Hello all. I've lurked around here for a while, and I've decided to move forward with my first major IM project, an authority site. The topic I've gone with is something I genuinely enjoy, and I really would like to contribute to. But there is a ton of work to do, so I'll post the log of my first day shortly. My plan so far is to take it slow, build up my content and my brand before I focus on monetization.
Day 1: Today I've settled on what exactly I want to do and I'm feeling confident I can do it. I'm low on funds, so I'm going to have to do pretty much everything myself. That's fine though, I'm a bit of a jack of all trades. I've bought the domain name and was able to use some hosting on a personal project of mine that had a few weeks left to get this started. Was a total pain in the ass trying to get this transferred, but hopefully it will be worth it. I've also decided that I will be going with Refinery CMS, which I will be installing soon. What Needs Done: [x] Domain Name [x] Hosting [ ] Create Logo [ ] Design layout [ ] Install RefineryCMS Cost: $9.84 Revenue: $0.00 Profit: -$9.84
Good luck on your journey mate. I am glad that you're finally taking action Keep it up and work hard.
Wish you luck on your journey! Make sure to stay dedicated and remember that success is right around the corner!
Day 2: Today, I've gone through trying to figure out how to install the cms I want. I guess with the package I'm currently on, it doesn't look like I'll be able to, so I'll need to upgrade, which will cost a bit over $100 for the year. So, I'm going to hold off on that. I don't need it right now anyways. I've also created a logo and designed the layout I have in mind. I'll still need to create it in css, but at least now I know what I'll be making. Following what Asap1 said, I realized I haven't done this step, so I've also tried to do some keyword research. I've read through several tutorials, but it's really not making to much sense to me. By my understanding I should be trying to find keywords with low competition and good cpc, which I will then have several articles focus on? I'm really hung up on determining what makes a good keyword. I'm hoping that it will make sense as I get going and get some more experience. What I'm really looking for right now is to build up content and develop the brand. So, my next major goals are to write some articles, create some videos (tutorials I will use to promote the site), and get the money for hosting. I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling quite a bit discourage from the vast amount of things I don't know, but the only way to learn is to push forward. What needs done: [x] Create Logo [x] Design Layout [ ] Install CMS [ ] Come up with a list of ten articles I should write. [ ] Write one article. [ ] Come up with list of videos. [ ] Make $10 Net Cost $9.84 Net Revenue $0.00 Net Profit -$9.84
I've just talked about it in my second post. Basically, I tried, but I'm not really sure how to do it, and the tutorials just aren't making sense to me. I do already know this market fairly well, so I know who my competition is, and I think I can do well here. However, my biggest concern right now is to get experience, it doesn't necessarily have to be that successful. This market seemed the most appropriate to start with since I already know quite a bit about this market and would feel the most comfortable with it.
I wanted to get some experience with Ruby, and Refinery is the most popular. Also, it looks like it's very modifiable, which would be good because I would be interested in developing some tools that my users would find useful.
I really don't want to sound like a whining bitch, buuuut just knowing your market is not much honestly. Sure, you know what your target market is, what segment, age, sex, etc. But, you should really get into keyword research. There are tons of FREE (Google Keyword Planner) and paid (like Long Tail Pro) solutions for keyword research. Keyword research is just essential, it is a must. Also, have you given any thought about backlinks and your strategy? And just a small tip, provide some actual VALUE to your reader, in that case they will always come back to read your content. And as always, good luck !
I totally get what your saying, and don't worry you don't sound like a whining bitch . But, I guess I just don't understand how it's going to be used. So, when I get the point where I know some profitable keywords in my niche, what do I do from there? Like do I just try to write several posts on those keywords to get ranked up in them? My plan so far has been to basically do what you've suggested and create value, and then have strong branding and promotion through other websites and authorities in my niche. Maybe I'm having issues seeing how SEO will be playing into an authority site.
Day 3: So, I've managed to come up with a list of articles, and several video series I could do. These look not only promising, but plausible. I think I could do all of these. I've also managed to write one of those articles and record a video version of it. I spent WAY too much time trying to get ten bucks. As in I spent like 3 or 4 hours, and I ended up getting $5. Ughh. This left me to realize that I'm going to need to invest some time into a different method so I have some money I can put into this method. Man, time to do some research. What needs done: [x] Come up with a list of ten articles I should write. [x] Write one article. [x] Come up with list of videos. [ ] Install CMS [ ] Make $10 [ ] Write two articles. [ ] Find a method Total Cost $9.84 Total Revenue $5.08 Net Profit -$4.76
Agaaain, I don't want to sounds like a whiny bitch, but one is itching my eyes. There is no such as thing as "net revenue" or "net costs". There are total costs and total revenues. There is net profit which is net profit = total revenues - total costs. If you don't how to write these sort of things, just don't write them or seek some help on the internet.
