The top 10 questions you NEED to ask if your site isn't making any sales
Derek Gehl

Imagine: After weeks of hard work, your website is finally live. You've officially been open for business an entire week. And yet you haven't made any sales.

Not. One. Single. Sale.

Arggh!

Don't despair -- we've all been there before. In fact, it's one of the most common problems people ask me to solve for them.

Here's something that'll help ease the pain of turning a "dud" site into one that rakes in the profits: Derek Gehl's surefire "My Website Ain't Making Money!" troubleshooting checklist!

If you recently launched a new web site and aren't getting the results you expected, you need to ask yourself every single question on the list below, starting at number one.

Once you're able to answer "yes" to all ten questions, I guarantee the sales will come rolling in.

Print out the following checklist and start your troubleshooting right now:

Is there actually a market for your product? By that I mean, are you POSITIVE you're selling a product or solution people are actively looking for online -- and not finding? That's the formula for a successful business.

The best way to answer this question is to do keyword research and confirm whether people are using search engines to look for a solution to the problem your product addresses -- but not having any luck finding one.

(Our favorite keyword research tool is Wordtracker. You can learn more about it here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/wordtrackertool.html)

Are you getting enough traffic? Before you can really judge your website's effectiveness, you need at least 1,000 unique visitors (not pageviews).

If you've only had 100 visitors and haven't made a sale, be patient! You just need more traffic. Once you've had 1000 visitors, then you can begin to assess how effective your site really is.

Are you getting targeted traffic? If you've had 1,000+ visitors to your website and you still haven't made a sale, find out where your visitor traffic is coming from. That'll help you know if it's targeted or not.

The best way to get top-quality traffic to your site is by bidding on extremely targeted keywords in the pay-per-click search engines.

(By "targeted," I mean, keywords that speak directly to the people who are most likely to buy your product.)

If you drive 1,000 visitors to your site -- using targeted keywords in your PPC ads -- and you still don't make a sale, then we know the problem isn't the quality of traffic you're getting.

It's your website.

So let's take a look at that next...

Is your headline effective? If your site doesn't have a compelling headline that clearly communicates a powerful benefit, your potential customers aren't going to stick around for your offer.

Writing a better headline is typically the easiest way to fix a floundering website. If you get more people to stay on your site and read your offer, more people will buy your product.

Are you distracting your visitors from your main sales message? You need to get rid of everything that encourages your visitors think of something other than your main offer.

This includes: links to other websites, Google Adsense ads, banner ads for other products, free articles that don't support the sale... the list goes on.

Keep your visitors focused only on buying your product -- and your sales will go up.

Are you using testimonials effectively? Like I said in last week's editorial, testimonials are one of your most powerful selling tools.

Nothing says, "Buy it now!" like an unbiased third-party recommendation.

If your site is brand new and you don't have any testimonials yet, give your product to a few friends and ask them to provide you with testimonials on how well it worked for them.

Does your guarantee take away the risk of buying? A good guarantee is an essential selling tool -- especially on the Internet.

Unless you're a major brand (like Sony, Walmart, Pepsi) that your customers inherently trust, you need to let them know you'll stand behind your product.

Reassure them that if they're not 100% satisfied they can send it right back for a full refund. And remember, a longer guarantee usually results in more sales -- and fewer refunds!

Is your price too high? Or too low? Most people know that if you price your product too high, you'll hurt your sales. But this can also be true if your price is too low.

People get suspicious when the price is far below their expectations. They think it's probably "too good to be true" -- and as a result, they don't feel confident making a purchase.

Is your ordering system easy to use? Just because you can figure out how to navigate through your ordering process, it doesn't mean your average customer can.

If you want to make sure your ordering system is "user-friendly," find a few friends who aren't very Internet savvy and get them to order your product.

Watch over their shoulders and take notes. Where did they get stuck?

Make sure you fix whatever problems they encountered -- because your potential customers are encountering them, too!

Do you have good salescopy? If you aren't using well-written salescopy to sell your product, then you'll never achieve online success. It's that simple.

It doesn't matter whether your particular site needs short copy or long copy, the fact will always remain: Your product isn't going to sell itself! You need to find the right words to do the job. So there they are... the 10 questions I ask whenever I look at a website that's not turning visitors into sales. Once I'm able to answer "yes" to all 10 questions, I always see a substantial improvement to the site's conversion rate.

