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A free guide to Site Build It! including example SBI! sites... www.Site-Buildit.com
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My SBI Diary 2008"How I built my second Site Build It! website"Hello, my name is Steve M Nash and I'm the owner of a popular Site Build It! website called HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com, as well as several 'ordinary' websites like these:
In my humble opinion Site Build It! is a fantastic suite of all-in-one tools that helps pretty much anybody build, promote and profit from their website (no HTML-skills, and no website promotion skills required). And that's why I've decided to not only build a second SBI! website, but to document my progress in this SBI Diary (below). So, without further ado... My SBI Diary...May 2008 | April 2008 | March 2008 | Feb 2008 Created my first tier 3 page yesterday - self improvement ideas (still not available online at time of writing) - which was very exciting indeed! It's taken me quite a long time to produce one web page (and it's not finished, as there are core elements to the page like my newsletter signup form that still need to be built) but it's still a mighty fine feeling. As soon as I'm happy with how this tier 3 page looks I shall today set about creating a tier2 page and maybe even my homepage. And then, the floodgates will open.. Note: Site Build It! uses the tier1, tier2 and tier3 terminology to identify different types of pages. A tier1 page is the home page, a tier2 page is any page that is linked to from the home page and a tier3 page is a page linked to from one of the tier2 pages - these pages should NOT be linked to from the home page, but from within the content of a tier2 page. (The SBI! Action Guide goes into great detail about this site structure - a structure that works for search engines like Google.) May 7th, 2008 Starting to write my first pages today. Feel a bit overwhelmed as I have about 90 to 100 pages to create and have set myself a deadline to do this - a deadline that may not be helpful to me. I'd like to enjoy creating this site, after all. I think I'll ease myself in by looking at the many inspirational quotations I've accumulated and I'll edit them creating individual quotes pages and a main list of quotes that I can use throughout the site. I'm about to write the articles that will make up the site, but before I start this I want to know exactly what pages I am responsible for creating - and come up with at least some content ideas - and what pages I have already got articles for. Apr 22nd, 2008 Took time off from SBI last week (and work, altogether - I guess that's called a holiday! lol) and, previously, I did a lot of research for content. (I intend to use other people's content on my website. This is not ideal for SBI sites, or more traditional sites actually, but it fits for my site -- a collection of other people's thoughts.) Anyway, yesterday I did some research for images as it's time to start thinking about site design. (I've created a few lightboxes on Dreamstime.) And today I've listened to Day 6 of the Action Guide (and read relevant materials and SBI forum posts -- as I said, it's time I started thinking about designing my second SBI site! :-) Apr 2nd, 2008 Managed to read all of Make Your Content PREsell (MYCPS!) and days 6 to 10 of the SBI! Action Guide -- both of which have given me some good ideas for the content that I will soon begin to write. (The Acion Guide covers building and monetizing from the website. All good stuff, indeed.) I still can't build my website. I need to read Make Your Content PREsell (all about how to write readable 'non-fiction' with personality (your personality) as well as the rest of the Action Guide. I've decided to read parts of MYCPS! and the Action Guide so as to not get too bogged down with reading about one particular item. Action Guide Day 6 is all about how to build a site that gets the click, for both beginners (who use the SBI block builder) and experienced users who know how to build web pages but must still build their site with a pyramid structure (one tier1 page, several tier 2 pages, many tier 3 pages) It's all good, clean fun. (I'll read the Action Guide then, listen to the Action Guide videos, I think.) Mar 28th, 2008 Finished determining all of my tier3 pages (sub-pages) to my main (tier2) pages (the pages that will be linked to in my main navigation). I now more or less know how I am going to build each of the 40 or 50 pages that my site will begin with. (I also have an idea about monetizing those pages too - Day 4 of the Action Guide discusses the 'monetization mix'.) So back to the Action Guide, and day 5 - registering my domain name (but, before that, I have to read the excellent Make Your Content PREsell, and consider one last time what my site is about, etc. Thankfully, I've already read MYCPS! ;-) ) And so, after nearly two