Why are people leaving?

While the number of people who sign on to the Net
for the first time still increases every day,
people are *leaving* their Internet businesses
in record numbers.

Some have even made a career out of leaving the
Internet. ;) People are leaving the Net because
they are fed up ... frustrated ...disappointed.
You may have felt the frustration too. So much hype,
so few real answers. So many promises, so little
reality.

One of the things I like about my autoresponder
service is that people can leave comments behind when
they leave our little DOE Insider family. Mostly,
people tell us what's on their minds. If I can help,
I write them back even though they left the list. We
had 10 people leave the list last week (we're blessed
with a low unsubscribe rate) and the comments they left
behind point up an interesting trend.

=====Comments

Comments: I just do not have time to deal with
it, but I think you are doing a good job for the people
that do :)
Comments: I am withdrawing from Internet Marketing
so I no longer require this service. Thank you.
Comments: I do not need the information anymore.
I have quit my business. Thank you!
Comments: Changing direction from mlm to investing.
Comments: Fed up with the whole internet thing.
Nothing to do with you. That last person summed up
something one hears much more often lately.

People are fed up, disappointed, frustrated.
Frustration is an interesting emotion. Many
years ago, a very wise man said that frustration
ultimately stems from unrealistic expectations.

Does that describe the Internet or what!?!

So, WHY do people become frustrated and what can
you do to AVOID the frustration? Below are several
ideas to help.

===== The Problem

First, the causes of frustration. There seem to
be three main causes of frustration on the Net
today.

1. Too much hype.

2. Lack of real support.

3. Rampant false expectations.

People are frustrated with the hype out there.
The problem here is self-evident. I heard a guy say the
other day that if he could bag up all the manure (not
the word he used) he has seen online, he could fertilize
the entire state of Texas. Great line.

People are also fed up with being sent to a Frequently
Asked Questions page when what they need is to speak
with a real person. People need and want personal
support.

Third, and to be truthful, people come online
with their expectations set *way* too high. The
Internet is NOT the pot of gold at the end of the
rainbow. Never has been, never will be. No one makes
their fortune in 30 days, or 35 days, or 45 days. They
just show you a glimpse of their bank account that
makes it look that way.

Here's the frustrating part of this for me.
I KNOW that almost anyone can succeed online.
But if you let the frustration win, if you let
it get you down and quit, you have ZERO chances of
succeeding online!

===== Now ... A Solution

You can beat this frustration! DON'T give in to
disappointment. Stay the course and you WILL win!

Here are ways to beat back the frustration, keep
your chin up, and put yourself in a position to profit
online.

1. Become Hype-Proof

Learn to see the information you receive in a larger
context. All good marketers know how to make their
product sound appealing, and know how to create a
sense of urgency. Only YOU know if you really
NEED another autoresponder, or another eBook on how to
write an eBook, or ... you get the point. See
number five for a quick way to become hype-proof.

2. Understand That Off-Line Business Rules
Still Apply
We must understand that it still takes money
to make money We still must advertise to sell goods and
services. The Net makes this wonderfully easy and
effective, but we still must take the steps.

3. Separate Yourself From The Net - Don't Be
Online Too Long

Many online entrepreneurs work late into the night.
About the worst possible time to make a purchasing
decision is after a long session of being online. It's
often wise to wait until the next morning, or next
evening, to make a decision.

4. Don't Fall Prey To Information Overload

In this is the number one problem I see with people
who have gone online within the last three to six
months. Everyone gives away so many e-books and the
courses. How can a person be expected to read everything,
much less not drown in the information.

One solution to information overload is to make a list
of things that you really need in your business, then
research them one at a time. For example, you're
going to need an autoresponder, you're going to need to
do advertising, you will need a web hosting company,
you're going to need to create a web site, and you will
need for five other things before you can successfully
do business online.

Now take one thing at a time, and learn what you need
to know about that one thing. Then, move on to the next.

5. Wait 24 Hours Before Buying Anything

When I wrote this line my bank account hollered Amen!
If only I practiced get faithfully. I have never waited
24 hours to buy something and regretted it.

Please don't fall for the JavaScript trick where web
sites tell you that you must order within the next three
days, three minutes, or three seconds to get that "once
a lifetime" price. I can guarantee that 99% of the time,
this is a trick. To prove it for yourself, bookmark the
next site you visit that offers a limited time guarantee.
Then visit the site the day after the guarantee was
supposed to expire. Or, if you know how, view the
source code and see the JavaScript for yourself.

