So, the “bigger” your website, the more space it takes up on the shelf and the more visible it becomes; however, size doesn’t necessarily matter.

Think about how many books go unread in this giant library. Probably 95% of them haven’t been touched in years, no matter how big they are.

The only ones that get touched are those filled with valuable information that people want to consume – which is what your website should also provide.

Now, get this – the Internet produces 70X more content than the Library of Congress … EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

[Source]

How Can You Compete?

You Are Here

You’re way up at the tippy top.

You have a website and hopefully some sort of lead magnet and sales funnel in place – if not, you need to and we’ll even do it for you.

The next “big” step is advertising and marketing; however, before you get to that you need to determine your audience.

Figure Out Your Audience

The first step in getting people to find your site is to figure out who actually needs it.

Everyone who walks into the Library of Congress doesn't need to see every single book – that would be ridiculous, right?

It’s even more ridiculous in terms of the Internet since it grows 70 times the size of the Library of Congress every day.

If you know who needs to see your site based on demographics (like location, age, gender, education, job, religion, etc.) and the interests, goals, aspirations, beliefs, and problems of these individuals – you’ll be able to more effectively use your resources to guide targeted individuals to your site.

Let me reiterate – the whole world does NOT care about you or your site.

There's only a small group of people who will absolutely LOVE your site (and that's OK!) – figure out who those people are and get in front of them through advertising and marketing.

Advertising & Marketing

There are a million ways to advertise your website and business in general.

There are “old school” methods like TV, radio, magazines, newspapers, cold calling, billboards, flyers, pamphlets, posters, referrals, etc.

There are “new school” methods like content marketing, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay per click), social media, banner ads, affiliate networks, etc.

Now, I want you to picture each way you use as an arrow pointing to your site (book). Some ways are more effective than others and result in bigger, brighter arrows.

What’s The Best Way To Advertise?

Ready for your mind to be blown?

Advertise where your audience hangs out.

If your audience reads the newspaper, that would be a great place to start advertising.

If your audience is on Pinterest, then advertise on Pinterest.

If you’re a local business and you know your audience listens to a certain radio station, advertise on that radio station.

Example

Let's pretend like we're a local brick and mortar business and these are our advertising sources.

No matter what, if anyone walks anywhere near your book (website), they're going to see it!

Sure, some sources are way more effective than others, but every arrow helps get your website in front of people.

Do You See?

The only way to get more traffic to your website is to advertise and market your site!

Some methods are very expensive – like running an ad during the Super Bowl.

While other methods are “free” – but require a time commitment, like being active on the social media networks and engaging with your customers.

There is no form of advertising to rule them all … it strictly depends on where your audience hangs out.

Now go get in front of them!

Key Takeaways

• Just because you build a website, doesn’t mean people will find it or care to see it
• Determine who actually needs to see your website (your audience)
• Advertise where your audience hangs out
• The more advertising, the more “arrows” you draw to your book (site) that’s sitting on the shelf (Internet)

Photo Credit: Book Shelf | Size Doesn't Matter