Getting 500,000/month to a Website - Week 1, Kickoff
How to get people to visit your website? Seems like a neat thing to learn?
I have been told of blogs that drive more than half a million visitors to read them every month. Half a million!!! This seems like a fun goal, and I would get to learn a lot in the process. So it is officially added to the list.
With this category of posts I hope to discover how to drive that many people to visit my website every month. This will be a huge learning experience since I have never really jumped into designing web pages to get visitors. It should be fun because as with most new things, I find that you tend to learn as you go and learn a lot.
My postings in this category will mainly be about the how I am doing it. How I am getting more and more people to visit every month. I am lucky enough to have a friend who has researched this topic extensively and knows a lot of resources on the web. I have posted his website before but here it is again, www.byintention.com.
How to do it
Task 1 - Setting up the Site
I have started the process by first signing up for a hosting service and registering a domain name or two. I was originally using GoDaddy but found that their hosting software was lacking to say the least. It was very confusing and if they had a content manager I couldn’t find it. So at my friends suggestion I switched to Netfirms and couldn’t be happier. They have a really easy startup thing/content manager (WordPress). It makes the site for you and you can hack up the code and design it from a base just as easy. Also they give you two free domain names, and 20 GB space with 750 GB transfer all for $9.95 a month.
Task 2 - Finding something you like to write about
Next thing is finding something you would like to write about and something people might like to read. I think the first part is much more important. Choose something you would like to write about on a weekly basis. This can be anything and can evolve and change with time. Something I like…? Setting goals, then starting them but not finishing. I love to get really hyped on one thing, jump in with both feet, only to be sidetracked by something else and repeat the process. There we go, I will write about how to become good at everything you try. From starting to finishing. The web log will be my way of holding myself accountable.
Task 3 - Set a goal
Set your goal as to how many people you want to visit each month. I have set my goal to get 500,000 people a month to visit my site within the next year. It may be a lofty goal but ya gotta aim high to succeed.
Task 3 - Getting people to visit
Getting people to visit. Well, this is what this category of blog entries will be mainly about. First way of getting people to visit, which I am currently employing, is to tell your friends about the site. I have now started to include my website address within all outgoing email. You can insert it easily within the signiture section of your options, most email systems have them.
Also tell everyone you talk to. Most people have cell phones and I know you are always on them so just add it in the conversation. I tend to be random at times so I’ll just add it in whenever. You could be strategic but I suggest the mass media approach. Tell them everytime you talk to them. If they like it they’ll go back. I have a friend, we’ll call him Chris, Christian for short. I told him about my website, and he is helping to critique it. These can be invaluable tips and also inspire you to get another topic to write about. (Thanks CG)
There you have it. The goal is set. I will offer many tips within this category of posts but also encourage you to do the same. Leave comments about how you got people to visit, helpful hints, etc. Don’t be bashful and don’t worry about not reaching your goal. Just shout it from the roof tops and try like heck to make it happen. Learn to make it happen.