To those launching a brand new big website: Don't give up!

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to post this to encourage everyone who's considering launching a new website or has already, to not give up because in the end, with enough work, it will work out!

I think most of us are slightly worried when launching a site and we have questions like: what if it doesn't work? what if nobody likes it? What if I promote it and nobody visits/joins? These are all serious questions and I'm sure I wasn't the only one asking them.

Exactly 42 days ago I launched a brand new website I had been working on for months (if not years). It was a scary idea that something I had been working on for so long might not work, or people might hate it. However, I'm happy to say that it did work, and even though not everyone might have liked the concept, you will always find people who do.

Don't let anyone discourage you. If you are sure of the concept and truly believe it can work, go ahead. You WILL find people who think like you and love the idea. You will also find people who don't but use them as an opportunity to improve your website, not to discourage you from continuing. And if there's competition? While it's best to avoid really competitive areas, don't let competition discourage you! There are people out there who still haven't seen your competition or who are looking for something slightly different. As long as you offer something that's solid and appealing, you WILL manage to get visits/members.

And finally, here's what I recommend to kick start your site which is based on what I did:

• Directory Submissions and Social Bookmarking (very helpful for search engines)

• Facebook Ads - You don't need to spend a lot to advertise. Just target countries which have very low costs. Set a limit, and experiment with ads. I stress that last point as you will find your CTR can double or triple with small changes!

• Blog Reviews - Get Bloggers to review your site, send them an email or use the payperpost or sponsoredreviews service. Make sure you ask them to be honest. Their honesty will help you improve your own site!

• 
  Signatures - Include your site URL in your signature and start writing on forums. Be helpful.. answer questions! Eventually people will start seeing your signature and clicking your link

• 
  Follow up on people's comments about your site - Do searches on Google for the name of your site... See what others are saying. If you see any feedback you don't like, answer. Explain that the feature they don't like is there for a reason, or that maybe you are in the process of upgrading it.

• 
  Create a twitter and facebook page for your website. Eventually people will start joining to keep themselves updated. Update your twitter regularly even if only one person is following.

• 
  Humanize the brand - I have found this to be a big help. Show your potential customers/members that there is a person behind the website who is ready to help them in anyway possible. When answering an email, finish off with your name. Show them they can email you again if they ever need anything else. Be helpful!

That's about it - Above all, don't give up! Keep trying. What works for me might not work for you but in the end, if you believe in your website, it will work.

Good luck!
Marc

 

Very positive and inspiring post - well done

 

in the exactly same situation...
and believe or not.. my project is very similar to yours
Cheers man
I won't give up

 

cool, is it online yet?

 

Congrats man! And thank you for the positive post! So is this site Seekopia?

 

Yes, it is I know it's very hard to start a website like that from scratch so I wanted to offer a few words of encouragement to those in a similar situation!

 

thanks for inspiration, its really nice stuff.

 

A good read and good luck with your new site.

 

yes, search my nickname in google, the first one it is..
we can work toghether some how

 

Thank you so much for your post. I just released a social networking type site too a couple months ago, and it is very slow growing. It is nice to hear you are having good success for your hard work.

 

My pleasure! Matog, I checked out the site but I didn't quite get it, can you please explain? Thanks!

 

thanks dude. i am actually working on a new site and i have thoughts like will it work, will i get traffic. Thanks

 

I just launched a new site and it really is a scary venture. I always have doubts about its potential to succeed. Your post however has definitely sent a positive note. I have to keep on enduring. Thanks.

 

It is always nice to see optimists on the forum, I think with the recession they are slowly becoming a dying breed. Anyway something else that might help with the launch of a new site is social bookmarking here is a list>> http://marketing-a-website.blogspot.com/2009/05/top-55-social-bookmarking-websites.html

 

thanks for the encouragement

 

Thanks! I've just started a new site so I can relate to this.

 

my pleasure!

 

hi

I just launched a new site also and yes its a very scary thing. I have doubts too. ?

still not game to put it up in the forums because i think everyone will say its well and truely overdone.

but for me i actually do make them and help people.
i was encouraged to make up a web page but now .. how do i get poeple to look at it

bret

 

You just need to take the risk and start showing it to people! You can start now.. what's your website?

 

holly sh#t

give me some time [more]

i'll go and check it again.

i want to add something.
tomorrow will be the big day
bret