Promotional Guide
How Long is Your URL

Do you have a web address or blog address that's easy to memorize? Boy, if it's too long or if it's cumbersome for folks to type out…guess how many random people are going to retype it to revisit your site. Not many. Why? Because people are lazy. (And I include myself in that group.)

I have an unwieldy blog address. You're here probably because you have it bookmarked or because I put the link in some post on someone else's blog. Linking is a good thing. But, really, how many people are going to sit there and type out www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com? So I have a nickname for my site. The Dragon. Ooooh. Now there's a novel concept.

Using nicknames for your site is a proven way to brand your site. It's a way to help brand yourself. People refer to me and my site as The Dragon. Because I'm a fantasy author, that's a very good thing. Now when I post things around the web, I've got my links in place, I've got my insanely long URL taking up space in a nice, colorful line, and I've got a catchy nickname that instantly says "a fantasy author is on the blog". The Dragon is here. The good news is you can use code to link to your site without spelling out the whole URL, as well.

What's your nickname? What's your hook? Figure it out and promote it like mad to brand yourself in your game. Then get people to list your site in their "favorites" so they don't have to type much of anything...

(Fantasy Author Sandy Lender – aka The Dragon – has been an editor in the magazine publishing industry for more than 15 years and is the author of the high fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, available now from www.archebooks.com.)

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

Tags: promotional guide, Sandy Lender, Today the Dragon Wins, dragon, brand your site, fantasy author, Choices Meant for Gods, fantasy novel