Why do you want to start a website? Are you in it for the money? Are you in it for the chicks (yea right)? Maybe you are in it, just to share your knowledge or talent for the greater good of mankind?

I'm in it for the title- "webmaster". It makes me feel like a big man. Anyway, those are all very legit reason for starting a website, and they all share some common ground.

The first thing you'll need for your website to work is content. Now I know it can be a scary word, but if your website is about your profession, hobby are just a subject you really know about, it won't be very hard (just mildly hard...). The only way you'll get really rewarded by the search engine, get supported by other websites and gain valuable trust from your visitors (maybe customers), is by supplying unique helpful content. If the search engines won't reward you, then you won't score high on the search results (basically, you won't exist). You have to get support by other website (through links), because search engine check your link popularity as one factor for deciding how well you rank on the search results. If you won't gain your visitors trust, well I don't have to tell you, how hard it is to give your credit number on the web.

Now, content is nice and all, but another thing you really want to find out (especially if you in it for the money) is there a demand for the subject of your website? You'll be surprised how many people aren't really interested about things that really excite you {probably because there is something really wrong with you [kidding (maybe)]}. A good way to check the demand is to use the web ceo freeware (look it up). Use the research keywords option of the software. Type the most basic keywords of your website theme. For example if your planing your website about eggplant juice (mmm...yummy), you will get less then 10 visitors a day (and this is very optimistic estimation), on the other hand, if you pick orange juice as your website theme...You won't be better off. There are between 63 to 107 daily searches, and between 9,370,000 to 11,620,000 competition. It will have to be some really amazing orange juice website to get noticed.

So, there are three lesson to be learned form all this:

1. Choose your website theme about a subject you know about, so you can supllay unique content.

2. Before you start your website, research the demand and competion of the subject.

3. Don't start a website about eggplanet juice, don't even try making it, and by all means don't try drinking it. I won't be a account responsible!