Internet Business Blog

It seems like everyone that contacts me (generally through referral) has been burned at one point or another by their previous web designer, marketer, or SEO. The situation is always different, but the end result is always the same - and broken promises are all too common.

After months upon months of dealing with this under my new LLC (and 10 years of previous side work), I’ve drawn a couple of conclusions as to why this STILL happens.

How They Do It

The internet is still very much a cowboy industry. In the end, we’re all trying to make a buck at this thing, and there’s very little regulation on how to do so. I honestly feel that often times internet amateurs (I will not refer to them as professionals) will take advantage of their clients so that they can be lazy, yet still manage to pay the bills.

If I’ve managed to catch your attention, you might be wondering how they screw you?

1. Hidden Fees. This is a good one. I’m always amazed at how web guys will tack on hidden charges for even the simplest of tasks. Even more alarming however is that their clients will pay them, and not jump ship to another web firm. Seriously, if you are being hit with hidden fees, run and never look back.

How do you avoid getting screwed? Get something in writing. Have them sign a contract. Know what you’re being charged for up front, and have it listed on every single invoice.

2. Terrible Design and/or Functionality. Now I don’t have much room to talk as I’m not really the artsy type but I will say that it doesn’t take a Pablo Picasso to notice that the internet is full of terrible design. One thing to keep in mind though is that design goes far beyond what you see when you initially enter a website. The scope of a design job can also take on a developmental role in the form of functionality, which is something that you simply cannot put a price tag on these days. If it’s done improperly the first time around, you’ll just have to have someone better come in and re-do the whole thing and you’ll end up spending twice as much.

How do avoid getting screwed? Ask to see a portfolio, and really delve into their previous projects.

3. Shoddy Service. Think about this for a minute. You own an E-Commerce website and it’s been compromised in one form or another. For an example, let’s say that part of the checkout service is broken. You call your webmasters cell… no answer. You email him… no answer. You call him again… no answer. You are at his mercy. I can’t even count how many clients that I’ve picked up simply because the support wasn’t there.

How do you avoid getting screwed? Ask for a couple of references. Call their previous clients and find out what the working relationship was like.

Final Thoughts

I suppose the catch 22 in this situation is that if aspiring internet businessmen and women didn’t ever get screwed in the first place, there’d be less work for someone like me to come in and clean up the mess.

That being said, this isn’t an advertisement since I do very little “web design” these days as I’ve taken on more of a Marketing/SEO role with various clients. It’s just terrible to see that there’s so many “gurus” out there tarnishing our reputation as a whole. It’s also good to note that I’ve seen clients who are just as guilty of “screwing” the web designer, developer, marketer, etc. It’s a two way street really. Both sides need to protect themselves. If you are getting cold feet about someone, get out of there.

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As an internet entrepreneur, I’m often approached by friends, family, and those I’ve yet to meet with internet business proposals filled with dreams of striking it rich online, putting an end to their 9 to 5 misery. As misguided as many of these dreams appear to be – it’s no wonder why their blind optimism is often met with a certain level of skepticism on my part.

It never ceases to amaze me with how many people think that it’s “easy” to make a living online. As with nearly any career worth having, it is difficult and takes a certain business mentality that I believe most people simply don’t have. Do not let other blogs or websites fool you into thinking that you can be the next man or woman who generates thousands of dollars per day, working from a beach on a remote tropical island twenty five hours per week. Though this is possible, it certainly isn’t likely – and getting there definitely isn’t a cakewalk.

Why So Cynical?

I really don’t mean to come down so hard, and my hope is that nobody reads this and takes offense. Like the disclaimer below mentions, this article isn’t focused towards any one person in particular. The real purpose of this entry is to show the ‘other side’… the business side of what we do.

Let’s take a quick look at a couple of different variations of internet business, and what it takes to be successful at them:

1. Ecommerce
In my opinion, e-commerce is where the serious money is to be made. Year after year, we see exponential growth in this market as more and more consumers warm up to the idea of making their next purchase online from the comfort of their own homes. Though it is serious dough, ecommerce is not a synch – and a reputable ecommerce business can not be run with an hour per day. In an ecommerce situation, you have to worry about issues such as: suppliers (wholesale or drop ship?), shipping, customer service, software platforms, credit card fraud, competition, SEO, marketing, web designers, accounting, and a whole slew of other variables.

