24
2008
Q: Who is Fred Marion?
A: Fred Marion is a 28-year-old living in Cincinnati. He’s made it his goal to take www.webpublishing.me from a nonexistent site to a site getting more than 100 hits per day within a single year (Dec. 23, 2008-Dec. 23, 2009). He works on the site most evenings after spending his days toiling with XML and XSL in a cubicle. If he achieves his goal, his site will be nearly as popular as www.shoemoney.com, one of the leaders in the online advice genre for Web publishers.
Q: How long did it take to build this site?
A: I already owned domain and a hosting account. I used templating software from Wordpress.org, created a MySQL account through my host (hostgator.com), uploaded my Wordpress zip files, and had a working skeleton of a site within an hour. I’ve been tweaking it ever since.
Q: What’s the single most important piece of advice you would give people who want to get started in the Internet publishing business?
A: First, it’s going to require a lot of work. If I hope to get anywhere near as popular as Shoemoney.com, I’m going to have to post regularly, and those posts are going to have to contain valuable, unique content. Most people get really excited about an idea, work on it for a few months, then toss it aside. I’ve done it before. You’ll do it several times, and THEN you’ll start listening to the advice from others that you’ve been reading all along. That brings me to my most important piece of advice: create a site about something you love. When you do that, it won’t feel like work at all.
Q: How can I go about building my first Web site?
A: One excellent option is to start with a free site offered through Wordpress.com or Google’s Blogger.com. This means you’ll have a domain name that’s something like this: fred.wordpress.com, but it’ll be 100% free. You’ll even be able to add advertisements to your site and make money without spending a penny. If you want a site with your own domain name, you can start by reading some of my blog posts for beginners: How to Pick a Domain Name That Ruins Your Web Site, and A Guide for Newbies: How to Build a Web Site in 6 Easy Steps.
Q: How can I go about contacting you?
A: Two ways, visit my contact page, or shoot me an email at fred(at)webpublishing.me.
Q: Will you build my Web Site for me?
A: I’d definitely be interested in talking more about it. I work almost exclusively with Wordpress skeletons, which are quite customizable. I can also provide Web hosting, email accounts, email support, and design updates. You’ll have full control over the content of your site via Wordpress’s built-in interface. Prices start at $75 for a fully functioning site with two years of hosting, and the domain of your choice. See the question above for contact information.
Q: Do you have any books on making money online that you’d be willing to recommend?
A: Absolutely. Both of these are featured prominently on this site: 1) Internet Riches by Scott Fox; and 2) Problogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.
Q: How much traffic do you need to start making money online?
A: This is a really hairy question. It entirely depends on the “quality” of your traffic. I’ve heard of people making money off of sites that have less than 100 visitors per year. That sort of site requires highly-targeted traffic. Typically, you can expect less and half a percent of your visitors to purchase one of the products or services you promote on your site. That said, top-performing sites can convert more than 5 percent of their visitors into some form of profit (either now or later). Obviously, the more expensive the wares you peddle, the more profitable your site.
Q: Do you offer email newsletters?
A: Absolutely :) Please click here for various newsletter options. You’ll learn alongside me as I try to reach my goal of 100+ visitors a day within a year. My deadline is Dec. 23, 2009.
Q: How much money do you make on WebPublishing.me?
A: At the moment, not much. I’m exploring options to monetize my traffic, and keep you posted as I learn along the way.
TIPS FROM THE PROS:
Popular Posts
- 1. The Top 100 Blogs of All Time. A fascinating list with traffic stats and summaries. Who would have thought there's a blog out there that gets 820,000 visitors per day?
- 2. What is Domaining and How Can It Help Me Quit My Dayjob? Domainers buy domains, fill them with ads, and wait for people to type in their web address. It's brilliant, really (if you have some start-up capital).
- 3. How to Pick a Domain Name That Ruins Your Web Site. Too often, we pick domain names for all the wrong reasons. A year later, we're stuck.
- 4. A Guide for Newbies: How to Build a Web Site in 6 Easy Steps. It's not as hard as you might think.
