I am officially accepting guest posts on the 2 Create a Website blog!

[insert applause here]

I receive quite a few guest post submissions.  Unfortunately over 90% of them are either poorly written, offer nothing original or the content is not very relevant to my audience.

The quality has been very disappointing.  So I decided to create a submission guidelines page. (Yes, I know this is long overdue.)

You can also upload your article in either a .TXT or .HTML format instead of trying to format your article in the submission form’s text box.

What I’m Looking For

In a word…

Originality.

I have received so many submissions over the years that speak very generally about the importance of writing good content, SEO, etc.

There are many, many articles written about this subject on Internet marketing blogs, and unfortunately many of them are too generic and say the same things.

I am looking for articles that offer fresh perspectives on marketing, design, blogging, promotion and more.

What specific strategies are you using that work for you?  Give examples.  What were the results?  People love to see working examples and success you can prove with your own results.

For example, how have you used your FaceBook fan page to drive traffic and business to your site?  What FB applications have you used to improve productivity and how are you using them?

The more original, helpful and revealing your article is, the greater the chance it will be featured here.

So if you are interested in submitting an article for consideration, please read the guidelines and submit your original article here.

You’ve had your blog for a few months now.  You’ve chosen a topic you love and have great information.  But you have very little traffic and no sales.

So what’s wrong?

Often times it’s nothing but your impatience and lack of consistency.

A few months is hardly enough time to give a new business.  So if you went into this with unrealistic expectations, you will be disappointed.

I get an amazing number of emails from people who claim “affiliate marketing doesn’t work.”  And when I ask them how long they’ve been at it, the answer is often two months or less.

Are you kidding me?

It took me months before any worthwhile money started to roll in. And even when my income didn’t equate to the hours I was spending online, I never stopped writing and strategizing.

If you haven’t generated a steady stream of traffic yet, one thing you have to work on is building momentum with consistency.

If you’re a new blogger, you need to establish a rhythm.  Posting once a month is probably not going to cut it.  This is a business so you must commit to it and take it seriously.

There are so many blogs and websites out there with great potential, but they’ve been abandoned by impatient owners looking for too much too soon.

I know it’s frustrating when you feel no one is reading your content.  But if you have a solid concept and believe in your site, you will be amazed at what will happen if you just stick with it and produce solid content on a consistent basis.

Set goals for content and video production. Make your presence known. It’s time for you to get serious. Let’s make 2010 a great one!

There are a lot of things that go into creating a successful affiliate marketing website…

1) You should learn enough programming to manage and maintain your own site

2) You need to hone your writing skills

3) You need a strategy for implementation and marketing

4) You have to build a brand (even if that brand is just YOU and your content)

I bet none of these items are new to you, and I’m sure you’ve read them all before.  [Insert Yawn Here.]

I’ve seen a lot of websites do all the above fairly well, yet they still fall short of success.  One reason some people never get over the hump is they forget to add the human component to their sites.

People need to know you are real and you shouldn’t be afraid to be somewhat transparent.  Talk about things you’ve done wrong, problems you’ve had and how you’ve solved them.

Not only does this create credibility, but it shows you are human and helps people trust and relate to you more.

Some of my most popular videos on YouTube are the ones where I’m talking about mistakes I’ve made.

People love transparency, especially with sites on topics that often create skepticism (i.e. making money online).

Marketing is Only Part of the Story

I get lots of e-mails from people who want to know how to build a presence and get more traffic.  They are so focused on things like linking schemes, inbound links and social networking.

However, when I go to their websites, it often looks like no one’s home.  There’s a bunch of bland content that almost anyone could have written.  There’s no personality and the content is clearly missing that human component.

Of course, being transparent and vulnerable may not work for every kind of website.  But if you are struggling with building credibility and being unique, think of ways you can add more of yourself to your own site.

For example, if your site is about dealing with depression, talk about strategies that have worked for you.  People want to know what makes you the expert on the subject.  How do you relate to what you’re talking about?  Give examples.

