Step Into the Unknown

“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”
~~Tom Krause

Explode Your Online Effectiveness by Analyzing Website Traffic

Analyzing your web traffic statistics can be an invaluable tool for a number of different reasons. But before you can make full use of this tool, you need to understand how to interpret the data.

Most web hosting companies will provide you with basic webtraffic information that you then have to interpret andmake pertinent use of. However, the data you receive from your host company can be overwhelming if you don'tunderstand how to apply it to your particular business and website. Let's start by examining the most basic data - the average visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

These figures are the most accurate measure of your website's activity. It would appear on the surface that the more traffic you see recorded, the better you can assume your website is doing, but this is an inaccurate perception. You must also look at the behavior of your visitors once they come to your website to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your site.

There is often a great misconception about what is commonly known as "hits" and what is really effective, quality traffic to your site. Hits simply means the number of information requests received by the server. If you think about the fact that a hit can simply equate to the number of graphics per page, you will get an idea of how overblown the concept of hits can be. For example, if your homepage has 15 graphics on it, the server records this as 15 hits,when in reality we are talking about a single visitor checking out a single page on your site. As you can see, hits are not useful in analyzing your website traffic.

The more visitors that come to your website, the more accurate your interpretation will become. The greater the traffic is to your website, the more precise your analysis will be of overall trends in visitor behavior. The smaller the number of visitors, the more a few anomalous visitors can distort the analysis.

The aim is to use the web traffic statistics to figure outhow well or how poorly your site is working for yourvisitors. One way to determine this is to find out how long on average your visitors spend on your site. If the time spent is relatively brief, it usually indicates an underlying problem. Then the challenge is to figure out what that problem is.

It could be that your keywords are directing the wrong typeof visitors to your website, or that your graphics are confusing or intimidating, causing the visitor to exit rapidly. Use the knowledge of how much time visitors are spending on your site to pinpoint specific problems, and after you fix those problems, continue to use time spent as a gauge of how effective your fix has been.

Additionally, web traffic stats can help you determine effective and ineffective areas of your website. If you have a page that you believe is important, but visitors are exiting it rapidly, that page needs attention. You could,for example, consider improving the link to this page by making the link more noticeable and enticing, or you could improve the look of the page or the ease that your visitors can access the necessary information on that page.

If, on the other hand, you notice that visitors are spending a lot of time on pages that you think are less important, you might consider moving some of your sales copy and marketing focus to that particular page.
As you can see, these statistics will reveal vital information about the effectiveness of individual pages,and visitor habits and motivation. This is essential information to any successful Internet marketing campaign.
Your website undoubtedly has exit pages, such as a final order or contact form. This is a page you can expect your visitor to exit rapidly. However, not every visitor to your site is going to find exactly what he or she is looking for, so statistics may show you a number of different exit pages. This is normal unless you notice a exit trend on a particular page that is not intended as an exit page. In the case that a significant percentage of visitors are exiting your website on a page not designed for that purpose, you must closely examine that particular page to discern what the problem is. Once you pinpoint potential weaknesses on that page, minor modifications in content or graphics may have a significant impact on keeping visitors moving through your site instead of exiting at the wrong page.

After you have analyzed your visitor statistics, it's time to turn to your keywords and phrases. Notice if particular keywords are directing a specific type of visitor to yoursite. The more targeted the visitor - meaning that they find what they are looking for on your site, and even better, fill out your contact form or make a purchase - the more valuable that keyword is.

However, if you find a large number of visitors are being directed - or should I say misdirected - to your site by a particular keyword or phrase, that keyword demands adjustment. Keywords are vital to bringing quality visitors to your site who are ready to do business with you. Close analysis of the keywords your visitors are using to find your site will give you a vital understanding of your visitor's needs and motivations.

Finally, if you notice that users are finding your website by typing in your company name, break open the champagne! It means you have achieved a significant level of brand recognition, and this is a sure sign of burgeoning success.

Don't Think... and Grow Rich!

Success in any entrepreneurial endeavor is contingent on a simple truth: Learning does not always require thinking.

Actually, thinking often hinders learning. Hinders learning? That flies in the face of most of what we know, doesn't it? As children we were often reproached when we made mistakes: "You just weren't thinking! Don't you ever think about what you're doing?"

Then there's the most successful personal development book of all time telling us to do what? ...That's right, "Think and Grow Rich". True it is a fantastic book and a must read for success minded people. But many of us get so tangled in thoughts that we can't get out of our "heads" and take the action required for success.

Socrates, one of the greatest "thinkers" of all time, said, "Action equals knowledge." Action, not thinking, is how we achieve results. Take playing the piano for instance. We could think about playing the piano but we will never become better until we start pecking away at the keys. If you were to ask an accomplished pianist to think about what they are playing in the middle of a rapturous concert, the music would probably fall apart into a series of painfully disconnected notes.

Same is true with typing. Ask a person who flawlessly types over 70 words a minute to think about the key strokes, and you could probably watch the mistakes pile up. Thinking hinders execution. Thinking can hinder success. The fact of the matter is we can intellectualize all we want, but until we take action we will never accomplish anything.

