Have you been duped? The truth about the website industry’s dirty secret

It’s launch day. 

Your website will go live in 3, 2, 1…

You smile. 

Now you just have to wait for leads to pour in. You’re excited. Your service provider said a website is one of the best business investments you can make. So you were happy to shell out several thousand dollars for one.

But as seconds turn to hours, and hours turn to days and weeks, you grow confused.

Where are the leads?

Why isn’t your phone ringing with new business? And why are the only emails you’re getting, ads for Ray-Bans and spammy marketing services?  

Well, if this situation has happened to you, I’m sorry to say, you’ve been duped.

What most website salespeople never tell you

Let me share a little website industry secret. Even if you write the sexiest web copy and design a high converting, visually stunning site, none of it matters if you don’t get traffic. 
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Websites don’t automatically attract leads. In other words, if you don’t market your site, no one will visit. 

A common saying from website salespeople and digital marketing companies is, “If you don’t have a website, it’s like you're invisible online.”

This saying is true. 

But what these salespeople and marketing companies often don’t tell you is this—if you don’t market your website, you are also invisible online. 

So many business owners have this Field of Dreams mentality: “If you build it, they will come.”

But it’s just not true. 

No one is coming unless you market your site. You must actively generate traffic and inbound leads. 

Don’t get me wrong, a website is important. But it is just the first step—not the end result, not the goal. 

Marketing is where the real magic happens.

Action step—do this today

If you’re thinking about starting a new website, plan your marketing strategy beforehand. How will you drive traffic to your site? How will you get leads? Does your potential website provider have suggestions? 

If you just launched your site, it’s not too late. You can plan your marketing strategy now. 

So literally, get out a piece of paper or open a new doc on your computer, and write out potential marketing options. 

I’ll give you 5 quick suggestions that I often help clients with: 

• SEO
• Blogging
• Kindle Funnels
• Social Media
• Subscriber list growth

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s also podcasting, advertising, video marketing and so much more. That said, I recommend keeping things simple. If you try too many strategies at once, you’ll likely spread yourself thin and fail to gain traction. 

So just choose two strategies to focus on first, and then create a plan to implement them. Of course, if you need help, just send me a message. ​

Launch your website on the right foot

With a marketing plan in hand, your website will be ready to rock. 

Depending on the strategies you choose, inbound leads could begin rolling in within a few days to a few months, to a year. 

Always. Always think about marketing before you launch your site. 

If you’re unsure, ask your website provider, a marketing specialist (like yours truly) or even just search Google or pick up some books on the subject. 

Your website can win. 

Talk to the right people, write out your plan thoroughly, implement and you’ll be well on your way.