5 Internet Myths Still Floating Around

By Terry Dean

You would think that some of the old Internet myths would just die off with the growth of Internet commerce, but some of them just won't die. Even though you can't ignore the growth of online commerce, businesses still believe some of the exact same myths that were started years ago.

Let's put an end to some of them here and now...

Myth #1: No one is making money online.

This myth has been around as long as the Internet as existed. The truth is that a lot of companies are earning incredible profits online. Some of them even become extremely profitable within 6 months of being online.

An independent study has reported that 30% of Internet businesses are currently earning money. This is an extremely large number considering the fact that the Internet as a whole is still in it's infancy. Wait to see what kind of results are going to be produced in the coming years and decades of e-commerce.

Myth #2: If you build it, they will come.

This is opposite of the first myth. You have one side who believes no one can make money online while the other side believes all you have to do is a set up a web site and rack in the dough. This concept may have been a good basis for a movie, but it is completely inadequate for Internet marketing.

If you just sling together any old site and put it up on the web, you are going to quickly turn into one of the people who believe the first myth about the Internet. Marketing online is no different than any other type of marketing in this area. You have to plan your business, design good marketing materials, build relationships with customers, and learn how to sell more to your existing customers.

If you build a well designed, well thought out site and promote it, they will come. If you just build it, it will just sit there.

Myth #3: You need fancy graphics to catch your customer's interest.

Fancy graphics are not essential for online sales. If your graphics are so detailed that they take too long to load, they will even cost you sales. Most people are still connected to their Internet using basic modems and graphic intensive sites often take too long to load for most people's attention span.

This is not to say that you can just use cheap graphics. Use quality well designed graphics on your site, but keep them to a minimum. The key to online sales is showing your customers the benefits of your product or service. It is not in just having a gorgeous web site with dozens of pictures.

Myth #4: Internet consumers are so sophisticated that ad copy doesn't matter anymore.

Yes, Internet consumers do see through the hype that many people try to push off as ad copywriting. This does not mean that you can just put together string of words and a couple of pictures and hope people buy from you. If you want to have customers constantly purchasing products and services from you, you have to write ad copy which shows them the BENEFITS of your product or service.

The key to ad writing is to show your benefits, not just your features. You can't just tell people a bit about your product. You need to let them know exactly what it will do for them. You need to help them get as exited about your product or service as you are. Ad copy does make a difference online.

If you don't currently have a headline on your web site, get one immediately. Ninety-five percent of web sites you visit won't have one, but yours can. Then, list multiple benefits your visitors will receive for staying at your site. If you don't let them know what they will get out of your site immediately, then they will leave your site as quick as they entered.

Myth #5: You can find anything and everything online for Free.

A lot of people think that they can get everything they need in their business for free online. This just isn't the case. The old saying,"You get what you pay for" does apply to the Internet as well.

For example, free web hosts will end up costing you money in the long run. People don't look at sites that are hosted for free in the same light they do ones which have their own domain name. Whether it is true or not, free web hosts don't give the same sense of stability to the consumer that your own domain name would. Plus, you will often experience a host of other problems.

This concept will apply itself to many other areas as well. Many software programs out there will help you automate your online business, but they do cost money. Many information products will help you build a better business, but they do cost money. Always look at everything you do online with this purpose in mind. Will the product, service, ad, web hosting, etc. cost you or make you money in the long run?