Every internet business has a similar goal: to sell something. That something could be a product, a service, or even an intangible such as personal recognition.
Regardless of what your website is selling, there is a standard, three-pronged online success formula and this is to attract visitors, convert them to subscribers and/or customers, and then keep this process going.
Let’s examine each part of this formula for success in more depth…
Online Success Formula Step 1 – Attract
The first part of the online success formula is attracting visitors to your web pages. This is where concentrated SEO efforts come into play most. After all, you can’t sell anything without prospects coming by to consider your offer and the only way an internet user is going to find your site is through proper search engine optimisation.
Good optimisation of your web pages to attract visitors is accomplished through the same SEO techniques that help them achieve higher ranking in the SERPs and better indexing. Use the right keywords in content, meta tags, headlines, titles, and image descriptions. Update the pages often. Provide varying types of content and make the visitor’s experience interactive.
If you want to take this a step further, consider starting a PPC campaign with one or more of the major search engines. This is an excellent way to drive semi-qualified traffic.
Build backlinks from reputable sites. This gives your web pages additional exposure to prospects, as well as being great for SEO.
Another organic way of attracting visitors is to simply provide good content. Ensure that your blog posts, articles, and web pages all contain valuable, interesting information. The key to driving traffic is the value proposition; provide something that your target market needs or wants and they are sure to spend some time browsing through the content.
Giveaways and online contests are a great ways to drive traffic and can also help you increase the number of subscribers. Sure, you are likely to attract people who just want to take their freebie and never return, but those who stay on as subscribers are very likely to convert.
Online Success Formula Step 2 – Convert
Once you’ve got visitors and/or subscribers, it’s time to convert them into customers. Your internet marketing tactics are the essential component in this part of the equation.
There are several things you can do to establish and maintain a relationship with prospective customers. Send an email sequence after opt-in with special offers and specific calls to action. Publish a monthly newsletter that contains informative, newsworthy articles. Perform personalised follow-ups and stay in contact on a regular basis. Offer a freebie or discount that applies to the subscriber’s first order. Keep reminding your database of the value proposition provided by your products or services.
Online Success Formula Step 3 – Repeat
The online success formula is not a static part of your internet marketing efforts. It needs to be continual, evolutionary, and keep up with trends.
Don’t forget to ask your current client database to help you find new subscribers. Offer them something of value in exchange for qualified referrals. Ask them for testimonials you can post on your site. Provide them a “friends and family” discount code.
Once you’ve mastered this simple online success formula for increasing sales you are sure to find more success with your online business. Attract, convert, and then repeat to provide a steady stream of income and new customers.
About Sean Rasmussen
Hi Sean,
your online success formula is like all great things – very simple, but true.
I have seen a lot of websites that started out great but stopped there and forgot the third step – repeat. You have to keep on going and creating good content and products to stay up there, otherwise you will be left behind.
That is a big reminder that also online success requires ongoing work – but it can be a lot of fun if you pick a topic that you love
Glad you found the article beneficial Renee, I agree that the “repeat” step is one that is widely forgotten about
Repeat – such a frequently repeated phrase and yet so many miss the point of it. Repetition is key to success and yet so many give up if the first attempt results in nothing but a bombardment of spam.
I am hearing you Sarah. Giving up is simply not an option if you are to achieve the success you desire
Hi Sean,
Your online success formula reminds me just how uncomplicated it can be to have a successful website. I seem to be making the whole process a lot harder than it needs to be.
I feel like I have all the pieces of the puzzle I need to be successful. It just that some days, all the pieces are exactly where they’re supposed to be and everything is going well. Other days, it’s like a gust of wind has blown some of the pieces away.
I think many people have the same feelings sometimes Jazz. Focusing on one thing at a time and crossing it off your to-do list once complete is a good way to make progress
That’s how I feel right now. The list is a must for me or it just doesn’t get done.
Great advice.
Cath
Hi Sean,
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the successes of others that I feel I cant be one of them but by doing things step by step, and repeating, things are far less complicated and overwhelming 
Your Online Success Formula assures me that I, too, can achieve a successful website if the formula is followed
Trish, I know the feeling entirely…and I also have to keep reminding myself…..one step at a time. You are certainly not alone.
Cath
Content is king with blogs! Content is King with blogs! The first time I heard “content is king” I completely agreed with it. I add with blogs because I feel people have certain mind frames in certain areas with the internet which are as follows…
1. Search Engine – mindset is searching for a solution to a problem
2. Blogs – Mindset is looking for information
3. Emails – Customer is in a trust mode as with a friend. It is a personal realm to them and therefore, more likely to buy something through an email link.
These are just my personal opinions. I think this is why people do so well with email marketing. Back to content is king on blogs. People are looking for info and if you have that quality helpful info on your blog and know what you’re talking about then people are more willing to check out your ads or offers. Use that through email marketing and your conversions increase!
I write a blog about the metaphysical properties of the stones I use in the jewelry I make. Something I just realized is that I don’t have a link in my blog to my products. I don’t mention in my blog that I make jewelry and can make it to order with any stones the customer wants. Even though I link my blog on my facebook fan page. I’m missing a big potential here. I’m not converting my readers to customers. What a big oversite!
Hi Elizabeth, the properties of stones are amazing. Have you ever wondered about the mineral healing properties within the stones and how they account for the crystals healing properties? These are put together in my book titled The Magic of Minerals in Crystal Healing.
