Before you dig in for the long haul in developing and running a web based business, there are some things that you should know which could optimize your website and increase the chances for success. Here are some tips you can implement for your website to help it along.

The first thing you should keep in mind is to be patient. Your website business, like any other business, will take time to build a customer base. Sure the Internet is the fastest way to a successful and prosperous life, but fast could mean seven days or it could mean seven years. Do not get discouraged if after a few months you are not bringing in six figure sales.

Add the Google analytics code to your home page. This is a great free tool that is offered by Google that gives you a better understanding of where your visitors are coming from. With it's advanced demographic charts and reports, you can really dive in and know who is coming from where and when and then tailor your advertising, article marketing techniques and other promotions to play to the strengths of the data returned by Google analytics.

Make sure your website is user friendly. Sure you can add great sound, video and images, but if the user has to sit there all day waiting for it to load, they will leave faster then they found you. Instead of making one large flash website with one big image, break it into smaller files and individual pictures, which loads much faster. Along with faster load times, your website must be intuitively navigable. (not really a word, but I like it nonetheless). What that means is can the user find things on your website without wondering where they need to go. You want your navigation to be easy and straightforward. In other words if the user is looking to contact you, have a link that reads "contact" or "contact us", as opposed to having the user go through a few links to get there.

Once you have your website up and running hit the family and friends first. Send them emails asking them to check out your new website and give some feedback. Family and friends are honest and they will take a look. If they like it, they may pass it along to others. If they don't like it they will give you quality criticism that you can then take and make website adjustments to improve your online business.

Finally you want to hit the social networking circuit. Get an account on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and make friends, start a group and so on to promote your website. Remember though to only make friends with people you know. If you try making friends with people you do not know you could get banned from the site. Start a twitter page with a link from your home page for others to follow you on Twitter. If your site is interesting and has something to offer, people will follow.

These are just a few of the many ways you can get your web business off the ground before and after you actually launch it. Give it a try, follow what your Google analytics have to say and you are sure to rise to the top in no time.