I’m a relative newbie to online business. The two years I’ve been doing this may not have produced the grand-master of all internet marketing ways, but I’ve learned a few things. One of those things is (sadly) how to be cynical when it comes to tricks, tips, blogs, and reports.

One of the things I’ve learned is that in business, you can make just about anything sound viable. If you see a trend which defies the logic and facts at hand, it’s not hard to attribute that trend to whatever you want. “Well it makes sense that orders would go down this year because the market is in such turmoil that we can’t expect numbers to be like they were last year.” “I think the added breadcrumb trails will improve conversion rates drastically by making the site easier to use, therefore easing the anxieties of visitors.”
 
If you were paying attention, you’ll probably think me an elementary idiot. “Well of course you don’t just listen to one person’s opinions! Trigger words like ‘I think’ or ‘makes sense’ should sent off an alarm in your head!” Well yes, sure. But what if they leave those lines out? Hmm? What then? In this industry (that of online marketing), just about everyone has a blog. And everyone is trying to supply important information to help everyone else. A lot of people in the space want to be big shots. Some of them are. But not all of them are really helpful. Some of them don’t even realize it.
 
The problem is that “what makes sense” doesn’t always actually work. Or it may work for some people and not for others. And you won’t always know who it works for. Even with today’s modern marvels of internet tracking technology, you simply will not have all the facts. As the saying goes, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
 
That brings me to my other point. Many would say, “Forget advice, look at the numbers. Trust only what you see. Test, test, and test.” The trouble with this is that I learned something about data before I ever entered business. In high school statistics class I learned a very important lesson. Data lies. Or at least it can be made to appear as though it lies. You can use data just as easily as opinionated language to get across the message you want to. Even easier, since people tend to trust data more readily. Gathering data is easy. Interpreting it, that’s the hard part. As another wise man once said, “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
 
So what on Earth are we supposed to do? Roll over and die? We have to make decisions on how to structure our site. How to market it. How to fill it with content. How to price. How to provide service. So how would we figure those things out if we can’t count on advice or numbers?
 
This is gonna sound crazy. Of course, if you know me at all, you’re probably pretty used to that.
 
Do what you want.
 
Not to say we forget the advice of our colleagues, or we ignore the numbers, but I think the focus is a little lopsided currently. What if the businesses we made were created because we saw a need. Perhaps a need that we had at one point? Then why not make the site what you wanted when you had that need? Yeah, surf the web for inpiration, troll the blogs for ideas, glance at the numbers for refinement, but don’t lost the important thing. That thing that made you get into this in the first place. Make the site a reflection of who you are. If you made it with others, pool together and found it on your commonality. Let the site be a reflection of who you are.
 
It makes sense that this would work. You create a business that is an honest answer to the need. You create something that is not gimmicky but personal. You create something that could inspire trust. I think that could work.
 
Of course, it’s just my opinion.