I remember when I built my first website in 2002. It was a simple  site…I even used Microsoft Word to create it. Yes, I know coding  geeks everywhere are gasping in horror at the thought.

But the great thing about this site is that it was functional. It  served its purpose and served it well. Granted, esthetics weren’t
quite as important then, but just like today…if you get your message  out there to your targeted audience in a meaningful way, you’ll go far.

Fads and trends came and went. We had keyword stuffing, link farms and scraping software. Everyone was looking for a quick fix to get them their desired Internet riches. Those who approached Internet marketing from a quick fix perspective either burned out a long time ago or they eventually woke up and changed their ways. If you want long term profits, you’ve got to treat what you’re doing like a business. And if you’re actually building a business, the basics haven’t changed that much over the years.

The main core basics still apply:

You’ve got to have a target market that has money to spend and you need to have a product they want. If you want to eliminate competition, you’ve got to craft a USP (Unique Selling Position) and you need a clear message that conveys that USP. These concepts pre-date the Internet by far and aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Of course, web website traffic methods may arise that are unique to Internet marketing. But the way you evaluate those traffic methods hasn’t changed – not one bit. You want targeted traffic and a good ROI (Return on Investment). See – if you’ve got the basics, you can do this Internet stuff.

More basics that were here then and are still here now:

• Nurturing your regular readers, customers. Getting to know them better, giving them what they want, selling them more stuff.
• Constantly evaluating what’s working in your business and making adjustments accordingly.
• Using the written or spoken word to show compelling reasons to buy your product.

If you started with fads and have hopped from one thing to the next,  you’ve missed a golden opportunity to build a solid foundation for  your business. Just think if you started with the basics, where could  you be now? Of  course, it’s not too late…2010 still presents a  world of opportunity.

Go grab that opportunity now. And ahem, while you’re grabbing that opportunity, get your instant access to my Greatest Hits collection. It’s a collection of interviews, guides and audio recordings I’ve put together over the years. Grab yours by Dec. 24 and you also get free access for a friend…plus, you’ll receive my 2010 Planning Guide & Workbook. All the details are here.

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