David Fiske Affiliate marketing & web development musings from Fiske Towers

So, which is it? Is it the chicken so that it can lay eggs or was it the egg that resulted in the chicken?

If it was the egg, how was it made? If it was the chicken, where did it come from?

What's all this got to do with web development?
 
How do you develop a website? Do you come up with an idea, then create the site and try and make it work?

Sites like YouTube were created as a sharing site. It was revolutionary because no one else did it like YouTube. What made the development team so sure it would work?

On the other hand, when you develop sites, do you spend ages researching the market and then build a site around your results?

The point I am trying to make is that both ways are correct. If the folks behind YouTube performed extensive market research, they may never have made it. A lot of people build websites and a lot fail because they are not promoted in the right way.

However the few that survive this go on to make it big. Remember the Million Dollar Pixel Homepage? The idea is crazy but it worked due to the novel nature of the site.

Copycats emerged and never had the same level of success.

If Alex Tew hadn't launched Million Dollar Pixel Homepage because he thought the idea was stupid, he would have lost the potential million dollars he made.

Essentially, if your site is novel or unique, launch it. It may take weeks, months or years before it takes off. But if it has that novel edge and you have a good marketing head on your shoulders, it will work.

If your site is a standard site about wonderfully boring this such as loans and mortgages, you should really check whether there is a market for this information. Perhaps there is not but if you can find a very small niche, rock on!