People often ask me how I come up with ideas for my content.  The answer is simple.  A lot of my content and videos are inspired by my own experiences and lessons.  That’s why it’s so helpful to be actively involved and engaged with the topic of your site.

Now this doesn’t mean you should become a complete narcissist and babble on and on about yourself on every page.  It just means to add your own relevant stories, personal examples, and personality into the site where appropriate.  It makes a world of difference.

Don’t talk AT your visitors, talk TO them.  Trust me.  They want to know there’s a real person behind the website.

Build connections.  Build trust.  Build income.

A lot of people feel pressure to make their articles a certain length.  As if, more words automatically equals more value.

That isn’t always true.  In fact, more words can often make articles difficult to read and monotonous.

Brevity has its advantages…

1)  People are busy and subscribe to dozens of blogs and websites, so they often appreciate the quick read.

2) Attention spans are short (and getting shorter as technology grows).  Get to the point and the more likely they’ll read/absorb your message.

3)  It’s less writing for you.  Duh.

Here are some tips to writing shorter, more concise and meaningful pieces.

1.  Keep your goal in mind

Don’t write just because you feel you have to.  Every article should have a goal (inform, educate, sell, promote a download, build credibility etc.)   Be careful of babbling for the sake of babbling and not really saying anything.

When you finish writing, ask yourself,

Did this piece accomplish what I set out to do?

Am I getting to the message/benefit early enough?

That’s a great way of checking yourself and keeping the article focused.

2.  Write shorter, active sentences

Look at these two sentences…

I have finished reading the book and it has really taught me a lot about what it takes to design a good-looking website.

vs.

I read the book and it taught me a lot about good web design.

Both sentences say the same thing, but the 2nd one is more concise and easier to read.  Imagine cleaning up an entire article and making more of your sentences active and concise. It will make a huge difference with the overall delivery.

3.  Watch your use of filler words

Words like naturally, usually, eventually, normally, possibly and really can junk up your writing and make it difficult to read.  Sometimes these words are useful, but just like anything else, you can overdo it.

We have a tendency to write like we talk and sometimes filler words are unnecessary.  This is something I have to check myself on all the time.

A lot of times we add these words because we are unconsciously trying to lengthen and improve our article.  But the reality is, they can disrupt the flow.

Sometimes longer pieces are necessary and there’s no way to get around it, but most articles can be just as effective by trimming the word count significantly.

I received an email from a lady named Angelica, who plans to publish an instructional blog post about Google Analytics (GA), but she is a bit hesitant because she feels it won’t be comprehensive enough.

She admits she is afraid of coming across dumb because her article is not going to be as thorough as other bloggers who’ve written about it.

My first question to her was, “Who is this article for?”

She told me it was for new Webmasters.

Bingo!

This is a mistake many people make.  They worry about coming across as inferior to people they aren’t even writing for.  If your site is for beginning Webmasters, write for them.

Don’t concern yourself with the perceptions of people you aren’t even targeting.  As I said in this article, there will always be people who know less than you, and need your advice.  This is your target audience, and should be your main focus.

Let’s say the Site Overlay is Angelica’s favorite Google Analytics report. She could focus her blog post on that portion of GA by explaining how it works and how she uses it.   She could even preface that she is still learning a lot about GA, but wants to share one of her favorite features.

Let’s remember.  Her audience consists of new Webmasters, so chances are, many of them may not know a lot about GA yet.  That’s why it’s so important to keep in mind WHO you are writing for!

Instead of publishing a comprehensive article about the entire Google Analytics program, she can focus on the area she is most knowledgeable about.  Then at the end of the article she can invite her readers to share their favorite reports and features.

This accomplishes a few things…

1)  Angelica can appear as the “expert” on the part of Google Analytics that she is comfortable with

2) Since she knows who her audience is (important!), she is bound to teach several people something new

3) Inviting her readers to share their favorite GA report can spark a discussion and educate other readers

Now, sometimes it’s necessary to do a little research before publishing an article.  Of course, it wouldn’t hurt Angelica to learn a little more about GA to give the blog post more meat.

