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If you have seen the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams" you would think that having designed and built your website, all you have to do is to sit back and watch the visitors arrive in their droves. but of course, it's not that easy is it? However, if you follow this four-step plan you will begin to see those visitors arrive, if not in spectacular numbers:

1. Announcing your websites' presence

With the majority of traffic being generated through the top search engines (Google, yahoo, aol, MNS etc.) the starting point is to let them know that your website exists. This is achieved by submitting a request through their "Add/Submit URL" facilities. You can do this individually or you could think about using software to submit a batch request to most of the search engines that now exist. It you look for "search engine submission software you will find an abundance of free and paid-for services, but I would advise against parting with your hard-earned cash at this stage.

2. Achieving a high a search engine ranking

You will probably already understand the concept that when that the search engines deliver results from your key word entry, the websites are ranked according to both the relevance and popularity. So lets examine what is meant by these terms:

Relevance - you will read a lot about making sure your website contains material that intrinsically carries value. If for instance, your website is about tropical fish, then make sure it is packed with facts about the subject and don't be shy about it. Make sure your website content carries the key words that the tropical fish fraternity will search for. If not, you can be sure your website will be consigned to appear on page13,563 of the search results. You guessed it, no one will ever see your masterpiece!

Popularity - the principal way in which the search Engines determine the level of a websites' popularity is to take into consideration the number and quality of links from other websites. The ranking algorithms used by the search Engines are closely guarded secrets, but his is widely recognized that popularity is determined as follows:

- by the absolute numbers of links;
- they are not weighted according to the ranking or popularity of the website they are coming from;
- whether the link itself is from a website in a related sector (i.e. an aquarium wholesaler linking to a tropical fish retailer).

3. Generating direct traffic

This is probably the most difficult and time-consuming strategy to generate visitors. So is it worth it? I would definitely recommend it if you are offering a niche product or service or you're trying to generate leads in your local market. You can do this in a variety of ways. For instance:

-by distributing fliers
-testing the market with highly targeted advertisements
-taking every opportunity to include your websites' address on e-mail, letter headed paper etc
-by word of mouth

4. Pay-Per-Click advertising

More and more businesses are turning to sponsored links as a means of guaranteeing prominence in the search Engines. Googles Adwords programme is by far the market leader in pay-per-click advertising and generates millions of dollars in revenue every day. However, unless you have particularly deep pockets, you should make sure you don't rely exclusively on pay-per-click traffic to your website and you should try to organically improve your visibility in the free search engine results as well.

David Sielicki is a product manager with http://www.fetcher.co.uk the UKs rapidly growing products and services directory. He is also a freelance web designer with http://www.webaffinity.net

Swimming pools are a wonderful addition to any home. They create an instant place for fun, relaxation, and exercise. Plus, water is extremely beneficial in any landscape. However, in feng shui, swimming pools can often create negative influence. That's because swimming pools possess a great deal of energy in feng shui terms. It is also because swimming pools are often located at the rear of the home, and that is extremely inauspicious according to feng shui.

Even so, there are some instances when pools are a benefit to the homeowner. This would include a pool that is correctly sized, shaped, and positioned. In feng shui, certain pool shapes and sizes can create problems, such as poison arrows, which are harsh points of energy directed at the house.

On the plus side, pools positioned in certain locations can actually benefit homeowners. These are pools that are placed according to flying star feng shui. At their best, pools can be positioned to tap the "wealth star" -- the secret location of prosperity that is tied to the direction of the front door. Another benefit of flying star placement is to overcome negative energies, as pools can offset negative energy from poor star placements.

Look at placing your pool in an auspicious location and follow feng shui's design criteria to make sure your pool gives you great feng shui! Positioned right, swimming pools can add tremendous wealth luck to a home! If not, though, it can be a very negative influence that can harm your wealth. To be sure about your pool, though, consider checking in with a feng shui consultant.

The Top 6 Feng Shui Pool Rules

1. Select a shape that is auspicious.
The best shapes for pools are round, oval, kidney, or curving. This is because none of these shapes have any hard edges or points that can create a poison arrow effect that square-shaped pools often do. Other good choices include octagons and figure-eights.

2. Keep your pool size proportional to the size of the home.
Pools are better if they are not overly large. If they are too large for the home, they can "overwhelm" it, imparting much negative energy. Better to go with a smaller pool than one that is too large.

3. Place pools at the sides of the yard.
If possible, it is better to position swimming pools at the side of a yard rather than directly in the rear. If that can't be accommodated, then do try to avoid having a pool that is directly in line with the rear center of the house. Pools that do can become menacing, as water behind you is considered bad feng shui.

4. Pools that embrace a home bring good luck.
These pools appear to wrap around a home or curve toward the home. These are a good design choice as they don't have hard edges pointing at the house.

5. Locate pools in a favorable sector for feng shui periods 8 and 9.
Until 2043, pools should ideally be located in the North, Southwest, East, or Southeast sectors.

6. Incorporate the five elements around your pool.
Pools should be mixed with the other elements, such as metal (handrailings, pumps, electrical equipment), wood (plants, arbors, gazebos), earth (rock, cement surroundings or deckings), and fire (lighting). This helps to ensure that the pool is well-balanced and harmoniously incorporated into the landscape.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and the ebook APPLIED FENG SHUI, The Science of Determining and Applying Authentic Feng Shui to Your Space In 9 Easy Steps. For more information, logon to http://www.redlotusletter.com and receive this special report "16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity" FREE.

kweber@redlotusconsulting.com