Many people tend to approach the web passively.
They spend a lot of time and resources designing a nice web site, but then spend very little in the way of promoting it. When nothing happens, they blame the Internet and complain that 50 million people didn't drop by before breakfast. The point is, like many aspects of business, there is no one and only method of marketing on the Internet. There are many proven formulas and a certain amount of knowledge needed, but an understanding of the fundamentals is essential. You can then use this information in concert with everything else you're learning to maximize your overall marketing efforts.