Internet Overview
You hear a lot of people talking about the secrets to success on the Internet and how easy it is to make it big. The TRUTH is that just like any other business it takes hard work and dedication to become successful ON and OFF the Internet. What should you expect from your web site? How will people find your site? The answers to these questions really depend on only two factors.
- How much time and effort are you willing to spend creating a compelling sales oriented web site.
- How much time and effort are you willing to spend marketing - getting the word out about your products and services.
The Internet has changed a lot in the last few years. The amount of competition for customers is tremendous and the way customers are finding sites is fundamentally changing. To get noticed, your site MUST stand out from your competition.
How will people find your site? - Recent Changes
The top few listings on all of the major search engines are now being taken by paid advertisers. These listings generate about 95% of all the search engine traffic. We see this trend continuing. What does this mean to you? It means that if you are depending on the search engines to generate business you will likely need to choose paid advertising as an option. It can be extremely affordable and profitable.
BUT: These changes don't eliminate all of the other opportunities that are available to you. There are literally thousands of places and ways to advertise your business. Your web site is JUST like a phone number. The more places that it is listed, the more likely it is that someone will call. Review all of the setup steps to learn how to setup your site and use it as a marketing tool.
Marketing/Sales
In other words - Don't rely on the search engines to keep you in business. You need to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to get potential customers to your site from a wide variety of sources. These sources should include search engines, web directories, paid advertising, links from other sites, and non-internet based marketing. There are many ways that your customers can find you and not all of them are soley through the Internet. Don't limit your opportunity.
Where to go from here
Use this guide to develop a top quality site that puts you a step ahead of your competition. Follow each of the steps to create an informative site that communicates effectively. Then start marketing. Use the tips and ideas listed in the generating traffic section to start getting the word out about your site.
