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| Lessons From An Online Newbie |
So you have a fabulous idea for a brand
spanking new online business and you just KNOW that it will make
you tons of money! Best of all, the new site is going to be all
about a subject you know (and love!) very well. Dream on, Sleeping
Beauty, because you have a lot of work (and learning!) to do.
Just 5 short years ago, I decided that I should turn my passion
(handbags) into an occupation by starting my own online business.
My education is ongoing and far from over but there are some basic
lessons learned during the process that I would like to share.
Online Lesson #1 - Just because you have a great site, filled with
lots of interesting information does not mean that people will
flock to you! Believe it or not, no visitors will come unless they
can find you.
I know this sounds incredibly obvious, but for some reason, every
Newbie I have talked to (myself included) believed that if we just
built it, they would come. You need to practice sound SEO techniques
and have a great deal of patience to be listed in the Search Engines.
I personally found that it takes very little time to have a new
page indexed in MSN and, conversely, it takes a lot longer to have
the same new page picked up by Google.
Online Lesson #2 -Practice altruism in your business every day.
Altruism is defined as "unselfish concern for the welfare
of others" and I know this sounds very strange. I will give
you an example of what I mean. I get e-mails from website owners
wanting to exchange links, and, if I notice that there is a problem
on their site, I will offer help and advice. This simple act has
lead to my own website being featured in newsletters, online magazine,
etc. at no cost. In addition, I felt good that I was able to have
a positive effect on others.
Online Lesson #3 - To have a quality site, you need to have good
content - write your own articles!!
Don’t tell me that you have no clue how to write because
I don’t buy it. Not everyone is born with writing skills
but they can be learned. Think about it for a minute - do you want
someone else writing about the subject that you are passionate
about and most interested in on your own site? Who knows your subject
better than you do? Just about every city has a Community College
with affordable classes in writing - don’t you want your
customers to have the very best that you can offer? Learn to write!
Online Lesson #4 - Set your priorities and stick with them!
Make up your own list of what is important and list what needs
to be done on a weekly, monthly, and even yearly bases. For example,
to me it’s more important for all the links to work properly
than it is to make sure that the product photos are "crunched" (optimized
for a reduction in loading time). Look at your own site and figure
out what needs to be done and how often. Follow these 4 simple lessons for Newbies, practice lots of
patience and, most importantly, do what you love and love what
you do!
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