely to quick test if any of the following would help and for fun.

1. Joined Railroad Web Ring. Immediate increase from 5-10 hits to 200+/month

2. Posted to rec.models.railroad just using sig. as a reply to a post. Works for small number of hits 5 or so as folks may be interested in the content (LIRR, for example)

The increase in hits does correlate with folks asking about LIRR and modeling this area so it has been of value.

3. Obtained domain name: www.NYandW.com (http://www.NYandW.com)
but, as all the previous search engines had it behind a domain name imcnyc.com/nynadw I start all over. So it's time to resubmit.

SL

[sajay]

Oops. I usually do post my URL. It is in my signature which I forgot to show in that message. Try this and thanks.

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Scott Jay (sajay@gov.pe.ca)
member of:
Half Nuts Model Railroaders
http://www3.islandtelecom.com/~s.jay/rr

[E-8]

sajay, if you encase your URL in your signature between and it makes a link of it. http://www.trainboard.com/smile.gif

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Ship It On The FRISCO! (http://www.frisco.org)

[virtual-bird]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by slynch:

1. Joined Railroad Web Ring. Immediate increase from 5-10 hits to 200+/month
SL
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

your saying your site is get 200 a month from just one ring?

wow our coub site is in 4 or 5 and gets FA from them..

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RR:
K, C, & Bird Butt Railroad - SP, NS, and ROCK admirer.
Its a coal mining region of a place far far away, that runs, SP, NS, and some CSX..
Also some Custom RARE Bird RR sd40-2's coming!
Era:
Time stands still round these parts, and we have everything from Steam, to Diesels of today.

[aomhs]

I got a site too...about 988 hits in the past 4 months.

I found that a few people visit my site, and visit often, but depsite my webring memberships, etc., new viewers don't seem to be visiting. Any ideas on how to fix this?

--AO http://www.trainweb.org/midtown

[virtual-bird]

Has anyone tried things like LINK EXCHANGES

eg banner swapping with other sites? http://adnetwork.bcentral.com/

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RR:
K, C, & Bird Butt Railroad - SP, NS, and ROCK admirer.
Its a coal mining region of a place far far away, that runs, SP, NS, and some CSX..
Also some Custom RARE Bird RR sd40-2's coming!
Era:
Time stands still round these parts, and we have everything from Steam, to Diesels of today.

[slynch]

virtual-bird Yes, the Railroad Webring increased the traffic up to 200+ per month. I like the idea of having a domain also: http://www.NYandW.com/

Regards, SL




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[E-8]

aomhs

Your site looks nice. One thing I noticed is that you don't have any meta tags for the description or keywords. You should add this to your site and then register with as many search engines and directories as possible. This is one way to increase traffic somewhat.

Another thing you can do is exchange links with TrainBoard.com. We have a lot of traffic and that also helps.

Charlie

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Ship It On The FRISCO! (http://www.frisco.org)

[This message has been edited by E-8 (edited 23 July 2000).]