My ramblings on the topics of website creation, generating traffic and making money.

I Want a Website But I’m Stuck & Overwhelmed!

I receive a lot of the same questions/concerns from wanna-be website owners.

Let’s face it. Getting started can be a very overwhelming process.

From choosing the right web host, deciding on the perfect niche to selecting the right domain name and then totaling up all the costs involved.

Whew! It can be intimidating at first. So below you’ll find my responses to many of the common questions/concerns I’ve received from people wanting to create their first website.

There Are Too Many Sites On My Topic

Obviously you want to avoid very broad topics (i.e. employment, kids or sports, etc.) and stay away from heavily saturated niches like making money online, etc. If you’re looking at topics that are too broad, then of course you’re going to encounter a lot of competition.

But if there is a well defined niche you want to go after, don’t back off just because you’ve noticed a handful of sites that exist on the topic. A little competition is a good thing and will keep you on your toes. ;)

Just because someone else has a site on a topic you’re interested in, doesn’t mean you won’t be able to rank high enough to receive good traffic in Google, Yahoo, etc. If your site becomes a hit with your audience, they will link to you voluntarily and this will help your search engine rankings.

You can actually use competition to your advantage by improving upon what your competition has already done. Think about facts or features they didn’t include that you could add to your site. There’s almost always a better way of explaining or presenting something, so capitalize on that with your site.

I Am Not Good With Computers!

I hear this one all the time, and it’s the most common reason people hesitate to get started or outsource their website design completely.

Now I’ll admit. I’ve always been pretty comfortable around computers. I’ve had one in my house since 1986 and before the Internet became popular, I was usually sitting in front of the monitor, mesmerized by some role-playing game. ;)

However when it comes to creating websites, I’m not so sure much of that experience came in handy, other than being familiar with the general computer functions (opening and closing programs, saving, etc.)

So my point is, even if you aren’t particularly savvy with computers, that doesn’t mean you’ll have no chance at success with a website.

Now don’t get me wrong. You do need some levels of patience with computers and feeling intimidated by the machine is not going to make the website creation process fun. You will need a basic understanding of folder and file structures on your computer, but that’s pretty easy to pickup with time.

So don’t sell yourself short just because you aren’t computer savvy or you don’t have a computer-related or Web design degree. I certainly don’t and I’m managing pretty well for someone who is completely self-taught on website creation and management.

With programs like Dreamweaver and CoffeeCup at your disposal, along with templates to help get your design started; you can learn enough to create a decent website without being particularly computer savvy.

I Don’t Know Enough About Anything to Make an Interesting Website

When I hear people say that, I feel they aren’t digging deep enough or don’t fully understand the concept of generating money from an information website.

We all have something we are passionate about or at least have a great deal of knowledge on. And you don’t have to stick to tutorial-based sites. It can be something comedic or fun.

For example, say you love reality TV. You could create a site or blog that rants about the ridiculous things that happen on your favorite reality shows. You could make it funny or sarcastic and spice it up with your own personality.

With the help of Google ads and other entertainment-related affiliate programs, your site can become a money-making machine if you can generate enough interest.

So don’t take the process so seriously as you brainstorm. If you don’t have a special skill or hobby you can write about, think about your day-to-day life. What are you always talking to your friends and family about? What bugs you? What makes you laugh?

Or is there something you’d like to know more about? Often times people build sites on topics they’ve recently experienced and then they research it to learn more about it.

When I created flat-stomach-exercises.com, I wasn’t a fitness guru. (I’m still not.) I experienced some tummy flab issues as I entered into my late 20’s, so I picked up a few books along the way and began educating myself.

As I learned about the topic, I began to write articles for my website in my own words. So I became enough of an expert to create an informative site based on what I learned. You can take this same approach if you are struggling to find a topic.

I Don’t Have Much Time To Work On My Site

The great thing about owning a website is you have the flexibility of working on it when you want. That being said, if you don’t have a lot of time to invest into building and managing your site then don’t expect miracles when it comes to making money (if that’s your goal).

You definitely get out of this what you put into it. And while I would love to say I only work 2 hours per week on my site, I’d be lying to you.

I work hard, but the beauty is I love what I do. And when you enjoy the process, you don’t mind spending the time building, managing and promoting your site.

If your site is information-based, you’ll find it may require less maintenance once the traffic starts coming in and your site is more established. For most of my sites, I can leave for months if I want and still generate income because the traffic levels are high enough to keep the money coming in.

I no longer have to devote the kind of time I used to, however I had to work hard to get to that point and that meant devoting several hours per week until my site reached that desired level of success.

Nothing in life is free or easy, so if you want success, you have to put in the effort and time.

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