Websites that have been around a year or two, and have not seen the kind of growth hoped for, can blame the lack of a strategy, after all, purchasing goods and services over the Internet has increased.  What’s changed is the way people make their buying decisions, relying more and more on their social network of friends and acquaintances who share their experiences with online businesses.  A website by itself, is not a viable business, there has to be a website strategy in place that gains positive exposure in networks, and creates content search engines regard highly.  An online business has the ability to be everywhere and nowhere. 

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It’s amazing how fast word of mouth travels, the speed is so fast that a complaint on services or products can be addressed in near real time, if a business subscribes to a good reputation management service, that trolls the Internet for all information on a business.  A timely response gives the business owner control, and opportunity to show how well problems are managed and resolved.  Social networks are full of groups that have let it be known what they like, don’t like and what their passions, or lack of, is.  

Listening to what a business owner’s target market is discussing, allows further understanding of how to offer up products, services and knowledge.  For example, a business makes an incredible bbq sauce that’s taken several awards and wins every taste test it's been in.  But the sauce is not selling.  The business owner would not have known in time to save the business, were it not for getting response back by reaching people in social networks.   It turns out the height of the bottle was too tall for most refrigerators to handle.  People loved the sauce but not the inconvenience.