Conference Web sites require a different strategy than your core business Web site. Event sites are meant to be online for a limited time, should be updated often, and are explicitly designed to sell that event and improve the experience for those participating. By focusing on your content, linking strategies, and measuring those results, you can create a powerful tool to market - and create a sense of community around - your event.

Here's what you need to keep in mind:

Content

• Keep your focus narrow - Each page should have one primary topic. This dramatically helps search engines (spiders and bots) figure out the relevancy of your pages for searches. Consider creating additional pages with internal links for each exhibitor (user-generated content for your directory), sessions (include learner outcomes), and speakers. More pages should equal more traffic.
• Mix up the media - Feature numerous types of media. Include photos with tags, videos, maps, and other images. The more online media outlets you feature, the greater the number of blended search results. Testimonials are a great way to introduce other types of media to your event site.
• Use your keywords - Once you know your best keywords, use them in your URL (a fictional example would be www.assoc.org/2009show), title tags (up to 60 characters), page descriptions (150-200 characters), headlines or subheadings, and in the body text. It's difficult to do this for every page, so focus on your low-hanging fruit - the top three to 10 entry pages.
• Offer fresh content - Search engines love new and relevant content. By including a conference blog and press releases about your event, you'll improve your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings. Blogs and press releases should use the keywords and catch phrases commonly used by your members.
• Create a call to action - You need to ask for the order. "Register now" buttons should be prominent on all pages.
• Give them a reason to return - Make your conference site interactive by including exhibitor and product search tools, an itinerary planner, an appointment-setting tool (helping participants network with other participants), Flickr (www.flickr.com), or your blog.

Linking Strategies

• Consider incoming links as votes of confidence - The more incoming links to your site, the better. They need to be authentic, though, to really make a difference with the search engines. Submit your site to various directories, including Google Webmaster (www.google.com/webmasters/start) and Yahoo Search (http://search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html). Barter links with other associations and the trade press. Ask exhibitors and sponsors to link their online booth or listing on your site.
• Use outpost links - Use keywords with hyperlinks (not the URL) from sites such as LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com), and Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). Link to your Web site from your blogs as well.
• Feature bookmarking and sharing - Add a ShareThis (www.sharethis.com) or AddThis (www.addthis.com) plug-in to your Web site. The more people who Digg (http://digg.com) or StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com) your site, the better. Make it easy for folks to give you a vote of confidence.
• Test the waters with paid search - Consider pay-per-click links on Google (https://adwords.google.com/select/Login) or Yahoo (http://sem.smallbusiness.yahoo.com/searchenginemarketing). If your Web site shows up in both natural and paid search results, the likelihood of getting someone to visit your site goes way up.

Measurement

• Know your keywords - Use tools like Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics/indexu.html) and Keyword Discovery (www.keyworddiscovery.com) to understand the keywords that bring people to your site. Make it possible for visitors to conduct keyword searches on your own Web site. This information is invaluable for identifying trends and keeping in touch with what's on your members' minds. Most organizations will find that identifying key phrases (two to five words) will go far in improving content relevancy.
• Study the competition - By using tools like Compete (www.compete.com) and Google Trends (www.google.com/trends), you can learn how your Web traffic compares to your competitors. How long do people stay on your site versus theirs? What keywords are their members using? What are their top referring sites? How does their ranking compare to yours? Are you gaining share?

There are no quick fixes. Improving your search results and engagement is a continuous process, but one that will definitely yield meaningful results.

Dave Lutz is managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, www.velvetchainsaw.com,  a business-improvement consultant specializing in the meetings and events industry. His company assists organizations in realizing top- and bottom-line growth by delivering customer-focused solutions in business development, best practice and process improvement, strategic planning, and training.