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Build Websites That Sell

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Official Travel Notes Blog

Over the years, all sorts of website submissions have made their way to the Travel Notes inbox; from stylish, personal travel websites hosted on free domains to corporate productions that didn't do any favours for the brand.

I've also seen almost every search engine optimisation trick in the book and enough dubious domain name changes to wonder if there shouldn't be a law against such blatant misrepresentation of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Travel and Tourism Websites - Then and Now

Back in 1997, most of our links pointed to 'real' travel and tourism websites; in that people had travelled to the places they were writing about, or a local tourist office presented the attractions for visitors to their country or city.

Travelogues still make interesting reading although many have now taken on the form of a travel blog; which is fine, as all the entries are date-stamped.

Build an Online Business instead of a Blog

But when I read some of the blogs today, so much work has gone into them that it's almost as if the 'blogger' is trying to make an income, as a writer. And if they are, I wonder why they don't create an articles website and call themselves writers?

Blog vs Website:
Most people searching for information will find a website rather than a blog, so perhaps the blog is better served as an add-on to the website?

The Website Business

It seems that keyword-driven-hyphenated-domain-names are getting longer; almost becoming sentences in themselves, boldly describing what the website is about.

We've had a number of these sent in to us and I must admit that I initially thought it was just another scam from fly-by-night promoters, trying to get their website ranked higher in Google search results.

As there are no robots at Travel Notes, I do look at the domains and noticed a similar trend in how these websites were laid out too.

Although most of the designs were different, the basic concept remained the same.

It was as if one person was churning out numerous keyword-optimised, content-driven, (hopefully) money-making machines.

The biggest common denominator was at the bottom of the page:

Powered by Site Build It - Click Here For Case Studies


I originally thought Site Build It was a web-building tool provided by a free-host looking for a greater market share, along the lines of the former GeoCities, FortuneCity, TerraShare (now parked) or Bravenet.

It said 'Powered by Site Build It', but the links pointed to Site Sell. What's more, SiteSell seemed keen in getting affiliates to do the selling for them; judging by the way the small banner slides across the screen before your very eyes.
Join The SiteSell Affiliate Program


If you're a blogger and can't give up the day job just yet, you might want to take a look at the SiteSell affiliate program.

Maybe you're not a blogger and you're wondering how the World Wide Web can help your local business. Perhaps you've always fancied the idea of an online business but didn't know where to start.

I'm assuming most people reading this would be interested in reading about travel sites using SBI, or how to make travel your business?

Bookmarks

I first bookmarked Site Sell a few years back but never really got around to asking the questions. I have a few dormant domains I still need to develop, so I'll let you you know how things progress.

Although $299 a year might seem like a lot to pay out up front, ordering the $29.99/month plan seems a little more friendly. At under $1 a day, that's less than most reputable web hosting plans. And you can pay by PayPal, if you wish.

Before you part with your money though, take a look at the tools to help you succeed. If you're serious about online success, make sure to read the SBI Action Guide. This is the 10-day plan that some people in the SBI forum wish you didn't have free access to.

The free-to-use, all-in-one Search It resource combines many pre-programmed advanced searches to help you 'brainstorm new topics for your site; deepen the research on your competition; get your domain naming, trademarks and other legalities right; and research material for your content pages'.

Beware - building websites that sell is not for everyone. Not only does it cost money to get started, it takes time and effort to keep going. But earning while you sleep is a good feeling. You might even come up with a new super-packed-keyword-domain-that-rocks.

Site Build It!

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