6. Take Something Of Value And Stick With It

Recent studies show the common pattern of behavior on the
Internet is to join a program, promoted a little, and then
leave it. This can not lead to success. In any business,
success takes time. Give your online business the time it
needs to succeed and it will reward you with passive income
for years to come.

7. Don't Fear You'll Miss IT ... IT Doesn't Exist

This is the BIG ONE folks! Right now, for example, Mastery TV
is all the rage. Only six months ago, a program called Cash
Evolution was all the rage. As I understand it, Cash
Evolution, even with Mark Joyner's endorsement, was a
disaster. Will Mastery TV end up a winner or loser? While
I don't pretend to know the answer, and many factors will
determine that answer, I do know that no one who signs up,
promotes for two weeks, and quits, will make ANY serious
revenue.

Doing business on the Internet has been challenging lately.
Spammers make it harder to get messages delivered, yet
you're reading this one. More and more web sites means
more competition, yet your site got visitors today.

Success online comes down to this:

Do the basic things very well, stick with it...
success WILL be yours!

About The Author
-----------------------------------------------------
Charlie Page is the owner of the Directory of Ezines,
the first and most comprehensive list of quality ezines
that accept advertising available on the Internet. Charlie
can show you how to sell more products and earn more
affiliate commissions using the Internet's #1
marketing method ... ezine marketing!

David Hudson, webmaster of webcashlink,
business articles author, and a successful affiliate,
can help you with your online business.
Visit: Webcashlink

Analyzing Website Traffic

Analyzing your web traffic
statistics can be an invaluable
tool for a number of different
reasons. But before you can
make full use of this tool,
you need to understand how to
interpret the data.



Web Traffic Basics

Most web hosting companies will provide you with basic web
traffic information that you then have to interpret and
make pertinent use of. However, the data you receive from
your host company can be overwhelming if you don't
understand how to apply it to your particular business and
website. Let's start by examining the most basic data - the
average visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and
monthly basis.



Site Effectiveness

These figures are the most accurate measure of your
website's activity. It would appear on the surface that the
more traffic you see recorded, the better you can assume
your website is doing, but this is an inaccurate
perception. You must also look at the behavior of your
visitors once they come to your website to accurately gauge
the effectiveness of your site.


Hits

There is often a great misconception about what is commonly
known as "hits" and what is really effective, quality
traffic to your site. Hits simply means the number of
information requests received by the server. If you think
about the fact that a hit can simply equate to the number
of graphics per page, you will get an idea of how overblown
the concept of hits can be. For example, if your homepage
has 15 graphics on it, the server records this as 15 hits,
when in reality we are talking about a single visitor
checking out a single page on your site. As you can see,
hits are not useful in analyzing your website traffic.


Trend Analysis

The more visitors that come to your website, the more
accurate your interpretation will become. The greater the
traffic is to your website, the more precise your analysis
will be of overall trends in visitor behavior. The smaller
the number of visitors, the more a few anomalous visitors
can distort the analysis.


Statistics

The aim is to use the web traffic statistics to figure out
how well or how poorly your site is working for your
visitors. One way to determine this is to find out how long
on average your visitors spend on your site. If the time
spent is relatively brief, it usually indicates an
underlying problem. Then the challenge is to figure out
what that problem is.


Targeted Traffic

It could be that your keywords are directing the wrong type
of visitors to your website, or that your graphics are
confusing or intimidating, causing the visitor to exit
rapidly. Use the knowledge of how much time visitors are
spending on your site to pinpoint specific problems, and
after you fix those problems, continue to use time spent as
a gauge of how effective your fix has been.


Website Pages

Additionally, web traffic stats can help you determine
effective and ineffective areas of your website. If you
have a page that you believe is important, but visitors are
exiting it rapidly, that page needs attention. You could,
for example, consider improving the link to this page by
making the link more noticeable and enticing, or you could
improve the look of the page or the ease that your visitors
can access the necessary information on that page.


If, on the other hand, you notice that visitors are
spending a lot of time on pages that you think are less
important, you might consider moving some of your sales
copy and marketing focus to that particular page.
As you can see, these statistics will reveal vital
information about the effectiveness of individual pages,
and visitor habits and motivation. This is essential
information to any successful Internet marketing campaign.


