David Fiske Affiliate Marketing & Web Development

As an affiliate marketer, I have times when I cannot come up with fresh ideas. New websites that I haven't seen on the net. That's not to say they don't exist, it's just they aren't marketed well if they do exist!

So what criteria should you be concentrating on to ensure a profitable site is created?
 
CRITERIA 1 - FRESHNESS

Make sure your idea is fresh. By fresh, I mean the idea moves along with the times. Web 2.0 has bought along some buzzwords (mainly "Web 2.0"!) but it has also bought technology to the mainstream. As Internet users, we now tag and ping. We collaborate. We provide our own content. We share.

A website that doesn't use this technology will suffer. Social bookmark icons have appeared an loads of websites. I don't make a site now without them (unless they are really unsuitable for the site). A corporate website without a Google Map is a sin! Video is the major thing at the moment. Record a video, upload it to YouTube and then post it on your website. For free. Why would you not do this?

The way we build sites now has changed. CSV and XML files are the basis for my project sites. Why? Because I can generate thousands of pages from one file. Compare Sat Nav has a couple of hundred. The latest project site I'm working on has around 6,000. Smart and Green has between 500,000 and a million.

Blog style websites have replaced static HTML websites. The ability to have live and constantly updating RSS feeds means they are a traffic magnet.

My point here is that if your idea doesn't use the latest technology, it is unlikely to be hip. That may be OK if your target audience is the older generation or people who couldn't care less about snazzy widgets and so forth. But if your audience is the majority of Internet users, you best take a look at mashups, API's and RSS feeds. Those are in right now.

CRITERIA 2 - UNIQUENESS

There was a time when I thought I could build a directory of Universities. This was around 6 years ago. I got bored after typing in all the 'A' universities. I used free scripts and used a flat file database. I hosted it on free webspace.

But it was no different to UCAS. They have a directory of all the universities. I couldn't have done anything better than them. So how would I have marketed the site?

Sites with a unique aspect to them are easier to promote than those without. Free services on your site can help attract visitors. Free gifts can help too.

But at the end of the day, you need to have a huge wow factor. YouTube's wow factor is that it lets you upload videos for free and embed them on your site.

When it first started, they were one of the first to offer such a great free service. Now, you trip and fall over loads of video sharing sites all trying to compete with YouTube. However, YouTube got there first and has built up a reputation. It's a strong brand name now.

Unique sites sell better than dull copies of website around the web.

That search engine idea you have - how will it be better than Google?

That auctions idea you have - how will it be better than eBay?

That encyclopaedia idea you have - how will it be better than Wikipedia?

You get my drift!

CRITERIA 3 - PROFITABILITY

If I were an investor in your site, I would want to make sure I would get a good return. What's the point of me investing in a website that simple cannot generate (enough) money?

So why would you invest time, effort and money in a failing website?

Sometime we get too close to an idea to think about who will actually visit and who will actually benefit from your site.

Remember, the site doesn't have to generate significant income to be successful. If you can develop a strong brand name, businesses will buy your website just for that. just imagine what the brand name YouTube is actually worth now.

CRITERIA 4 - EASE

We want any easy life and you should ensure that your website is as automated as possible.

You have to trade off automation for moderation but make sure you get the balance right.

If you can create a website that generates income day in day out, 24 hours a day, you will succeed!

If your website requires you to keep going, it will be a struggle to achieve automation and therefore it will be a struggle to survive. If you forget to update your site for one day, will it collapse? That's life on the edge!

CRITERIA 5 - ENJOYMENT

The ultimate decision about whether an idea will be successful is whether you enjoy the subject. If loans and mortgages are complex, why bother writing about them? Life's too short.

The best ideas start from a passion. If you have a passion for McDonalds, can you make a money generating website using them as the topic? I shop regularly at Tesco. Is there an idea there for a forum for Tesco shoppers?!

For me, a Tesco forum would be pointless as I don't have a passion for grocery shopping. Gadget shopping on the other hand...

It should be noted that you can have a successful site about food! Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down is a website about tea, biscuits and cake. They promote their book so it does generate revenue. It's a PageRank 6 site and an Alexa rank of around 260,000. Not bad for tea and biscuits!

Summary

There is a piece of Internet pie for everybody. Some people have more pie than others but with perseverance, a great idea, enthusiasm and dedication, you can claim more pie for yourself!

For some strange reason, I'm now hungry...