Hi everyone: I'm planning to start an image hosting site being aware that you can get good backlinks and target myspace users, etc. So, I need some advice regarding: 1. Hosting : What is a good host that I should get? 2. Script : What are some good free php hosting scripts? http://www.free-php-scripts.net/P/Free_Image_Hosting Is that a good one? 3. Watermark: Should I put a watermark on my images right away or later? I already have the PHP script to do it. 4. Monetization : I'm planning to use Adsense, and also this site: http://etology.com 5. Promotion, Marketing : What are some methods of promotion or marketing that has good return on investments? I'm hoping I can pay as little as possible but I'm definately willing to pay for link building. Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to take your considerations into account and I'll add you to my buddy list so that I can give you free links in the future once I build up!
I would be interested in knowing these answers also. I wonder if anyone will be willing to share?....
word of mouth to start out would help majorly. a fast server and a few good features are some things myspace users look at when they use a image host. I know thats what i look at for the most part. for the hosting part. do your research. a host that might be good for me might not be good enough for you. in terms of price and etc. read the reviews on the different hosts and etc. you'll find your answer.
My advice: Make it extremely simple. Make it very easy to upload pictures and make the uploading option the most apparent. I hate sites that have it buried somewhere or in a pile of ads. Make it neat, clean and visually appealing! www.imageshack.us is popular for its really easy to remember name and its extreme simplicity. Yet, it costs thousands of dollars for the hundreds of advertisers! That's a lot of money. Don't make something like: www.imagehosting.com it's extremely unattractive and it doesn't live up to its amazing domain name.
I would, above all else, try to offer something no one else does. Otherwise it'll be hard to take traffic away from ImageShack or Photobucket. Even if you did have everything ImageShack had, you wouldn't necessarily be successful without adding to it.