Keeping things simple is definitely worth doing but, so often, we seem to do everything in our power to do the opposite.

Sometimes it’s when we look for the missing step in the process we’re following – it’s often an imaginary extra step that doesn’t really make any noticeable difference or (worse still) slows a process down.

If you cook, you can see that in a lot of recipes. If the instructions are longer than the ingredient list, there’s a good chance a simpler recipe will taste just as good and will leave you without feeling frayed.

The same logic goes with internet marketing.

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Traditionally, resolutions are set at the start of the year – that’s one of the reasons we call them New Years resolutions.

So maybe I’m being odd because yesterday I read a book about setting them.

It’s on Kindle (although I got the paperback version as I prefer real books). Oddly Amazon doesn’t link the paperback and Kindle versions but I’m sure there’s some logic behind that.

The book is by someone you’ve probably never heard of – David Hyner. I’ve known him for years and he’s a very successful public speaker but a lot of his speaking is done in schools and in companies. Often in front of hundreds and even thousands of people.

In print, the book is about 134 pages but it’s a quick read.

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There are lots of “new” systems coming out all the time.

Most of them are rehashed techniques wrapped up in slightly different language in an attempt to get you to buy them.

Nothing wrong with that – it doesn’t just happen in the internet marketing niche. It applies to every niche.

I always suggest walking around your local supermarket if you need confirmation of this – all those variations on a theme in every single aisle. That’s niche marketing made ultra obvious.

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As I write this, It’s nearly that time of year…

Here in the UK, we’ve had Christmas splattered everywhere for a while now – displays of big tubs of chocolate and boxes of biscuits, seasonal items from mince pies to Serrana ham, the music in the shops.

The US is doubtless being bombarded with Thanksgiving messages.

And as soon as the last piece of Thanksgiving turkey has been swallowed it will be Black Friday.

That’s an event that was unheard of here a few years ago (2013 apparently) but is now our biggest shopping day.

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WordPress is a quick and easy way to create a website.

A lot, lot, easier than when I first started on the web when I had to learn how to create web pages by hand: initially there were no web page designers apart from Notepad, then a few came along but most were clunky and/or expensive. Then, once the page was created, it had to be uploaded to the web with an FTP program, initially paid, nowadays free.

All that’s in the past if you use WordPress. Page design is handled with enough options for headlines, bolding text and adding images, videos or audios.

But one thing that you still need to do is make sure that WordPress is kept up to date.

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Checking that things are working as expected is maybe the most important thing you can do in your business.

It’s easy to assume that computers are doing the thing you asked them to but they can (and do) stop doing things without notice and without any prior warning signs.

On your computer and phone, you’re probably used to updates happening. Often weekly.

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Testing often falls into the “boring but necessary” category.

Until you test something that heavily outperforms your previous best. Then you get excited and remember that there’s a good reason to be testing.

If you’re not sure what to test, here’s a few things that have worked since before the web was born and still work today:

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Grabbing the bull by the horns is an older version of Nike’s “Just do it” slogan.

The Cambridge dictionary says it’s about doing something in a brave and determined way.

That applies to a lot of the things we do in internet marketing.

Those scary things on your personal to-do list that you know you should be doing but – for whatever reason – you’re putting off and they’re just sitting there, glaring at you.

Often the best way to deal with these kind of issues is to just start doing them.

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We’re all told to know our customers.

A lot of people suggest building up an avatar of who we want to most attract – not a cartoon picture avatar but as close to a real description as possible. Age group, personal interests (not just in the niche we’re targeting), that kind of thing.

If you’ve got the patience to do that, it’s an excellent suggestion.

If you find the idea difficult or awkward, that’s OK (me too).

But you certainly need an idea of who you’re targeting.

If your answer is “everyone” then that’s too vague.

Apart from air and water, no product targets everyone.

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Recent events in the US and the UK have shown that things don’t always go to plan, even if you’ve got a large team of people working for you.

So if the things you’re planning to do or have recently implemented don’t go exactly as you thought they would, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone.

One of the ways this is usually explained is a plane or a boat is constantly adjusting course to take account of what’s happening en route.

And we need to do the same.

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