Exit Pages

Your website undoubtedly has exit pages, such as a final
order or contact form. This is a page you can expect your
visitor to exit rapidly. However, not every visitor to your
site is going to find exactly what he or she is looking
for, so statistics may show you a number of different exit
pages. This is normal unless you notice a exit trend on a
particular page that is not intended as an exit page.

In the case that a significant percentage of visitors are
exiting your website on a page not designed for that
purpose, you must closely examine that particular page to
discern what the problem is. Once you pinpoint potential
weaknesses on that page, minor modifications in content or
graphic may have a significant impact on the keeping
visitors moving through your site instead of exiting at the
wrong page.


Page Content/Optimization

After you have analyzed your visitor statistics, it's time
to turn to your keywords and phrases. Notice if particular
keywords are directing a specific type of visitor to your
site. The more targeted the visitor - meaning that they
find what they are looking for on your site, and even
better, fill out your contact form or make a purchase - the
more valuable that keyword is.


Keywords

However, if you find a large number of visitors are being
directed - or should I say misdirected - to your site by a
particular keyword or phrase, that keyword demands
adjustment. Keywords are vital to bringing quality visitors
to your site who are ready to do business with you. Close
analysis of the keywords your visitors are using to find
your site will give you a vital understanding of your
visitor's needs and motivations.


Brand Recognition

Finally, if you notice that users are finding your website
by typing in your company name, break open the champagne!
It means you have achieved a significant level of brand
recognition, and this is a sure sign of burgeoning success.


David Hudson, webmaster of webcashlink,
business articles author, and a successful affiliate,
can help you with your online business.
Visit: Webcashlink

Getting Started: Creating a Business Plan

Business Plan

So you're excited. You have a great idea for a profitable
online business. Maybe it is an original idea that has not
been marketed online before. Maybe you have come up with a
new spin on the ordinary. Whatever it is that has
influenced you to start your online business, be sure that
you have a plan before you begin. This is not the time to
“pick it up as you go”. These are some basic things that
should be included in your business plan.



Business Summary

The business summary should give a brief description of the
entire business and is an integral part of the overall
business plan. After you have completed the business
summary you should begin to list the objectives or the
goals that you want to accomplish through the business.
Next and perhaps most importantly, you should develop your
marketing plan. The marketing plan will address all the
specifics of the business. When developing the marketing
strategy you should consider the following:



Target market

A target market encompasses customers that you expect to
see visiting your site. For example, will your product be
more appealing to college students or those who have
entered their golden years?



Know Your Competition

Consider the competition for your product when determining
the marketing strategy. Choose a product that will be seen
as unique and useful. Visit sites that are offering the
same or similar products. Find out the cost and how others
are marketing their product. Find out the pros and cons of
their business and try to improve your product based on
their flaws.



Advertising

Research the various methods for advertising online. You
should become educated about search engines and how they
work, since each one is different. Also be sure that you
know how to submit your site to search engines. You should
be prepared to spend a small amount of money on
advertising, but the profits that you will gain from the
advertisements will prove to be money well spent.



Pricing

Think about pricing. Again, look at the competition and see
what similar products are selling for. Pricing can play a
big role in the success of your product since selling a
product well below the average price may lead customers to
think that there is a problem with the product or that it
isn’t of the best quality. However, pricing items too high
could also detour customers.



Shipping

Determine the shipping method. Be sure that you know how
products will be shipped so that you can have shipping
details clearly posted on your site. If you are shipping
things of great value, you should consider providing
shipping insurance. Also, think about shipping outside the
country that you live in.



Merchant Account/Forms of Payment

Think about the different methods of payment that you will
accept. If your business does not accept credit cards, just
know that you’re giving up half if not more of your sales.
If you decide to accept credit cards, will you use a
merchant account or a third party credit card processing
center? Both will help you get started, and the third party
processing center will handle all of the business so you
don’t have to. You should decide which you will use and
also if you will accept checks or money orders. It is
essential to have a secure server when taking credit cards.

These few things will help your online business to become a
great success and also provide you with peace of mind
knowing that you have thoroughly thought about and planned
for the opening of your online business.


David Hudson, webmaster of webcashlink,
business articles author, and a successful affiliate,
can help you with your online business.
Visit: Webcashlink