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Three Traits of Successful Websites (09/30/2004)
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I'd like to share some personal insights with you that I believe will
really help you move forward in your online business goals. The spark
of inspiration for this article came when I was reviewing the interviews
that had been conducted for our new site, Secrets To Their Success, where
each month you'll find new interviews with real people who've had
extraordinary success on the Internet.
Each interview I read told a real-life story of hard work and dedication,
but there were also some messages that weren't so obvious at first glance.
It was these underlying "common threads" that really interested me. I
wondered, "What are the common traits shared by the owners of these one
and two-person Internet businesses that have allowed them to build Web
sites that generate incomes of $100,000 to $600,000 each and every year?"
Since they sell everything from body building programs to designer soaps
to courses on day trading, what they sell is important, but it doesn't
seem to be the key factor in their success. Their ages, formal education
or prior knowledge of the Internet also didn't appear to be relevant to
the ability of these entrepreneurs to make money online.
The more I read, the more it became obvious that besides all the strategies
and techniques these people revealed as part of their "success formula,"
there were actually three common traits they all shared that have allowed
them to grow their businesses and generate such extraordinary incomes.
Trait #1: They just plain got started. Most of the people we interviewed
had little or no prior knowledge of the Internet. Typically, this was
their first Internet business. Some had never even turned on a computer
prior to getting started! And that's the first point I want to make: It
doesn't matter what your knowledge level is when you start--the important
point is, you need to begin.
You don't have to do everything well. In fact, you don't have to do anything
well when you start! But you have to start. Take the first steps (no matter
how small) to move your Web site dream into reality. You don't need to wait
until you know "everything." These successful netpreneurs didn't wait until
their sites were "perfect" or until they knew everything there was to know
about selling on the Internet before they got started; they're living proof
that you don't need to be an Internet marketing guru to start making money
online. I'm sure you, too, have a great idea that's been percolating in your
brain. You just need to start.
Trait #2: They focused on one thing and did it well. The second common thread
I saw was that each one of these people focused on just one marketing strategy
at a time, did it well, maximized profits and then moved on to the next one.
That's why they also said they know there's so much more they can do.
There are many ways you can promote your web site. Some of them will give you
a quick traffic boost (such as pay-per-click search engines); others will
establish your reputation more slowly (such as writing articles and providing
free content for other webmasters); still others (such as finding strategic
partners who'll link to your site) will pay off well into the future for the
work you do today.
That's the good news! You don't have to put a lot of pressure on yourself
believing that you have to do it all or know it all. To follow the lead of
these successful netpreneurs, focus on just one marketing strategy such as
submitting your site to search engines, publishing your own newsletter or
learning about how to write effective sales copy… and then really master it.
Learn all you can, and apply the knowledge as you learn it. This is how you
can generate $100,000-plus from your online business--by focusing on one
marketing strategy at a time.
Start by choosing the theme of your site and then strive to become the dominant
site serving your niche market. Next, make a list of all the different ways you
can increase sales and then decide which one will make you the most money and
start with that one. Leave the rest on your to-do list until you've squeezed
every dollar out of the traffic-generation technique, sales strategy or design
element you're working on. There will always be loads of other ideas just
waiting for you to use to earn even more profits.
Trait #3: They wish they'd modeled success sooner. These successful entrepreneurs
confess to having made mistakes--costly, frustrating and time-wasting mistakes
that could have been easily avoided. This is the hard way to learn. After all,
you don't have to be the one who makes the mistake to learn from it. It's much
easier to learn from other people's mistakes. They all said they could have been
earning a much bigger income much faster if they'd only started their Internet
education earlier and modeled the success of others.
And that leads us to the third common thread I want to share with you which is
that all of these people have committed to educating themselves in the most
profitable marketing strategies and techniques. You don't need to personally
conduct your own "trial and error" experiments to discover what software to
use, which online resources are the most helpful, or which overall Web site
designs are producing the best results in today's competitive Internet environment.
Others have already cut a path through the Internet jungle for you. Just get
on the right trail, and apply the strategies and techniques as you learn about
them. Great ideas are transferable. What works for others can be adapted for your site, too.
Final Thoughts
Building a successful online business is more of a journey than a destination.
What works today may or may not work tomorrow. That's why the learning process
never stops. The fact that the Internet continuously changes is the number-one
advantage you have over your competition if you stay ahead of the learning curve
and they don't. Make a commitment to continuous learning. Study top sites like
the ones on Secrets To Their Success and model your Web site after them.
These successful netpreneurs are regular people who didn't start out with
multimillion dollar advertising budgets, huge staffs or advanced technical
knowledge. In fact, most of them started out with almost no budget, by
themselves and with little prior knowledge of marketing on the Internet.
Your site doesn't have to be perfect to make money, but you can't make
money until you start!
-- Corey Rudl
Source: Entrepreneur.com
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