This book is a culmination of 3 years work where I combined my knowledge of mineral healing from natural medicine education, and also from my gemmology training.
I was so excited when I could bring crystal healing back into mainstream acceptance by using mneral nutrition to explain one way crystals certainly do heal.
Please join my website as a member and feel free to participate. Ask questions, give opinions etc. The more the merrier. Who knows? You might just decide you cannot live without the book!
wow Elizabeth what a huge break through you have there
Wow Elizabeth, I think I felt that light globe go off in your head just reading your words about that ‘a-ha’ moment. Congratulations on your achievement, what a breakthrough, really happy for you!
Hello Sean,
Will be investigating the e-mail opt in with special bonuses ( like e-books) option..It could be a way to assist in the conversion process..
Cheers
John
I like the fact that you’ve kept things simple here, with your Attract, Convert & Repeat Process.
Keeping it simple makes the whole process easy to follow and also repeat.
As you have highlighted the follow up is an important part in the conversion process.
Thanks for the tips.
I seem to be able to get my blogs to rank nicely in google but have a lot of trouble converting them to sales or even opt ins, which tells me my content is obviously not what people are looking for when searching for those keywords. Just wondering Sean, whenever you write a blog post, how long do you usually take to research keywords for that post? I feel I spend way too much time on this and was just seeing if with practice I will become faster.
Hi Sean,
Sounds like a 3 step formula that can work, Attract, Convert, Repeat. Learning how to attract people to my blog takes the longest time. Knowing proper SEO for my niche and having backlinks to my blog will help to increase traffic.
I know people are interested in the course I promote online however I still have not mastered the art of being able to target my market. There’s so much to learn with Internet Marketing. I do realize though that anything worthwhile takes a bit of time. I do enjoy this work so that’s the main thing.
Thank-you.
SEO is something that I experienced only when I had to, but once I got started I couldn’t stop! I did PPC and also on page SEO and eventually got to page 1 on google organic search for my set of keywords. This was not an easy process. Static websites are gone, google has launched google caffeine. This changes the online world for all of us internet marketers. Read more here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/our-new-search-index-caffeine.html
This article is really about adding value to your site and your customers experience with you.
I really like the idea of using an online contest!……….
That’s right, I am in one now! ha ha
Hi Tara,
It looks like caffeine is good for you after all.
I can see the value in this attract, convert, repeat formula. How does one go about building backlinks from reputable sites?
I guess the key message here is – find a system that works and is successful, duplicate it, and do it!
Just as an aside Anthony, I so love your name (the travel tart). It makes me laugh everytime I read it. Good marketing device (are you actually in the travel business?)
Hi Sean
The information you have generously given here is so important and your message is crystal clear.
There is absolutely no slacking off with internet marketing and you have given many great suggestions like publishing a newsletter which is one of my projects at the moment.
In all the your posts that I have read so far (and that is quite a few), everything that you point out is integral to being successful as an IM, and I am so grateful for all the information you are giving to us.
Once again, I like the way you have used the three steps system. There is something about numbering things that makes it easier to read, absorb and remember. A great technique and I used it in my Ebook so that people would know the information is broken down into steps and they don’t have to do the hard work and try to work out the integral points themselves. It is there in a nutshell.
I would also like to thank Landon and Tara for their great information which I have noted and will make good use of.
Thankyou very much,
Blessings
Elly
Attract! Convert! Repeat!
This is such a simple formula, yet sometimes I think I make it too hard for myself. I do lots of other things that will probably work eventually, but in the big scheme of things, isn’t necessary right now.
The three step formula has been proven (Sean is a classic example).
Message for me….just follow this formula….achieve a little success, then repeat the process.
Many “little” successes equal one BIG success online.
Thank you Sean and all of you who commented. I have taken it all on board.
Regards Cathy
Hi Cathy,
I know exactly what you mean. I do the same thing too. Sean always makes everything so easy to understand. He breaks it down into such a simple formula.
I feel like I have all the pieces of the puzzle I need. I’m still learning to put the puzzle together though.
The online success formula is very similar to the offline business model…get people in the door…sell them a quality product and repeat the process. Why isn’y everyone successfull!!!!
Hi Sean,
Thanks for the online success formula, I am very interested in creating a winning formula that will make me some money & i think it is merely just a matter of time & learning. I do wander tho about theme optimization… does your theme make a difference to your seo & can you optimize you theme or code to get an advantage on ranking in search engines regardless of your keyword density?
I get stuck at step 2 of your online success formula – the conversion! One thing I am realising very strongly as I am reading through your posts tonight is that I really need to establish an autoresponder email list and start getting email subscribers and build a client list.
You online success formula is great. I am still learning how to attract people to my site. So far not a lot only less than 10 visitors a day. But I know one day i will success by using this online success formula.
somehow everybody writes about teori’ze Formula for success are cool advice and maybe I will help in gaining sukcesu’ale nobody writes the date of this success and earnings is not
you can yourself all these formulas to study for the next 500 years and so you are no closer to success
The Internet is simply saturated by selling the digital products, and not hungry buyers
in life, if someone opens the eatery with food, is where people go hungry, and buys his product, and it seems to function better than this trash all over the Internet
In Paris there are many stalls with cakes and drinks, people who do not have to lead this work out their own customers come to them, without complicated formulas, keys and so on, the business formula is simple and funkcjonujenadal in life wants to spend real.Nie matter of time before studying the computer’s various techniques, crop, go for a walk!