We're all tired of seeing these posts about how to build business around SEO and various traffic schemes. The worst part is how so few take into account the nature of the business.
"I built a web site for the local tire shop, how can I get top listing for Bridgestone?" or some equivalent thing.

Let's start with the basics of business, that you should have learned in high school.
Most important things first:
Who are your customers?
Who are your competitors?
What makes you better than your competitors?
How much revenue is there in the field for your product/service?
How are you going to get that from the competition? Is it even worth it?
How will you market to your potential customers? (let them know you are better)

Answer these questions before getting the first pencil sketch design, before writing <html...
If the revenue in your field is $1million/yr and there are 10K competitors, the payoff is not likely to be worth the effort. If you are new in the field and the competition experienced, how are you going to be better? Do you have a plan?

Better yet, write a business plan. It helps you to organize your thoughts, and it gives you a set of goals, a plan of action. Revise your business plan once or twice a year. If your idea takes off and you need a loan, the bank will want to see your business plan, so will potential investors. Forget about that for now, use the business plan for yourself.

So many posters ignore those things and say you need SEO, as if the magic pixie dust will make everything well. They say post articles, forums, spam social networking sites, get backlinks, etc...
My question for those, do you want your livelihood completely dependent on the whim of a search engine? the fickleness of an ever changing algorithm? somebody else, who is NOT you or your customer?
Because if you are willing the risk your fortune on the generosity of Google/Yahoo/Altavista, you should probably get into something else.

Back to the main topic.
Answer those questions BEFORE you get started. Don't start a "forum" and then try to find users; find people who need a forum, and offer them a forum. Don't start a "get rich quick" site and cry about how hard it is to find people willing to join your "amazing program"; find the people first.
If you can't find users first, why would you invest time and money building something for people who don't exist?
When you are building a site, you should be thinking about your customer.

The topic of articles is bizarre. Do you realize that nobody purposely goes to an "article site"? Do you go to them? Don't write crappy articles and spend hours submitting to various sites. If articles are useful for marketing your product or service, spend a few hours on writing a good article. Put it on your blog. Use a plagiarism service to ensure it doesn't get ripped off. A unique article has one ONE search result. One you spent a few hours on (vs a few minutes) will be of higher quality and more useful to your visitors.
When you are writing articles, you should be thinking about your customer.

Keep in mind, many things are NOT marketed well by articles. If your site is an online shoe store, very few are interested in reading articles about feet and shoes. Put your effort into other ways of marketing your site.

On the subject of links. You should think of all links to your site as advertising. When you buy advertising, you want your ads to be on sites that people actually visit. You want people to actually click on them. This is why directories are a waste of time. People don't visit directories, so why should you bother getting links there?
So, what are the best backlinks? Get them from sites that are related to yours. Find bloggers that cover the subject of your product/service and let them know about pages that are in their interest. Buy ads in places that are relevant. Track your ads so you know which are effective and which ones aren't.
When you are after links, you should be thinking about your customer.

To the topic of SEO, an amazing thing happens when you focus on serving your customers. They talk about you, they recommend you, they write about you, and the SEO takes care of itself.

Amen.

That's the best article I've seen for a long time - thanks willcode4beer!

Excellent post Paul. ("Stickied" it)

Originally Posted by chrishirst

Excellent post Paul. ("Stickied" it)

My first sticky, woohoo!

Originally Posted by willcode4beer

My first sticky, woohoo!

It's what happens when you start a thread with great advice and points raised .

Just thought I'd add a few starting points
http://www.sba.gov/
http://www.google.com/search?q=how+t...+business+plan
http://www.google.com/search?q=ecommerce+business+plan

Note: Ignore the ads and services. A business plan is only any good if YOU write it. However, you should seek out advice and help when writing it. The SBA (if in the US) can be invaluable here. Many successful business men and women volunteer as mentors. Use their knowledge and experience. They want to help you.

The SBA even offers free online courses, use them
http://www.sba.gov/services/training...ses/index.html

Great thread willcode4beer!

Do you mind if I add this to my webmaster blog? I will link to this thread and http://willcode4beer.com/
Please let me know. Thanks.

Originally Posted by kline11

Great thread willcode4beer!

Do you mind if I add this to my webmaster blog? I will link to this thread and http://willcode4beer.com/
Please let me know. Thanks.

Go right ahead

Great info! It is best to write your OWN business plan. If you need help with the financial part of the plan ask for help from an accountant or a friend. But seriously, take the time and write a detailed plan. Don't take a short cut and have someone write it for you. After all you don't take a short cut when it comes to running your business.

Originally Posted by willcode4beer

Note: Ignore the ads and services. A business plan is only any good if YOU write it. However, you should seek out advice and help when writing it. The SBA (if in the US) can be invaluable here. Many successful business men and women volunteer as mentors. Use their knowledge and experience. They want to help you.

- Great advice. I've been working in the business world for about fifteen years now (showing my age!), and I've found that one of the only key components of being successful in business is taking the situation into your own hands and getting it done. Your business is your baby, and you know all of it's quirks and nuances. A business plan is one of the first steps you take in starting your business, and you need to be there every step of the way.

Well said, excellent post. Even with statistics showing that an overwhelming number of people shop online rather than go to brick or mortar stores, I'm always surprised by the look on people's faces when I tell them I own an online store. I've been in the business world for quite some time and have owned my online store through WebStore by Amazon for the last few years, and I've had great success. However, no matter how many times I explain how many sales I've had and how ecommerce is where business is at right now, they just don't get it. Just keep in mind, businesses who refuse to have an online presence are missing the boat, and you're already on the wave of the future.