Are Free Content Sites Dead?
By  Angela Wu

Tightly focused "mini-sites" are highly regarded as one of
the best ways to sell a product online. These small sites
typically consist of just a couple of pages, and the home
page is a simple but powerful sales letter.

However, several years ago, Internet business 'newbies'
were taught that content-rich sites were the way to
profits. The idea was that if you offered great information
for free, visitors would come back, grow to know and trust
you, and eventually a percentage of them would make a
purchase.

Some people still claim that content-rich sites are *the*
best way to build long-term profits. So what's the real
deal? Are mini-sites or content sites the 'better' way
to build a profitable online business?

Obviously there's no "black-and-white" answer. But I've
found that *both* are a great complement to any business.
Here's why:

We all know that Internet surfers have short attention
spans, and that they can leave your site with a simple
click-of-the-mouse. That means we have just a few seconds
to capture their attention and get them to do whatever it
is we want from them -- for example, make a purchase or
subscribe to a newsletter.

The mini-site is a perfect solution for this. A combination
of a captivating headline and tightly focused sales copy
leads interested prospects to perform just one action --
no distractions!

On the other hand, a greater percentage of visitors are
more cautious and less likely to make 'impulse' purchases.
These are the people that may prefer to do additional
research prior to buying... or it could be that it's
simply the "wrong time" for them to make *any* purchase.
There are many and varied reasons why even targeted
prospects don't immediately make a purchase.

Content-rich sites are one way to help convert these
visitors into paying customers. Through great content,
a sense of community, or a combination of the two, you
can build both credibility and trust -- two essential
elements when it comes to buying on the web. Although
the road to a sale may be much longer, ultimately it
can lead to sales you wouldn't have otherwise made. The
"snowball effect" shouldn't be underestimated, either:
a genuinely useful or entertaining site is more likely
to give visitors a reason to tell a friend about your
site, who tells a friend, who tells a friend...

So in summary: mini-sites help to drive "immediate" sales,
while content sites build credibility, which can lead to
future sales. Although content sites aren't necessarily
the 'best' way to 'quick' profits, they still have their
place in today's online business world.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Angela is the editor of Online Business Basics, a practical
guide to building a business on a shoestring budget. It
features loads of instantly usable tips and tools that
were specifically chosen for beginners! For details, visit
http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/article.html
or download the free trial version of the Online Business
Basics manual: http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/freebook.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------

This information provided by SoHoHosting.net... All rights reserved...