Why Do You Have that Website Anyway?

The real question should be; is it a serious business or just a hobby? The answer determines quite a bit. There are many reasons to be on the Internet, from ego where you feel the need to show your personal nature, or to connect with others. Perhaps your five-year old said that the family should have one because the neighbors do. Or you like fishing so you thought that you could paste up pictures of your catches to impress anyone that chanced upon your site. But, if you are actually in this to make money and consider your site a business venture, listen up. Are you treating it like a business?

I was a Yellow Page consultant for 25 years and advised thousands of companies during that time. Most were small, mom and pop types that worked out of the home. That's not a knock against them, it's just the reality of the majority of my accounts. Let's assume that you are in that group and work out of a home office. That website was a modest investment, but you hope to strike it rich, like the couple that founded Flickr.com, a photo-sharing site, a few years back. They sold it to Yahoo in 2005 for about 100 million dollars after it was up and running for six whole months. Is that your American dream?

Let's just say that it would be a nice outcome. Who wouldn't enjoy that kind of payday? In the meanwhile, what are you doing to build a following? Today, almost ten million people use the Flickr website. How are your numbers? Nowadays, just because you have some pretty pictures and decent content is not enough to succeed. With millions of sites competing for the viewer, you must be very pro-active to get your fair share of recipients. It begins on the site itself. What makes yours worthwhile and different?

I used to tell my clients to design a Yellow Page ad around what makes you unique. So my plumber would tell me that they are experts and do good work at low prices. Well, that describes nearly EVERY plumber in the directory. I would ask about other unique services or products. It isn't easy but it's necessary. Why should I visit your website with so many others clamoring for my business? Think about it and I know I did. I designed a health information website that is totally different from all others. It has features and benefits found nowhere else. Now, was that by accident? No, it was created that way.

So you must have a set of elements that the consumer won't find in other places. Then advertise the heck out of it. Try Google Adwords, Yahoo marketer, write articles, get out press releases, and tell everyone you know about the site. Link to any other website that will have you. Remember, you can never do TOO much marketing, but you have to do something. You owe it to yourself and your business. Otherwise, your website is just a hobby.