No More Excuses
Unless you’re a child or haven’t got much online experience, you’ll probably remember the days not so long ago when having your own website was a mere fantasy for most people. The technical barriers were practically insurmountable for all but the geeks and those blessed with steely determination and endless patience to learn and then compile all the code necessary to build a website.
Fast forward a handful of years and all excuses for not having your own website have been taken away. Today it’s possible for anyone to have a full-featured, completely interactive website where you can share your thoughts and passions with the world, all for free and with minimum skills required. If you can turn on a computer and you know how to use a simple word processor, you’re in!
All you need to do now is communicate your ideas in a unique and entertaining way so that you can attract loyal readers and rabid fans. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you begin building your own online empire.
What Is This About?
The very first thing you need to consider is your main theme or topic for your site. While you may have a diverse range of interests and talents, you have to remember that most people online are usually searching for very specific things. For example, golfers tend to want to know EVERYTHING about their passion – golf. If you have a terrific golf article on your site, you may catch the attention of the golf audience. However, if they bookmark your site and return the next day, they’ll expect another terrific golf article. Show them your expertise on knitting and ‘POOF’, your golf nuts are gone… FOREVER!
Instead, you want to position yourself as the ‘Go-To Person’ for one very specific topic. Of course, you don’t want your topic to be so tiny and obscure that you won’t be able to write more than a few articles or attract a wide enough audience interested in what you have to say. But if you choose one of the three Universal needs – Health, Wealth and Love – and then drill down a few layers until you’ve found a unique angle, you’ll more than likely do very well.
I Want It All and I Want It Now
We live in an ‘instant society’ where waiting for anything even for a few seconds is intolerable. We’ve been conditioned with ‘Convenience Store Mentality’ – get in; get it; get out!
When people are looking for information, you only have a tiny bit of time to show them that you have exactly what they are looking for. Make your subject and headers short and catchy, keep your paragraphs limited to 2-3 sentences, and aim for a total word count of between 400-800 words.
You may be a top authority in your field. You may have even produced a doctorate thesis on your topic. People will be more likely to read your entire book if you first give them something that satisfies their immediate need.
Serve It Hot and Fresh
Do you know why busy restaurants are so popular? Turn-over! Chances are better that the food hasn’t already been sitting under a heat lamp for several hours if the place is busy. The lesson here is to serve your visitors fresh, up-to-date and timely information.
If you’re worried about having to come up with something totally new every day, just remember that there really is ‘nothing new under the sun’. People still have challenges with money, health and relationships. Practically everything in life comes down to one of those three main categories. By keeping it ‘fresh’, it’s the unique perspective that YOU add to it. Nobody has heard YOUR version of it before, so it’s OK to share about things that already exist. After all, that’s why they are so popular so stick with what people want as long as it isn’t a ‘me-too’, yesterday’s news rehash.
Would You Like Fries With That?
If you monetize your blog, you’ll want to make sure that the products and services you are recommending align with your main theme. AdWords already does a pretty decent job of matching your content and serving up relevant ads that your readers are more likely to click. If you write a blog on dogsledding in the Great White North, chances are your readers won’t be very interested in scuba diving equipment.
As long as your promotions are consistent with your subject, you should eventually generate some good revenue. Your audience will appreciate your recommendations and will be more likely to buy because you’ve built up a trusting relationship with them.
Good Things Happen
When you position yourself as the ‘Go-To Person’, good things happen – for you and for your readers! In order to gain this status, remember these four keys to killer content:
- Focus on one theme or topic
- Give your readers immediate gratification
- Keep your content fresh and timely
- Ensure your ads are consistent with your subject