Do you want to know how to create a really successful website in up to 12 months and reach at least 10000-15000 daily page views? Some time ago Brett Tabke posted a great guide explaining how to do it on WebmasterWorld Forums.
Let's review it step by step to check whether WebsiteWizard would help you with reaching that target.
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The following will build a successful site in 1 years time via Google alone. It can be done faster if you are a real go getter, or everyones favorite: a self starter.
Why does it take so long? That's because it takes some time for your site to become indexed and recognized among visitors and other users. What's more, Google places new websites in so-called sandbox (read more about it), so you cannot reach the top results right away, but you have to wait for leaving the sandbox.
A) Prep Work:
Prep work and begin building content. Yep, long before the domain name is settled on, start putting together notes to build at least a 100 page site. That's just for openers. That's 100 pages of "real content", as opposed to link pages, resource pages, about/copyright/tos...etc fluff pages.
That's why we have added a new page list a few months ago, which enables to manage the WebsiteWizard-based website with 100, 200 or even 300 pages with ease.
B) Domain name:
Easily brandable. You want "google.com" and not "mykeyword.com". Keyword domains are out - branding and name recognition are in - big time in. The value of keywords in a domain name have never been less to se's. Learn the lesson of "goto.com" becomes "Overture.com" and why they did it. It's one of the powerful gut check calls I've ever seen on the internet. That took resolve and nerve to blow away several years of branding. (that's a whole 'nuther article, but learn the lesson as it applies to all of us).
I agree with this point, as creating your own, unique brand is a way to go, especially in the long term. However if you sell eg. socks for cats, domain such as socks-for-cats.com would still be a solution worth considering.
C) Site Design:
The simpler the better. Rule of thumb: text content should out weight the html content. The pages should validate and be usable in everything from Lynx to leading edge browsers. eg: keep it close to html 3.2 if you can. Spiders are not to the point they really like eating html 4.0 and the mess that it can bring. Stay away from heavy: flash, dom, java, java script. Go external with scripting languages if you must have them - there is little reason to have them that I can see - they will rarely help a site and stand to hurt it greatly due to many factors most people don't appreciate (search engines distaste for js is just one of them).
It's a good idea to choose one of the Basic Designs for your WebsiteWizard website, as they are really light and do not contain unnecessary, heavy code. In new template engine (which we are working on), all templates will be XHTML-compatible and customizable, so you would be able to simplify them even more.
Arrange the site in a logical manner with directory names hitting the top keywords you wish to hit.
You can also go the other route and just throw everything in root (this is rather controversial, but it's been producing good long term results across many engines).
We do support the other route (automagically, by design) and I must tell you that it really works!
Don't clutter and don't spam your site with frivolous links like "best viewed" or other counter like junk. Keep it clean and professional to the best of your ability.
Learn the lesson of Google itself - simple is retro cool - simple is what surfers want.
Speed isn't everything, it's almost the only thing. Your site should respond almost instantly to a request. If you get into even 3-4 seconds delay until "something happens" in the browser, you are in long term trouble. That 3-4 seconds response time may vary for site destined to live in other countries than your native one. The site should respond locally within 3-4 seconds (max) to any request. Longer than that, and you'll lose 10% of your audience for every second. That 10% could be the difference between success and not.
That's why we have invested thousands of dollars in our server infrastructure. And you have to admit that your website (if you already created it in WebsiteWizard) works really fast, despite the heavy traffic we have to cope with.
D) Page Size:
The smaller the better. Keep it under 15k if you can. The smaller the better. Keep it under 12k if you can. The smaller the better. Keep it under 10k if you can - I trust you are getting the idea here. Over 5k and under 10k. Ya - that bites - it's tough to do, but it works. It works for search engines, and it works for surfers. Although no one knows for sure, and the data is sketchy, it is estimated that 50% (circa jan 2005) of your surfers will be at 56k or even less. This figure will increase dramatically if you target countries outside the US.
As I wrote above - the simplest design, the better. Those basic designs are really useful - with them, your average page shouldn't be larger than 10k. My personal favorite is known as design no. 116 (you can preview it here)
E) Content:
Build one page of content and put online per day at 200-500 words. If you aren't sure what you need for content, start with the Overture keyword suggestor and find the core set of keywords for your topic area. Those are your subject starters.
Overture keyword selector is a great tool. I use it myself from time to time.
F) Density, position, yada, yada, yada...
Simple, old fashioned, seo from the ground up.
Use the keyword once in title, once in description tag, once in a heading, once in the url, once in bold, once in italic, once high on the page, and hit the density between 5 and 20% (don't fret about it). Use good sentences and speel check it ;-) Spell checking is becoming important as se's are moving to auto correction during searches. There is no longer a reason to look like you can't spell (unless you really are phonetically challenged).
Check out keyword density tool I recommend. As for spell checking, WebsiteWizard visual editor has spell-checker built-in. Just don't forget to use it :)
G) Outbound Links:
From every page, link to one or two high ranking sites under that particular keyword. Use your keyword in the link text (this is ultra important for the future).
