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Not too long ago, many association Web sites didn't offer much beyond a mission statement, an overview of the association's products and services, the obligatory "about us" section, and the like. But in most cases, that's changed--dramatically.

Many associations now offer feature-rich Web sites that provide members with critical information and news, while allowing them to interact with other members, access case studies and white papers, purchase products, search for jobs, and much more. The challenge for associations now isn't so much in building a great Web site; it's in getting inundated members to visit the site--and visit it often. Here are 50 practices your organization can implement to do just that.

1. First, make it worth their time. Who cares about increasing traffic if your site isn't up to speed? Make sure your content is fresh and relevant, your design appealing, and your site easy to navigate.

2. Print your Web site address on all outgoing materials. This is a no-brainer. Press releases, marketing collateral, letters from the CEO, position statements, and anything else that your organization sends out should list the Web site.

3. Send e-mail news briefs and link back to the Web site for extended coverage. Send out teasers by e-mail--just the bare bones of a story--and include a link in the text that directs readers to the Web site for more comprehensive information.

4. Sponsor smartly. When you sponsor another organization's offerings, make Web visibility a part of the deal. Be sure that your Web site is included with your logo (if your identity standards allow it) on any materials that you sponsor and ask the organization that you're sponsoring to include a link to your Web site on its site.

5. Complement magazine or newsletter articles with online content. Include related content and resources, expanded coverage, and other such offerings online. Not only does this increase Web traffic for you, but it also increases the value of both your publications and your Web site as member resources.

6. Publish online-only content. In addition to including material that complements magazine articles, consider offering online-only articles. Include space each month in the magazine to briefly describe the online-only content to whet readers' appetites.

7. Offer virtual communities. Create chat rooms and other discussion forums where members can interact with one another and discuss common concerns. And, of course, monitor what's going on in these forums to make sure people aren't just using it as a place to hawk their wares.

8. Include your URL in your e-mail signature. Um, is there anyone out there who isn't doing this? Next item...

9. Pay search engine companies for sponsored listings. Many search engines offer sponsored links that appear as sidebars alongside search results. Imagine if every time someone searches for information related to the industry or profession you represent, your Web site appears next to (or maybe in) his or her results.

10. Provide postconference material online. After a conference, education session, or other event, provide a roundup of the event online. You can include handouts, PowerPoint presentations, presenter bios, and other relevant content. Attendees will appreciate having this resource, and those who couldn't attend can catch a glimpse of what they missed.

11. Practice trickle-down Webonomics. Ask conference presenters to include a link to your site on their site. This is especially effective if your presenter is well known and is likely to have a lot of traffic on his or her own site.

12. Keep it clean. Broken links and other technical annoyances are a surefire way to alienate people. Even if visitors do value the information your organization provides, there are only so many glitches that even your most avid fans will tolerate before they go elsewhere.

13. Bring in the big dogs. Just as The Washington Post and other major papers do, you can host a real-time chat with an expert from your industry. Really want to ramp up the traffic? Make participation free.

14. Be forward-friendly. The "forward-to-a-friend" option is a must. Ensure that every article, white paper, news brief, and the like has a link that allows people to forward the information to friends and colleagues.

15. Prominently announce new site features. When you finally add on that feature that members are screaming for, make sure that you announce it in all of your communication vehicles.

16. Provide a regularly updated feature. Include an item such as a monthly CEO column, a weekly question and answer, or a regular report on the association's advocacy efforts. Send an e-mail to members to let them know when the feature has been updated.

17. Know when it's time for an overhaul. When your design becomes the equivalent of an orange Naugahyde chair circa 1974 (which it eventually will), look at some popular sites and see what you can learn.

18. Trade links with other organizations. This might be tricky to pull off, since so many organizations compete directly with one another, but a great way to increase traffic is to post a link to your site on the Web page of another organization your members might also frequent.

19. Trade banner ads with affiliate organizations. Similar to the preceding example, this is a win for both organizations involved, and it doesn't cost a dime. Plus, it gets your logo out there: a branding bonus.

20. Make sure your site is secure. People are rightfully distrustful when it comes to Internet-based transactions, and if they don't see that little lock in the corner of their browsers, they're likely to lock you out.

21. Perform a search-engine optimization. Maybe you're not getting enough hits because your pages aren't tagged correctly and therefore aren't showing up in search results. (For a brief intro to search-engine optimization, visit www.seologic.com/guide .)

22. Let them have it. When people request permission to reprint an article or other resource from your Web site, let them--but make sure they only write up an abstract of what the article or white paper is about and then include a link that takes visitors directly to your site.

23. Archive back issues of your newsletters, magazines, and other communication vehicles. And let readers know in the print edition that they can read back issues online. In current articles, refer to past articles or newsletters that contain further information and provide readers with the URLs of the past articles.

24. Include job listings on your site. On top of being a great member benefit, having an online job bank also is a potential source of revenue for your organization. While you probably don't want to charge job seekers for the service, do charge employers to post open positions.

25. Encourage staff to direct members to the Web site for more information. Staff members receive phone calls and e-mails daily from members who are seeking information. Have staff conclude all of their phone calls with members by directing them to the Web site for more information, and hold regular orientation sessions for staff to familiarize them with the site's features.

