Not sure about the next step..

HalfPastGone

New member
Apr 2, 2010
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bought domain and hosting, threw up a wordpress blog, wrote some content and put some adsense on it. that's where i'm at right now. i don't want to start spending too much money until i generate some more traffic and organize the site a little better, but what can i do to make some adsense money in the mean time? do i have to sign up with the search engines, or should i just direct link in other forums and submit to article directories?
 


here is the site, btw:

Health & Fitness

the url is retarded, and the site is very general, i know, but all i really want to do is learn the basics. i had no idea how to to ftp or set up hosting or ANYTHING like 4 days ago.

:::flame suit on:::
 
I would be asking myself 'how can i generate quality traffic', not just how many links can i get. If you think about it, nobody would link to a blog with one article. Google doesnt just count the number of links and say 'hey, well this guys got 1000 backlinks his site must be the best'. What i am saying is that you need the full package to get the best results. I would concentrate on getting some more content on there, then build backlinks and who knows - maybe attract some regular visitors. You have done more than a lot of people simply by showing the initiative and doing something... Is blogging really what you want to do?? A blogger keeps up to date with the latest news and trends and networks with other bloggers in the same niche. If the site/content is less than average then it will be hard to get compensated for your time. If your site is just a vehicle to serve ads then people will see it as that. Erm... im no expert.. lol just my thoughts. Like you say, you know more now than 4 days ago!! Keep us posted!!
p.s. have you signed up for adsense yet??
 
I would be asking myself 'how can i generate quality traffic', not just how many links can i get. If you think about it, nobody would link to a blog with one article. Google doesnt just count the number of links and say 'hey, well this guys got 1000 backlinks his site must be the best'. What i am saying is that you need the full package to get the best results. I would concentrate on getting some more content on there, then build backlinks and who knows - maybe attract some regular visitors. You have done more than a lot of people simply by showing the initiative and doing something... Is blogging really what you want to do?? A blogger keeps up to date with the latest news and trends and networks with other bloggers in the same niche. If the site/content is less than average then it will be hard to get compensated for your time. If your site is just a vehicle to serve ads then people will see it as that. Erm... im no expert.. lol just my thoughts. Like you say, you know more now than 4 days ago!! Keep us posted!!
p.s. have you signed up for adsense yet??
yeah, i have adsense. here is the site:

Health & Fitness Advice

and no, i don't want to do blogging. but i read in another thread somewhere that starting with wordpress is the best thing to do if you're not a webdesigner. i know jack shit about writing code so it was either wordpress or outsourcing.
 
It is most likely be a poor theme. And yes you are right, wordpress is good for beginners. Erm... where to go from here... HTML is really easy to pick up HTML Tutorial. I would start there, then at least you know what you are dealing with. Link building would be a good idea but you could do more harm than good if you do it wrong. I think you should look for a new theme. Then build up a bit more content so at least it looks as if you have put some thought in. I was going to say sign up for google analytics but i see you are using firestats... how is that. You could try analytics aswell and see which you prefer. After a second look i would say that it is the theme that is at fault. The purpouse of an HTML standard is to ensure that websites display the same on multiple platforms. If you use invalid HTML then there is a danger that the site will not render correctly with certain software configurations.
Two links for you:
Check Browser Compatibility, Cross Platform Browser Test - Browsershots - see how a site looks on a wide range of platforms.
The W3C Markup Validation Service - check HTML standards compliance.
Happy Hunting!!
 
thanks greyhat. couple questions though.

when building more content for my current page, should i make more blog posts or just expand the one i have and the other tabs? i feel like i shouldn't add more posts because i don't want it to appear as a blog. also, in regards to the summer wordpress themes, those fancy, colorful ones make it look more bloggy, whereas a plain white theme makes it appear more professional, i think. am i on the wrong track here appearance-wise?
 
I thought it was a blog?? If it is not a blog then you dont need the expense of running wordpress with databases etc. You can just use normal HTML templates.
Free CSS Website Templates
I'm afraid you are going to have to have a go at some HTML eventually!!!
I know what you mean about the appearance, there must be a plain valid theme out there. Seriously though, have a go at editing some normal templates and let me know how you get on. Just start by replacing the text with your content. This way you will get far more sites on one cheaper hosting account.
 
I think you know this, but you need to take some time and find a few good, untapped long-tail keywords. Right now, you are targeting one of the most broad and saturated niches available. There are millions of weightloss, fitness, healthy living websites, and against them, you will not rank.

Instead, find a keyword that has fewer monthly searches but without tons of competition. It'll be far more specific, so you'll have to narrow your scope quite a bit. There's no point trying to build links until you are rock solid with your keywords.
 
I thought it was a blog?? If it is not a blog then you dont need the expense of running wordpress with databases etc. You can just use normal HTML templates.
Free CSS Website Templates
I'm afraid you are going to have to have a go at some HTML eventually!!!
I know what you mean about the appearance, there must be a plain valid theme out there. Seriously though, have a go at editing some normal templates and let me know how you get on. Just start by replacing the text with your content. This way you will get far more sites on one cheaper hosting account.
lol no, i never planned on blogging, i just read a couple places to throw up a wordpress since i don't know HTML. that link is great though, just what i need a good place to get started with HTML, thanks. how does this get me more sites on my hosting account though? i have the unlimited domains package on hostgator right now.
 
I think you know this, but you need to take some time and find a few good, untapped long-tail keywords. Right now, you are targeting one of the most broad and saturated niches available. There are millions of weightloss, fitness, healthy living websites, and against them, you will not rank.

Instead, find a keyword that has fewer monthly searches but without tons of competition. It'll be far more specific, so you'll have to narrow your scope quite a bit. There's no point trying to build links until you are rock solid with your keywords.
yeah i know it's broad, i just wanted to do something and learn, i literally have zero experience in any of this.

so google adwords is just the ads to the right of the search results, how do i get my page to show up in the the actual results?
 
this is gonna be a stupid, but why are keywords important if you aren't registered to any search engines and just plan on building backlinks? i don't want to spend too much money on a campaign yet so i'm not registering with search engines or doing ppc.
if i may?!!!
You dont really register with search engines... you can submit a site but that does not guarantee you will be listed. They find you!! There are certain things that help you get listed such as an xml sitemap... (google it) This is why you need everything to be spot on so when they do find you they take note and you rank well for keywords. Somwhere in your google webmaster account you can submit a sitemap.
Dont be afraid of doing stuff wrong this is all about trial and error.
glad you liked the link... here is a WYSYWIG HTML editor:
Nvu Web Authoring Software
Take it for a test drive!!!!!
 
yeah i know it's broad, i just wanted to do something and learn, i literally have zero experience in any of this.

so google adwords is just the ads to the right of the search results, how do i get my page to show up in the the actual results?

This kind of stuff is all over the forum. Read these for starts:

http://www.wickedfire.com/traffic-content/37649-mother-fuckin-seo-question-answer-thread.html

http://www.wickedfire.com/traffic-content/6087-wickedfire-guide-seo.html