Completely new to all this and seeking advice
hi everyone, i;m new to making websites and really looking for some beginners advice. Not 'tutorial' type advice though. Over the last few months ive read hundreds of tutorials, learnt HTML and CSS (and a little javascript), ive got domain name, host, ftp and everything i need to build a site.
I know HOW to design/build now but its WHAT to do! I dont know where to start, ive been reading a lot about 'niche', 'original content', 'keyword rich' etc and what i really want to know is this;
1. What type of sites are the BEST? I dont have a product to sell so I;m looking to start some kind of 'interesting/useful site' that i can maintain and build on and use ad space for google adsense and possible a couple of affiliate programs.
2. I'm not looking to get rich quick or be no.1 in search engines anytime soon but a couple of hundred pounds a week and very good traffic/sales within the next 6 months or so - is this realistic? Ive been reading these forums for a couple of weeks now and see that there are a lot of people out there that are claiming to make thousands a week or month and having like 20,000 hits a month - i know thats way out of my league but tips from those experts would be great.
I'm not expecting anyone to give away their secrets but would just like some pointers in the right direction to give me a head start.
What would your top tips for designing/starting a new site be please?
Thanks to anyone thats got to the bottom i know i can go on...dadadadadada
WebMaster94 posted this at 12:01 — 29th May 2006.
He has: 37 posts
Joined: May 2006
Welcome to The Webmaster Forums!
1. Q:What type of sites are the best?
A: I take it your speaking of a site that brings profit. That's tough. If you don't have a specific business, then it's kind of hard to make money off a site. If you knew game programming, you could sell games. If you made computers you could sell thewm online! Is there any specific kind of thing you can do, that could bring profit?
2. Again, those stats depend on the product. If you coud give a product or service you wish to use online, I could give you more specific answers!
Your friendly friend,
WebMaster!
Megan posted this at 13:08 — 29th May 2006.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
1. That's easy - something that people are interested in and that you know something about. I think to make a go of a website over the long term you have to be really passionate about it. The rewards are sometimes a long time coming. You also have to know enough about the topic to create a lot of content that people will be interested in. I think it's good to have a solid niche topic - don't spread yourself too thin. Better to be the site for a certian specific topic than one of many sites covering a range of things.
2. That would be tough to do without some sort of aggressive marketing. You'd have to be able to put up some cash up front. Otherwise, it's slow and steady. You'd probably be lucky to be making a few hundred a month after six months, to be honest.
3. General advice - have a good plan. Know what your objectives are for the site, who your target audience is, what the plan is for making a profit etc. Then stick to it.
Megan
Connect with us on Facebook!
Busy posted this at 22:29 — 29th May 2006.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
I find my hobby sites do better than my targeted sites for ad revenue, although not 600 (nz) a month (200 pounds), more like 70 pounds every 3-4 months, but my intentions are not out to make a living from it, just to pay the bills incurred.
One of my sites gets tens of thousands of hits a month (the most hits), problem is thats the one with the less intake of funds.
Without an orginal idea it's going to be hard to make that much money a month within a year. Unless you resort to the scums of society and become a spammer, a link farmer or a hacker (be sure someone cake bake a cake with a metal file in it).
I know of a guy in USA thats making a good living selling to order. What he's done is gone on auction sites on the other side of the world and placed ads for US stuff, people request stuff that can't be got in the country and he sells it to them with a bit of a markup. A bit like a dropshipper but without the 3rd party and the goods are seen. Some things to watch out for (customs fees etc), but if items are under x amount of dollars (around 200) no duty is paid, although this varies per country. Also can't put markup to high as a lot of the stuff can already be found on ebay
WebMaster94 posted this at 11:37 — 30th May 2006.
He has: 37 posts
Joined: May 2006
Just remember: You probably won't make much money off anything on the net, unless you know about it and enjoy it!
Want to join the discussion? Create an account or log in if you already have one. Joining is fast, free and painless! We’ll even whisk you back here when you’ve finished.