Now, if you're scratching your head, wondering what a good sales letter looks like... how to test pricing... how to write a headline... or how to use the pay-per-click search engines -- then I have to be honest and tell you, you need more help than I can provide in a single article!

If you want detailed, step-by-step training on everything I mentioned above, visit the site below and check out my best-selling Internet marketing course, The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/marketingcourse.html

********************************
Derek Gehl is Leading Internet expert who regularly reveals proven strategies for starting your own Internet business!
Get free strategies here: http://www.thecassiopeia.com/marketingcourse.html

Chris Taylor

Visit a website looking for some great internet marketing information to help with your online business. Find what you require, purchase the book or cd and then the barrage of emails start. And the emails aren’t the useful type… here’s another tip on internet marketing which will be in the new improved edition coming out in February… or just thought I would send you this great tip which I have run some stats on and been receiving great results.

Instead, you are bombarded with a steady stream of the newest amazing marketing books on the net that will not only build you business automatically but also keep your wife happy and drive your kids to school in the morning! And it goes on and gets worse with more offers of products and services that will break the bank and make you millions overnight.

So the big question: Why has it become like this?

1. We, the business people have made it so!

There are so many people and small businesses online that are so desperately trying to make money with little or no effort that they are willing to buy anything. And especially any type of marketing product that this promises to be the case.

2. Marketers follow the trend.

Marketers knowing the above now put a lot more emphasis on the money they make in their sales and promotional material as this gets sales.

3. Introduction of the ebook.

Ebooks have made it easy for anyone to publish an online book whether it is good, bad or indifferent.

4. Greed by far is the biggest factor.

Marketers no longer spout about the quality of their work. What they do spout about is the number of copies they sold and how much money they make.

Where real success lies.

For some reason, I have always looked at success in a different manner. When I am old and grey I am certain that I will look back on my life and think about the people I have helped rather than the money I have made.

If at a given time I sold one thousand products and only helped one person achieve their goals I would not call that successful.

If however I can look back at the time I spent in business and say that I honestly tried to really help every person I came across achieve maximum results I will be happy.

And if that means that I only helped a few thousand properly rather than helping a few and making a mountain of money so be it.

Finding the right marketer.

Although some Internet marketing professionals will suit your personality better than others, here are a few guidelines I generally stick to and watch out for.

1. Does the material they sell actually give you step by step information on how to go about achieving results?

I have purchased many books and videos that give general details about marketing a business but never get around to the important information of the exact details of how a task is done.

2. After purchasing, are you then either bombarded with sales pitch type emails, every second email is pitching a new product or every monthly selling more products?

3. The emails that are sent, are the full of decent “how to information” or just plain common marketing knowledge all webmasters know even if having been online for a short period?

4. Does the marketer or company always get back to you with useful answers no matter the degree of difficulty?

In many cases it is the least difficult, most easily answered questions that are replied to in a useful, prompt and non judgmental manner that tells the worth, morals and ethics of a top marketer.

5. Does the marketer ask for a fair price for their products and services given the quality of what they are offering?

In other words, is that ebook or one piece of software really worth $99, $150 or even $300?

The last piece of advice I would offer is to also take a good hard look at what you are trying to achieve online.

Are you trying to make a quick buck like many of the marketers themselves or build a lasting business that has quality in mind for your own customers?

********************************
For more information on building a great online business plus a few marketers I recommend try our home based business web site guide. Or for simple tips on all Internet marketing principles, try our Internet marketing video course and tutorial. Click here!
http://www.greatinternetmarketingtips.info/
http://www.catdynamics.com/

Hot Internet Opportunity!

The Potential to Earn Like a CEO Without the Stress Are you ready to make the income you really want? Serious, motivated, & driven only. Click here: http://PureFreedomandAbundance.com

HOT: New Article Directory
Submit Your Business Articles in theCassiopeia's Article World

I've just launched a new article directory, theCassiopeia's Article World Directory, which is an integral part of Pathway To Success Ezine.

You can submit your business articles for free, and as soon as you submit certain number of your quality articles you will gain expert status and your Articles and business get big exposure.

Also, you can search and get free content for your ezine and blog.

Plus, there's an affiliate program attached to it, paying 50% commission on every generated sale.

To check it and start submitting your articles, please visit: http://NICKNAME.ibc3000.hop.clickbank.net

This link goes straight to: http://articles.thecassiopeia.com/

P.S.: Don't forget to put your ClickBank ID in the above link instead of 'NICKNAME'.

