How to Build A Website that Gets-The-Click!



I first learnt How to Build A Website aged 15 when I launched mini-laptops-and-notebooks.com; I read a lot about how mini laptops (or netbooks) were a massively growing industry, and figured that a top ranking at Google with a site about netbooks would put me through Uni.The site was a success, and within a few months I had a few hundred visitors per day and a steady income from Adsense, referring people to Amazon and oddly – wholesalers (?!)

But the more I became involved in developing my website, the more I became interested in website marketing and development. So I set up this site with a single goal in mind:

“If I were to rewind back to when I was starting out online, and could only visit ONE website on how to build a website – it would be this one.”

  1. Make My Own Online Store - A Guide to E-Commerce Websites
  2. Make Money with Mini Sites
  3. Build Business Websites
  4. Build a Travel Website 4-Part Guide
  5. Make A Website Now!

Despite engaging in one of the most competitive internet niches out there, I persisted to build more and more pages, developing content and inbound links, building traffic and then starting a newsletter on how to build a website. At the same time, I felt slightly depressed at playing “catch up” with the computing industries top journalists with the mini laptops site (TechCrunch, enGadget etc.). In order to free up my time and “cash in” on my efforts, I sold the mini laptops website to concentrate fully on this.

With the money, I hope to explore more and more ways to both enhance my website, and explore new and different ways to build profitable website and internet businesses. This website is the documentary of those findings.

I believe in seven truths about how to build a website and online business in general:

1) Content is King

You’ll here this echoing across the whole internet, but it is true! When people enter a query at Google, or ask a question on a forum, or search for videos on YouTube – they’re looking for a solution to there problems. That ‘content’ drives the internet. Learning how to produce quality content is essential to learning how to build a website.

Of course, good content needs to be visible and linked to. Links make the web what it is; and successful link building partnered with fantastic content will lead to…

2) Traffic Makes You Lucky

The luckiest people are the ones who roll the dice the most right? Well online, surely the luckiest people are those with the most visitors to their websites, blogs, profiles and video channels. If you’re established traffic wise, you’re far more likely to be successful, be asked to participate in something, receive advertising offers, review requests and more.

Tragically, most of the internet is without traffic – even after you’re spent hours writing a blog, or making YouTube videos or even spending thousands on an “all the bells and whistles” website, most of the web doesn’t have any traffic. I reckon, most of the time it’s simply because of ill-education. Do YOU know how to rank #1 at Google?

Content drives traffic - learning how to build a website that drives lots of targeted traffic makes the whole thing worthwhile. What's the point of having a website if no one uses it?

3) Treat People as Individuals, not just “traffic”

Addressing people individually, and by name where possible helps build credibility and trust. We all like to buy from those who we like and trust – whether they be big brands that “buy” our trust or individuals.

The step after building traffic is working hard on building relationships. Weird perhaps that people “trust” those on the other side of a computer screen, even with the anonymous nature of the web, but take a look at some big people you ‘follow’ online. Blogs, websites, profiles, subscriptions…

Here’s the thing – thousands of people will read these words you’re reading now. Thousands. How can I as an individual extend a virtual arm and begin to nurture a trusting relationship with both yourself and the thousands of other visitors to this website?

You need to learn how to build a website that builds and nurtures a relationship with it's visitors on an individual basis.

The much shouted about “Web 2.0” is essentially making the internet into a free-for-all discussion. With the advent of social media channels, blogs, forums and message boards anyone can say anything and the rest of the web community will comment. Of course, the discussion gravitates towards specific websites (cyclists will go to a cycling forum) but the principal remains the same.

Which leads me onto…

4) Being Online is about Being Found, not Preaching Your Message

Thanks to Web 2.0, social standards and ‘what is acceptable’ plays a key role in your marketing message. Simply putting up a website saying how great your firm is isn’t enough anymore (was it ever good enough?). You need to engage in the discussions online and ‘be found’ in a socially acceptable manner.

Don’t you just hate pushy salesman? Well, are you coming across as a pushy salesman online? Help and be helped – the great thing about a social web is that humans return favours.

5) The “Net” is doable – when broken down into c-h-u-n-k-s

If I asked you how to build a website and get at least 1,000 daily visitors within a year without any prior knowledge, you’d probably panic. Mammoth task right?

Break. It. Down.

