A network is a group of points or locations interlinked with specific paths. A network can be computers, people, web sites, or anything that is linked together to form a group.

Remember the old adage, "There is power in number?" You can utilize this power by developing a network of locations all promoting your products or services.

Web Sites

Networking your web sites in one of the best marketing strategies you can use. The concept is simple. Develop several web sites promoting similar products, and link them all together.

Let's say for example you have a web site that focuses on dogs and offers the following products:

Dog grooming course

Dog grooming supplies

Dog obedience training

Dog breeds guide

Dog show supplies

Rather than using one general site to market all these products, develop five separate targeted sites and create a network.

Your first step will be to register five separate domains, each targeting your products. Your domains might look something like this:

doggroomingcourse.com
doggroomingsupplies.com
dogobediencetraining.com
dogbreedsguide.com
dogshowsupplies.com

Selecting the right domain names is an essential part of developing your network. Your domain names should include your primary keyword phrase.

A keyword phrase is two or more words that best describe your web page. However, selecting the right keyword phrases can be a bit difficult.

Goodkeywords.com offers a free little software program that will assist you. Simply type in a keyword and the program will provide you with a list of additional keyword phrases. http://www.goodkeywords.com

Each site within your network should be strategically optimized for the Search Engines and solely focus on your primary keyword phrase.

For example, the dog grooming course site might provide visitors with free dog grooming tips, articles and advice. The dog grooming supplies site might provide visitors with tips on selecting a good grooming table, or tips on how to properly use clippers and scissors.

All of the content within each network site must be completely targeted to each site. This in-turn will drive highly targeted traffic to each site.

In addition, each site should also link to all the other sites. This can be accomplished by setting up a special link section within each site. Your link descriptions should be your primary keyword phrases:

Dog Grooming Course

Dog Grooming Supplies

Dog Obedience Training

Dog Breeds Guide

Dog Show Supplies

To get the most out of your network, consider publishing a generalized ezine that targets your main keyword. In this example, dogs. You can then set up a subscription form on each site and collect new subscribers from each.

Can you see how powerful a network can be? You're targeting several different keyword phrases, driving highly targeted traffic to each site, sharing the traffic with your other sites, and collecting email addresses from each.

Networking is not exclusive to web sites. You can use this same technique to network all of the following:

Products

When marketing similar products, develop a network by promoting all of the products within each individual product. For example, within each of the above dog products, we would promote all of the other products.

Free Ebooks

Free ebooks offer a great way to promote your products. For example, each of the dog sites above could offer a different free ebook that provides tips, articles and advice that targets their specific audience. In addition, each of these ebooks should promote the sites and the other ebooks to create a network.

Autoresponder Courses

Autoresponder courses not only provide your visitors with great free content, but they also provide you with a great opportunity to promote your web sites and products. For example, the dog sites can each offer a different autoresponder course. Each of these courses should also promote the sites and the other courses.

Affiliate Sites

Just as you can network your own products and web sites, you can also network affiliate products that target your market. This technique involves registering a domain name for a handful of targeted affiliate programs, developing customized affiliate pages, and setting up your sites just as you would for your own products.

Although this article provides some basic networking techniques, it's far from complete. Networking is one of the most powerful marketing strategies used on the Internet. Use your imagination and develop a networking plan for your business. It will be well worth your time and effort.