There are hundreds of millions of web sites, with that number growing every minute! People have different purposes for having a presence online. Here are the main ones I am aware of:
- To run a business (either a new one or an existing one)
- To promote an individual, group or cause
- To create or improve a reputation
- To get things off their chest
Not everyone comes online to produce an income. Some just want to communicate their views on a particular subject. And to them, success is not measured by how many sales occurred that day. It may be measured by that one person who said he was profoundly affected by what he read.
There are many sites that promote a particular individual, group or cause. Many music groups and celebrities have their own official web sites, and many of their fans set up unofficial sites. Thousands of charities and non-profit organizations have a presence online. The number of daily visitors would be one measure success for these sites.
Then we have sites that exist to create, improve or in some cases salvage a reputation. Once again, measuring success may not be an exact science, but when hundreds or even thousands of people come to their site daily and many leave positive messages, this would be a good indication of success.
And of course many people are online to produce an income. For some, any extra income is a bonus. For others, they would like this income to be sufficient to quit their "day job" and ideally make a great living.
Therefore success is measured differently depending on your purpose for being online. However, success to a very large degree will depend on your ability to bring a growing number of people to your site, and it will depend on how your site is presented so that people will want to stay AND return for more.
This blog will bring you resources in plain English to help you achieve both.
