How to launch a successful website
Posted by Wildfire Marketing Group | May 11th, 2009
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Launching a successful website takes a lot of hard work, extensive knowledge and a deep passion for what you’re doing. The thing is that even with all of these things, a website can still fail because there is more to a successful website.
Decide what type of website to launch: Blogs seem to be the most common these days, but you could start a forum, a review site or any number of other types of websites. If you’re not sure what type is best for you, read one of the best articles I’ve seen on choosing which type of site to launch, by Shane Pike.
Conduct research: You can make a hobby website about whatever you want, but if you plan to generate revenue from your website, you’ll need to make sure that there will be enough search volume to produce a return on your investment. You can get a pretty good idea of the number of people searching on a given subject with Google’s keyword tool. Your research doesn’t stop there though. You’ll also need to see what sort of competition you’re up against. It may be appealing to think about the money you could make if you ranked #1 for the keyword phrase “mortgages” but for a brand new website competing against over 160 million other mortgage related web pages, it just isn’t a reality. You need to find a balance between a reasonable volume of traffic and a manageable level of competition.
Be compelling: You need to know your subject matter inside and out because people will be coming to your website for information. Your job goes deeper than simply providing information though, because there are a lot of people who can do that. You job, in addition to providing information, is to provide a unique insight and a forward thinking vision, and more importantly, to do so in a compelling manner. Robert Kiyosaki said it best during an interview with a reporter, where he explained that he was a best selling author, not a best writing author. The most successful person isn’t always the smartest one, it’s usually the one who tells the best story.
Continually add fresh content: You need a depth of knowledge that will enable you to continue to develop fresh content for years to come. If you run out of things to write about after a few months, or even a few years, your website will become stagnant and begin to lose readership. You need to plan for this. One way to do this is to pace yourself. You may be tempted to rush into getting as much content as possible up on your website in the beginning, but doing that will probably burn you out. A better approach is to write whenever an idea enters your mind, and then schedule your posts to be published ever few days. An alternative is to hire ghost writers, or even bring on guest authors.
Be original: There are thousands upon thousands of websites about the exact same topics. What makes your different? Why should people take the time out of their day to visit yours? If you don’t give them a reason to, they won’t. There is a way to put an original spin on just about any subject, and it’s your job to do that.
Invest in a professional website design: You’ll have a tough time getting visitors to return to your website if it doesn’t present a moderately professional image. When you’re just starting out, it may seem too expensive to hire a professional to design your website, but in reality, it’s money well-invested. A professional website design will improve your conversion ratios, which means more money for you from the same amount of traffic. Do your research to find the right designer for your needs, but don’t try to be cheap. You get what you pay for.
Give your visitors a way to interact: Make it easy for your visitors to interact, contact you and share your site with others.
Have a goal: If you’re sailing a boat around the ocean with out an absolute certain knowledge of where you are and where you want to go, you’ll probably just wander around the ocean navigating on a whim until you run out of supplies and die. Your website is no different. Too many people try a little bit of this and a little bit of that, never devoting their full energy into developing any particular facet of their site. This fragmented effort means that none of the marketing ever gets any traction and the website usually dies a slow and painful death. Develop a quantifiable goal that you plan to achieve within a specific time period, and focus on it with laser-like precision.
Track your results: You’ll never know if you’ve accomplished your goals if you’re not tracking your results. What you track will vary depending on your goals. If you want to achieve a certain level of traffic, Google Analytics will do a good job of tracking that. Feedburner is great for tracking your RSS subscribers. Forum software, such as phpBB or vBulletin allows you to track the number of members and posts. You’ll need to determine what you need to track based on your goals, but doing so will let you see your progress and adjust your strategy as needed.
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14 Responses to “How to launch a successful website”
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June 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 am
I am always eager for information about making my website successful. Thanks!
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June 4th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Thank you, very helpful post!
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June 13th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Hi. This is definitely very helpful info you have here and I appreciate the post.
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June 18th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Very useful information! Thanks for this.
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June 18th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hey nice blog post very helpful!
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June 23rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Very good blog matey, keep up the good work!
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June 23rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Love the blog, this one is going in my bookmarklist.
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June 26th, 2009 at 4:50 am
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.
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June 27th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
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June 27th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Very useful information. Thanks for this.
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June 28th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Very well written post however, I would recommend that you turn the No Follow off in your comment section.
Keep up the good work.
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June 29th, 2009 at 1:39 am
Very nice information. Thanks for this.
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June 29th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I really liked your blog, very helpful!
Following you on Twitter!
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June 29th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Another interesting article from your blog :) When will it stop…hopefully never
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