However, she shouldn’t feel that she has to know EVERYTHING about a topic in order to write a solid, polished article.  And she certainly shouldn’t compare her article to others who may target a different audience.

If I had waited until I knew everything about how to create a website, I would have never published 2CreateAWebsite.com.

I still don’t know everything (and probably never will), but I know enough to publish content that is relevant and appeals to my audience.

As I always say, focus on what you know, and let the content flow.  There will always be people who know less than you and desire to learn what you already know.

As your site grows, it’s easy to neglect some of the older content.  So it definitely pays to do an audit every now and then.

I must admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve completed one, and this is the next task on my never-ending To-Do list.

So what exactly is an audit?  To put it simply, it’s a thorough review of your site or blog that checks for the following…

1) Relevance & Accuracy

Are your articles/blog posts still accurate and relevant?  This is especially important if your site is in a niche that is constantly evolving.  Just recently, I found an article on this blog for Blog Rush, and this program was terminated months ago.

2) Monetization Opportunities

Check your older articles to see if there are places to add affiliate links for any programs you may have joined recently. It’s amazing how many opportunities will arise.

3)  Dated Info

As a rule, you should avoid phrasing that can become outdated.  For example, instead of saying “I joined 24 Hour Fitness 3 years ago”, you should say “I joined 24 Hour Fitness in 2006.”

Sometimes such phrasing cannot be helped depending on the article and the point you’re making, but it’s still good to check for outdated information.

4) Broken Links

It’s easy to delete pages and forget you have links to them on other pages.  Also, links to external sites may become broken due to site closures or typos. I use Dreamweaver’s broken link checker, but there are a ton of free broken link tools you can use online.

If you have a Google Sitemap (and you should for all your sites), there is a broken link report within your sitemap summary.

5) Promote Your Online Profiles

As the social media world grows, you’re probably developing quite a few profiles around the Web.  It’s good to remind people how they can stay in touch with you and keep up with your latest content.

I just created this page on 2 Create a Website that displays the many ways you can connect with me online.  I added it to my site’s navigation and linked to it from my Contact page so it’s easy to find. Eventually I will create a page like this for the rest of my sites and blog.

Also, don’t forget to clarify or explain functions that may be confusing. Yes, there are still a lot of people who don’t understand RSS.  Don’t assume they will click and subscribe just because you’ve provided a link.  A quick explanation never hurts.

Speaking of RSS, did you know you can promote your YouTube channel’s RSS feed by using the following format?

http://www.youtube.com/rss/user/YouTubeID/videos.rss

So if you have a channel you want to promote and/or want to subscribe to someone else’s channel via RSS, just use the above link and replace “YouTubeID” with the appropriate YouTube username/ID.

6) Content Re-organization

As you continue to add content, the organization of your pages may need adjusting.  It may have been logical three years ago, but perhaps there’s a better way to structure the content today. Look for ways to simplify and cut down on redundancies.

7)  Cross Promote Your Content

If you have a blog and use WordPress, you probably know that it’s super easy to cross promote your posts.  There are several related post plugins available that will get the job done easily.

However, if you have a static/HTML site, you’ll need to do this manually. Cross promoting your pages can improve your bounce rate (the number of page views per visitor before exit) and prevent older articles from getting buried.

8)  Unwanted Contextual Ads

One disadvantage to using contextual ad programs like Google AdSense is that you may lose track of the ads that show up on your site.  You might find some that are inappropriate, or you may discover ads from direct competitors that you don’t want to show.

Remember you can block domains from displaying ads on your site by logging into your AdSense account, selecting the AdSense Setup tab and clicking on “Competitive Ad Filter.”

—————-

Regular site audits will keep your content fresh, accurate and effectively monetized.  There’s always so much focus on writing new content, but don’t let your older articles get stale.

Remember, not everyone enters your site via your homepage.  So if someone happens to land on an outdated page, it can reflect poorly on your entire site.  First impressions are powerful and lasting.

