1. You need to have a Web Site for your eBook.
  2. You need to get people to come to your Web Site.
  3. You need to get the people that come to actually purchase your eBook.

Each of these three things opens up a wealth of possibilities, choices and questions...

Your eBook's Web Site

From the technical aspects all the way up to the marketing aspects, there is a lot of thought that goes into creating a Web Site.

You'll want to create - or get a professional to create - a Web Site that will be attractive to the people most likely to purchase your eBook.

This might not be you.

I can not stress this point enough. The Web Site should be attractive to your clients. Don't think about what you like. Think about what they like.

Don't try to appeal to everyone. Try to appeal to the people most likely to purchase your product. If you try to appeal to everyone, you risk ending up appealing to no one.

Have as many people as you can test your Web Site. Listen to their feedback. Use your judgment to choose which comments to act upon. Everyone has different ideas on how things should be done. Before your change anything, make sure you do it for the good reason: appeal to your clients, make the information easier to understand.

Remember: know your limits. Hire a professional if building a Web Site turns out to be overwhelming.

Here is a quick list of some of the things you might need to look into when building your Web Site.

  • Web Hosting. You'll need to find a place where your Web Page will be hosted.
  • Cross-browser. Does your Web Page look good on the browsers your clients could be using? There's more than Internet Explorer out there.
  • Visual look. Is your Web Page appealing to your clients? Is the look properly maintained throughout the whole Web Page?
  • Accepting Payment. You'll need to accept payments. And this means opening an account with a company such as PayPal or ClickBank. You might also want to check with your bank.

Getting People to Visit Your Web Site

Having a Web Site ready is a good thing. But no one will see it unless they know about it. Getting your Web Site out there is where most of the work is.

There are many, many ways to get your Web Site known.

Once again, there are some professionals who can help you get your business known. This is usually not a cheap service, but a good Web marketing professional just might be the thing to jumpstart your online business.

Here is a list of some of the things to think about when planning on marketing your Web Site to the Internet:

  • Targeting. Whatever you do, think about targeting. Think about who you're talking to. Make sure that everything talks to them.
  • Writing ads. Most marketing techniques will involve ads getting written. Once again, think about who will be reading those and why they would want to visit your Web Site.
  • Keyword advertising. You can place ads on search engines by "purchasing keywords". This means you can get your add to show up when people are searching for information related to your book. This can be a powerful tool to get your started. You might want to check out Google Adwords.
  • Banners. Some Web Sites allow you to purchase a space on their Web Page to put an ad for your Web Page. Look for Web Sites that your potential clients might visit frequently.
  • Affiliate Programs. Some services will allow you to get other people to do all the selling for you. You might want to take a look at ClickBank.
  • Blogging. Getting your own blog could help. You'll need to write in there regularly. A blog will help you position yourself as an expert in your field. Boosting your credibility helps a lot in generating sales. Nice side effects of blogs are that search engines really like blogs. Look into popular blogging engines such as Blogger.
  • Participating in communities. Look for existing Web communities that are linked to your eBook's subject. Participate regularly. This helps in building your credibility and building Web presence.
  • Mailing. You might want to send ads through email. If you choose to do this, make sure you send mails only to people that could be interested.

There are many, many more techniques to get yourself known and get better search engine rankings for your Web Site.

This is a rich and ever-changing field.

Getting People to Purchase Your eBook

Once you have your Web Site and that you have people visiting your Web Site, there is still the small matter of convincing them to purchase your eBook.

Once again, there are many variables to consider.

Here are some of the things to look for:

  • Delivery. Whatever was written in your ad should be delivered right there. People browsing the Web are not patient. If they click on your ad and are looking for a free sample, they must be able to see the free sample rapidly.
  • Clarity. Make sure your Web Site is well laid out. People rarely read Web Sites. They "scan" and only stop when something interests them. Make nice paragraphs. Small sentences. Put graphics. Make sure that only the important stuff is standing out.
  • Price. Nothing helps a sale better than the proper price. If the price is too low, your product might seem too cheap. Price it too high, and people start looking elsewhere. Look at your competition. Try running time-limited (or quantity-limited) specials to see how people react to different prices.
  • Ease of use. You Web Site must be easy to use. Once someone decides to buy, nothing should stand in their way.

There you go. This is a very quick overview of what can be done. Each and every one of these points could be expanded upon. Some even are the subjects of whole books!

We'll look deeper into some of these in later articles.

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Eric Maziade
www.secure-ebook.com