Total Web Review

Okay, a little sensationalism for you there but I am wondering if that is what a lot of people think about having an internet business, particularly a website. I am sure a lot of people visit John Chows blog and think man I can do that and then after a few months give up because the money isn’t rolling in. Just a few facts for you, John Chow dot com has been around in some way, shape, or form since 2000. He started The Tech Zone in 1999. Come on guys, he has a 8 year head start on all of us just now starting websites. Can we catch him? I am sure that it is possible. Maybe with a good advertising budget, a whole lot of friends, and wise planning any thing can be done but don’t expect that because John Chow is making over 10,000 a month off of his blog that you will be making that within a few months. I know, no one wants to hear the bad news but hey I am trying to save you some heartache. I am not saying to quit though, just that it is not going to come easy. You will have to establish your website and become a trusted source of information to start really seeing the numbers increase in both visits and money earned. Did I just say earned? Yes you are going to earn every penny that you make on the internet unless you are going to be dishonest. So, if you are going to continue at this you need to make a plan and it should look a little like this;

1. Establish your name
Let everyone know who you are, visit the forums, make comments on other sites, and write good content so that when people visit your site they want to come back.
2. Get connected
You need links out there. To start with visit Google, Yahoo, and other search engines and submit your site. After that start submitting to directories, web ring, top sites, and any other link exchange method you can find. Now this is not necessarily about page rank but about getting indexed and also getting traffic. Also don’t forget to add your website in your profile at the forums you belong to. I have accounts at Webmaster Talk and Digital Point just to name a few. They have a ton of great information.(If you join just put sleepy127 as a referral if you don’t mind)
3. Learn!!!
You will have to continue to look at what others are doing that is successful. You will have to study trends in your traffic and the niche that you are shooting for. You will have to continually search for new and interesting stuff to post and write about or fall behind. The internet is fluid and forever moving and changing, so you could ride the tide to shore or you can get swept away by the current.
4. Stay determined
There are going to be times when you ask your self why you are doing it and why you should continue. You need to be able to answer those questions easily. You have to make your goal and stick to it. It is no that it is hard, but it can become frustrating. Case in point, I am moving right now from Europe back to the U.S. I am fairly busy trying to get things situated here so that I can leave and I have kind of let my websites slip. Well I saw my Alexa one week average go from low 100,000 to 300,000 in no time. It is kind of hard to keep traffic when they have nothing new to read so I had a discouraging week. Now it wasn’t bad but many weeks like that could be disheartening and someone that is not determined may just say enough. So instead you just have to buckle down, correct the problem and move on.

Remember, keep your head in the game, make a plan, and set some realistic goals. I said in my last post that my goal for the first year was to just pay for my hosting and domain registration. Well that is almost done, so now I will work on a higher goal. Right now I want to have enough by the end of the year to extend my hosting and domains out to two years from December. That is a realistic goal I think and if I can continue to work hard I am sure I will attain that and more.

Now earlier I talked about submitting sites to directories and search engines. Here are a few resources to help in that;
SEOmoz I blogged about this before but go to that link and it has ranking listings. Click the rank and it shows directories to submit to. Try doing a few every day.
Google Head on over and click on the webmaster tools link and you should be able to submit your site there.

That is all fro now but until next time I wish you success in your blogging.

Categories: Blogging for Success, Website Review
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