Want to make money with an information affiliate site, but tired of bouncing from topic to topic?

Don’t feel like you know enough about anything to publish an interesting website or blog?

Is the word “expert” discouraging you because you don’t feel like an expert on any topic?

You’re not alone. It’s a feeling that plagues many first-time website builders and bloggers while they rack their brains trying to come up with the right topic.

The word “expert” is overrated and part of the problem is the way we often define it.  You may feel that in order to be an expert you need a degree in the subject matter or know enough to teach some sort of class.

Well I can tell you that when it comes to making money as an affiliate (like me), that couldn’t be further from the truth.

We’re All Experts on Some Level

Someone once told me, “Lisa, everyone is an expert on some topic because there will always be people who know less than you and desire to learn what you already know.” That taught me to stop trying to be everything to everybody, and target people I knew I could reach with my knowledge.

Years ago a programmer told me my site would never succeed because my HTML tutorials were too simplistic and didn’t cover more advanced web design languages.

Well, if 2 Create a Website was targeting ColdFusion or Dot Net programmers, perhaps this guy would have been right.  However, that’s not who I’m targeting so I’m not really concerned with what people like him think.

When I created my site, I knew there were people out there like me who just wanted to learn enough to launch a basic website without getting too involved in the technical gibble gabble.   So THAT’s the audience I focused on.

Does that make me “The Official Expert” on Web Development?  Of course not, but it makes me an “expert” to the people who want to learn what I know.

I brought my own flavor and personality to a topic that has been done over and over again. This is a big reason I have been able to compete in a niche that is immensely saturated.

Avoid The Inferiority Complex

Many people have anxiety over their first site because they don’t feel they know enough or they’ve found too many sites that they perceive to be “better” than what they can do.

The information is certainly an important part of your site, but your writing style, presentation, voice and content organization also play a role in how successful your site will be.  It’s the total package.

Research your potential competitors.  I bet you will find gaps and areas you can improve upon. There’s always room for creativity and a unique perspective.

Don’t avoid a topic you are truly passionate about because you are intimidated by your competition or other people who appear to be experts.

Any topic that is worth considering is going to have some competition.   Just find a way to reach your audience in a way other sites may not.

It’s time we look at the way we define the word “expert”.  When it comes to information affiliate websites, it doesn’t mean you have to be all-knowing.

It just requires you to present your information in a fresh, unique way that will reach an audience who wants to learn what you already know.

Now of course I am not implying you should never strive to learn more and continually improve your site over time.  I just don’t want you to get stuck in neutral because you feel your site could never compare to your potential competition.

Dig deeper.  You are already an “expert” on many things.  You don’t have to know more than everyone, but if you know more than a group of people in your niche, build a site to reach them.

Become THEIR expert.

1.  Your Visitors Will Read Everything

Never assume that your visitors will read every page on your site.  Most of the time, people only read between 10 to 20%, and they also skim your pages.

That’s why you should make sure your most important, compelling points are on your homepage and emphasized throughout your site on other important pages.

Also make good use of sub headings to emphasize points that can be caught when skimming.

2.  People Will Buy On The First Visit

Making sales regularly from your site requires you have a lot of two very important things:  targeted traffic and credibility.

Once you have these two things, you need to understand that not everyone is going to buy the first time they visit. In fact, most people won’t.

That’s why it’s so important your site makes a good first impression.  Give your audience a reason to bookmark your site and return at a later time.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails from people who told me they read about Site Build It! on my site months ago and came back to buy later because they wanted to take some time to do more research.

Or there’s the people who didn’t have the money at the time, and wanted to save up their funds before making the purchase.

Give these people who are “on the fence” a reason to return later.

3.  The More Ads The Better

This reminds me of the people who complain they cannot make a sale from their site, yet they only get 25 visitors per day and 80% of their site is a walking advertisement for various products, services and Google ads.

If you’re trying to make money as an affiliate, the last thing you want to do is bombard your visitors with ads when they arrive at your site.

