Developing Internet Business Systems

Internet business systems are the key to your success. They make it possible to expand your business many times with little impact on the work you have to do. In other words, systems make your business scalable.

The internet lends itself very naturally to turning every aspect of your internet business into a system. This is because the internet is run entirely by computers, and computers are designed to operate a system.

Lets review the basic components of an internet business:

* Traffic

* Conversion

* Sales transaction

Notice that "website" is missing from the list. The website is where you send traffic to, and it is responsible for containing the information that persuades visitors to buy. It has a support function. Think of it that way, and you will avoid the many pitfalls of web design, such as making it pretty and "cool" rather than easy to use and a conversion machine.
Web Traffic

Web traffic is where it all starts. Unless you have traffic coming to your website, nothing else happens.

There are many ways to drive traffic. You can buy it or get natural search traffic, just to name two major categories.

When you buy traffic, you are using someone else's system. You have to learn their system in order to use it as effectively as possible. You still need your own system to measure and monitor results, and make adjustments to maintain and improve effectiveness.

When you go for natural traffic, you need a system to keep your search engine optimization consistently effective, and to expand the material on your website so that Google and other search engines start to, and then continue to treat your website seriously.
Conversion

When a qualified visitor reaches your site, you need them to do something to move them along the road to making a sale.

Conversion in internet marketing has slightly different meanings depending which part of the process you are looking at.

When it comes to your website, conversion means converting a visitor to your website into a customer - someone who has spent money with you.

Conversion is part system and part art.

For example, copywriting is the art of explaining to your visitor what you have to offer, and why they should buy. The words have to be carefully considered.

Once written, the copy becomes part of your conversion system.

Other components of the conversion system include having audio and video on your sales page, effective use of testimonials, and the template you use for your sales page, just to name a few.

Many components of the conversion system are an art to create, and work together as a system.
List Building

An important part of conversion is building a list of prospects. There is a bit of an art to encouraging people to sign up. Much of this can be captured in a good optin template, and knowing how to write a good headline.

You also need copy for your autoresponder, the series of emails that people will receive on a predetermined schedule.

After that, its all system. People sign themselves up, and start receiving emails, with no effort on your part. The list builds itself.
Online Sales Transactions

Online sales transactions are handled by a system to accept people's credit card, and then provide them with the product immediately (if it is a digital product) or provide you with a shipping list if it is a physical product.

You don't even need to see the list yourself. Better to use a shipping system - either your own (hire people to do it, train them, and then let the system work for you), or outsource it to a fulfillment house.
Conclusion

An internet business is really a collection of systems that all work together to drive traffic to your website, convert visitors into customers, and then trade your product for their money.

While it does take time, effort and knowledge to set up, once it is in place, you don't have to do much for the business to work. You do have to keep an eye on it, and make adjustments from time to time, but serving one, ten, or one hundred visitors a day is about the same amount of work for you when you have your internet business systems set up properly.