There are only two types of web sites on the Internet: active and passive. The difference? One makes money and the other doesn't.

The more people I meet over the Internet, the more I realize why people aren't successful at turning a profit with their web sites. From what I have seen, most people have built passive web sites and they just sit back and wait for the orders to come in.

You see, I define a "passive" web site as a site that is put on the Internet and that's about it. The owner just sits back and expects the profits to come rolling on in. I don't have to tell you that this is not to way to sell on the Internet!

People who run what I define as "active" web sites have a totally different approach to selling on the web. And, they are typically bringing in respectable profits as a result. The difference is that these people are active in their marketing efforts. They update their web sites often, and they take specific actions to make sure people know that their web site exists and why it's important for their prospects to visit their site.

Which type of web site do you run?

If you're running a passive web site today, the good news is that it's easy to turn your web site into an active web site. The tools to help you to do it are readily available and they are not difficult to understand or use.

Let's take a look at what you can do today to turn your web site form a cash-eater to a profit center!

First, when was the last time you updated your web site? If you have not touched your web site in the last six weeks, it's time to update it! Keep in mind that the Internet is an active form of media, and if you don't update your web pages regularly, people simply won't come back to your site in the same way that you wouldn't watch the same episode of your favorite sitcom over and over again.

So get out a pen and some paper. Now ask yourself this question: What is the reason that I have a web site? In other words, what is your web site working to accomplish for you. For some people their web site is there to sell products or services. For others, their web site might be more of an outlet for distributing information to either customers or members. Why do you have or want a web site?

Once you know the answer to that question, the next question I would ask you is: Are you realizing your purpose with your current web site?

If you answered "no" to this question, you may want to keep reading, as this article is specifically for you.

With your pen and paper, not your computer, write down the main purpose for your web site at the top of a blank sheet of paper. Now, draw a circle about the size of a silver dollar in the middle of the page. This circle will represent your home page.

Now, what are the different functions your web site must offer if it is to effectively serve your purpose? Do you need an online catalog section, a customer service section, a news section, or how about a section called "resources?"

As you come up with each of the sections you'll need on your web site, just draw a box next to your home page circle on your paper and title each box with the focus of each section. For instance, if you need a catalog, draw a box and title it "catalog." Once you have made a box, draw a line "linking" that box back to the home page, if that is how the user will get to this page.

There is no need to be neat here. Draw your boxes on all sides of the circle, just like a spider web, if you will. And leave room to draw boxes under and/or beside the boxes you are now drawing. Then simply link all the boxes to their appropriate places by drawing lines between the boxes.

This is what I call the "working web" diagram. It's how I start every web project and it's how you should begin your web projects as well. It will help you see your web site from a whole new perspective.

Remember, the flow of your web site is very important, and this simple exercise will help you to design the flow of your web site quickly and easily.

Now, under the box you drew for your catalog section, for example, what catalog areas will you have to build?

Make a new box under the main catalog box for each catalog area. You could even go further at this point and draw a box for each product in every catalog area, but it could get too cumbersome and isn't usually necessary.

Now just do the same thing with each section of your web site until you have carefully thought out and planned each section carefully. Take your time. This is the most important part of building your web site.

The next step is to actually build this web site. Get help with it, if you need it, but build it. And remember, it's more important to stay true to your original layout than it is to play to your skill level. In other words, if you don't know how to do certain things technically, yet you feel it would be better to have it then not, get help! Never let the technical stuff get in the way of your marketing efforts!

Great! Let's say that at this point your web site is built. Now, it's really nothing more than a passive web site at this point, right? Of course it is since we haven't taken any form of action to market it in any way!

Get out a fresh sheet of paper. At the top of the page write the words, "Marketing Plan." This sheet will serve as your marketing planner for your web site. In the middle of the page, once again, draw a circle just as you did before.

Now in this circle, what you want to do is put in the words "web site orders." Now, if you also take orders over the telephone, you may want to draw a circle next to the other one and all it "telephone orders." Or if you also take orders through the mail, you could add a third circle. Now around the circle or circles, you want to again draw some boxes and give them titles. What are some ways you can draw traffic to your web site?

How about writing and distributing a press release? If that's an option, draw a box and title it "press release."

How about writing an article? If that's an option, again, make a box and title it, "article." This process will help you to see a variety of ways to create sales on your web site. Now, from each box, I draw an arrow to either the "web site order" circle or the "telephone order" circle. In some cases it may result in either a web site purchase or a telephone order, so I will draw arrows to each circle to indicate where that order might be placed.

On a typical marketing plan diagram, I will have anywhere from 10 to as many as 35 different marketing channels from which sales will come. These can include; press releases, classified ads in e-zines, e-books giveaways, seminars, teleconferences, reciprocal web site links, banner ads, display ads, search engine submissions, newsletters, direct mail, etc.

The goal here is to be as creative and playful as possible. You really want to fill up your page with at least 10 channels of marketing so that you have a number of ways that you will drive traffic to your web site.

Once your marketing planner is complete, you can get more specific on each area and put in the title and release date, for example, of your first press release. You could write a list of places you'd ideally like to run classified ads, or which groups you can speak to about your product or service.

The key to keep in mind here is that you don't need to know what you are going to say, who you are going to say it to, or how you will find these groups in the first place. Keep your focus on the horizon, not on the pebbles along the way. If you know what you really want, you'll always find a way to get it!

If you've spent the time to really build your marketing planner, what you'll have in your hands is the key to your Internet marketing success! What you'll create as you put these things into action is an active profit center on the Internet. A profit center that will bring you sales 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Now I ask you, isn't that why you are on the Internet in the first place?

Robert Imbriale is an internationally known Business Coach. He is the author of hundreds of articles on the topic of Internet marketing and the creator of the popular Unlimited Leads Program
(http://www.unlimitedleads.com).

For a FREE COPY of his e-book, Internet Marketing Secrets, go to http://www.unlimitedleads.com/ibs.htm.

To contact Robert by e-mail, send your messages to Robert@ultimatewealth.com 

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