You have to give them a reason to trust you, and a good way to do this is to provide useful information upfront.

I know it may be tempting to lace the top 2/3rds of your site with Google ads, hoping someone will click before they leave. But I would much rather miss out on a few clicks and gain people’s trust so they will return.

I’ll take a loyal visitor over a click-and-run in a heartbeat!

Someone challenged me on that theory a while back saying, “How come sites like Macys and Old Navy have ads all over the place and that seems to be OK?”

First of all, these are retail sites. People go to sites like oldnavy.com to shop so advertisements are expected, and sometimes even welcomed because people are looking for good deals.

But if you’re making money as an affiliate, you have to remember that most people are coming to your site looking for information. They are not usually in a buying mood.

So the best way to warm them up to buy is to give them what they came for –  information.  Once you’ve earned their trust and gained some credibility THEN perhaps they’ll buy.

4.  Design Is E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G

Of course, everyone wants a site that is pleasing to the eye.  You never hear anyone say “I don’t care how my site looks.”   Yes, we all want sites that look presentable and inviting.

However, there are those who are so completely obsessed with their design that they never get started.  Remember folks, you can always update your site’s design at a later time.

Your biggest challenge is going to be driving traffic to your site.  So start with something you can work with and then tweak your design as you go.  Don’t become so distracted with the layout that it keeps you from making progress.

A great example is my Site Build It! site, Flat Stomach Exercises.  I used the simple, SBI! template for over 2 years.  Honestly, I wasn’t really happy with the original design, but the site was getting thousands of visitors per day and making money.

Yes, the layout was super simple, but thankfully people were more interested in the content.  I didn’t tackle the re-design until much later because my priority was driving traffic and making sales.

No sense in overwhelming yourself with design and marketing, especially if you’re just starting out and learning the ropes.  If you find yourself stressing out over building your site, find a design you can work with for now and tackle the re-design when you’re ready.

5. You Only Have One Chance to Get it Right

I did a video a while back where I spoke about people’s fear of failure.  It’s amazing how crippling fear can be to a business.

Some people are so afraid to start because they don’t want to mess up.  They get stuck in this never-ending planning mode trying to make sure they don’t make any mistakes.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with doing research and gathering facts before you begin.  I’m all for that. But if you become obsessed to the point that you can’t even get your site off the ground, then you are letting fear take over.

Sometimes you have to make mistakes to learn the right way of doing something.  And if you don’t do everything right on the first try then welcome to the club!

Most people don’t know this, but more of my sites have been failures than successes.  But I didn’t give up just because those other sites didn’t work out.  I got up, dusted myself off and tried again.

You don’t have to get everything right on the first try.  In fact, you will still make mistakes with your successful sites too.  The most important thing is that you learn from these mistakes and continue to grow.

Sometimes you have to follow Nike’s advice and “Just Do It!”. 

This happens to me from time to time, and now that my readership is growing, sometimes I do panic a bit if it’s been a few days since my last post and I haven’t a clue what to right about next.

I’ve gotten better as of late because of some techniques that alleviate my “blogger’s block”.

1) Go Off-Topic & Post Something Fun

When you have a loyal following, they don’t mind as much when you have an off-topic post every now and then. 

In fact, people often enjoy a break and it gives you a chance to showcase your personality and/or other interests.

That’s sort of what I did with my last post, If You Had a Website in 1998… It wasn’t completely off topic, but definitely different from the kind of posts I normally publish here.

However, if your blog is very new and you have a small following, I wouldn’t recommend going off topic much in the beginning.  Let your readership and blog identity grow first.

2) Wait Until You Have Something Interesting to Say

When I first started blogging, I felt compelled to post something new, just because it had been 5 or 6 days since my last post.

What I’ve learned is that it’s much better to wait until you have something useful to say than to blog just for the sake of blogging.

I’m sure the majority of your readers would rather wait an extra 2 or 3 days for a useful post than for you to publish something that is low in quality.