I agree that this is very important. Just find some websites that are not your direct competition, but still rank very high. If you know your product or service is the best, you can even add some links to your competitor sites. Most of your visitors will look for them anyway, so why shouldn't you help them and prove them you are not afraid to be compared with others?
H) Cross links:
(cross links are links WITHIN the same site)
Link to on topic quality content across your site. If a page is about food, then make sure it links it to the apples and veggies page. Specifically with Google, on topic cross linking is very important for sharing your pr value across your site. You do NOT want an "all star" page that out performs the rest of your site. You want 50 pages that produce 1 referral each a day and do NOT want 1 page that produces 50 referrals a day. If you do find one page that drastically out produces the rest of the site with Google, you need to off load some of that pr value to other pages by cross linking heavily. It's the old share the wealth thing.
Please note that if you divide your site into pages and subpages, those crosslinks will be created automagically in menu. Of course you can create them manually as well.
I) Put it Online:
Don't go with virtual hosting - go with a stand alone IP.
I don't agree with that one. Standalone, unique IP costs a lot nowadays, because it requires a dedicated server. The effect of shared IP on position in search engine is negligible.
Make sure the site is "crawlable" by a spider. All pages should be linked to more than one other page on your site, and not more than 2 levels deep from root. Link the topic vertically as much as possible back to root. A menu that is present on every page should link to your sites main "topic index" pages (the doorways and logical navigation system down into real content).
In WebsiteWizard, this is done automatically by dynamic menu system.
Don't put it online before you have a quality site to put online. It's worse to put a "nothing" site online, than no site at all. You want it flushed out from the start.
You can block your home page using a password or just not link to it from the outside until it is ready.
Go for a listing in the ODP. If you have the budget, then submit to Looksmart and Yahoo. If you don't have the budget, then try for a freebie on Yahoo (don't hold your breath).
From my experience, submitting your website to Open Directory Project is the single most effective way to increase your website popularity. This project is lead by volunteers, so it can take some time for your submission to be processed. Please make sure your website and its description is compliant with ODP editorial guidelines.
J) Submit:
Submit the root to: Google, AllTheWeb, Altavista and WiseNut Now comes the hard part - forget about submissions for the next six months. That's right - submit and forget.
Although search engine submission to Google, MSN and AllTheWeb is built-in into WebsiteWizard, it is always better to submit your site manually.
K) Logging and Tracking:
Get a quality logger/tracker that can do justice to inbound referrals based on log files (don't use a lame graphic counter - you need the real deal). If your host doesn't support referrers, then back up and get a new host. You can't run a modern site without full referrals available 24x7x365 in real time.
WebsiteWizard team is working on new, extended web stats for WebsiteWizard users (with advanced referral support). In the meanwhile, you can use free service such as SiteMeter for referral-tracking purposes.
L) Spiderlings:
Watch for spiders from se's. Make sure those that are crawling the full site, can do so easily. If not, double check your linking system (use standard hrefs) to make sure the spider found it's way throughout the site. Don't fret if it takes two spiderings to get your whole site done by Google or AllTheWeb. Other se's are pot luck and doubtful that you will be added at all if not within 6 months.
New stats we are working on will allow you to monitor the crawler visits.
M) Topic directories:
Almost every keyword sector has an authority hub on it's topic. Go submit within the guidelines.
That's true. Just enter your target keywords into Google, followed with words such as "portal", "directory" or "news" to find those hubs.
N) Links:
Look around your keyword sector in Google version of the ODP. (this is best done AFTER getting an odp listing - or two). Find sites that have links pages or freely exchange links. Simply request a swap. Put a page of on topic, in context links up your self as a collection spot.
Don't freak if you can't get people to swap links - move on. Try to swap links with one fresh site a day. A simple personal email is enough. Stay low key about it and don't worry if site Z won't link with you - they will - eventually they will.
WebsiteWizard link exchange feature can help you with exchanging links and check if they haven't been removed by your link partner later on.
O) Content:
One page of quality content per day. Timely, topical articles are always the best. Try to stay away from to much "bloggin" type personal stuff and look more for "article" topics that a general audience will like. Hone your writing skills and read up on the right style of "web speak" that tends to work with the fast and furious web crowd.
Lots of text breaks - short sentences - lots of dashes - something that reads quickly.
Most web users don't actually read, they scan. This is why it is so important to keep low key pages today. People see a huge overblown page by random, and a portion of them will hit the back button before trying to decipher it. They've got better things to do that waste 15 seconds (a stretch) at understanding your whiz bang flash menu system. Because some big support site can run flashed out motorhead pages, that is no indication that you can. You don't have the pull factor they do.
Use headers, and bold standout text liberally on your pages as logical separators. I call them scanner stoppers where the eye will logically come to rest on the page.
I have seen too many pages breaking the rules mentioned above. Believe me - I wasn't impressed. Please stick to them if you can.
P) Gimmicks:
Stay far away from any "fades of the day" or anything that appears spammy, unethical, or tricky. Plant yourself firmly on the high ground in the middle of the road.