If you work methodically through a process, working on each individual detail … er … in detail. I do a lot of music as well; prior to building websites I learnt to break down tasks into bitesize chunks. This was (and still is) crucial to mine and anyone elses success.

Those of you who remember Britains Got Talent (2009) – remember the finalists street dance performance. ‘Diversity’ would have spent hundreds of hours perfecting each individual move, each individual flip, the technique to send a “ripple” from the tip of your finger down your wrist, elbow, shoulder, other shoulder, along to your opposite elbow, wrist and along each joint in your finger. That kind of details takes specific time and patience. Watch this video of the final – watch for the little details:

Look at the details!

6) The Best Way to learn about how to build a website and internet business in general is...

...a good book!

When you spend your life sat in front of a computer clicking between websites and blogs looking for information, you never will fully absorb it – and even if you do, you’ll fail to put it into practice as you get distracted by ’whatever you click on next’.

A hardcopy book forces you and your computer apart and forces your attention onto it (some people need that force!) – no more distractions of updating your email or twitter profile or whatever..

A book will also explore a topic in more detail and more concisely than a collection of blog posts you might otherwise read. Furthermore, a publishing house will usually only hire true experts in the topics field to write the book – so (most of the time) you are getting practiced and specialist advice in one helpful dollop of information.

Books range from brilliantly innovative to nothing but rehashed content. I’ve read enough to distinguish some fantastic books; check out my Web Supplies Shop at the top.

Funnily enough, the authors of the best books I’ve read tend to become featured well on this site – typically, I find myself promoting those who have shown off skill and expertise in books I’ve read on this website.

Basically…

7) Surround Yourself In Experts Who Speak Your Language

If you find an expert in a field you are trying to master – for example; search engine optimization, the process of ranking higher at search results – and you can understand them (i.e. they speak your language – literally as well!) then for heavens sake follow them.

I use iGoogle as my homepage and have a handful of blogs which I subscribe to via RSS and appear each time I open up a new browser window. Some of my favourites include SEOmoz, ProBlogger, CopyBlogger and StomperNet. What are your favourites?

You can get started by checking my interviews section if you’re stuck for experts. I’ve had the privilege of getting in touch of a few industry experts and grilling them on a specific topic. Interviews are always good fun!

And of course, there’s always my site! I run a newsletter – Ed’s Web Bulletin – which you can subscribe to as well. Going along with a similar theme: “If there was ONE newsletter I could subscribe to about running an online business, it would be this one”. It focuses slightly more on those who have already established a website, but is perfect for those who are learning how to build a website from scratch too - and want to have a look at some more advanced marketing techniques.

That pretty much sums up my plans for this site – below you’ll find a table of contents of some of my key articles, or you can scroll up and view more on the left navigation bar.

Of course, I always want to hear your comments – Contact Me via the links on the left and at the bottom!