months, my new website is going to be called... - self help opinions Phew! Feels good. Now all I have to do is re-read MYCPS! (might as well, as it really is an outstanding guide to how to write words on your website) and then Days 6 to 10 of the SBI! Action Guide. Ah, it's all go... :-) (And then the site building will begin.) Mar 26th, 2008 More work on determining what pages, exactly, shall go on my website. I more or less have decided on the main (tier 2) pages - about ten of them - and now I'm working out what subpages (tier 3 pages) to build. Coming up with angles for content, keywords to focus on, monetization ideas and other such things so when I actually start writing the content it won't be from a blank page so to speak. Interesting way to build a website, actually. Lots of planning first, and then - wham! - out come the pages. Should have a 50 or 60 page website, eventually (few months time). Mar 18th, 2008 The blueprint is more-or-less done now (phew!) and now I have to think of sources of content (I don't want to be responsible for creating all of the content - the nature of my site makes this 'okay', too) as well as looking at ways to monetize. Let's get going then... Mar 17th, 2008 I should be putting the final touches on my site blueprint (identifying the tier 2 pages, and thus the tier 3 pages) but I've 'busied myself' instead with visiting competiting/complimentary sites, reading newsletters and looking at sources of content. This is not wasted time but I do feel frustrated by the fact that my blueprint is still not available. I MUST focus on this tomorrow. Mar 13th, 2008 More work on my main keywords for the site today and less distracting (is it ever anything else) procrastination! Onwards... Mar 10th, 2008 I've decided on my site name! Yes, it's done. And I feel good about it. (These were some ideas that did not make the grade... self-help-wisdom, self-help-conversations, self-help-guide etc.) I'll reveal the winner all in good time! (I have to register the domain name, through SBI, and that isn't for another few "SBI days" lol Now? Now I have to look at the main subjects of my site (so-called tier2 pages) - and work out what subjects deserve to be main subjects, and what deserve to be minor ones. Actually, I'm still procrastinating today, or not going forward, but some of this activity is making contact with other site owners who have similar sites and who may want to provide content or links for my site (or vice versa). So, even though progress is slow, I'm happy with that. :-) (Actually spent the afternoon really 'going for it' with my keywords, trying to more or less create a full list of tier 2 keywords using Brainstorm It!, starting with the keyword "addictions"... ) Ps Spent a little time 'paying it forward' as they say in the SBI forums (or helping and being helped) - I spent some time reviewing other people's SBI sites. Some good, some not so good, but all 'making progress'... And I'm glad to help. (Again, my second SBI site is more or less suitable to anyone, so these people I help may well contribute content (or opinions/wisdom) on my site later on. 'Pay it forward' is a good philosophy, and one that embraces Site Build It! I believe. Mar 10th, 2008 Slow start to the week. Thought I would read the newsletters I've subscribed to as part of my site research first. All of these newsletters (from 'competitor' or related sites) are useful but none say what I want to say. This is good to know. I will stay subscribed because I may get ideas for content and or affiliate programs for my own site. I'm also wondering whether this is a strategy that other SBIers use - if not, I might suggest it in the SBI forum. (Visiting the forum is good because it alerts you to issues (and solutions) you may not have been aware of, AND you can also provide help for others.) So I guess I'll spend 30 minutes there too before getting going with today's activities. (Yes, this does smack of procrastination - but I know I will be quicker getting going tomorrow.) Note: as a result of checking out emails I've now downloaded over 20 ebooks or MP3s to do with self-help today (part of a bonus being run by Eldon Taylor promoting his new book Choices & Illusions). I'm sure I will get some ideas for content and for affiliate partnerships from these 'freebies' and I might even learn somethign too. Lol Mar 5th, 2008 I know what my site is going to be called! (More or less.) And that is very exciting news indeed. I've got over 600 'profitable' keywords that I just need to structure into tier 2 (main topics) and tier 3 (sub-topics), and then I can get going on creating the site content (well, I should probably go through the rest of the SBI Action Guide, first - ahem!) So not only do I have keywords for possible pages that will be on my site, but I'm getting a really good idea about how my site will be structured. It's like my website is coming alive before my very eyes (again - I