Some of the things you see taught seem downright pointless even, yet people do them anyway - even if they're confused about why.
There comes a point where the more you know, the dumber you are.
Dumb is a strong word. I was simply trying to make a point. It boils down to confusion.
Imagine for a moment that you'd never studied online marketing, SEO, or any other means of marketing your business on the web. Would that change the way you run and/or promote your business? Probably so!
You'd do best to rewind your brain completely. But since you can't do that (yet! lol), I'll give you a simple filter that will prove incredibly helpful...
WHY You Feel Confused
There's a reason people get confused about Internet Marketing Strategies. And if that's you, don't feel bad - you're NOT alone! 
You don't know WHY you're doing it, you've just been taught that you should.
Have you ever felt that way?
Not every strategy is right for you - or your business, or your market. Some strategies even contradict each other. You should do this. You should do that. This works best. You have to do that if you want to make any money online. (ETC!)
It's downright overwhelming, isn't it?
Anytime you feel confused, it's likely because you're not sure of the "why" behind what you're doing. Maybe it seems pointless, or contradicts your common sense.
How To Clear The Confusion and Regain Your Focus - Fast!
Most of the things you feel totally unsure about have absolutely nothing to do with "serving your market." They are simply things you've been told, or taught, or that you read somewhere. And without asking yourself "why" you chose to implement those strategies. (No fault on you. Most people do - until they learn better.)
You may even think you know why, or "someone" may have explained why (ie to get better search engine rankings), but without proof or live examples, you're still pretty much shooting in the dark.
Let me give you some examples...
- How long should a blog post be?
- How many links should you include in a post?
- How many Inbound Links are enough?
- How many blogs should I comment on?
- How many times a day should you Tweet?
- How often should I email my list?
The answer to all of these questions is the same:
It depends.
Now if that just confused you more, stick with me for a minute...
Any piece of content should be as short or as long as it takes to make the point. The number of outgoing links you include in a blog post depends on how many references or resources your readers need.
I could go on and on, but the point is that you should throw away all of the "standards" (there aren't any REAL standards!) and simply serve your market.
Run your online business like Google doesn't even exist, and like there's no such thing as SEO. This is actually what Google wants you to do, and the type of activity they reward. The more natural your linking and marketing strategies, the better you'll do in the search results!
When in doubt about what to do, just ask yourself what makes the most sense, and what serves your market best - period.
If a certain Internet Marketing Strategy is only about "SEO" or "Google", and makes no real sense otherwise (or has you scratching your head), don't even do it.
* Studying Internet Marketing for too long can make you... dumb. LOL.
Try this simple shift for awhile. Instead of working on a successful business and trying to figure out (and do) all the marketing & monetization strategies... simply shift to a perspective of "serving your market."
Ask yourself how you can best reach people with your information. How can you best help people in your market? How can you easily connect with merchants, bloggers and buyers in your market? How would you market your online business if Google didn't exist, or there was no such thing as SEO or Internet Marketing Strategies?
Try going at it from that angle for awhile, and see if the "how to" naturally falls into place. I promise you, you're smarter than you think. So clear the confusion and get back to focusing on what really matters in your business!
Best,
p.s. I understand that online marketing IS confusing, and there's a lot to learn and a lot of information to wade through. I've been working online for more than 16 years now, so I've seen it all! If you need help getting back on track, or even getting started, I can spend an hour with you and get you moving in the right direction.
Better yet, join my Private Brainstorming Group and I can work hands-on with you for much longer - at a much lower rate.