- Ed Fry: How to Build A Website

How to Build A Website Blog
The How to Build A Website Blog features my latest articles, interviews, features and updates from my website with a few added bonuses!
Make a Website Now!
Make a Website Now! Let’s talk about the function of a website first – before we start brainstorming anything else. Websites are there for being used, so it's important that you can get visitor
Ed's Web Bulletin | Get a FREE e-Book on sign-up!
Subscribe to my newsletter - Ed's Web Bulletin. Get fresh,
Webmaster Interviews | The Wierd, the Wacky and the Just Plain Crazy!
I’ve compiled a few webmaster interviews for us all to gawp at. Seriously, no-one knows everything and hence the evolution of the web. Sharing of information; interviews are a great way to share ideas
Submit Your Articles
Submit your articles for free here and gain free backlinks and offpage credibility. Tap into another stream of traffic and revenue potential today!
Build Free Easy Websites
I'm going to show you two easy systems to build free easy websites - no technical skills required! You (or your great-grandmother) can be up and running with your own website in a jiffy. Here's how..
Make Money with Mini Sites
Learning how to make money with mini sites is much like learning to ride a bike. There’s not very much to it, but once you’ve “got it” it’s easy – but it takes a lot of skill and practice to develop.
Build Business Websites | "A Dream Opportunity or a Profit-Killing Blackhole?"
Build business websites which drive more leads, clients and money into your company accounts - or will it be a blackhole for you to pour your businesses last dime into?
Make My Own Online Store!
Make my own online store using shopping cart software. It's by far the best way to sell items online in volume, with more functionality and ease-of-use when dealing with dozens of items.
Create A Membership Website
So you want to create a membership website? You’ve heard of how people have completed successful membership site launches and been catapulted into financial freedom? This is a real opportunity… but.
Make Money by Blogging
If you want to make money by blogging, you’re going to have to understand how blogging works, what it can be used for, the traffic patterns of blogging and how to monetize your blogs.
Build A Travel Website | A Four-Part Series
How to build a travel website that doesn’t get swept under all the noise of Expedia, lastminute.com and the rest - It is possible! Here's a Four-Part Series to show you how...
E-Commerce Strategies
Finding the best e-commerce strategies is important to maximising your bottom line. Let's look at increasing conversions and increasing traffic. It's simple logic to making money money online!
Search Engine Marketing Definition
A search engine marketing definition I can easily understand and digest. Also links to strategies on search engine marketing
How Does a Search Engine Work | The BEER Analogy
How does a search engine work? Alas, I shall explain using God's great gift of BEER. Search Engines use different metrics to rank pages according to how many and how well pages fulfill each metric.
Define search engine optimization – A simpletons SEO definition
Define search engine optimization for me, in English - no jargon. Give me a simple SEO defintion that I can understand and take onboard. Show me the way to optimize my site successfully for searches!
Search Engine Optimization Success Stories | A 4-Part Series
In our 4-Part series, we evaluate the search engine optimization success stories of cheapflights.co.uk - #1 at Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask - the best in the business for the keyword 'cheap flights'.
Link Building Techniques - Top Ten Effective Link Building Ideas
What are the most effective link building techniques? Why are backlinks important? How can I get the most out of my link building efforts?
Search Top Keywords | The 'Keyword Kube'
To search top keywords you should evaluate three different factors; three dimensions if you like - the ‘Keyword Kube’. The 'Kube' involves three important metrics, essential to your research.
Site Build It Video Tour
The Site Build It Video Tour is by far the quickest way to get to grips with what SBI is all about. The video – lasting 30 minutes – features the details behind SBI; how it works and all, the success
Search Engine Optimization Rules | The Ten Commandments for SEO
And Ed came down the mountain baring with him the Ten Commandments of Search Engine Optimization Rules. Number #1: Your Search Engine is Your Ultimate Source of Free Traffic. Number #2 ...
Top 10 Internet Businesses
I regularly review and analyze different online business opportunities. Here’s my Top 10 Internet Businesses for January 2010. We’ve evaluated different metrics for each business opportunity first
How does Affiliate Marketing Work?
Affiliate marketing is one of the most talked about methods of making money online, but how does affiliate marketing work?
Sell Items Online
To sell items online, you need to have a) something to sell of value and b) someone who wants to buy it from you. Simple right...?
Web Flipping "Undressed"
Web flipping is a growth industry, a new way to make money online and some say “will overtake blogging and affiliate marketing for the #1 online money-printing method” – a scam? We investigate...
Online Freelance Work | Where and How?
The internet is a fantastic place for online freelance work; geographic barriers removed and with electronic-efficiency, it’s easy to work for or outsource work across the internet.
Drop Shipping Home Business
A drop shipping home business can be a very profitable venture is done right. Success is down to a reliable dropshipper, top-notch service from you and profit margins big enough to make it worthwhile.
Internet Scam Check | Can You Expose A Scam?
It would be difficult to try and expose every single online scam there is, so I’ve comprised this internet scam check system so you can go down the list and compare details. Found something? Share it!
SBI Site Build It - How to Build A Website
How to build a website with SBI Site Build It - We're going to uncover for you SBI, it's techniques, tools, training - and just how successful SBIers are!
XSitePro Web Design Software Review | The Dedicated Blog
In view of creating the ultimate XSitePro web design software review, I've set up a dedicated blog to document my findings as I go along. Check it out here.
Websites for Webmasters | Great Resources!
I've compiled a list of fantastic websites for webmasters which anyone and everyone in internet marketing should see and use. Ranging from keyword research to making video - I've got it covered!
Web Supplies Shop | Books, DVDs, Software and Download
The 'Web Supplies Shop' is a little port-hole for you to gather together some of the necessaries to head out into the world of internet marketing.
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