It’s true… The internet is part of our lives, and it’s here to stay!
Today, most people turn on their computer, tablet, or smart phone and go online to find information on any topic, play video games, send messages to friends and family, and even buy products and services.
This presents a tremendous opportunity for you to make a lot of money selling your products or services to more people than ever before.
But it also creates a few challenges. The biggest one is competition. When you put up your website it has to compete for attention with around 100,000,000 other websites. Many of them selling the same things as you.
This is actually a good thing. I’ll explain what I mean in just a moment, but first ask yourself…
What could you do with an extra $500 a month? How about an extra $1000 a month? How about an extra $10,000 a month?
How great would you feel knowing you never have to worry about money again, because you’ve built your own profitable business.
Picture this scenario… You wake up in the morning and turn on your computer to check your emails.
But instead of just the usual boring emails, you see a dozen orders have been placed on your website during the night. You check your bank account and the money is actually there! The excitement builds as you realize… HOLY CRAP! YOU JUST MADE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN YOUR SLEEP!
That, my friend, is the real American dream… And it can be yours.
But before you get too excited… I have some good news, and some bad news.
I’ll start with the bad news first, so we can get it out of the way… The cold harsh reality is about 90% of all new websites fail within the first 3 years. Another 5% manage to hold out for a year or two more, before they start gasping for air. That leaves only about 5% alive and kicking.
Now for the good news…
You can be part of the 5% that make it!
What does it take to build a successful website?
It’s simple really. To have a successful online business, it takes the same basic principles as having a successful offline business. You need to have…
1) A product or service that people want
2) A way to bring people into your store or business
3) A friendly representative to help your customers make their purchase
Seems pretty obvious, right?
Of course you’re smart enough to know there’s a bit more to it than that, and I could bore the hell out of you with all the psychological principles and marketing methods that took me years to learn.
But I’d rather inspire you, not bore you. So let’s just begin with these basic starting points for now, shall we?
If it’s so easy, then why do 90% of online businesses fail?
First, I never said it was ‘easy’… but it is ‘simple.’
Most online businesses flop because they ignore (or violate) one or two basic principles for online success.
Sure, you start with a nice website. Then you have it optimized for the search engines, or pay for advertising. Eventually visitors start showing up, and a few sales roll in.
But most visitors just look around… click away… and never return.
What went wrong? Why didn’t they buy anything?
The most likely reason is your webcopy didn’t do its job. And if you don’t fix it fast you’ll join the other sinking ships at the bottom of the internet ocean graveyard.
Your webcopy is the words on your website. Pictures are great, but since your visitors can’t actually hold your product in their hands, then the words you use to describe it had better be convincing. If you’re trying to sell a service, it’s even more important!
In a brick and mortar business, a customer walks in and you get to meet them face-to face. You can answer their questions and help them find what they’re looking for. On your website, it’s not so easy.
So, #1 – Your webcopy needs to be solid.
The second biggest reason for losing potential customers can be summed up in three words “lack of trust”.
Hey now, don’t take that personally. I know you’re honest, and I trust you… It’s just that with millions of fly-by-night scam artists throwing up websites every other day, most people are skeptical of any website they don’t know intimately (and rightly so).
Surveys have shown that most visitors need to have a minimum of 3 to 5 interactions with an online company before they feel secure enough to do business with them.
So, if you want to build a successful website, you can either hope they come back and visit enough times to get comfortable with you, or you can give them a reason to return…
Here’s 3 ways to keep people coming back to your website…
e are all aware of the virtues of social media and how a successful Twitter account or Facebook page can boost sales, create contacts and drive in traffic. However, if those carefully crafted tweets and statuses lead customers to a confusing and badly designed website then all the effort put into promotion will be fruitless.