used that expressionyesterday, it seems - d'oh!) I nearly used up all of my WTB credits, too. (WTB credits? Yes, Brainstorm It! combines data from Wordtracker's full database with proprietary data from Sitesell. But Wordtracker costs a few hundred dollars per year, though, so Site Build It! comes with 25 credits - 25 interrogations of Wordtracker's database - already. (And you can buy more credits should you need to.) Right now, I've still got about 7 credits left...) As part of this process I checked out some of the SBI forums - looking for answers to my own questions (like what is a minimum demand for a potential page?). And I also answered some questions too, when I could - "pay it forward", as they say! Mar 4th, 2008 Finally, I got past Day 2 of the SBI Action Guide. And I more or less know what my site concept is going to be in the 'self help' website genre. Actually, I've not spend the last week on my SBI! site as I was working on putting together my ten year plan. And I thought this plan, or at least starting on it, was more important than ploughing ahead with the site build it website. (It might have influenced my choice of site concept after all - I want this site to be around in ten years, make no mistakes!) Can I just say, whilst I've got your attention, that I'm slowly starting to warm up to the potential of the keyword research tool that is Brainstorm It! It's a combination of Wordtracker and Sitesell proprietary data, and it really is a fantastic way to go about doing keyword research. I can literally feel my site coming alive, as I mine away at the keywords I've unearthed. Now all I have to do is find the right spin on my site concept, then I can crack on. I hope. Best get back to reading Day 3 of the SBI Action Guide... I'm getting nearer to thinking what my second SBI! website is going to be about. And I'm going to progress to Day 3 of the Action Guide to see if the idea really is a good one, or not. I will probably need to do some more keyword research, but I feel like I am dawdling a bit now, and I'm definitely getting distracted (I visit the helpful SBI forums but sometime read about solutions to problems I'm not yet experiencing - eek!) Feb 18th, 2008 Doing further checking into the self-help related idea I've had. As part of that process discovered the potential of a great keyword research tool called Search It!. It's almost too much - putting all of the web's main keyword research facilities into a small neat pull-down form - but it has actually given me a great idea of the name of my site, and more hope that I may well be onto something. :-) (Of course this optimism may all go tomorrow - 'creating' seems to be like that. Lol.) Feb 15th, 2008 More thinking about my site concept. I've come up with one idea that I like - I like it a lot, but the numbers say "No" (market research - keyword research - done by Brainstorm It!). So I'm going to mull it over for a while. Also going to ask the other SBI owners in the SBI forum to see what they think. (And I'll answer some questions I find there too, to 'give back', as it were. Tis the only way...) Hmm. Feb 14th, 2008 My head is spinning somewhat today. I have an idea for my second SBI! site (that I have yet to explore using the marketing research tools of Brainstorm It!) based around self-help. There is loads of freely available content for it and ways for me to personalise this content myself and get site visitors to do so too. How? By using a fairly new to SBI feature known as Content 2.0. So what's Content 2.0 when it's at home, then? Simplistically speaking - and I have to keep it simple as trying to understand the potential of Content 2.0 is what is getting my head spinning - it's like creating your own MySpace, Yahoo! Answers or YouTube or Digg on your site and based on the theme of your site. It's a fabulous addition to Site Build It! and is totally wasted on my first Site Build It! website., right now. (D'oh!). I don't even explain Content 2.0 on this free guide to Site Build It! - yet! Blimey! Lots of work to do. Anyway, I am excited... :-) In between answering (and looking for answers at the SBII forums) today I must narrow down my site concepts to three. And they include the following, somewhat general ideas so far:
Notes: using other people's information to build the content - e.g. interviews with experts - was a thought, too. Clearly, these site topics are variable and overly general, but it's definitely a start! They all represent things I am either interested in (and am willing to learn more about) or that , have been interested in (and so already know quite a bit about). Hmm, but got to reduce this list to three... Okay, and after some thought, my top three site concepts are:
I think topics like "The Simpsons", "Learning Spanish", "Walking" are either done already or my passion is more about doing than writing about doing. Feb 7th, 2008 Dawdling a bit, today, as I have to think of ideas for my site concept. This meant me looking through old files kept in strange corners of my computer and in MS Outlook as well as wandering around the house asking myself "just what am I really interested in. Got an idea - got several - and I now need to plug the best of those ideas into the Brainstorm It! research tool. A job for tomorrow, I think... (next week, now, as I'm only working on this second SBI site Mon. to Thu in the mornings) Feb 6th, 2008 Finished reading the first five days of the SBI! Action Guide. Phew, it's a little bit overwhelming I must admit. But I know that I'll get up to speed with the SBI-way! :-) Feb 5th, 2008 Feel surprisingly positive about starting this second SBI journey! From watching the videos in the SBI! Action Guide (freely available to non-SBI customers, strangely) I already have a strong sense of feeling that I'm doing the right thing, and that all I have to do is follow a clear, sensible set of instructions. Yes, after one day, I already feel empowered. I particularly liked these words in the Action Guide: "Proceed steadily step-by-step. Take your time. Remember, a 'DAY' is just a metaphor in SBI!. You completed Day 1 in mere minutes. Day 2 may take days, even weeks. So don't worry if your head spins at first." Note: SBI! is a Ten 'Day' process. Obviously, I'm not expecting to get my site up in ten days. I am, in fact, aiming to have a successful site in 6 months, actually. And that's where being patient comes in. The Site Build It! Action Guide...In brief, the Action Guide steps you through the process of creating a successful website. So that means it covers the basics of keyword research (think of it as market research for a new business, but much more powerful and much, much quicker). It also talks about the important concept of PRE-selling. Whilst monetization - making money - comes last, as it should do. Each day of the Action Guide reminds you of what you've learnt and what you're going to learn. It makes the process feel achievable, it really does, and you only end up doing the things that matter. So, even if you never purchase SBI! the SBI! Action Guide is a highly recommended read. Yes, there is a lot of reading and re-reading. (I intend to read the Action Guide then watch the videos - listening to the woman's voice as the male voice sounds, er, a bit weird. Lol.) But I am happy to be this patient regarding this second website. I want this site to be successful, and that means, for me, anyway:
So, the way of the tortoise it is. :-) PS I think I've decided to not concentrate on making money from Google Adsense as my other sites are already too reliant on Adsense for income. We'll see. Feb 4th, 2008 Well today is the day that I start my second SBI! website. I bought SBI on Jan 1st, but have been preoccupied with another non-internet related project until now. So, SBI begins with reading the SBI Action Guide, I guess... ER, well before I do that I think I will create this SBI Diary. And, I might as well create an SBI Diary Squidoo lens. And I might also introduce myself in the SBI forum. And then I can begin reading the Action Guide Why am I procrastinating so much, you might ask. Well read the rest of this SBI Diary at Squidoo to find out. And, in the meantime, I shall start reading the Action Guide - I promise! :-) NOTE: I could have done my diary as a Wordpress blog or used some other fancy shenanigans but I wanted to get going with my second SBI site. So do excuse the somewhat HTML approach to this 'blog' :-) About Me & Site Build It!Let me just say that I already own a Site Build It! website (it's called HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com .) However, I built this SBI website several years ago when Site Build It! was, dare I say it, was inferior (keyword research has improved, Content 2.0 exists, and the Action Guide is in PDF form now and reflects these (and other) improvements). Also, I already make a full-time living online from several websites (including HowIPromoteMyWebsite.com .) What this means is:
Still, I firmly believe that SBI! is suitable to all. And I hope to use this SBI Diary to help prove that, via my trials, tribulations and (more importantly) my successes! :-) About Site Build It!This free guide to SBI! explains how Site Build it! works, more or less. I suggest you check out the video testimonials of real SBI! users to see how much it has transformed both their business and personal lives. A good place to start is the Site Build It! home page but you can also check out this technical guide.
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Build It! Example Sites? View these or... Look
at these
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Site Build It! example site? ==> my free website promotion guide
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This free guide to Ken Evoy's Site Build It! is called Site-BuildIt.com
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