Please check out the WebsiteWizard guidebook for interesting discussion about popups. Personally, I'm against them and I use Firefox which blocks most of them.
Q) Link backs:
When YOU receive requests for links, check the site out before linking back with them. Check them through Google and their pr value. Look for directory listings. Don't link back to junk just because they asked. Make sure it is a site similar to yours and on topic.
I wonder why we don't show PageRank information for external URL-s in link exchange yet. I think we could add such feature rather quickly. What do you think about it?
R) Rounding out the offerings:
Use options such as Email-a-friend, forums, and mailing lists to round out your sites offerings. Hit the top forums in your market and read, read, read until your eyes hurt you read so much.
Stay away from "affiliate fades" that insert content on to your site.
As you know, all of those options come with WebsiteWizard account (read how to use them in WebsiteWizard guidebook).
Reading popular, topical forums and discussion groups can take time, but when you post to them regularly (with link to your website in the footer of each message and/or your member profile), you may soon become recognized as an expert at your field and traffic to your website will surely increase.
S) Beware of Flyer and Brochure Syndrome:
If you have an ecom site or online version of bricks and mortar, be careful not to turn your site into a brochure. These don't work at all. Think about what people want. They aren't coming to your site to view "your content", they are coming to your site looking for "their content". Talk as little about your products and yourself as possible in articles (raise eyebrows...yes, I know).
Most of the pages created in WebsiteWizard I've seen are not free from brochure syndrome, I must admit. There's a high time to change it - with your help.
T) Build one page of content per day:
Head back to the Overture suggestion tool to get ideas for fresh pages.
You can also try free keyword suggestion tool from Digital Point Solutions which combines Overture and Wordtracker.
U) Study those logs:
After 30-60 days you will start to see a few referrals from places you've gotten listed. Look for the keywords people are using. See any bizarre combinations? Why are people using those to find your site? If there is something you have over looked, then build a page around that topic. Retro engineer your site to feed the search engine what it wants.
If your site is about "oranges", but your referrals are all about "orange citrus fruit", then you can get busy building articles around "citrus" and "fruit" instead of the generic "oranges".
The search engines will tell you exactly what they want to be fed - listen closely, there is gold in referral logs, it's just a matter of panning for it.
With new web stats, it will be possible to quickly check your keyword referrals. I'm not really sure why such tool was not available in WebsiteWizard right from the beginning.
V) Timely Topics:
Nothing breeds success like success. Stay abreast of developments in your keyword sector. If big site "Z" is coming out with product "A" at the end of the year, then build a page and have it ready in October so that search engines get it by December. eg: go look at all the Xbox and XP sites in Google right now - those are sites that were on the ball last summer.
To track new developments, you can use Technorati. It's a tool that scans blog content on a daily basis.
W) Friends and Family:
Networking is critical to the success of a site. This is where all that time you spend in forums will pay off. pssst: Here's the catch-22 about forums: lurking is almost useless. The value of a forum is in the interaction with your fellow colleagues and cohorts. You learn long term by the interaction - not by just reading.
Networking will pay off in link backs, tips, email exchanges, and in general put you "in the loop" of your keyword sector.
There are a few forums which I can recommend to every online marketer: The Warrior Forum, WebmasterWorld, Digital Point Forums and SitePoint Forums. Check them out!
X) Notes, Notes, Notes:
If you build one page per day, you will find that brain storm like inspiration will hit you in the head at some magic point. Whether it is in the shower (dry off first), driving down the road (please pull over), or just parked at your desk, write it down! 10 minutes of work later, you will have forgotten all about that great idea you just had. Write it down, and get detailed about what you are thinking. When the inspirational juices are no longer flowing, come back to those content ideas. It sounds simple, but it's a life saver when the ideas stop coming.
Make sure to try the famous Hipster PDA. It is the least expensive PDA I know :)
Y) Submission check at six months:
Walk back through your submissions and see if you got listed in all the search engines you submitted to after six months. If not, then resubmit and forget again. Try those freebie directories again too.
By the way, if you have more than one domain, make sure to select the main domain for your website in WebsiteWizard control panel.
Z) Build one page of quality content per day:
Starting to see a theme here? Google loves content, lots of quality content. Broad based over a wide range of keywords. At the end of a years time, you should have around 400 pages of content. That will get you good placement under a wide range of keywords, generate recip links, and overall position your site to stand on it's own two feet.
With such position, you will be able to turn the visitors into profits... Don't wait, start creating your website right away.
Do those 26 things, and I guarantee you that in ones years time you will call your site a success. It will be drawing between 500 and 2000 referrals a day from search engines. If you build a good site with an average of 4 to 5 pages per user, you should be in the 10-15k page views per day range in one years time. What you do with that traffic is up to you, but that is more than enough to "do something" with.
What should I add here? I can only confirm that such strategy really works. One of the websites I was involved in before I started to work in WebsiteWizard team, managed to get over 200000 visits just from Google each month using the very same, content-based strategy. Now it's your turn...
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