Ensuring Your Online Marketing Success

Your online marketing success depends heavily on a number of factors. One of the most important is how you implement a solid website marketing strategy.

It all starts with an idea and a plan, but if you're listening to some of the recommendations out there, you may be following bad advice.

It doesn't matter how accurately you shoot if you're hitting the wrong target.

I've seen a number of people recommending and following what I would call some dangerous advice. Believe it or not, it seems these people are recommending that you use free blogs and Web 2.0 properties not only as your money pages, but your core content as well.

Lies, More Lies, and Deleted Blogs

The usual story I hear, by the way, is that you should set up some Blogger blogs, some Squidoo lenses, and use a few other flavor of the week Web 2.0 sites. You're told that you should research "buying keywords" and create content on these free properites (read ones that you don't own and have no control over) as your money pages.

This is fantastic advice, if you don't care at all about your business. If you have no concern for your long term online marketing success, then by all means, use this method.

I have a confession to make... I used to do the same thing before I knew any better. So, take it from someone who has had entire blogs disappear with no way to get all that work back (not to mention the income).

If you don't want to go through the agony of losing your business, then you must own your domain name, and control your primary content. That's not to say you shouldn't use free sites to promote your primary site, just don't bet the farm on them.

Rob Benwell, of Blogging to the Bank fame, at one point recommended using Blogger. In the second version of his product, however, Blogging to the Bank 2, he changed his tune.

He noted that many people had set up blogs with Blogger that were designed to make money, only to lose them (and the income along with them). As with most of these programs on the Web, what worked last month won't work as soon as people start abusing it.

He warns:

"...Blogger went crazy and started deleting people's blogs..."

He goes on to advise that you should own your own domain and it's well worth it once you have income coming in.

This is excellent advice. In fact, if you're tempted to listen to the noise out there about how you can use a few Blogger blogs and some Squidoo lenses and start making big money online, remember Rob Benwell's words. You don't want your empire crumbling on you.

Keep your priorities in order and you'll avoid much disappointment later. And that brings us to...

Top Tips To Ensure Your Online Marketing Success

• Own your own domain name

  You don't want anyone pulling the plug on you, so don't use free sites as your primary business.

• Control your own content and own the rights to it

  Own your own content, or at least the majority of it. If there's a good reason to give away your content in exchange for something of business building value, then fine. But, don't make the decision lightly.

  If a site requires that you provide exclusive content, make sure you're getting something in return that is worth more than if you were to put that content on your own domain.

• Drive visitors and page reputation towards your primary site

  All roads should lead to Rome. Or at least most of them should. Use article marketing, Web 2.0 properties, and other free sites to build your business, but ultimately, your primary link building efforts should create links that point to your main site.

• Spend most of your time developing your primary site

  Spend the majority of your time building your own business, not someone else's. If you're building Blogger's or Facebook's or Squidoo's Web presence in order to bolster your own, that's fine... recommended even. But your own site on a domain that you own gets priority.

• Use leverage wherever you can

  You can dramatically speed up your online marketing success by using leverage. Leverage powerful Web properties, the efforts of others, outsourcing when you're ready, and even your own visitors to grow your business.

  It's hard to say that any one thing is most important to your online marketing success, but this might be it. Leverage certainly is one of the most powerful concepts, and sometimes difficult to grasp.

• Use a reliable Web host

  To avoid downtime, use a reliable host. For most situations, I recommend SBI. One reason to use SBI is that no matter how big an increase in traffic you get, you'll never see this message:

  

• Make a plan

  "Put all your eggs in the one basket and -- watch that basket!"
  -Mark Twain or Andrew Carnegie, depending upon your source

  Many people fail to create a successful website because they simply don't create a plan. Make a plan. Decide what you want out of your Web business. Set goals, write them down, and then make a plan.

  Decide on a marketing strategy and incorporate that into your plan. Set your plan in motion and stick to it. Track and adjust as needed.

• Choose your tools wisely

  Using the right tools can mean the difference between building a website that gets traffic and converts that traffic into income, or a failed venture.

• Test, test, and test some more

  Testing is vital. You can start out with some assumptions, but you have to test in order to know what's working and how you can improve.

If you're not doing as well as you'd like to be online, sit down and plan things out. Keeping the above tips in mind, a key step is to map out your website marketing strategy. What are you waiting for? Get started!

Topics Related to Online Marketing Success

• Free Website Tools
• Article Marketing
• Website Marketing Strategy