Wednesday, December 14, 2005

When Do You Monetize Your New Web Site?

As I briefly mentioned previously (i.e., Fastest Way To Get Listed for Free at Zeal/LookSmart and DMOZ), before submitting to the main directories like Zeal, Dmoz and topical hubs, it is best for your web site to remain as non-commercial as possible for a brighter chance of your site being listed.

This means no banner/text advertisements, especially Google Adsense ads, and no affiliate links. Your content must also not be a sales page, but offers quality and helpful write-ups.

But when do you start to monetize your web site? After all, the idea of building a site is to make money.

Personally, I'm very tempted to at least add some Google Adsense ads into my SBI! site as it had been 4 months since I purchased SBI! (and 3 months online). But I have to be discipline and toe the line the SBI! way.

In any case, as a general rule of thumb (as per the SBI! Action Guide), do not monetize before you...
  • have at least 30 pages
  • are accepted into two or more directories (ex., Open Directory Project, Zeal, niche directories)
  • have started to receive a steady stream of visitors (at least 20 per day).

The SBI! Action Guide specifically stated that there should be "no rush to monetize". And, while you may be planning five different Monetization models, add them one at a time, weeks or months apart. Assess each one. And more importantly, after you introduce your first income-generator, during the early weeks, even months after that...

Focus on building more targeted traffic for your primary monetizer. Then when you are ready, plug your next "visitor-to-dollar converter" into your site.

Multiple income opportunities should never be introduced at the expense of your main business, or at the expense of building great content.

Before you can effectively monetize your site, you must have a solid traffic base. Why? Because...

No traffic = No income.

You may be thinking... "Hey, I don't want to miss out on any potential income. I want to build a commercial site right from the start!"

Mistake. Big mistake.

Do not jump straight into a calm water as it does not mean there no crocodiles beneath. The same thing applies here.

Do not rush to monetize your site. Traffic-building (and lots of it) comes before Monetization. Do not over-commercialize your site and do not commercialize it at the beginning.

Tempting it may be for someone like me, who already have several income-proven monetization models (at my other web sites), I have to subscribe to the SBI! Tortoise principal.

Let's focus on traffic building for the time being, I guess.

Pewww..., but hopefully, patience will reward me at the end of the day/month/year?

We'll see...

posted by e-borneo.com @ 6:38 pm

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