Author: J.P. Holesworth.

So you have a website. Now what? How are you going to get people to visit your site? Regardless of how well your website markets your product or how well designed the site is, there also has to be traffic to it, or all is for nothing. No matter how popular and aesthetic Starbucks is, a Starbucks built out in the middle of the woods won’t sell any coffee because there’s no traffic there-- unless of course, squirrels and raccoons start drinking coffee…but since forest creatures don’t carry cash or credit cards, it’s just a no-win situation.

I know this commentary is getting ridiculous. But isn’t it also ridiculous to expect a website to have traffic simply because it is online? Surprisingly enough, many people expect just this. And horribly enough, many home based business opportunity “gurus” prey upon this type of ignorance. Various business program packages out there now include a website and usually charge around $20 per month for hosting. The websites can be very nice looking and completely set up—all you do is add some personal info., and they’re ready to go. But go where?

Imagine having an actual physical storefront business that faces an alleyway instead of the street. Also imagine having no signs or windows—and your telephone number is unlisted. Such an establishment would be doomed from the beginning, even if the merchandise inside were of the highest quality and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Who would ever know?

Many people still perceive the internet as a unique and different entity, with its own unique structure, set of rules and operating mode. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth. All fundamental laws of Positioning-Marketing and real estate-location relevance apply online with regard to websites and online promotion.

What makes the internet different, unique and very exciting is the velocity at which information moves and the expanse of areas to which it can travel. In this sense, there’s no comparison in the physical world. Particularly when considering exponential propagation of information across multiple points. So, the POTENTIAL of your website is astronomical. Getting it exposed to traffic is the KEY.

As a new online business person, you should familiarize yourself with terms like, Search Engine Optimization “SEO”, Key Words & Key Word Advertising, Viral Marketing, Basic HTML & Meta Tags, URL Linking, Affiliate Marketing, Joint Venturing, E-mail Autoresponders & Prospect list building, Search Engine Listing and Niche Marketing, just for starters. There’s lots of info. online, if you Google Search any of the above terms. So take the time to surf and review the results of these terms and get yourself acquainted with their meanings. You can even search “’Term’ Glossary” and get great results that help to define much of the strange new terminology related to internet marketing.

At some point you will come to realize that many of these specialized terms have direct parallel meanings and relationships to running & promoting a physical business establishment. The reason for many of the “new” terms is due to internet marketing’s other relationship with computer technology. That’s where many of us go off the rails when just starting out.

So familiarize yourself in the areas mentioned above, define the key terms and then you’ll find yourself better equipped to take your website to the marketplace as well as bring the marketplace to your site. On the internet, both can be considered to be “mobile”.

J.P. Holesworth lives in The Pacific Northwest with a stressed-out Chihuahua—and uses his computer monitor as a tanning device.

Visit http://www.webmarketingmethod.com to receive PERPETUAL PROFITS, a FREE guide to Internet & Niche Marketing concepts from the Internet Profit Mentor, Brian Campbell.