Cruiser in A Corn Field
By: Profitstation News and Offers
In the United States, in southern New Jersey, there is a very distinguishable feature along the New Jersey Turnpike. As you go driving along this busy freeway, when you pass through the Moorestown, area, you will see the superstructure, mast work and combat systems of a modern day Navy cruiser.
This mighty warship structure, normally so potent and imposing, appears to be sitting smack dab in the middle of a cornfield. It has been many years since I have seen this "Cruiser in a CornField" and so the cornfield may have been replaced with a parking lot or a strip mall, but the image remains a striking contrast. Who would put an ocean going naval combatant vessel in a cornfield--or even in a parking lot? That "ship" has no chance at engaging the enemy, no chance at performing the mission it was designed for.
You may not know that Moorestown, NJ is where the US Navy's land-based development and testing facility for modern day combat systems is located--so it explains the presence of the "cruiser mock up" sitting in the corn field.
No intelligent life form would REALLY consider putting an actual Navy cruiser out in the middle of no-where, land bound and impotent. So I MUST ask, why do some of YOU do that with your Internet business? Why would you create a business presence full of profit potential and place it smack dab in the middle of cornfield where it cannot possibly perform its function? That is EXACTLY what you are doing if you get your domain hosted by a company without consideration for the number one most important business statistic on the Internet: TRAFFIC
If you are investigating domain hosting companies and you go to any popular search engine and search for "domain hosting"; you will end up with a bunch of choices. If you are a "pencil neck" engineer like me, you will probably start a matrix listing the various features of each in an attempt to determine the most cost-effective hosting company to go with.
First of all, to seriously start your own business on the Internet, you need your own business name and you need a location (domain and domain name). If you are not convinced of that then frankly, you need to do some more studying.
If you do not have your own domain, you are not only working on increasing traffic for YOUR site--but for your hosting company as well. For example, if you search at http://www.yahoo.com for "domain hosting," you will get quite a few, and one of the first companies listed is a company called Solo <http://www.websolo.com/>. The first domain-hosting package that they offer is $6.95 per month (as of this writing). Your domain URL would look like this: http://solo.abac.com/yourname
So what do you think of that? Sure, it is inexpensive, and I am sure that they are a fine company. But it is like opening your store in an apartment building where you have to sign an agreement with the landlord to promote HIS business along with YOURS. Imagine advertising your business under those conditions!
"Holiday SALE! Visit PRODUCTS R US and take advantage of our huge bargains---but FIRST, why not rent an apartment at "LODGINGS Inc?"—Low cost lodging for EVERYONE! Visit http://www.lodingsinc.com/products-r-us.com"
Sort of confusing, right? You have to ask yourself the question: Who IS this really and WHAT are they selling?
My conclusion is probably the same as the general public. If a potential business owner cannot afford $35 a year to register their own business name, then they are NOT serious about their business; the average customer will not pull out their wallet for such a presence.
OK, I heard you cry "uncle," so let us say that you are one of the smart ones and you decide to get your own domain. The next question you have to answer is "WHERE will I put my store," or converted to Internet language, "who will host me?"
Would you open up your Internet store in the middle of a cornfield in New Jersey? Not intentionally, just as the Navy would never put a REAL cruiser in a cornfield because it would not result in the desired outcome. Well that is exactly what you ARE doing if get hosted by a company that pays ZERO attention to YOUR traffic.
If you place YOUR brand new Internet business in a virtual cornfield with no exit, off-ramp, or conduit to get visitors to your site, you will have disappointing results. No one will know you are there. You will not even have the advantage of sticking up above the ears of corn so that random traffic can see you as they drive by. You are 100% invisible when you launch, by definition. You can elect to fix that problem and make money…or do NOTHING and get exactly what you are getting right now. You cannot make money on the Internet without traffic. Sadly, this is a critical point most often ignored by many entrepreneurs on the Internet today.
Imagine if you were contemplating opening a conventional business or franchise on your own. I guarantee that you would give significant consideration to location. Why? Because you need foot traffic. Does it cost MORE to rent space in a busy mall--instead of an isolated store in a small town? Certainly. You pay for the real estate AND YOU PAY FOR the traffic resulting from LOCATION. In conventional business, traffic is directly related to location. Traffic, in all businesses, is critical to the successful sales of products and services.
If you would give a great deal of consideration to location and the resulting traffic in a CONVENTIONAL business, why are you ignoring the equivalent in your INTERNET business?
Location, of course, on the Internet is transparent. If your domain is hosted on a server in Siberia, you stand just as much chance of success in your Internet business as the person who just launched their site on a server in London, Paris, or New York does. So what should you worry about with your Internet business? Traffic--the same thing as in a conventional business. But wait! If your real estate LOCATION is no longer important, the million-dollar question is how do you get traffic?
If you are new on the Internet, your traffic starts at zero. The methods to GET traffic can be quite complex. Search-engine listing, swaps, banner ads, paid advertising, submission services, etc. There are zillions of ways to bring someone to your site. Usually you must do everything possible and it remains an endless battle. But you MUST do SOMETHING! Waiting around for customers to stumble across your business is ridiculous and rarely happens.
So, here is my point. If traffic is SO important, and it certainly IS, which domain hosting company will help you with that? There are many companies out there who do search engine submission as part of the hosting arrangement, but most do not seem to do much beyond that. Based on MY research, I found that very few companies that would give you a good start with solid traffic. That is why I launched ProfitStation ISP. For the price, ProfitStation ISP is one of the FEW hosting companies on the planet that GUARANTEES you hundreds and sometimes even thousands of visitors to your website absolutely FREE JUST FOR HAVING YOUR DOMAIN HOSTED BY THEM! Check it out here: http://www.profitstation.com/displayvillage Packages start as low as $5.95 per month!
Some companies do not care about YOUR traffic; they only want your hosting fees every month. Other companies, like mine at http://www.profitstation-isp.com are looking to build a life long relationship with their clients. If I can guarantee you traffic every month, you have a MUCH better chance at success. And I will be honest with you; YOUR success means that you will stay hosted with me! So, I have created a hosting package that will GUARANTEE visitors to your website each and every month that you are hosted by me. Even for our economy package at $5.95 per month I will GUARANTEE you that HUNDREDS of visitors will see your website each month! But is MY Guaranteed Traffic package enough? No.
I would suggest that successful website traffic generation is a combination of utilizing ALL possible methods-- aggressively. But it only makes sense that you get a terrific head start by going with a hosting company whose mission in life is promoting traffic for itself and its customers. ANY advantage over your competitors is a GOOD thing. So do not be penny wise and pound foolish--and then out of business in a year.
Is there any satisfaction in knowing that you saved a few dollars each month after you have to shut your business down due to lack of cash flow brought on by lack of traffic? Ask yourself the question: "Why do those malls charge so much for prime store locations?"
When you understand the answer to that one, your next step in your Internet business will be obvious. You have GOT to have TRAFFIC to make it work. Take advantage of every possible traffic generation tool available to you! Do NOT put YOUR Internet business out in a cornfield. So why not be hosted by a company that GUARANTEES you FREE traffic each month?
---------------------------------------------------- Mark Petersen-Overton mailto:webmaster@profitstation.com has been on the Internet for three years. His web sites, ProfitStation (http://www.profitstation.com) ProfitStation ISP (http://www.profitstation-isp.com) and All-Prizes Free Lotto (http://www.all-prizes.com) hosts over three million hits per year. ============================================
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