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lethalboom
Forums Member
Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#1 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 05:47
Hi guys
I am thinking of making a football (soccer) website, and need some advice.
Basically, my problem is, the website will start out small, then hpefully grow, but here in the UK football is a HUGE market and I'm guessing there are literally thousands of football websites.
So my problem is, how would I compete with the big websites? Im guessing by promoting, but I'm fairly new to this game, so how would I promote it without spending an absolute fortune?
Thanks in advance
Simon
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Vishal P. Rao
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 1329
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#2 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 06:35
What do you mean by promoting? Is it getting ranked well in search engines or through paid means of advertising?
Getting a high ranking in competitive niches is extremely tough at the present as there are several factors that search engine take into consideration while indexing websites, and age includes one of them. So it's always a safe bet to start websites in smaller niches, gradually accommodating the larger niche. Targeting a large niche initially will often lead to frustration.
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lethalboom
Forums Member
Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#3 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 06:54
basically I'm looking to get as many views as possible, so I can sell some advertising space. after all, we're all here for the money :p
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1532
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#4 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:01
Wise words, Vishal! I tried to buck the system (in a small way) by starting an auto insurance site.  It's coming along, but oh so slowly.
The funny thing is that I knew better, too! I decided to give it a try anyway. It pays for itself but that's about it. However, I intend to keep at it, steady-steady, and feel pretty sure that it will eventually be well worth my patience.
It's a lot easier doing it the way you suggested, though. Start narrow and work your way out.
Rather than promoting so much in the beginning, it would be better to work on 'long tail keywords.'
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lethalboom
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Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#5 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:06
could you explain what long tail keywords are please
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1532
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#6 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:13
Sorry! 
Long tail keywords are generally the longer phrases people type into the search engines when looking for information.
For instance, for one of my niches it would be harder for me to get high rankings for the phrase "chocolate molds" than it would be for me to get high rankings for "how to mold chocolate candy."
Most big companies seem to build their sites and content around the main phrases, chocolate candy, gourmet chocolate candy, chocolate popcorn, etc. If you do the keyword research and find the long tail keywords and build content pages around them you'll get the traffic for all those phrases which will tide you over until your site gets to the point where you are ranked high for the main phrases.
Does that make sense?
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lethalboom
Forums Member
Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#7 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:14
oh ok, so for a football skills website it would be
'how do i do the stepover' rather than just 'stepover tips'
for an example?
thanks
simon
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1532
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#8 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:19
Exactly! Of course, you need to do the keyword research to find out what they 'really' are, but that's the idea. That's how the tortoise beats the hare. 
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lethalboom
Forums Member
Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#9 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:21
lol! great, thanks again
I think I will set up a football blog first and promote that, then if that gets enough regular readers i will set up a website, where the blog i still there, but there are other features too
thanks for all the advice guys, means a lot
simon
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happywife
Joined: 14 Aug 2007
Posts: 1532
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#10 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 07:34
All the best!
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lethalboom
Forums Member
Joined: 7 Jun 2008
Posts: 50
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#11 · Posted: 8 Jun 2008 09:54
Thank you so much for all your help and advice
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netmadewealth
Forums Member
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Posts: 3
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#12 · Posted: 16 Jun 2008 02:38
Hi Simon,
"I think I will set up a football blog first..."
Don't give up on your website yet.
You must treat it like a business though, and a marketing plan is of top priority.
Here is one idea to help you get going...
This is provided you already know what you will sell on your site and what your profit margin is.
You should be able to approach/call/email all the schools and kinders in your town, and offer to help them with their fundraising efforts.
They all need extra money and are actively seeking new ways to increase their funding. So if you give them a good cut from your profits, they are likely to put your website in front of tens of thousands of visitors.
All the schools need to do is advertise your website in their newsletters, explain how the school is going to benefit, and request that they pass the message on to their friends.
You also mentioned: "I'm guessing there are literally thousands of football websites..."
Do not guess � you need to know!!!
Who is your competition? How many similar websites in your niche? What can you learn from the best of them? How can you improve on what the best have to offer?
Even if you do decide to go with a blog, I would strongly recommend that you check out your best performing competition sites. You'll be surprised how much you will learn from them.
All the best.
Noah
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