This article focuses on the practical side of staying focused for your website to succeed. And for me it is as simple as 5 rules of conduct that I hold myself to.
When we decide to start a website we are full of energy, ideas and plans for the future.
We have something we want to say and share. And to be honest, for most of us the possibility of making money from our website is part of the attraction.
And yes, it is possible to make money from your website. But if making money is your only goal you are very likely to be heading for some hard times.
Why? The answer to the question is quite simple.
Making money from a website is a long-term game and there will be long periods of time when nothing seems to happen.
Doing all the right things and still nothing…
It may seem unfair to you when you follow all the advice of the gurus and still you get no visitors from search engines and your efforts on social networks pretty much goes unnoticed.
It is usually at these times we start to question everything we do.
Maybe our design is wrong? Could it be that we chose the wrong niche and we should consider something altogether different? The questions keep coming and we find ourselves searching for quick fixes on Google and YouTube.
Now, needless to say each individual case and website is different. But for me it has proven valuable to remember the following 5 points when I feel like nothing is really going my way.
These points do not offer any quick fixes.
Instead they help me steady my mind and focus my line of reasoning before I make hasty decisions.
1. Be patient and believe in the process
You have to remember that creating a successful website is a long-term game. You need to stay in it for your website to succeed.
One key component for all before you that have succeeded is that they did not quit at the first sign of adversity. I am sure that some of their competitors did.
Today those competitors are nowhere to be found.
When the going gets tough we push through. We recognize that it will take time to achieve success. But it will take time for everyone else as well.
To keep pushing forward will not guarantee you success.
But one thing is for sure, you will not get any further if you quit.
2. Own your path to success.
Focus on what you can do and control and then deliver to the best of your ability.
You and your efforts will always be the key ingredients for your website to succeed.
Do not expect everything to be fair. Some competitors will have advantages and others will seemingly be rewarded for no reason.
Keep focusing on what you can control and attempt to deliver perfection.
Believe me, it is truly liberating to accept 100% responsibility for both successes and failures.
Now, I need to throw in one caveat.
When I start new websites I do not tell friends and family. Why? Because they do not understand the process.
And from experience I know that I don’t enjoy being asked how everything is going twice a week. Some peoåple may not mind. But for me it creates stress and unneeded pressure.
3. For a website to succeed you must commit
When you first start I recommend spending time carefully choosing your niche. It is important to know and remember why we choose our niche.
When we have our niche and we do our keyword research we slowly but surely start formulating a plan. We do not guess, we analyse and make decisions based on facts as well as well grounded assumptions based on our interpretation of data.
You need to remember this process. When things are going slow we need to commit to the process and to trust the plan.
Do not get impatient and jump from one approach to the other seeking instant gratification.
There are a lot of gurus out there who will sell you their approach to success and internet riches. Be critical and do not spend (more) money for the wrong reasons.
Wrong reasons you may ask? Yes, be careful not to change directions expecting quick fixes and instant gratification. Time and patience are necessary key ingredients to most successful ventures.
And of course, some people may hit success quickly with for example viral Pinterest pins.
But from my experience we need to commit and trust in our plan.
4. Put the work in – I mean real work
For a website to succeed you need to get things done. And I am talking about actual, real work.
Do not fall into the habit of showing up for work and then spending the day listening to courses and YouTube clips. I call this type of behaviour “alibi work”. You are there in person and can prove that you were there but truly – you get nothing done.
Remember that you are working for yourself.
There is a very simple test to decide whether you are working or “alibi working”.
If you would be prepared to pay someone else to do what you are doing then it is real work. If not, well you get the picture.
So get your skates on and start getting some work done – real work.
5. Always test and evaluate
As we have already discussed it is important to commit and trust the plan.
This does however not mean that we need to do everything the exact same way every single time.
To be successful we need to keep an open mind and be willing to test new ways of doing the right things. We need to stay humble and be willing to test, analyse and adapt.
We know we have to produce great content to deliver a great user experience to our visitors. Maybe we should consider using videos as well as text based step by step tutorials.
Or maybe our articles are too long and need to be written as shorter individual and separate articles?
You may wonder how to measure the effects of these different methods when we are first starting out. Why not start by following the development in the Google Search Console and learn from the metrics presented.
Conclusion and summary
So there you have it.
The main message of this article is to hammer home two simple facts.
- Keep doing the right things and you may see success.
- One thing is guaranteed, you will never get there if you quit.