3)  Do Your Homework

Sometimes when I don’t have anything to blog about, it’s because I haven’t been reading the latest news in my industry and the blogs I subscribe to.

I often get ideas for my topics by reading other blogs.  I don’t copy the posts, of course, but I may take a topic and re-develop it with a different spin.

For example, as soon as Yaro Starak released Blog Mastermind, it seemed everyone started reviewing it on their blogs.

(And who would blame them? Yaro gave away high-end prizes for the top affiliates and he pays a $48 residual commission for every blog coaching sign-up.)

So instead of just writing a regular review on the book like so many others had done, I downloaded Blog Mastermind, took a single point from the book and expanded upon that. 

This evolved into the post, Most Bloggers are Poor Marketers.

4) Keep Blog Notes

Sometimes blog ideas will pop into my head when I’m not at my computer. Rather than relying on my memory, I’ll quickly jot it down on paper and transfer it to my “Blog Notes” file that I keep on my computer.

Now when I’m ready to write my next blog post, I have a selection of topics to choose from that I can develop.

If it’s a post that will take time to develop, I often fire up WordPress, type the key points and save the draft for later.

5) Highlight What’s Free

A great way to build credibility on your blog is to direct your readers to relevant quality products and services.  If they happen to be free, that’s even better!

If you can’t think of anything to blog about, make a list of some quality, relevant resources and publish them on your blog.  Good quality freebies never go out of style.

6) Get Some Rest

I’ve noticed a direct correlation between how rested I am and my writing quality. When I’m well-rested, ideas flow all over the place.

When I’m tired, sometimes even the smallest tasks like answering emails can be a challenge.

Rest is so important to the creative sector of your brain. And if you work on your site or blog full-time like I do, it becomes especially important because we have a tendency to take fewer breaks because our work is always accessible to us.

I know people who place alarm clocks on their desks to remind them to take frequent breaks. It’s easy to lose track of time and nothing for me to sit here for hours at a time without realizing it.

It’s good to love your job like that, but not necessarily the best for your health and creativity. Give yourself a break! (In fact, I’m going to take a walk right after this post. It’s a beautiful day!)

Don’t Announce You Haven’t Posted in a While

I’ve seen many bloggers post apologies or announcements about their inactivity and I’m not sure why they do it. If you don’t have anything to write about, won’t it be obvious by the fact you haven’t posted anything?

And if your slump only lasts a couple of days, chances are, most people won’t even realize it anyway.

Of course, there’s always the exception to this. If you have a regular posting schedule and a large following who awaits your posts on certain days, then you may want to inform them that you’re taking a break — especially if it’s a longer break than usual.

However, for the average blog, this is not usually necessary.

——————–

The next time you have blogger’s block, hopefully you’ll be able to put some of these techniques to use. Don’t fret. It’s something almost all bloggers go through from time to time. I think it just comes with the territory.

I define a robotic Webmaster as one who goes through the motions of managing and updating a website, without a clear understanding for what it takes to succeed online.

They haphazardly throw up content without much regard to how their target audience will interpret it. They’re more concerned with quantity of tasks than measuring the results and seeing the big picture.

Instead of developing their own voice and personality, they often mimic other successful sites. So they end up re-inventing the wheel instead of redefining themselves as a credible Webmaster of niche XYZ.

Robotic Webmasters Focus on Quantity Over Quality

One of the most common questions I receive is “How much content do I need to make money?”

As if there is some golden rule out there that says “Build 150 pages of content and you will begin seeing $3 per visitor.”

Or someone will say, “I created 45 pages but I haven’t made any money yet. How much more content do I need to write?”

First of all, you could build 400 pages of content and never see a dime. Making money online goes far beyond robotically putting up content.

You have to define an audience, understand how your content impacts them, and do your best to meet their needs.

In addition, you have to build credibility by showing you are a trusted source and that you are providing information that can’t be found anywhere else.

Finally, you have to find where your audience is and market to these people. Where you go may depend on your niche, talents, etc.

