Once you accept that some areas are going to be initially less than perfect (Providing you with opportunity over time to improve.), challenge is to figure out what makes sense for your business and site. When is it critical to optimize and when is less than perfect acceptable?

When considering specialist's advice, ask yourself these five questions:

1) Does it solve a problem?

One of best ways to comprehend importance of an action is to relate it to a problem. If you think strategically - first identifying your major problems, then designing solutions to solve those problems - your business is more likely to thrive.

2) What are my alternatives?

There is always more than one solution to a problem. If you evaluate different approaches, you will ultimately make better decisions.

3) What are downsides?

Perfection and optimization are in eyes of beholder. What you see as a disadvantage may seem trivial to specialists. Ask questions and do some research on your own to uncover downsides.

4) Is it likely to be profitable *for me*?

It is a cruel fact that larger companies can afford programs that smaller companies and individuals cannot. If you have to go into debt or dramatically reduce other critical activities to implement a program, your cost increases dramatically. In these cases, carefully weigh resources required against potential gain.

5) What happens if I do not do this?

Some activities are "niceties" and some are necessities. Know difference. If you are losing customers to other sites or businesses, for example, taking action is critical. Some activities - those you *want* to do but do not help solve a significant problem - can be pushed to back burner.

Incorporating The Big Picture into your decision-making is critical. When you ask yourself these five questions, you are in a better position to make right decision. Your business depends on it.

8. Major indexes. Get listed with popular large human- reviewed indexes such as Yahoo! ( http://www.yahoo.com/ ) and Open Directory ( http://www.dmoz.org ). This can result in a significant boost in targeted traffic - up to several hundreds of unique visitors each day!

9. Article submissions. Write about what you know and offer your articles to other editors and webmasters in your market. Offer article for reprint in exchange for an author byline. Some sites also run syndication networks, where your article may appear on dozens or even hundreds of sites! There's always a demand for fresh, original articles. Ezine directories such as http://buildyourhomebiz.com/directory.html are a good source for finding editors that accept articles.

10. Create a free eBook. Give it away to your visitors - and to other editors or webmasters within your market. Encourage them to pass it on. Your business will profit from free publicity. Free eBooks are an excellent viral marketing tool; read more in article, '10 Quick Tips on How to Create, Distribute, and Profit from Free eBooks', http://onlinebusinessbasics.com/articles/ebooktips.html .

11. Joint ventures. Partner with other editors or webmasters within your market to help promote each other's businesses. This is one of easiest and most profitable marketing methods! Examples of JVs include: ad swaps, newsletter co-opts, barter agreements, special affiliate commissions, and offering discounts of your own products/services to each other's customers.

The key here is *consistency*; writing an occasional article or placing an ad once in a while isn't enough to give you targeted traffic necessary to build a solid, steady online income.

There are lots of ways to market -- start today! Pick something and just do it. If you don't feel like writing an article, find some potential link partners. Don't feel like doing that? Then check your pay-per-click campaign and make any necessary changes.

Commit yourself to marketing your business -- and hold yourself to it! After all, it would be a real shame for a great product to go to waste.