Whipping Up A Webmaster Site

If we're new to web publishing, one of the worst things we can do is make a site like this one.

It's such an easy trap to fall in to.

We've spent the last couple of months diligently learning about making money online. We've asked questions in the webmaster forums, downloaded some Net biz ebooks, and done a lot of research with Google.

Some of the sales letters pitching webmaster tools are pretty inspiring, promising us a bright future if only we'll buy before the price goes up.

We've been bitten by the web publishing bug, and are excited by all the possibilities.

All the books and forums say we should make a website about some topic we're interested in.

And after reading all the webmaster books and forums we discover we're actually very interested in making money online, web publishing, and webmaster techniques.

So hey, let's make a site about webmaster stuff!

Uh Oh

Wait. Stop. Let's turn back now, before it's too late. We're about to make one of the classic novice web publishing mistakes.

If we're new to web publishing, here's why we shouldn't make a site about webmastering.

Blind Leading The Blind?

First, if we're new to web publishing, we're still students, not authorities. If we've never had a successful business online, it's too early to be giving others advice.

But, let's set this aside, there's a more important reason.

Grand Central Station

The webmaster tools and techniques genre is really crowded.

No, sorry, I meant to say, really, really, really (really!) crowded.

It's going to be very difficult for a newcomer to get search engine traffic to a site about webmastering. And without search engine traffic, our chances of success are slim to none.

It gets worse.

Watch Out For The Big Kids

Not only is the webmaster niche really crowded, it's really crowded with veteran publishers.

If we make a webmaster site, we're not only competing with a lot of people, we're competing with a lot of people whose speciality is webmastering.

Not just competition, expert competition, yikes.

Another Side To The Coin

Ok, let's be more open minded and creative about this. There could be a reason for us to spend a limited amount of time writing some webmaster articles.

Writing To Learn

A friend is learning HTML. So I suggested to her she make an HTML tutorial site.

Such a site has a quite limited chance of getting a lot of traffic, and making a lot of money. There are already seemingly thousands of sites on this topic.

But, I knew that if she had to go through the process of writing articles on tables and forms etc, she would really learn the subject. If we're going to spend a month learning HTML, making a site about HTML is one way to go about it. If nothing else, her site can serve as a personalized reference notebook, written by her, just for her.

Writing To Teach

Here's another example. I'm making this site as part of my support to our Publisher-For-You customers.

I want to offer them what assistance I can, because I know if they don't succeed, I won't either.

But as their web host, I'm only charging them $25/month, a lot of which goes to expenses. So like any web host, I can't afford to be everyone's personal business coach, offering one to one guidance on each step of the process, and answering the same questions over and over in private emails.

So, this site is a method to share my perspectives and experience with our clients efficiently, on a one to many basis. Everyone gets the same information, I only have to type it once. I can afford that.

But, let's keep in mind, it will probably take years of building this site before it gets any significant search engine traffic. This site only makes sense if I build the audience some other way (like our affiliate program).

The Solution

Ok, I know it might be disappointing, but let's make our first sites about some topic other than webmastering.

Let's choose a "niche" topic, that is, a subject where we'll face less competition.

Let's become experts on something like rose gardening in Texas, or raising baby squirrels, or hiking the back woods of Vermont.

Let's compete with people who don't study the search engines for a living. Phew.

Sure the audience could be smaller than the webmaster market.

But if we master a niche topic like this, and promote our site well, we'll have the opportunity to become a big fish in a smaller pond. Somebody people actually read.

We'll get free traffic from the search engines. We'll develop a reputation, and build a loyal audience. We'll sell some stuff, and make some money.

Now we're on our way to becoming real webmasters.

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