Social Networking sites may work well for one Webmaster while another may find a gold mine in writing guest articles for another site or blog.

You may be clever enough to master pay per click marketing and someone else may find success building relationships through a newsletter.

Not every Webmaster takes the same approach to marketing. You have to think outside of the box, experiment and find what’s best for you and your site.

Don’t feel you have to take the same approach as those who’ve come before you. The Net is changing fast. What worked in 2006 may not work as well today. You have to discover what works with your talents, site goals, etc.

It’s your job to stay abreast of the latest marketing strategies and discover ways to apply them to your site or blog. Remember, this is a business, so these are things you must do if you want to thrive online.

Robotic Webmasters Have Trouble Coming Up With Content

This often happens when a Webmaster is not passionate enough about their topic. They find similar articles on the Web and paraphrase them into their own words.

This may be OK for the first 5-10 articles, but this gets boring after awhile because the person is obviously not into the topic.

So they end up with another personality-less site with no voice and no unique spin because they don’t have a personal attachment to the topic.

Another reason robotic Webmasters have trouble coming with content is they don’t take the time to define a specific audience, or they try to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no one.

When you’ve defined who your site is directed to, you shouldn’t have to wonder what to write about. Anytime someone asks me to give them advice on what to write about I know they are taking a backward approach.

You don’t write content and then hope people will find it useful. You define who you are trying to reach with your site and make sure it meets their needs based on what you’ve defined.

As you develop traffic, you’ll begin getting feedback from your readers and that will further define the questions, problems and issues you may want to address. This will help you produce even more useful content down the road.

You may discover along the way (as I did) that your content is off-target. That’s OK. That’s all part of the process, my friend. Take what you’ve learned and work to make your site better.

Robotic Webmasters are Overly Obsessed With Small Details

When people don’t understand the big picture of Internet marketing, it’s easy to get sidetracked on little things that don’t matter as much. For example…

How long do my articles need to be?

Perhaps the important question to ask here is, “What is the goal of this article and how much do I need to write to get my point across and make it useful?”

An article should be as long as it needs to be. And of course that will vary depending on the situation, goal of the article, etc.

Some articles need to be longer to get the point across. Others can be shorter. But the point is, don’t stress over size or character length. Focus on the usefulness in relation to your audience.

While there are certain steps you must follow as a Webmaster, if you find that you performing the same tasks over and over again with no results, perhaps you need to step back and look at the big picture.

1. Have you clearly defined an audience?

2. Is your audience definition narrow enough?

3. Will your content have a direct impact on your audience’s needs?

4. Does your site look as if it wants to inform/help or are you bombarding your visitors with ads?

5. What can you do to set your site apart from the competition?

6. Are you focusing more on quantity than quality?

7. Are you trying to mimic someone else’s successful idea or do you have your own path?

8. Are you interested enough in this topic to remain creative and motivated?

9. Do you challenge yourself to think outside the box in terms of marketing your site?

When you can answer these questions precisely, developing a useful site and writing content becomes much easier and less robotic.

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While there are some repetitive tasks involved with owning a website, it’s the creativity and thinking outside of the box that is going to set you apart from your competition and make you successful.

If your site is a year old with 150 pages of content and you still only have 10 visitors per day, something needs to be adjusted. Step back and answer the 9 questions above and see which ones need attention.

Robotic Webmasters have short lives because their batteries die quickly. They start out full-speed ahead completing task after task, writing article after article, submitting to directories and social networking sites as if on queue.

If you want success out here, you cannot be a robot. Robotic Webmasters have no emotional attachment to their sites and often perform tasks as if they were programmed, while not seeing the big picture.

Step outside your box. Make sure the goals of your site are clearly defined and look for creative ways to market. Remember there several ways to make it to the top, so if your methods aren’t working don’t be afraid to try something new.

Being successful online takes more than robotically publishing content, submitting to various sites and waiting for results.

You have to be proactive, creative, take risks and you can’t be afraid to fail. And last but certainly not least…

Enjoy yourself.