If You Build It They Will Come... Well Sort Of What I Learned As A Newbie Webmaster
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Internet Business -> subcategory Web Hosting.
If You Build It, They Might Come: My Journey as a Newbie Webmaster
Introduction
Starting a work-from-home business with no prior experience in website building or advertising was a daunting task. I chose Microsoft Front Page for my first attempt, thinking it would be intuitive since I was familiar with other Microsoft Office products. My initial website looked perfect to me. I carefully checked that all the links worked and everything was well-aligned. I uploaded it to my host server and asked someone for feedback. To my surprise, they said, "Are you kidding? Your site is a mess!"
The Challenges I Faced
Initially, I was confused because my website looked perfect in Internet Explorer. However, when I checked it on Netscape, it was indeed a disaster. After fixing this issue, I asked my friends to look it over again. Their next question was, "Can I find your website on Google?" This was a revelation?"my website wasn’t visible on search engines despite being submitted to Google.
I learned the hard truth: getting a new website to the top of Google's search results quickly often requires financial investment. Those "sponsored listings" you see at the top and sides of search results are paid ads where businesses bid on search terms to receive clicks. For new webmasters like me, the idea that "if you build it, they will come" doesn’t necessarily hold true.
Understanding the Search Engine Landscape
I discovered that while there are countless search engines, Google, Yahoo, and MSN dominate the market, with Google handling 46% of U.S. searches according to the 2005 November Nielsen/Net Ratings. I also learned about SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. It’s all about optimizing your website to achieve higher search engine rankings?"hence, "WSO" might be a more accurate term.
Google uses a "PageRank" system, which rates sites on a scale from 1 to 9. Only Google itself has a PageRank of 10. The algorithms are complex, often feeling like "double-top-secret" codes. By downloading Google’s toolbar, you can view the PageRank of any site. Essentially, increasing your PageRank requires back links from relevant sites, with higher-ranked sites boosting your own ranking more effectively.
Building Back Links
Through online research, I found a tool at linkpopularity.com, which reveals how many sites are linked to any given URL. By examining competitors’ URLs, I could estimate the number of links needed to rank at the top and identify potential sites to connect with. Many sites are open to linking if you offer a "reciprocal link" in return, thereby improving both parties' PageRank.
The Road to Success
One surprising discovery was the sheer number of back links my competitors had?"around 3,000 to 4,000. Considering the time involved in requesting links, posting reciprocal links, and updating my website, reaching those numbers seemed overwhelming. I decided to tackle this by committing to request 10 new links per day.
Conclusion
This journey has taught me the importance of patience and persistence. By steadily increasing my link-building efforts, I hope to boost my PageRank over the next year. With this strategy, I aim to drive more traffic to my site without relying heavily on expensive pay-per-click advertising. This experience has been an eye-opener in understanding the intricacies of building and promoting a successful website.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: If You Build It They Will Come... Well Sort Of What I Learned As A Newbie Webmaster.
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