How To Make Your Website Popular

What makes a website popular?

This is a question I ask myself every time I come up with a new idea for a website. This article is to serve as sort of a list of things I find help to make a site popular and increase traffic.

That is, after all, why we make websites. Do you agree? To be popular, make money, or maybe it’s just to have a hobby.

I've been creating websites for a few years now, reading books on PHP, MYSQL, Graphic design, Usability, HTML and still I have not found a "be all" answer to having a successful website. Fortunately, I am a natural born problem solver with heightened troubleshooting skills, and I have an unwavering will... most of the time.

So back to the main question...

What makes a website popular?

Everyone else likes it. There is visible activity of other people on the website.

In my mind there is nothing that makes me want to leave a website more than to find out it has little or no visitors. You've all seen them, they have forums loaded with categories, but no posts, or they show link click counters reading in the high single digit range.

Unfortunately you do have to start somewhere, and most of the time it’s at the bottom where users don't generally congregate. I’m sorry to say, some of my sites still have low visitors. An example is: Fix My Broadband. I am considering dropping this site after the year’s hosting is expired. I tried it, it failed, move on!

If your site has little or no visitors try to hide that as well as you can. Example: Remove the hit counter from your site. Use the search engine statistics to see what is happening on your site instead.

Personality, the content has to be written with a unique voice.

Personality sells, just turn on your television and surf to your favourite show... why do you watch that show? I bet it's because you like the main character.

Ask yourself, what is so special about me? There's got to be something interesting you can convey about yourself. Everybody knows something about something. Share it on your website in your own individual style.

There is at least one good website in everyone. Everyone has at least one piece of knowledge or a hobby that they are passionate about and know everything about. Take me, for example. I am working on a travel website to tell visitors all about the attractions in Northern Ireland. Have a look! Northern Ireland travel.

Have a go! Don't be afraid to try something different.

Remember that kid in your class that just wouldn't follow the rules... I bet you do. It was usually me. I had a problem with authority. My teachers just didn’t understand me. I was always thinking outside the box. They wanted to try and teach me using their system. It didn’t work for me. I got bored easily. It was a 'one-size-fits-all' instruction method. Everyone is different. We all have different needs. Everybody likes to see a person fighting the system, it’s in our blood as humans to fight against authority.

If you find someone else's website is covering the topics that you wanted to write about. Don't give up on that topic. Write about it yourself as well. Just do it! Make your own website. Use your own unique voice and build your own brand of one. The more passionate you are about your subject the better. It will give the edge over your competitors websites.

Be consistent, post on a regular basis.

This is probably the hardest thing to do, to be consistent. You have to stick to some sort of a schedule, whether it be daily, once a week, once a month... just be consistent and your readers won't feel like they've been let down.

You have to do what you say you will, when you say you will. If you start a newsletter and you tell your subscribers that you are going to send your newsletter out on the 1st day of every month. You have to stick to it. Your subscribers are expecting it. You are building a relationship with them.

Your subscribers and visitors will reward you with their loyalty and be receptive to the products or services that you are trying to sell. You have gained their trust and respect. You need to nurture it.

I know from personal experience, that if a website I frequented slacked off at most two consecutive times, I was gone. These are just a few of the things you can do to make a website popular. Treat your readers well, and they will return the favour.

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