26. Call in outside help. Especially in smaller organizations or organizations that don't have a full-fledged IT department, calling in an outside professional might be the ideal solution. There are a number of consultancies that work almost exclusively in increasing Web traffic.

27. Write articles for other Web sites and magazines. Not only does this position you as a leader in the industry; it also presents another opportunity to get your URL out there--especially if your article is written for an online medium, which makes linking back to your organization's site super convenient.

28. Enter the blogosphere. Weblogs, a.k.a. blogs , are one of the hottest new media around, and many associations have already begun to exploit the trend. They're the it technology of the moment. Use them for all they're worth.

29. Offer podcasts. Podcasts, like blogs, also are a hot technology trend. These prerecorded Webcasts can be downloaded into your members' iPods or other MP3-style devices for listening on the go.

30. Make your site PDA-friendly. With everyone and his brother owning a BlackBerry or some other sort of PDA these days, it's important to make sure that your site translates well to the small screen.

31. Offer a customizable experience. Take a page out of the Amazon.com playbook and give your members the opportunity to customize what they see and how they see it. As associations increasingly realize that one size fits none, many are translating this philosophy into customized member services, including the Web site.

32. Give away free stuff. Hold a drawing or a random prize giveaway on your Web site regularly. The prize doesn't have to be extravagant; something as simple as a 5 percent discount on an education session, a T-shirt, or 30 minutes of one-on-one career counseling will do. Be careful with your e-mail marketing, though: Free is a dirty word that many spam filters block.

33. Include polls and other ways to collect feedback. Everyone's got an opinion, as the old adage goes. And most people like to share theirs. If you make polls and informal surveys a regular component of your Web content, people might visit just to see what the question of the week is.

34. ¿Hablas español? Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Offer your Web site content in different languages to meet the needs of your audience. If you're an international trade association, and 8 percent of your site visitors are native German speakers, why are you forcing them to read your content in English, Dumbkopf?

35. Include a section for students interested in the trade, profession, or cause you represent. As students prepare to become members of the workforce, they are hungry for information. Make your site the go-to place for them by providing background information and tips on how to break into the industry.

36. Offer information for industry newbies. Just as students are bewildered by the abundance (or lack thereof) of information on the industry, so, too, are those new to the profession eager for information. Include such items as industry-term glossaries to help them along.

37. Buy an ad (or three). While it's not a guaranteed way to increase Web traffic--and, hey, nothing is foolproof--it never hurts to advertise in trade publications and other media that your constituents might be monitoring.

38. Post to relevant newsgroups and mailing lists. Listservers and other similar media provide a golden opportunity to offer helpful information. Be sure to include your URL in your signature--and don't turn your post into a commercial. No one likes suitcasers--virtual or real.

39. Include a comprehensive staff directory. Few like to send an e-mail to a general address. At the very least, include the e-mail addresses of heads of departments. (Beware, though, that this could open you up to directory harvest attacks, a method spammers use to collect e-mail addresses from a particular domain.)

40. Develop a resourceful online newsroom. You obviously want to generate good media coverage, so don't annoy reporters by forcing them to call you for organizational history questions, background, or high-resolution photos of your CEO and other key figures.

41. Tag your tchotchkes. Put your Web address on all of the conference kitsch that goes into your attendees' bags at trade shows and other events. Otherwise, you could be wasting money on all those giveaway pens, pads, stress balls, and other toys.

42. Get a spine. Put your Web site address on the spine of all books, magazines, directories, and other bound volumes that your association produces. That way, when your members have them all lined up on the bookshelf, your Web address will be right there, too.

43. Stand on the shoulders of giants. Is your competition ramping up more business than you? To paraphrase the poet T.S. Eliot, amateurs borrow; professionals steal. What is your competition doing with its Web site, and how might you steal--um, apply--some of their concepts?

44. Get organized. Few things are more annoying to visitors than not being able to find what they're looking for. Provide a well-organized site map, so the person looking for information on your advocacy efforts doesn't have to dig through five layers of educational material to get there.

45. Be easily searchable. This goes hand in hand with the preceding example. Especially if your site is multilayered and complex, an intrasite search feature will win you some fans and repeat visitors.

46. Update them on updates. Whenever there is a significant update on your Web site (e.g., a new white paper or article of interest), send out an e-mail to let members know. This works especially well if you use an interest-inventory system and can send targeted updates.

47. Become the CNN of your industry. Stay on top of breaking industry news and be the first to let your members know what's going on. They'll reward you by coming back time and time again.

48. Feature regular member profiles. Any anthropologist will tell you: Just about everyone is a bit self-centered. The human-interest component will be sure to snag at least one visitor--and probably about everyone who knows him or her.

49. Provide tutorials. Your members might be aware of some of your great features but might not know how to use them. Provide step-by-step tutorials.

50. Be in demand. Yes, this is elementary, but if your products and services aren't what the market wants, forget Web traffic. And everything else. It's no accident that the last tip is the most important. Be good at what you do, try some of the tips above, and traffic will come to you.

Newton Holt is a contributing editor to ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT. E-mail: nholt@asaenet.org.

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