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04/12/2006: "Ways to Get More Business from Your Web site --- Web site Marketing that Works."

There are a number of ways to provide better Web site content. And none of the ways has anything to do with being a good writer, although that certainly is a major advantage. Good writing is good business.

First let's face a fact. People are not anxious to spend money. The main thing people search for on the Web is information. They want to know how to make more money, how to improve their health, what products are best, etc.

You are reading this article not because you want to hire me to write copy for you. You are reading this because you think you might get a bit of FREE information that will be of advantage to YOU.

So the first thing your site must do is to provide lots and lots of useful information. That's easy to do. First you write some valuable articles. Can't do that? Hire me. Can't afford me? Get the RSS feed to my articles or to the articles of other people who write on subjects that match your Web site's topics.

RSS is a wonderful and fast way to fill your site with great information. I'll write more about that at another time.

Give them a reason to return to your site.

People usually won't buy from you until they visit your site 4-5 times. So you should give them a reason to return to your site. Updating product or service information, timely how-to tips, or an upgraded software demo are good reasons for people to return to your site or maybe even bookmark it.

Keep your site updated. Change it often. People like to see different things when they return to your site. And by the way, so do the search engines. It's just good business.

How are you different from the competition?

Your visitors will expect to see a sales pitch. But before you get into it too far, point out how you differ from the competition. "Why should I do business with you and not John B?" That's the question your visitors will ask.

I see lots of products online that appear to be basically the same thing with different names. I want to know what sets the products apart and why one is better than the rest --- at least for my unique situation. If they're all the same, I'll buy the cheapest. I'll bet everyone is the same as I am.

Your Web site is your opportunity to get people involved and interested. Provide them with lots of valuable information. Give them reasons to return to your site. Tell them you'll have new information hourly or weekly or whatever. And finally tell them why they should do business with you instead of the competitors.

Do these things and watch your business increase.