|
Founder
Joined: 09 Mar 2002
Posts: 43444
Location: Columbia, SC
|
 How many times have you heard the phrase, "Good things take time?" If you're like most of us, you've probably heard it more times than you can even remember. For those of you who actually remember the sound of the bubble popping on the internet in the late 1990's, you probably are nodding at this point; especially if you lost money in the market because of it.
Yes, it was a lesson hard learned, but it proved that success on the internet is anything but a quick overnight fix and it was possibly the worst "get rich" scheme the world has ever seen and been fooled by. It's for that very reason so many people have a distrust of the web today, and it's why companies, like Google are watched so closely. Google's bubble is bigger than most are comfortable with, and unlike software giant Microsoft, they don't have the physical goods and long reputation to back up the virtual services they provide. Still, Google has proven time and time again that it isn't going to let it's grip on the market slip without a fight. Google continues to spread to new areas and grow, and overall consumer fears are easing.
But it's not just Google that has come from the black and blue days of the late 90's. No, we've seen quite a few other large virtual companies survive as well. And I'm not talking about the Wal-Mart.com or Microsoft.com websites either; they have physical goods to back up their digital presence. I'm talking about the companies that live and breath life off the internet. Companies like eBay, Amazon, Yahoo, etc. These are the folks you seriously have to step back and say, "Wow... they made it through the hard times to make it big." It's a bigger accomplishment than many are willing to admit too. Despite consumer fears, eBay has no-doubt become the worlds largest online marketplace for bidding. Despite doubts, Amazon has become king of the online stores, making its one-time "bookstore" name a thing of the past; today, if you can't find it on Amazon, you have to wonder if it even exists. And then you have companies like Google, who literally took thin air and turned itself into the world's leading Media company and a search engine giant big enough to not only crush MSN Search, but to easily take the prize away from the previous SE king, Yahoo.
So what exactly does it take to build and maintain one of these respected sites? The answer is simpler than many think... it's time and it's dedication. In today's world almost anyone can build a website, at least to some level. And beyond the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) wars and placement rankings, and hits, statistics, and page rank, there is one thing that remains the best friend you can have... time. You can have the worlds best content, and every search engine optimization site on the net will tell you it's the "secret to success," but, well, let me tell you what. I've been doing this nearly a decade and content isn't the "key" so much as many think it is. Some of the success attributed to the web is nothing more than luck, some good elbow rubbing, and a good run in with the search engine bots on that "good content" you have. Oh, and yes, that thing called time again. But if you're missing even one of these things, you too will likely see slower progress than you'd like/expect.
I have built many websites over my span of "living" on the internet. Some of them have been nothing more than personal websites, while others have become larger e-commerce, store only, sites. PRO-networks has been around since 2001 (give or take a name change here and there), and only recently in 2005 has all the hard work and dedication of our staff of nearly 60 people paid off. Anyone who's been here the whole time knows content was not and has not ever been our problem. Daily we post dozens of news stories, a couple hundred posts and support questions, and we constantly strive for newer and better content. So nearly 60 people working (give or take over time) in unison has taken 4 full years to get to a respectable level; but why? The SEO companies promised us success in just a few weeks, or even in just a few months. But what they failed to explain was the market (competition), time, and the long game of patience. Here's a good example. Another website I own is www.HawaiianStyleMedia.com; it's simple, it's plain, and it's only a month old. My sales there gross higher than many would expect given the low amount of content. How you ask? Simple, I advertise some yes, but overall the success comes from lack of market competition and a good run-in with the bots at Google/Yahoo/MSN (I got lucky). See the SEO companies fail to mention your success is more than just a content game, it's a game of beating your competitors at their own game, and to do that, guess what you really need... time. Yep, good old-fashion time. Respect comes to those who have been around longer, and this no doubt is a part of Google's ever changing equation. I use Google as my example because, well, success on the web now takes the Search Engine giant to be on your side. without good rankings, or a lot of money for Adwords publishing, you're up the creek without a paddle. And to get good rankings, you can either pick a non-competitive market (as I did with HSMedia's booklets), or you can build a site like PRO-networks and then expect to wait, and wait, work, work, work, and wait some more. Google can't actually read and interpret your content (yet), so time comes into the equation, and it gives more "weight" to folks who've stood the test of, you guessed it, time. Sure you can say it's about page rank, but what exactly do you think page rank is based off of anyway? Just links? Nooo... links that have formed over time. ""ATTENTION... all signs point to time.""
I see so many new "Tech" oriented sites spring up a month it almost makes me laugh. I don't know how many times we've had to play the "stop copying us game," or the "I'll beat your at your own game, err game." I suspect if I could sit down with some of these folks (who I'll openly say are younger folks) and explain the hair-pulling frustrations of making a site like this succeed, then I think they might reconsider investing themselves so heavily in something they'll likely never finish. I guess part of me just hates to watch others disappoint themselves on the web; given the look around the see so many other succeeding. I'll also admit I hate trying to compete with folks who only crowd the market and then disappear a month later because, it was "too much work." Of course, there's always someone to take their spot. But for all of you who know the pains of building a good site, for all of you who have build a site and watched it fail, watched your hard work end with little to show for it... I hear you. For those of you who have put in the time, hours, and years to build a good site, and watch it slowly succeed, I hear you too, and I commend you for a job well done. Rome wasn't built in a day... neither was Amazon, Google, or eBay. For those of you who built cheap sites, inflated the market, and stole all our money in the late 1990's... well, if you're not already in jail you should be. Thanks for making the consumers hate the rest of us because you screwed up.
My pain point is this... dreaming about owning and maintaining a big website is a lot of fun and is a great project; but don't expect the riches to poor in. Those who have made it big spent millions of dollars and countless hours to make it what it has become; Google perhaps being the main exception (which may be nothing more than good talent and a little luck). The internet market is a unstable place, it changes on the fly, and the competition is fierce. I'm not saying don't go for your dream of building the site, I'm saying if you do start the process, know that you're starting a journey longer than most. Be prepared for the worst, but enjoy the fruits and rewards that come as part of your hard work over time. After all, with a little luck, some dedication, patience, good content, and time... you too can see success on the internet. Just be careful, and don't dig yourself into a financial hole (I almost did). Use your best judgment... and take the waves as the come. Of all the advice you can be given, that might be the best. Good luck...
FYI, over time, this site has spent now close to $15,000 to stay alive, making almost all of that back (only in recent years), gone through close to a dozen hosts, and had more than our fair share of snags along the way. The road is long, the road is taxed heavily, and the road is tough... but if you make it, believe me, it's worth it. The pride of working with the fine folks of PROnetworks, and the success we've had, today makes it worth all we've been through together.
 
John C. Derrick
Chairman of the Board
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
