What am I doing wrong?

[Doug]

Ok, I know I am a very novice web designer and my web sites aren't exactly appealing but I can't seem to make a site that ever catches on. I am starting to get discouraged. I've made a total of about 67 cents from my sites. Does anybody have any suggestions?

[MarkB]

Look for the niche within the niche

(although I can't really talk. I make on average $5 a day!)

[chromate]

Doug, I think your main problem will be lack of traffic. No traffic = no money.

You've picked some highly competitive topics which will make getting any traffic that much harder. Start smaller and build your way up.

[r2d2]

Work on some backlinks, and perhaps try some more niche topics as has been suggested.

Also remember that if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

I have been developing for a fair few months now and am making a coupla dollars a day.

[tomek]

sorry to say this but your pages don't look very proffessional

[Doug]

I know my pages don't look that proffessional, no apology needed for saying that tomek, lol. I think that is one of my major problems. I guess I need to spend some real time working on my web design skills before I try to make a site. The originality thing is a problem too. I think of something and think "that would make a good site" then do a google search and find out there is alrealy 4,592,831 other sites about that topic. I hope it's not too late in the game to get into building websites that will give you a little supplimental income.

[chromate]

It's definitely not to late to get into. I don't think it ever will be too late.

There's nothing wrong with competing with existing sites. Remember that out of those 5,592,831 sites, only a very small fraction of them will pose any real threat. Consentrate on the quality and strength of the first 2 or 3 pages of results for a given search term. That will give you a fair idea of what you're up against.

Give "How to build a successful website" guide a read (on this site). It got me started and many others and covers most of what you need to be thinking about.

[paul]

What exactly do you mean by "professional"? IMHO if your site has the information visitors are looking for, they will find you. Good writing, proper spelling and navigation is important, but if the information is there, they will even deal with that.

You have to remember that forums like this are frequented by web designers who are senstive to design features. "Civilians" are looking for answers/information and only care about finding it on your site quickly.

I would suggest spending time developing your expertise in the subject material of your choice. I looked at the real estate page and it is obvious you have never done any real estate deals. If real estate is something you are interested in, follow the advice of one of the RE guru's and go out and write 100 offers to buy property you are certain will not be accepted. Keep detailed notes on all your conversations etc. When you are done you will probably own some propety at prices you would not have thought possible, but in any case you will be able to write the content for a website that would have major value for novice real estate investors.

I am lucky I have my old frontpage 3.0, text only, terrible navigation site out there doing very well with AsdSense to remind me every day that design is nice, but content is what the visitors come for.

[chromate]

Bad designs are actually good for adsense in a way, because people are looking for a way "out" of the page they're viewing! People will tend to be more click-happy in that environment.

However, I think reasonable designs ARE very important for a few reasons.

Firstly, it's easier to get people to link to a nicely designed site. This is especially true when dealing with the major directories.

Secondly, if you're trying to sell products through your site (affiliate or otherwise) then it's essential that the user has the impression that you're a trustworthy source of information.

Think of it this way... The information contained in your CV or resume is important. But you wouldn't expect to get the job if it's printed on dirty creased paper.

Content is king - but design is still incredibly important.

[paul]

I appreciate good design, unfortunately, I can't do them myself

Chromate, Good thought about links from the directories; I had not considered that.

On the other hand, if your site offers content about a particular area of expertise I would argue that writing in such as way as to prove you have been there and done that is more important than the design. It was obvious in Doug's original post he has not done any real estate deals. In my case, that means the design is much less important than words which convince my reader that I really do know what it is like to lie in the mud, dark and bugs under a mobile home while I spray aerosol adhesive on a patch and position it properly.

If I were writing for more academic readers I would do things differently of course

[Blue Cat Buxton]

Good design adds credibility, especcialy to sites that deal in $000's topics such as finance and real estate.

The design does not need to be all bells and whistles, but visitors to these sites will expect them to be easy on the eye etc.

Also if a site design is lacking (poor navigation for example) then people wont stay or wont come back.