On our site we’ve got lots of great tools and tips for those already invested in creating, updating, and improving their existing website/s. What about those of us that have yet to decide whether we want to invest our time and money into making one? It’s certainly not an easy project nor is it one that you’ll only spend a few minutes to get started.
Creating a website, even with the help of WordPress or any other script, is a huge endeavor and one you likely won’t get right the first time. This blog is here to help you determine whether or not you should even make one at all!
Why you should:
- There’s an open market — In other words, there’s currently a need that’s not being met. This is always the first thing you need to figure out. Even with all the good intentions in the world, you can’t make a successful website in a market that is over-saturated, at least not easily. Figure out your market, potential competitors, and potential consumers.
- You’re knowledgeable — If you are horrible with technology, don’t make a website about the Internet of Things. It doesn’t matter how open a market is, you simply can’t create something successful with no knowledge of your consumer base and product.
- You have time — More than anything else, including money, your time is going to be the most necessary to making your website successful. You need to make sure you have the time to spend on not only including interesting, helpful, and relevant information but also in designing your website to be both interesting and easy to navigate.
- You have connections — Knowing people in the industry isn’t a necessity, but it is a huge advantage. Not only can you ask those experts questions, but you’ve already got a foot in the door when it comes to getting people on the site. If you’re a doctor for instance making a medical site for other doctors, you need to actually know other doctors. Big surprise, I know, but word of mouth is one of your best forms of advertisement.
- You have some money put aside — Yes, money is necessary to have your own site. You don’t need a lot for a startup, but you do need some. You’ve got servers to rent/buy, a domain name to obtain, a script to buy, and various other expenses, some of which are monthly. The fact is that, just like in life, you need to plan a budget for your website.
- You have support — Truth is that you’re going to need some support. I’m not talking about customer support; I’m talking about moral support. As with any project, you need people you can talk to, get help from, and are able to keep you stable and healthy. Completing things, anythings really, becomes exponentially harder when you can’t share your accomplishments with friends or family.
That list above isn’t just a “recommended” list, by the way. Sure, there may be an outlier here or there but the truth is that they’re pretty necessary to starting a website. It’s not easy and it won’t always be a fun experience, but if you’ve got dedication along with check-boxes next to each of those bullet points above, you shouldn’t have any problem creating your very own website.
Good luck!