When most people talk about website marketing they focus on getting more traffic or higher search engine rankings. My feeling is that you should increase your website's conversion before focusing on traffic. That way the results will be impressive when the traffic is finally added.

Unfortunately most business owners think that traffic is king when it comes to the internet. But it's not their fault... there are enough people promising riches through website traffic. They just fail to mention that if your website doesn't sell anything then all the traffic in the world won't save you.

What your website is all about

My philosophy is to build a relationship with visitors using your website. A big part of this is how you present your business through your website. But you have a huge advantage when you start collecting their email and building a relationship with the visitor.

It's generally accepted only 1-2% of people will buy when they visit your website. But if you bother to take the time to form a relationship with them then that figure will be a lot higher. It's similar to the band who has a one-hit wonder versus the band who turns out great albums year after year.

The danger of social media

The danger is with all the social media buzz that we lose sight of our aim. We have a lot of good ways to communicate with people around the world... and some bad ones as well. But it's really all about building a relationship.

It doesn't matter if you build the relationship over email, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube... or believe it or not through mail, newspapers, fax or phone. It's a matter of the value you provide the relationship no matter what media you use. You're in a much stronger position when you use a wide variety of media when connecting with your market.

What is the real objective of your website?

There is no absolute answer... there is no great and powerful social media website that you can rely on for business. Imagine having a physical store but not using a phone. Most business owners are aware that a phone can be very useful and the same is true for social media.

The moral of the story is to focus on building a relationship with visitors irrespective of the media. By building a relationship based on value your sales will increase dramatically. Because people prefer to purchase from those they know and trust.

How to implement this concept

Take a look at your website and decide whether you're building a relationship or just simply stating what you do. Are you offering valuable information? Do you have their contact details to send more information?

Building a relationship isn't really difficult... just pretend someone is standing in front of you right now. And get ready for some amazing results.

Because at the end of the day it's all about being unique.