So you’ve taken the plunge and created a website. Now what? Never fear, you’re not alone when it comes to not knowing the next step of internet marketing. My next series of blog posts should help get your mind going in the right direction as well as provide a few resources for you to lean on.

The first thing you should know about internet marketing is that it has very little to do with traditional marketing. This isn’t Valpak or your local newspaper. It’s the world wide internet, and it takes a different thought process to reach your target audience. One of the biggest mental block’s I’ve experienced working with my clients is the jump from a relatively captive audience to being forced to lure in your potential customers. Not only do you need to offer a valuable service, you need to offer it the right way with the right content and vehicle to capture your target demographic.

Step 1: Figure out who you want to target with your website. Everyone wants more sales, but who buys your products? What do you think you would be looking for online if you needed your own services? How would you look for your services? Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes is an excellent way to formulate a plan.

Step 2: Form a cohesive plan. You need to know what your expectations concerning your website are, and then you need to ask yourself what you need to accomplish those goals. This could require the hiring of outside professionals to fill in your knowledge or skill gaps, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now, you’re planning, and hopefully budgeting, for your website.

Another part of the plan is to figure out how your website will connect with your business. Is it meant to be your one and only way to get customers? Do you just want it so customers can see what your brick and mortar store offers? Perhaps you just want to have a web presence for now, and only want to post basic information and contact information. All of these are viable uses of a website, and can help your business. You just need to choose which is right for you, and build your plan around your needs. (Remember, the best part about having something on the internet is that it’s easy to change! Your website can always be updated to change with your needs.)

Step 3: Educate yourself! While it can be frustrating and uncomfortable to acknowledge that you don’t know anything or very little about creating a website, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t know what SEO, Paid Search or Local Search are? Research! Wikipedia can be an excellent resource, as can technical blogs and many other internet resources. In addition to Wikipedia, Google Webmaster Tools has a set of guidelines that are good to know. As they are dense and in what I lovingly call “netspeak”, I do recommend Feedthebot.com, where the guidelines are explained in a more friendly manner. Still confused about what some of the information means? Run unfamiliar words through an online tech dictionary.

I know it sounds and feels a little like researching a paper, but trust me, the better informed you are about the internet, websites and internet marketing, the better off you’ll be. Even if you only know the basics of what some things are and want to hire a professional to take care of it, knowing a little protects you from obvious swindlers that try to trick the unsavvy with doublespeak and buzz words. Avoiding even one of these can save you loads of  money and keeps you free to find a good specialist to help you manage your site.

I understand that this post only covers the rudimentary basics of managing your website. See it as a way to readjust your thinking on what this new website is and what it can do for you. There’s a very fine line between taking up real estate on the internet and having a useful, revenue-producing website, and walking that line takes dedication and passion. As long as you care about your internet presence and are willing to put the time in to keeping your website up to date, you’ll do fine.