The Internet is an ever-changing, incredibly fast-paced force. If you aren’t willing to keep up with it, then reconsider starting a website in the first place.
Every creative mind can come up with some ideas of how to improve whatever they are interested in – business, art, mechanics, personal development, etc. An entrepreneur will get an idea and think, “I know, I’ll make a website and make money online!” The excitement is flowing and it feels so right. (And it is!)
But before you hire a designer and programmer to build your site, before you make your whole business plan, before you even buy a domain name, take a moment to make sure you are ready for the ultimate investment you’re gonna need to make: time. Sure, you can put up an “online brochure” for a website and tell your prospects to go check it out… that is, if you’re not looking for leads to be generated from your site. If that’s the case, this post is not for you.
Rather, this post is for those of you who want to put up a site, get targeted leads, and make some moolah. My suggestion for you, above all else, is to sit down for a couple of days and try to fall in love with the internet. The idea behind the Internet. If you don’t love the Internet and all it has to offer, then you may not have much success online. You won’t have much success because you won’t want to make the time to keep up with it.
First thing first, find some bloggers (ACTIVE bloggers) who are doing what you want to do. Then, sign up to get their blog posts in your email account. It could be competitors or simply bloggers that are inspiring you to get your business going the right way. Keep tabs on what they’re doing and see the patterns they go through. Bloggers are the best because they know the commitment it takes to get ‘er done – get organic (and paid) traffic, post current content, get Google to notice ya, and see an increase in visitors and sales.
Once you get inspired by what others are doing and you’re excited about the internet, THEN you can buy that domain name and get started. Hire a coach if you’re clueless. But now it’s time to make the full commitment and get ‘er done yourself (with the help of people along the way of course).
Once your website is up and running (and you should still be staying current with your industry), it’s time to pull out your calendar and mark some reminders. First, trust me that the initial content you worked so hard on must be updated over time. If you have a big website with 50+ pages, then mark a time to review 10 pages of content every month. That looks like going back in and re-reading that content to make sure it’s current, checking to see that there aren’t any broken links and that you’re still providing the best info value-wise to your audience. (Yes, even for you bloggers – especially you bloggers!)
You’ll get some good Google benefits from this because Google loves to see you’re providing current material. AND, most recently, Google wants to see ACTIVITY on your site! You’ll get a much better conversion rate (viewers to buyers). If your content is outdated, then they lose trust. (I saw a website the other day that had a prominent page talking about a May sales special even though it’s SEPTEMBER. Ugh!!)
So today, I thought I’d throw out a friendly reminder to review your website content and update it if necessary. For those of you who are newbies, I wanted to make sure to pass along how to get started in a way that can ensure longevity. Hope you got at least one nugget out of it!
