Starting a new website can feel like standing at the bottom of a mountain. However, we need to remember that all website were once new.
I used to cycle a lot and, when hill climbing, I wouldn’t focus at the top of the hill but rather on the present pedal stroke. There is only ever one pedal stroke. The ones in the past are only a memory and the ones in the feature are just an idea. I experimented with looking to the summit but that only made the task look painfully unmanageable.
The following tips are deliberately generic and brief and take an overall view.
1. Look at some established sites within your industry in the way back machine. It really helps to see how those big sites were once small and less polished.
2. Accept that your website will be less than perfect. You have to start somewhere, it can be tempting to give up just because your site isn’t as great as your competitors’. It will be.
3. Use a keyword analysis tool, not just to discover keywords but also to learn about your market. I use Wordtracker, and at the moment they’re offering a free 7 day trial – includes a “Profit From Keywords” video (worth $39) and a “Keywords Basics” guide (worth $29).
4. Interact online within your community. Contribute to blogs and forums, get your name known and offer lots of help to others.
5. Build content. Don’t think you need thousands and thousands of pages. That could drive you nuts and make you give up. Just add content bit by bit. Make it useful and interesting.
6. Use analysis software to learn about your visitors. I like to encourage site visitors to use site search so I can see what they want.
7. Search social media sites using relevant keywords to your industry or niche. Do this to keep up with the buzz. Digg and Reddit are good for this as you can search for your keyword by date and top rating. My partner has a card shop and I recently searched Reddit for greeting cards. I found a link to an article on biodegradable greeting cards that are impregnated with seeds that can be planted. I think she’s going to get some!
So in a nutshell: Take on step at a time and interact.
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