Probably one of the most common complaints I hear from prospective clients is, "I've had a Website up for a while now, and nothing's happened!"

Unfortunately, whether your Website was designed by a friend, from a kit, or by a high priced design team... the results are often the same: people are always shocked that they aren't immediately inundated with new business, just like on TV.

They've heard all of the hype and hoopla about the millions of people surfing the Internet, and the zillions of dollars being spent every month, resulting in a new millionaire being made every few hours.

Here's the cold, hard truth: The Internet is like everything else in life - nothing happens until you make it happen.

You can have the best product on earth featured on the most cutting-edge Website, with all of the latest bells and whistles, but beware! When you throw it out there in that vast ocean of other great products on cutting edge websites, without a life preserver... it will just float there.

Here's what you need to do:

1. People need to know you're on the Internet.

   You might tend to think, "I have a website! Now I can stop spending money on advertising!" Wrong! Letting people know that you have a website takes a concerted effort of promotion using both traditional marketing methods as well as Internet promotion and marketing. Both existing and potential clients or customers need to know you're on the Internet. This is an obvious, but often-overlooked aspect of your Internet presence. Don't assume they know you are on the Internet. Search Engines are a key element in this, but work only as a supplement to other efforts.

2. People need to know where you are on the Internet.

   Your URL should be prominently displayed on everything you can think of, in all aspects of your marketing. Of course, it helps to have a good, memorable domain name that's easy for people to remember. You need to get your URL and domain name out in as many places as you can, both on and off the Internet. Make it clear, and obvious exactly how and where people can find you.

3. People need to know why they should come to your Website.

   It must be explained and made abundantly clear WHY someone might want to visit your Website. There are millions of Websites and millions of businesses on the Internet... so unless there is a compelling reason to visit your Website, visitors will go elsewhere. There are certain values that are more important than others in attracting visitors to a Website and you need to know these. This is one of the things a good consultant can help you with.

Summary: A Website cannot exist in a vacuum.

So, now we know that your Website can't exist in a vacuum. You can build it, and put it out there, but that's not enough. It takes a well-coordinated effort between your marketing and business plans to ensure a meaningful flow of visitors to your Website. Once a Website is built, nothing will happen without that vital support. The results you achieve with your Website will usually be commensurate with the effort and investment you put into it. Invest in your Internet presence, and it will work hard for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Alex Johnson does Internet Consulting and Strategies for businesses. In addition to his business, AJConsulting.com, he writes and speaks about Internet topics. His business specializes in Internet Promotion and Internet Business Profiling.

Alex can be reached at AlexJohnson@AJConsulting.com

Phone 603-647-4190