There will always come a time when a webowner encounters some sort of pitfall that makes him or her upset about their site. I have listed some of the most common "pitfalls" below, and have given you some advice or ideas to overcome the obstacle.
Lack of Hits
This is a common one for big and small sites alike. There are several reasons for a webowner to lose hits.
- You are not updating, or not putting enough new material in your updates.
- Your affiliates are all dying so there's no one to support you. (unlikely but...xD)
- You have had the same layout for aaaages and your site is becoming a bit boring.
- You are lacking change - no new content, no new layouts, no new updated stuff.
- You are having hosting or server troubles so your site keeps going down and up, confusing your visitors.
- You are becoming mean and unhelpful to your visitors, so they don't like you anymore. o.o
The above are only some of the reasons. There may be others, but hey, this is just some general stuff. XD Now, what do you do to get your hits back up? Well, first off, make an update. Think of an idea and do it! If you go all "ohh I don't feeel like it", then that's because of laziness, which is never a good thing. So get off your behind and make an update. If you have no ideas for new content whatsoever, then update a few of your existing pages. You can add more stuff to them, upgrade them, or just give those old, untouched pages a few updates. But don't just do one. Do as many as you'd like. It'll only improve your site.
And about the layout issue... it's hard to make new layouts all the time, and you might favor your existing one, but if your site's appearance never changes, it is going to get boring. So, make a new layout or make a new style. Put up a styleswitcher. Sites love those.
If you are having host/server problems and your site keeps vanishing every few hours or whatever, move to a new host. If you can't get a paid one, then go to a free one. If they have ads, don't use them. Find another. If you are too lazy to search, then I can't help you there. Ask your affiliates what hosts they use, or if one of them can even host you!
Originality Crisis
As more and more new sites appear on the web, there is a greater demand for original content. New webowners look at older fansites' content, and they basically have to have everything the others do. As time progresses, an idea that seemed totally original before will suddenly become overrated, overused, and found on nearly every fansite. Unfortunately, it's very hard to prevent this, especially if sites aren't exactly "copying".
Preventions:
- When you get a new idea and see that no other site has it, state a COPYRIGHT about it immediately, whether in an update or on the page. That way, even if one other site steals or copies that idea, you have every right to tell them to take it off. This way, the use of the idea won't spread. If you just let people use it, then eventually, it's going to pick up.
- Try to be as creative and original as possible when making any page. Put in your own voice, and make it significantly different so that even if someone else uses the same idea, it'll never be exactly like yours.
Okay, so what to do when you're feeling unoriginal or just can't come up with ideas? Like I stated in the Lack of Ideas article, try updating an existing page or make a new style. Layouts are nearly always original since none will look exactly alike even if they're similar. Otherwise, wait a while, talk to friends, do something else, and an idea will pop into your head!
Theft/Copying
When a site starts to get more hits and becomes more popular, others are going to start copying you. Read the Preventions in the Originality Crisis article above. It'll help. Now, if a site copies you and denies it, then you have every right to state on YOUR site that they are copying you! Since you're likely to be more popular than them, your fans are going to go to the site and eventually flame the other person out. You yourself however - don't be mean. Try to negotiate and get them to take it off or think of a compromise, like get them to change it enough that your ideas are different.
This is a bigger problem if your site isn't as popular as the site who copied you. Usually popular webowners have enough sense as to respect common courtesy. But when jealousy or lack of hits step in, they may copy you. Since fans are naturally on the side of the more popular site, you need to NOT back down and state every truth about your situation. If you had your idea first, and they copied you, treat them politely but without mercy. If that makes sense. -_-;
Jealousy
What jealousy leads to:
- Copying/stealing.
- Bitter feelings.
- Fierce competition.
- Virtual war.
I myself get easily jealous of several sites more popular and probably better than mine. The first impulse you'll get when you feel jealous of another site is to copy whatever you're jealous of and make it your own, so basically, you want to be their "equal". This is hard to prevent as it is a natural feeling, but you'll have to resist it. Here's what: Don't copy their idea, but create your own that's equally as original. If you steal their idea, it'll make you look bad. If it's a layout you're jealous of, then make a new one that's better than theirs. But never steal. If it's a whole site you're jealous of, then this is different. It's all a matter of building your site, respecting your own site, and leaving the other webowners to theirs. So what if they're better? What's your website going to get for you in life except enjoyment?? If you're jealous of them, be motivated to work harder on your OWN site! Don't go staring at theirs and feeling sorry for yourself. And don't get mad at them, either. It's likely that they worked extremely hard to get their website to be so good.
No Motivation and Wanting to Close or go onto Hiatus
Every webowner will feel like this someday - trust me. Usually more than once. If you see your site is getting unoriginal or your hits are falling, you tend to think that you just can't maintain it well anymore, and think "if I close, then all this will be over". Don't. If you worked hard on your site and unless you have been planning to close for a long time for GOOD reasons, and not just because of no motivation, don't close. Try to get in a few extra updates, and visit sites other than your own, and hopefully not in your fandom. Play some games, make some new pages, and you'll see. Eventually, your hits will start rising again, and your motivation WILL return, no matter how long it's been gone. It's all about your determination and devotion to your site! Don't give up!
Just some last words. ^^ I hope this page has helped you, beginning webowner or not. Why should you take my word for these articles? Well, having owned a site for a long time, I have been through everything these articles have talked about, and I know what it's like. I have felt jealousy, I have been unmotivated, I have copied, I have seen people copy me, but I've found my way to keep going. =3 I hope you will, too, and if you ever need any help, feel free to ask! ^_^
Eonlight Valley, all its content and graphics are unless stated otherwise (c) Kronakitty (kronakitty@gmail.com) 2005-2008. Official Pokemon contents and images are (c) Nintendo 1995-2008. This is only a fan site, and I do not claim ownership of Pokemon.
