It’s fair to say that the majority of websites simply don’t “work” for people.
Meaning that they don’t do the job for which they were created.
Unless your expectations were so low before you started that you designed them for failure in the first place.
Can you say “brochure website?”
And if it is true that most business websites AS CURRENTLY CONCEIVED are unable or incapable of generating any meaningful RESULTS for you, why is that?
A great question.
And one that is certainly worth answering… UNLESS business (and your reason for being online) is not really business for you, i.e. the purpose of having a business is to fulfill some other personal need or needs.
So let’s begin at the beginning…
Website Models
The type of success you WANT from your website must be accounted for in the beginning.
And that means…
- Before registering a URL.
- Before you hire a graphic/web designer.
- Before you spend dollar ONE.
But we both know that this is not what happens 99% of the time. So is it any wonder that your efforts (provided of course that are you TRYING) does not lead to desired result.
Now, you might be wondering what I mean by a “website model.” And if you asked the question — good for you.
That’s a great place to start.
Let’s discuss THREE website models as they may (or may not) relate to making money online… either directly (i.e. sale) or indirectly (i.e. lead).
- Portals
- Hubs
- Havens
Let’s use a few example to illustrate the point:
PORTALS
- Google.com
- Amazon.com
- Most membership sites
- Most e-commerce websites
Portal websites act as “doorways” providing “entrance” to information, and usually for a fee.
HUBS
- Yahoo.com
- America Online (in it’s heyday)
- Some social media websites (like Bebo.com)
Websites that are hubs tend to AGGREGATE lots of different information for an end user. Subsequently, these sites tend to become “home pages” for most people.
Now, did you notice something between the two lists so far?
Google is a portal. Yahoo is a hub.
Can you begin to imagine why Google dominated Yahoo as a search engine? If you miss my point, go look at BOTH websites after reading this article and pay attention to WHAT YOU SEE!
HAVENS
- MySpace
- Some social media websites (the key is “some”)
Haven websites are places where people CONGREGATE. And they tend not to leave once they “enter into” a haven.
Think of these sites as “safe shelters” from the wider web.
Now, what does this have to do with your business?
It’s simple.
To succeed online, you need to understand what TYPE of website you have, so that you can determine WHICH STRATEGIES will work with your type of site, in order to MAKE MONEY.
Don’t believe me?
Then check this out…
Models & Systems of Monetization
Did you happen to notice that not long ago Wikipedia was begging for donations to stay afloat?
In case you missed it, check this out:
Between the two of us, I was hoping they would go under… for good. Wikipedia clogs up too many first page slots on Google with content “dressed up” as objective but, in many cases, completely biased and incomplete.
Anyway…
So why does this matter for you?
Learn from Wikipedia’s mistake. You simply MUST build in systems of monetization FROM THE BEGINNING in order to succeed.
Otherwise, you are left begging for dollars.
And without the first page rankings.
Now imagine for a moment how that will affect your business.
The bottom line is this…
most people will never succeed with their website, mainly because they don’t know what type of website they have, don’t know which strategies will work for their kind of website, and haven’t figured out that how you make money must be integrated into your planning from the beginning.
That, my friends, is the honest to God’s truth.
So before you go run off and listen to the next wanna be net “Guru” blowing smoke up your you-know-what, sit down and think about what you really WANT from your website IN CONCRETE TERMS.
Then come talk to us (or someone like us… provided you can find them) to get some straight answers to your questions.
Does that make sense?
Taking the Next Step
If you want to know how to get results for yourself, you have 3 choices:
- Do it yourself
- Have us do it for you
- Have us coach you to become successful
Now, website optimization done right is about doing a whole lot of little things right.
Over time.
Each month your business can get more traction online if you begin to think of your website and web marketing as building an ASSET.
There should be no shortcuts or “quick fixes.”
So what does that mean for you?
Increasingly we only work with people who are committed to their overall business success.
That means no posers, no “fake-it-until-you-make-it” types allowed. So, if you are serious about having the internet WORK for YOU for a change, then register for your complimentary coaching call.
After the call we will determine together which of the three options best applies to your situation.
Or you can do nothing.
Either way, it’s up to you.
