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After a busy few weeks which left little time to update wpview.com I got thinking about how the site was performing and what I might do differently if I were to start again. It’s coming up to 6 months since wpview.com was launched and the site is growing nicely. Traffic is up month on month and manual submissions to the site are increasing every day. Looking back, here are 6 lessons I have taken from setting up and running wpview.com I will be able to apply to any future projects.
1. The perception of authority is more important than the reality
Walking and talking like an established authority on a subject will get you a long way. Within days of launch my site was listed on other blogs as a great showcased to submit to. There was no way they could know this, and to be frank, it wasn’t worth submitting to at that stage, but because the tone of voice suggested otherwise, it worked.
2. There’s always room for one more
No matter how saturated or competitive a market is, there is always room for one more. The internet is a big place and people are always looking for a fresh take on a subject. If you have the energy and commitment to make it work, it will.
3. Targeting a niche is the future
Having said that, if you really want to carve a solid share of a market, focusing on a niche (like wpview.com does focusing on WordPress sites using WordPress beyond blogging) can put you on to a winner. By their very nature, there is little or no competition and it helps to keep your eye on the prize.
4. Even small changes take time
I have lost count of the number of times I have sat down planning on doing a quick 5 minute job to find I’m still logged in an hour later. Adding new websites to wpview.com is actually a relatively quick process, but even this can feel like an age when you only wanted to be in and out in a few minutes. If you’re not willing to take the time (or you simply don’t have it) to commit to the site, don’t start it in the first place.
5. Don’t be afraid to email another site owner
When I first started I was unsure whether to get in touch with owners of established and well regarded sites fearing I would be looked down on, in fact the opposite was often the case. Direct contact got the site listed on the major gallery submission services and helped to create a handful of incoming links. Even when my email resulted in no action, the scorning response I had anticipated never materialised and life went on.
5 lessons learned from creating & running a WordPress showcase website
After a busy few weeks which left little time to update wpview.com I got thinking about how the site was performing and what I might do differently if I were to start again. It’s coming up to 6 months since wpview.com was launched and the site is growing nicely. Traffic is up month on month and manual submissions to the site are increasing every day. Looking back, here are 6 lessons I have taken from setting up and running wpview.com I will be able to apply to any future projects.
1. The perception of authority is more important than the reality
Walking and talking like an established authority on a subject will get you a long way. Within days of launch my site was listed on other blogs as a great showcased to submit to. There was no way they could know this, and to be frank, it wasn’t worth submitting to at that stage, but because the tone of voice suggested otherwise, it worked.
2. There’s always room for one more
No matter how saturated or competitive a market is, there is always room for one more. The internet is a big place and people are always looking for a fresh take on a subject. If you have the energy and commitment to make it work, it will.
3. Targeting a niche is the future
Having said that, if you really want to carve a solid share of a market, focusing on a niche (like wpview.com does focusing on WordPress sites using WordPress beyond blogging) can put you on to a winner. By their very nature, there is little or no competition and it helps to keep your eye on the prize.
4. Even small changes take time
I have lost count of the number of times I have sat down planning on doing a quick 5 minute job to find I’m still logged in an hour later. Adding new websites to wpview.com is actually a relatively quick process, but even this can feel like an age when you only wanted to be in and out in a few minutes. If you’re not willing to take the time (or you simply don’t have it) to commit to the site, don’t start it in the first place.
5. Don’t be afraid to email another site owner
When I first started I was unsure whether to get in touch with owners of established and well regarded sites fearing I would be looked down on, in fact the opposite was often the case. Direct contact got the site listed on the major gallery submission services and helped to create a handful of incoming links. Even when my email resulted in no action, the scorning response I had anticipated never materialised and life went on.