So you've done all the research, built your website and you're ready to show it off to the world and make your Internet fortune. "Whoa," not so fast there, Mister. If you haven't included an ezine, your site is missing out on a major online marketing tool. Here's why the decision to include one or not can lead to your website's success or ultimate failure.

1st Time Visitors. Let's face it: the first time someone comes to your website, the odds are they're going to be leary and not buy from you right away. By giving them the chance to subscribe to your newsletter you're actually giving yourself another chance to sell to them down the road. Your ezine will give them multiple incentives to visit your site and make a purchase.

Build an Opt In List. There's a reason why off-line marketers have done direct mailings for years: they work. Collecting email addresses of visitors to your website allows you to compile a list of people who want to hear from you. By signing up for your newsletter, you're given permission to market to these people on a regular basis. Your list will become your most precious marketing commodity.

Establishes Trust. The truth is, your site visitors have no idea if you're an upright business person or some mad hacker in a dark basement out to grab their credit card number. By giving them the opportunity to subscribe to your ezine you'll be able to establish a "relationship" where your subscribers will come to trust and rely upon you. By providing them with helpful information on a consistent basis you'll become someone they turn to when in need of the types of products/services you sell.

Establish Yourself as an Expert. Let's say you're an accountant and I'm considering using your services. How do I know you're any good? Well, if you had been publishing a newsletter with helpful accounting tips and tax saving information all along, you would have established yourself as an expert in my mind.

By sharing your knowledge with others, you'll establish yourself as an expert in your field. An ezine helps you to establish credibility in your chosen subject and distinguishes you from others online who may be working in a similar vein. Be the one people turn to, become the EXPERT.

Sell Back End Products. As long as your ezine supplies helpful information, you can actually pitch your sales talk softly between the lines. As long as your ezine is not 99% ads, you can use it to plug any product or service you sell. If you don't have your own products/services, you can plug affiliate programs you may be involved with as well. Just try to keep everything you promote related to the theme of your newsletter. If your ezine is health related you should only include health related products to keep it on topic for your target market. As you run sales or specials you'll also want to make your subscribers aware of them. Remember, your ezine is a marketing tool; use it as such.

Drives Traffic. There are millions of websites out there, so what's going to bring me back to yours? An ezine, of course! By emailing your subscribers a newsletter which always includes a link back to your site, you're reminding them to come back again and again -- driving traffic on a consistent basis. How many times have you gone to a website and signed up for their ezine and forgotten about the site? I know I have, but when their ezine shows up in my mailbox it reminds me of how much I enjoyed their site and usually results in my re-visiting. This is POWERFUL STUFF.

These are just some of the reasons why you need to be publishing an ezine. A website needs a newsletter and a newsletter needs a website. They just go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly. One without the other is a weak link in the online marketing chain. Don't underestimate the importance of your very own ezine. As your list grows you'll have a very powerful marketing tool on your hands, one you can sell to again and again!