Today's Tip On the Book Worth Having

Get Exclusive Free PDF Special Report: Words = Money
Learn How to Use Articles to Build Profitable Adsense Web Sites

It includes videos and audio from some of the greatest minds in Internet marketing including: Michael Cheney, Leslie Rohde, Sherman Hu, Mike Liebner, Sean Wu, John Alexander, Eric Holmlund, Jeff Walters and many others!

Sign up for this Internet marketing newsletter and get the great 37-page PDF special report with over 3 hours of incredible multimedia! The PDF and videos are truly special and will show you how to turn WORDS into MONEY!

You will also receive a FREE 19-page special report Ban Proofing Your Web Sites and make long term money with article marketing which includes over 60 minutes of video!

Register now for the newsletter, report and videos - it's free! Click here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/wordsaremoney.html

Today's Tip On the Software Worth Using

Are you REACHING the Other 98 Percent?
Shocking news finally reveals that only 2% of the Internet cares about your Internet marketing information, website, and products!

The info marketers are selling the latest info secrets... to other marketers. There's NO reason to sit back and settle for 2% of the Internet.

• You could be reaching 98 percent more people than they are.

• You could be targetting the general population.

• You Could Have The Advantage!

...NO Need To Struggle Anymore! Reach a broader market and explode your traffic!

Now you can get a free membership in Other98percent - a $97 value. You will receive 12 very useful products and once there you can upgrade and get even more explosive information:

However, it will not last forever. Check it here now:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/reach98percent.html

Today's Tip On Learning

MONEY! DVD-ROM PLUS $173.90 NET Profit Per Sale!
After 14 months' labor, Brian Garvin gives birth to two twins, which comprise the M0NEY! DVD Set.

Whether you're a Network Marketer needing to train your Downline to be stronger Internet Soldiers, a Webmaster that needs lots of Custom Scripts to make sure you Dominate Your Niche or an Internet Marketer looking for the Hottest Product on the Internet to sell, then Congrats!

You're one of the 27,000,000+ People Worldwide who can benefit from this Life-Changing Product, specifically designed from the ground up to give you the edge you need to succeed in Marketing on the Internet and Off-Line. The MONEY! DVD-ROM is packed to the rim with Useful, Hard-Core Current content necessary to assist your Long-Term success on the Internet, at a price you can definitely afford.

The MONEY! DVD-ROM is all about making money, while at the same time supporting each other. We even have a Free, 2-Tier, Incredible Viral Affiliate Program you can signup for once you get to the main website. If you do nothing else, make sure you visit the site and join the free Affiliate Program.

Click here to get complete details:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/moneydvd.html

Today's Promotional Tips

Special Promotion Strategy: A Concept Unlike Any Other!
You see, the concept for E-FlashMob came when the owner saw the news about the real life events called "FlashMobs".

There are websites in existence made for posting "FlashMob" events to people, which are focused on OFFLINE events. A FlashMob is when someone posts an event and asks people to show up at this day and time at a location, such as a restaurant or a mall. Thousands of people will show up and for no gain whatsoever.

And so the question came...
"Why doesn't anyone do this with websites too?"

And E-FlashMob was born.

Advertisers: You need to get a FlashMob right now to get exposure. You won't be sorry using this very unique concept.

See for yourself by clicking here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/neweraadvertising.html

Today's Useful Tip

New Article Feed!
Join the free Dream Life Newsletter and start your journey of self discovery and find out how YOU can live the Dream Life...

Since I decided to severely limit the use of my mail because of the thousands of useless announcements I receive on daily basis from unorganized marketers spamming all my mailboxes, and at the same time I want to make sure that all of you who wish to receive my articles are able to I started my article feed.

I must admit I don't know why it's taken me so much time. So, finally it's here and you can start using it now. Click here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/theCassiArticleRssFeed.html

P.S.: to get it syndicated for your website, please visit:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/Syndication/

Today's Special

HOT!
Unlimited access to over 12 million songs!

Click here:
http://www.thecassiopeia.com/musicdownloads.html

Please Link to Pathway To Success Ezine. Thank you.

Put the code below into your webpage: <A target=_blank href=http://pathwaytosuccessezine.thecassiopeia.com/> <IMG border=0 src=http://www.thecassiopeia.com/images/ptssubscribe.gif alt="Want to Master Online Success? Subscribe to Pathway To Success!"></A>