It is well reported that in the majority of cases that most people go on to the Internet for the purpose of finding information, not necessarily to buy – well immediately that is!

So why is it important then to promote a Website?

People want to be educated about what they’re buying before they’ll part with their money. If you can do that as a business for your potential customers, by allowing them to view your products or services in the comfort of their own home, you are miles ahead of your competition.

But are people buying goods Online? The answer is a resounding YES!

Figures released by Comscore Networks show that the big winners so far this year are:

• Event Tickets – up 50%,
• Consumer Electronics – up 43%
• Sports and Fitness – up 41%
• Apparel and Accessories – up 38%.

Total online spending for 2005, including travel, eclipsed 143 billion dollars, which represented an increase of 22% on 2004.

So where does that leave us? Well, there is a world of business out there that is ready and waiting for you and me to pursue. But how are we going to tap into this market?

I believe it’s going to take a two-fold process.

Firstly, EDUCATION. You and I must become more and more educated about the Internet. We’re going to have to learn how we can effectively market our goods and services this way.

Secondly, TOOLS. We must discover and learn how to use the software that will allow us to effectively use the Internet. It’s time to work smarter, not harder.

One of the first steps that I took when first stepping into the online world was that I started to learn, along with my 12-year-old son and my 14-year-old daughter, HTML. I actually paid my children to learn this computer language. Do you think they were highly motivated? You bet! To me it was such an important investment, both for them and for the future of my business and their own businesses. We learnt how to take charge of the Websites that had previously been prepared by others. We also decided to take greater control of our business by learning how to redesign them and create other more productive sites. OE Design – The Web Designers is now the result of those first tentative steps that we took.

But finally, the two major keys that will set you apart from your competition in THE BIG ONLINE SPEND revolution will be the EDUCATION you get and the TOOLS you use. Combine those with action and you’re on the road to astounding success.