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.

You’ve only got to look at some of the instructions for things like creating and ranking YouTube videos – because they often rank well, there are all sorts of “insider secrets” associated with them, each of which seems to add extra steps to an essentially simple process.

Granted, that post is long (about 8,000 words) but it is a start-to-finish guide with nothing left out.

Some people will add in extra steps – the only one I’m aware of that can help you rank slightly faster is to “reserve” a slot by scheduling a live broadcast and then using a few extra steps to upload a recorded video before the scheduled time arrives. Some people are using that to get quicker results and also to test whether or not their video idea is likely to ramp. Personally, I think the extra time it takes could be better spent creating more content but if you’ve got a product that explains the process in a bit more detail, it could be worth an experiment.

But most of the time extra steps in a process are the modern day equivalent of reading entrails to discover what the future holds.

Take a look at what you currently do and work out whether there are any things you’re doing that take more time and effort than they’re worth.

Do the same with those sales letters that tempt you – if you’re already doing something reasonably successfully, it could be worth the purchase just in case there’s anything new (or more likely that you used to do but have forgotten) but most of the time it will be like watching yet another repeat on television. Which means that your time will probably be better spent creating more content than it would be watching or reading a new “must have” product that turns out to be anything but that.

Simplifying what you do and cutting out unnecessary steps could be the key to getting your internet marketing productivity improved without spending lots of extra hours on it.

The 80/20 rule applies in almost everything we do.

So it’s worth sitting down with yourself or a patient friend and working out what you’re doing that adds little – if any – benefit to your business.

It’s often easier to see that kind of thing as an outsider so don’t be afraid to enlist help, either in person or via a forum of Facebook group. You’ve almost certainly encountered that before where you’ve been staring at a problem for what seems like forever and a friend casually says “why don’t you do it this way” and promptly solves the problem.

For the next few days, spend a few minutes working out whether you’re being as efficient as you could be and whether there are things that you’re doing that could be scrapped and the only thing you’d miss is the time you’re spending doing them.