Vital Mindsets for Online Success

Online success isn’t for the weak of heart—I often say that. But ask anyone who is making a profitable living online. These extraordinary entrepreneurs will detail the hard work, long hours, and earnings they’ve put in.

Then, reinvent yourself when needed as part of that successful strategy. Anyone who claims this level of effort and commitment is unnecessary is full of nonsense.

I always talk to folks looking for that magic bullet of online success. They have an idea, some more original than others, and believe they can make it work. But they are not willing to have the necessary mindset. Instead, they want to do things piecemeal, while still expecting the best results.

When asked how to succeed online, I advise that an idea or a product isn’t enough. You must be mentally prepared to learn more and work harder than ever.

Many minimize hard work, but those same folks are typically the ones to say, “I assume I can get my site ranked on the first page of Google?” If that were even possible, it would be the end-all, be-all. But it wouldn’t.

You do know know what happens when you assume…

Vital Mindsets for Having a Successful Online Business

Most importantly, you need to have the right mindset, one based on reality. Online is not a “build it, and he will come” playground. It’s more like building it and hoping to get found.

You must have the right mindset on these issues to achieve online success. Nothing less will do.

Details and Intent

Websites must focus on the basics of Product, Service, and Company. While that makes sense, we are omitting a critical perspective. Intent.

Many make the mistake of ensuring the visitor is provided with the information that the site owner wants them to know. However, we often neglect to address and focus on customers’ wants and intent when they land on your website.

Think about why your potential customers would come to your site. Cater to that.
Compared to other sites with a similar focus, why should they be interested in your product or service instead? Tell them.
What makes your product or service unique, different, and better? Be clear.
What are their likely questions? Answer them.

If you know your business as much as you should, the above is an easy task. If not, you have a lot of homework to do.

Once a potential customer arrives on your site, you can’t provide enough information about your business and methodology, which is what they are looking for. The more details you provide, the more you’ll be viewed as a trustworthy expert in your field.

Be THE Best

Strive to be the go-to site for your product, service, or industry. How can you separate your site from the others currently ranking on that top page? By being unique while sharing your own fantastic story.

With billions of Web pages and thousands of competitors’ sites already online, your success depends on offering excellence in your business’s presentation. To stand out from the rest.

An unprofessional, sludgy, unorganized presentation will let that opportunity slip by. Your website must look attractive, contemporary, and professional to capture your site visitors’ attention. You need to convince them that your company is a high-quality, reputable firm that can be trusted to deliver on its promises.

Remember, all your potential customers must do is find a competitor who has invested in their image and the quality of their Web presence, leaving you in the dust.

The last thing you want is to be perceived as a hobbyist or amateur. Mindset makes the difference.

The Only Thing Consistent is Change

The Web is evolving daily. Be prepared to grow with technology and stay on the edge. After doing this for years, I can confidently say things aren’t slowing down.

I’ve lost count of the times I had to take a new approach, learn something, try something, and embrace further information I wasn’t aware of until after the fact. And now we have AI to contend with.

Those “on the edge” tend to be the survivors with the highest success rate.

First, analyze your Web services, Search Engine, and financial statistics to see what is working and what needs improvement.
Next, determine the pages visitors are naturally migrating toward. Then, make them your cornerstone content.
Seek out what campaign attracts the most visitors and orders. Testing and tuning are never-ending.
Finally, build on this data consistently — with passion.

After carefully reviewing your Web server statistics and offline marketing campaign, being honest about what isn’t working is crucial. It may be time to cut your losses and try something new.

Modify your business plan accordingly today—waiting until next week or next month could be too late. Then, as the data reflects, it is necessary to pivot again. Flexibility and proactiveness rule!

Direct marketing has shown that while one classified ad may not produce a single inquiry, slightly different wording, timing, or positioning can be a winner. Of course, you won’t know what works best until you try — and test — other things.

Plan on continuous, incremental improvements until you get it just right. Not to mention keeping up with the trends and “looks” as the Web grows and changes.

If you own a website, your work is cut out for you. Constant experimentation, determination, and consistency are the only ways to determine your specific formula for success.

Be Prepared to Go to the Next Level

How do you reach the level that will ensure your success with any business?

Know where you are. Be aware that enough is not good enough. Many entrepreneurs become motivated when they feel stagnant.
Reach for those lofty goals (and know what they are). Climbing towards seemingly impossible goals always requires change. It will also require extra effort and commitment. You must want it badly enough to pay the price in time, money, and hard work.
You need a plan. Write down your goals. You don’t need a formal fancy-schmancy business plan, but make your project clear, specific, and measurable. Break your long-term goals into short-term milestones.
Focus on achieving one step forward each day, week, month, and year. Then, track your progress and push yourself to strive where you need to be to reach your goals.

Don’t have the time? MAKE THE TIME.

Even though I am very customer-responsive, I realize I won’t get things done if I don’t actively and aggressively set aside regular time to run my business. So, my calendar is loaded with reminders of what I need to accomplish. They display until I mark them as done.

We all feel swamped occasionally, and it can be overwhelming. However, we can free up more time by prioritizing our tasks and duties compared to the benefits we get. Therefore, when creating your task list, prioritize your tasks and responsibilities and spend your time accordingly.

My strategy includes planning new articles and site features that help position my business more effectively in the constantly growing WordPress Consulting and Coaching market. If something doesn’t go as I envisioned, I try something else. It’s a never-ending cycle.

And I don’t hesitate.

I constantly learn new technologies and develop strategic partnerships to stay one step ahead of obsolescence. Of course, this requires that I test and tune regularly. There’s no better way to learn new strategies and stay ahead of the crowd.

Some are afraid to take this approach because they inevitably meet with failure. I get that—disappointing results aren’t fun. But not everything you do will work as you thought or be a resounding success. That’s how we learn, and that’s a good thing.

Does it take time? Yep! Will it be effective? There’s only one way to find out — by doing.

Many have believed the myth that all you have to do is create a decent-looking website, and the world will beat a path to your door. Unfortunately, it will not happen — they have to find you first.

Fail to Plan; Plan to Fail

Plan your work, work your plan. You’ve heard these phrases countless times, and none of the above points are unique.

Focus on your customers. Cater to them.
Offer excellence. Nothing less will do.
Keep tweaking your marketing strategy. Again and again.
Prepare for growth—estimate (realistically) and plan accordingly.
Schedule and prioritize your time.

Just presenting a great product on the Web will not produce results. Even having a great website is not enough.

If you expect potential customers to find you and, more importantly, come back again and again, you must have the mindset to work at it continually and market your product or service effectively.

You can’t market effectively without utilizing these marketing mindsets, many of which are essential for running any successful business, online or offline. The more you do and learn, the more you increase your chances of success.

So, are you ready to leave your comfort zone and grab a bucketful of success? My blog has 100s of articles to get you started.

At your service,