There is a mantra in the martial arts that says "Ready, Fire, Aim". Simply put, this means take action and correct that action as you go. It is quite probable that many businesses never get out of the starting gate because of over-thinking and over analyzing. Most people want all their ducks to be lined up in a row before they begin. This will never happen. The time will never be perfect. The key is to get started and then "keep on keeping on." In the martial arts, students practice moves over and over and over again. They train their bodies to transcend thought and take action in the moment. Imagine a trained martial artist getting attacked on the street thinking, "Hmm, okay I'm being attacked. Should I turn my body this way or should it be the other way? Okay, now I have to trap the assailments arms, tighten my fists, pull back, and strike."

Of course this is not what happens in the martial arts. The key teaching in the martial arts is to ACT. NOW! ...In spite of the mind's tenancy to analyze the situation.

The worst kind of thinking is fear of failure. The "What if" disease. "What if I fail? What if people laugh at me? What if I lose all my money? What if, what if, what if?

Fear is paralyzing. It stops the movement necessary for success. Fear weakens our resolve, cripples our creativity, and ultimately stagnates our successes. Conversely, movement overcomes fear. When struck by fear, move. Do something!

So, don't wait to explore your entrepreneurial spirit; take action now. When those pesky thoughts creep up, and they will, scare them away with the mantra, "Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think..." and watch your dreams and goals cascade toward you.

What is the bottom line? "Don't think and grow rich."

Robert Kiosaki - On Learning

I was listening to a tape by Peter Lynch and he had said something I completely disagreed with. Instead of becoming arrogant and critical , I simply pushed "rewind" and I listened to that five-minute stretch of tape at least twenty times, possibly more. But suddenly , by keeping my mind open , I understood why he said what he said.

The Net Result : I still have the old way I USED TO THINK , and I have Peter's way of looking at the same problem or situation. I have two thoughts instead of one. One more way to analyze a problem or trend, and that is priceless. Today , I often say , "How would Peter Lynch do this , or Donald Trump or Warren Buffet or George Soros?" The only way I can access their vast mental power is to be humble enough to read or listen to what they have to say. Arrogant or critical people are often people with low self-esteem who are afraid of taking risks. You see, if you learn something new, you are required to make mistakes in order to fully understand what you have learned

Robert Kiosaki - Rich Dad Poor Dad

Seven Surefire Steps To Successfully Increasing Website Traffic

Internet. Business. Profit. To fully integrate all of these words into a successful blend you will need to add another word. Traffic. Every article you will find about making your site or company successful will always include the importance of generating traffic. We all know that traffic is the a essential ingredient for a successful internet based business website. Aside from ensuring that you have a great product to sell, increasing and retaining internet traffic is critical. It's time to get to the nitty gritty of things, generating traffic.

If you already have a site and you don't think that you're getting the traffic that you're supposed to be getting, its time to rehab things. You want to dominate in this very competitive arena, you should always be a step ahead of your competition. Timing is essential, an old adage known to everyone. When it comes to generating website traffic, it's even more so. You should always be on your toes and be a day ahead of everyone. Never think of today or tomorrow as a starting point for making your site traffic laden. Increasing your traffic flow should have been done starting yesterday.

To help you out in attracting more visitors, here are seven surefire steps to increase your traffic.

1) Invest in good advertising with search engines
Google’s Adwords and Yahoo’s Overture provide great advertising methods that are very popular and assure great traffic. While some would shy away from spending money to increase traffic, it is wise to consider doing so because Adwords and Overture are the top surefire ways to increase your traffic.

2) Exchange or Trade Links with other sites
When you exchange links with other sites, both of you will benefit from the efforts each of you do to enhance your sites' traffic. When one site features another sites link, they could provide one another with the traffic one site generates. The efforts are doubly beneficial because both of you are working to generate more traffic. The more links traded with other sites, the more traffic can be expected.

3) Use Viral Marketing
Viral marketing allows you to spread the word about your company and product with very low, or NO costs involved. This is a marketing method that can be quite sneaky; you can attach your company’s name, product or link to media such as a funny video, entertaining game, an interesting article or a gossip or buzz. With this method, folks get so infected with the creativity and entertainment value of the medium that they will pass it on to many new people.

4) Use great keywords and keyword phrases
Search engines look for keywords that they show in their results page. Because of this, having the right keywords and keyword phrases is critical to obtaining high ranking results. You could
write your own content or you could hire someone to do it for you.

5) Write Articles that can lead traffic to your site
Submit articles to sites that contain the same or similar subject matter as your site deals with. For example, if you sell car parts write press releases and articles about cars and car parts and submit them to other car parts sites. Attach your sites description and services at the end of the article as well as link to your site.

6) Join forums and form online communities
Capture a market and show your expertise and credibility by forming or participating in forums and online communities that relate to your product or service. When you build a good reputation as an authority in your field in this way, people will trust you and your site and will pass their trust on to many new people. Traffic will certainly increase because they know that you can provide what they need.

7) Offer newsletters
A newsletter is a great way to share your knowledge and information with your clients and customers. If many people know what you are about, they will your info with many others. In this way, you will find loyal traffic that can provide you with more traffic by recommendation. If you arouse the loyalty of your customers they will be inspired to help you with building your traffic.

There you have it. Seven surefire steps to exploding your sites traffic. Which ones are you using, and why not all seven?

I'll expand on each of these steps in future articles here, so be sure to check back in. For now, it's time to get going. Yesterday would not have been too soon to have started!