Seven Steps to Guaranteed Failure - How to Fail in Starting Your Small Business Online

If you want to Fail when starting your own small business online then...

...here are the seven steps you must take (to Fail):

Seven step Failure guide

1.Check for an available domain name. (Don’t do this)
2.Register your trading name. (Don’t do this)
3.Determine your payment method. (Don’t do this)
4.Design your site. (Don’t do this)
5.Find a host. (Don’t do this)
6.Promote your site. (Don’t do this)
7.Maintain your site. (Don’t do this)

Each of these steps (at the right time is necessary) but the list is totally incomplete and in the wrong order.

How do I know this...

...I tried it that way myself and I know it does not work!

The way of starting a small business online that actually works i.e. gets traffic is to understand that the primary function of the internet is to provide information. Unlike the offline shops and malls where it's about location, location, location the online mantra is:

Information, Information, Information.

Once you understand this fundamental reality (why is Google the number one website?... because it lets you find relevant information) then you are already half way to making your online business succeed.

Why is the list wrong?

If you look at that list the one thing that it screams is 'I want your money now' and every step is designed to create a sales site. Unfortunately if you do this you will get the click...

...it will be the "Back Button" and not the Kaaching button!

The right way

If you understand that it is information that people want...

...and not to see yet another sales pitch...

...then you can begin to build a viable online business.

The first step is to give people (and search engines) what they want i.e. information that is relevant, useful and search engine friendly (so you can get free search engine traffic).

The first step

This first step is fundamental to starting your small business online and it's the opposite of what most people say they usually tell you make a product, work out how you should be paid put up a website and wait for customers. This just does not work.

There are actually 10 steps that work:

1. Content (information, information, information)

2. Choose a Site Theme. Put your own spin on the the theme making it interesting.

3. Demand. Is your site theme is in demand. Go back to step 2 if not.

4. Plan (not execute) Monetization.

5. Domain name. Register an ideal domain name.

6. Create the Site. Build a site that works (one that gets the click).

7. Build Traffic Build FREE traffic.

8. Build Relationships Increase traffic by getting people to return to your site.

9. Understand Visitors by using stats gathering software to see who visits.

10. Monetize your site.

So how do I know these 10 steps work?

I have been building a niche site using these 10 steps and it currently has over 650 visitors per day and this compares to the first site I built that had 1 or 2 visitors per day!

The single most important concept in building a business is to get your visitors interested by creating excellent content and only after you have built a steady stream of traffic begin to monetize that traffic.

Note: Make sure you have different monetization strategies so that all your visitors can contribute to your bottom line.

Four fundamental letters

This key concept of Content is part of the process called CTPM. These stand for:

C – Content
T – Traffic
P – Presell
M – Monetization

They are in that order and the one you may not have heard of is Presell. This is a concept of warming up your customer as a trusted friend and not as a pushy sales type. Who would you rather do business with:

* Trusted friend
* Sales person.

Note: Only after you have:

C - Created excellent Content.

T - Built Free Traffic.

P – Presold your visitors by becoming their friend.

Only after all these do you put in your M – Monetization and you do it in an easy going friendly way so you get that sale.

How do you build free traffic?

Free traffic from the search engines is what you need because you don't want to continually have to pay out random amounts to PPC companies (since you have to pay for every click and not everyone will buy anything from you!).

The first thing to do is find out what people are searching for your site theme and you can do this using keyword analysis tools. Then you have to find out how much competition there is for each of your keywords i.e. How many pages does google return for the keyword.

Then decide if it's worth building a page on that keyword.

Then you have to optimize the page for that keyword.

Then you have to build a site with that page (and many more) to get traffic.

If this all sounds like too much work then don't worry – there is a set of tools that will do the job for you and it includes keyword analysis, page optimization, building the pages and actually many many more tools all for a tiny cost.

Actually you will be amazed at how little it costs compared to other companies and it means that anyone can use the tools for stating a small business online. (For more information see the Author Bio below).

More importantly you will succeed if you follow the 10 step process outlined above.

Note: Follow the links for more information.