I heard the frustration in the voice on the other end of my phone. ?My web site costs me money each month, and yet I don?t make any money from it. I don?t know why it?s such a big deal to have a web site anyway?.

Does this sound like your business? Do have a beautiful website describing your products or services, but you?re not sure what to do from there? Do you pay a web designer large sums of money to make changes every month?

Well, put on your happy cap folks because today I?m going to discuss some of the elements of the most successful and profitable websites out there on the Internet. It?s a widespread myth that the only people making money on the internet are the ones selling products about how to make money on the internet. Profitable websites come from all kinds of industries, all kinds of styles, shapes and colors. There are a few simple low or no cost things that any small business entrepreneur can do immediately to increase their web exposure, drive more traffic to their site, and ultimately make more sales.

Know Your Website Purpose

Before you start to create (or re-create) your website, consider what purpose it serves in your business? A website can be used to sell a product or service exclusively, to give information, as a brochure to attract more business or showcase projects, or even a combination of things. Let?s say, for example, that you sell fishing equipment. Your website might include articles for fishing enthusiasts, tips to catch bigger fish as well as a store for fishing equipment and supplies.

This would be an example of a combination site selling multiple related products.

If you are an author selling a book, a simple sales site might serve you well. With a simple sales site, you have only one or two pages to the whole site, featuring the product you wish to sell. The only information on the site might be the letter describing the book, and links to ?purchase now?. This is a simple and very effective method for using the internet to produce revenue from your site.

Lead Your Visitor to Action

Have you ever been to someone?s web site, looked at the front page, and left because you were confused? While it may be a common practice to put everything about your company?s product or service on the front page, it?s not a good idea, for exactly the reason I described above. You want your visitors to stay on your site and DO something. For each page on your web site, decide what you want your visitor to do. Should they sign up for a newsletter? Buy a product? Look at the pictures of your work? Make it clear and easy to understand and your visitor will happily tour your website.