As with any other business, an ecommerce website is a business and must be treated as such to be successful. It is a full time job – and then some!

2. Affiliate Marketing
I like affiliate marketing, but admittedly am not very good at it. I have a few of these websites that do pay OK, but nothing spectacular. This is partially due to my lack of focus on the subject, since I greatly prefer the path listed above. What I do know is this: Affiliate Marketing is a numbers game (somewhat like ecommerce).

Decent Landing Page + Quality Targeted Traffic = Sales

If you’d like to try your hand at affiliate marketing, I suggest starting with joining an affiliate program for a product or service that you enjoy. This will make it much easier for you to write custom sales and landing pages for your product, and you will have a much easier time marketing said program as well.

3. Informational
Informational websites seem to be the most popular for new internet business ventures, yet have the highest failure rate by a wide margin (in my experience). An informational website could be anything from recipes to video game cheats, forums to blogs. They are often loaded up with annoying advertisements which bring in little to no revenue. What I feel most people tend to overlook is how rare a popular informational site really is – and that it’s generally better to buy an already established site rather than starting a new one from scratch.

Does it still sound easy? Probably not! But that isn’t to say that you can’t be the next success story. It is to say that there is much more involved in internet business than many people realize.

My Honest Advice

If you’re jumping into this as a career, my honest advice is to simply sell a product or service that people will find useful. If you must start an informational site – keep it as a hobby at first, and hopefully in the long term it will become profitable. There is no “fast track” to success on the internet, and if there is – no one is going to tell you what it is!

Disclaimer: It’s important to note that this entry isn’t written towards any one individual in particular. Rather, it’s something that’s been brewing inside of me for nearly two years!

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For an internet business the “about us” page often displays boring mission statements and monotonous company history as if they were written for a paper resume or an investor relations packet. Though this may appear fine from an initial business perspective, internet relations has revolutionized in the past few years and potential customers expect a more personable experience.

Far too often these about us pages are slapped together quickly or overlooked altogether which can ultimately lead to a loss of sales due to the customer’s inability to connect with the brand or business. I’ve written this blog entry as a way to shed some light on a new approach of writing such pages, and sincerely hope that you find this information helpful.

How We Can Help You

Businesses love to talk about themselves. Thus, most business related about us pages tend to focus specifically on the technical business write up. This means that why the consumer (or surfer) should visit, use, promote, or purchase from their site instead of a competitor’s is often left behind. With your “about us” page, try to center in on telling the visitor how you can help them and what they have to look forward to or gain by using your service or purchasing your product. This method works much better than simply boasting about your business accomplishments.

Our Customers

Usually referred to as testimonials, an “Our Customers” section on your about us page can display bits and pieces or even full reviews from previously satisfied customers. This re-assurance from a trustworthy testimonial source is a huge plus and can mean the difference between a potential customer leaving your site prematurely and one who follows through and completes an order. It should be noted however that testimonials making outrageous claims can diminish credibility or sometimes erase it altogether. Another thing, do not under any circumstances write your own testimonials. Not only is it an extremely phony practice, many potential customers are savvy and will be able to spot a fake.

Meet the Team

If you happen to be a smaller business, it is well worth your time to have a section specifically dedicated to your team. This can be a great approach to increasing a trusting relationship with the customer. Customers love to know precisely who they are buying from – and they also like to know the person (or people) at the other end. This section brings much credibility to the ecommerce site, especially if you or your employees have experience, pictures, and/or awards to display. The internet is a very anonymous and fraudulent place; assure your customers that you are very real and very trustworthy by showing them who you are.

In Conclusion

I highly suggest that you take the time to re-evaluate your current “About Us” page and opt to go what I call a “Why Choose Us” page instead. In my experience, a proper WCU page will accomplish three major goals:

1. Increase conversion rates
2. Increase visitor loyalty
3. Increase overall satisfaction

In short: Instead of creating a “what we think of ourselves” page, try to think along the lines of: “why you, the customer, should choose us” instead. Don’t be surprised if your first timer conversions rates rise, and your customer loyalty soars!

What are your thoughts on the subject? Does your about us page need to be re-done?

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