Get rich quick on the internet. How many times do you see that phrase or something like it as you surf the web? There are so many schemes out there to accomplish that goal. But how many people actually get to that dream?

Very few. And why is that? The biggest mistake that most beginning internet marketers make is not going into their project with a "business mindset". They're looking at an internet business as a "get rich" scheme. They doom their success from the get go.

To start an internet business you first need a plan. With a brick and mortar business this business plan is usually made to attract investors or secure a bank loan for start up money. But the internet is different territory. An internet business still needs a plan to focus its efforts.

The business plan in this sense is to subject your ideas of selling online to a vigorous scrutiny and see if your plans meet the test of what you will need to actually make it online. Your business plan is your game plan.

Without a true business plan or a true plan of attack, all the software, product development and marketing strategies are just hit and miss exercises. That's why you need a good business plan from the start. Without a business plan your chances of failure are greatly increased. Your business plan should include what you are going to do to succeed as well as what you will do if things fail miserably. All angles should be covered.

Business plans force you to do the research that most internet businesses fail to do before they start. This is vital to the success of your business. If you already have a product, then you're one step ahead of the game. Most of us don't though. Here's where making a business plan will allow you to think about your interests and passions that might make good niches to market products in.

You can begin to research keywords revolving around your interests to see if there are opportunities for developing products that will meet the needs of the people surfing those keywords. Search for those keywords that have high traffic and then search for related keywords that are also in demand. This type of research will become the basis of your internet business plan.

Out of your keyword research you should come up with a product or service idea you wish to market on the internet. You must precisely describe what it is. What is needed to develop this product? What makes it unique? This marks the first phase of your business plan research and leads into the next.

Researching markets goes hand in hand with product research. And it isn't looking for those pre-made websites that don't cost you a dime and that make someone else rich. It's looking for relevant keywords around which your business theme and business web site will be built upon.

This has to be a solid foundation so that your online business will succeed. It's the old cliche: "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail". It's a known fact that 95% of those that start an online business will fail. Why not plan to succeed? And when you're planning, don't plan to become rich overnight. That's what so many online gurus keep telling you what's going to happen.

Have you noticed? All those gurus have these large lists they mail to every day, every week, or whenever. They keep telling you about the latest business opportunity that will make you rich overnight or in just a few days. But the next day, they email you again with the newest way to make money online and it's a whole new program you have to join. Soon, you're spending all this money on programs that are going to do it for you online but no money is coming in.

The only people that get rich on those schemes are the people starting them and the large list owners that are promoting them. Yet there are thousands taking these gurus up on these types of "businesses" every day. Believe it or not, an internet business doesn't materialize overnight and make you rich. An online business is like any other business, building slowly over time. You just have to stick with it.

You want your online business to endure time. Remember, most of those gurus promote business programs that are fly-by-night. They'll be here today, gone tomorrow. That's why they're always dangling a new business scheme in your face, hoping you'll bite on it an make them some money today. Tomorrow they'll have to promote a new one because they've made their money and have left you out on the line to dry.

Your web site is your store front. It must be carefully designed to attract visitors. Without people viewing it, you will have not sales. The web site's objective's and design must be taken into account in your online business plan. Make sure your plan is specific in your objectives and the web site meets these. Here again, the web site should grow to meet the needs of your business and be enduring. A site that people come back to time and time again because it's loaded with new and pertinent information.

Your web site should reflect where you want to make your income. If you want to make your income from Asense ads, then you need lots of informational content. If you're making income from affiliate programs, then you want a site that sells the affiliate program. If you are selling your own product, then your site should center around the benefits of that product and ultimately send your visitor to a sales page that clinches the deal.

All of this should be considered when making your online business plan. The plan is the pivital document which your business is centered. A business plan makes you think about all of this and centers your business. It is all inclusive and done before you jump into the internet side of things. Don't just jump in. Have a true plan for your online business. Think it all out before you make your leap.

With a well thought out plan, your online business will succeed. Without forethought and planning, you're bound to fail. Go into the internet as you would with a brick and mortar business and you are marching into success.

Jim Bruce has been marketing online since 2000 and has accumulated information which will ensure you success. He has a new website which gives you all the information you will need. Go to http://www.4makingyourownwebsite.com for the info you need.