First off, never talk about numbers unless it is absolute necessary. The easier you are to assess, the easier you are to overtake. Keep your Ace in the Hole until you are fully ready to use it, and be stealth in your movements. If you are up to something good, you don’t want anyone to steal it from you. Know your competitors, don’t go about things doing things blindly. You have to know what you are up against. Follow them like a hawk, and see if you can outdo them.
1) Don’t be a charlatan, know what you are talking about. I originally got this invite 11 days ago, but waited until I had composed a quality post. Don’t be sleazy, and always be on top of your game.
2) Use free open source software and programs, it has great technical support and reduces your costs.
3) Have many diverse projects. This leads to diversity and multiple channels of income. I have about as many going on behind the scenes as I do fingers.
Build quality and content first. I hit the back button immediately when I come across a cheap looking website. Build something good, and people will come. Sometimes less is more. Keep you site looking clean. Don’t have narrow main content columns. People read best when content is presented in a longer horizontal orientation. In what I do, I don’t cut down on quality in order to accommodate visitors with exceedingly low end technology. I’m a technology guru and utilize a lot of media that is just not compatible with the really old stuff.
If you have many projects, have a centralized landing page to list them all. Since I am all over the place, that is the purpose of my main site. It has many things to offer.
4) Incorporate what you have around you; people, experience, resources, media, knowledge, etc.
5) Have a clearly accessible and defined about page. I hate coming to a site and having to spend more than 5 seconds trying to figure out its purpose. Use a theme and template that is inline with your site’s purpose.
My main site serves a variety of purposes: resume material, marketing, experience building, storefront, accessibility, information and publicity. The use of Maverick in the domain name was strategic.
As everyone says, be unique and interesting. Don’t be replaceable. Have intuitive domain names.
6) Give link love to those better than you. If someone else has said something better than you can, or is more of an authoritative source, link to them.
Its been stated everywhere, but find your niche. Members of your niche will be your most avid supporters.
7) Research every method of monetizing your material. Regular ads will not suffice, many people are running blocking programs. I’ve personally become immune to them and hardly notice them anymore. Don’t use cheap methods like pop ups and annoying banners. They give your readers a headache and put them in a bad mood. If an affiliate program does not accept you, fuck em. There are others. Sometimes you just have to apply twice. Don’t ask me why.
8 ) Keep your audience in mind at all times. Do not inflate your writing style, it will become transparent.
Check yourself from all angles, use different browsers, and monitors. I didn’t realize that the CSS of my main blog was so messed up until I upgraded to a Samsung SyncMaster 2443BWX 24-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor.
9) Keep an eye on the future (e.g. web 2.0).
10) Know all aspects of your site (at least a basic knowledge). Doing this leads to more control, customization options, and quicker turn around time. Obtain a mentor, and pay them tribute. Pay for what you truly need. For me, that is Adobe Master Collection CS4 Software Suite for Windows. This way I produce everything myself.
11) Participate in events. I am currently participating in Problogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog.
12) Be well connected at all times. The HTC FUZE™ (AT&T) is my next purchase.
Be well-spoken, professional, and comprehensive at all times. Follow up on all leads, communications and offers.
About Garrett McNamara :
Garrett McNamara owns a blog at MaverickBlogging.com, he writes about News and Reviews of Technology and Art. Feel free to visit his blog!
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