No matter if you’re trying to start a commercial website for selling products or services or if you’re just building something as simple as a social site, both mean nothing without having people coming to it. And let me tell you that getting a reliable following for a website is the hardest thing to do. People are fickle and will move on to bigger and better alternatives with the smallest of issues. Luckily, there is a way to help you build your website, and that is through a strong foundation.
Start Small:
The most important thing for you to do is start small. What was your website designed for? If it’s to compete directly with Amazon then I can go ahead and tell you that there’s a high likelihood you’ll fail. If, however, you give it a niche you have a much stronger chance of success.
If you’ve got a commercial site, maybe start by selling only clothing, or even something like only pink clothing. If you’re selling services then again, start in just one area. You need to specialize in SOMETHING because if you don’t then chances are you’ll be overshadowed by one of a hundred different already-popular websites that offer the same products/services. Be the best in your area before expanding slowly.
This is equally true for social websites. Like movies? Maybe cut your website down to a few specific genres. Build a following with lovers of horror movies or romantic comedies.
Fix bugs ASAP:
One of the biggest turn offs for new websites is when there are bugs. If part of your website isn’t working before launch, either postpone launching or take out that section for now. If your website suddenly has an error then you need to be on it, fixing it, and communicating with your customers. This is especially true if the error has to do with billing, shipping, or sign-ups. If there’s a problem with sign-ups, chances are those people will never come back.
Expand Slowly:
This should come as no surprise but once you DO have a base, don’t suddenly add twenty new sections to your website, change the theme, change profile information and picture displays. Make changes one at a time and listen to how people react. Just because baseball and cricket are both sports, doesn’t mean they should be joined into a single website. It’s always a better idea to have one really great website for each in those cases.
It should also be mentioned that you will eventually need to expand. While change is always an issue with some members, nobody wants to visit a website that has become obsolete. Make sure you’re not only keeping up with security updates but also with new trends. For instance, these days there’s a lot of interest in dynamic one-page homepages.