How I nearly gave up on my Site Build It web site...

Whether you use Site Build It or not, the biggest cause of failed sites is lack of patience.

As I write this I can think of three people I know who started building web sites in the hope of making some extra income, and then gave up too soon.

Why did they give up? Because they were impatient. They expected fast results. They wanted their sites to start getting traffic right away. And they were eager to upload AdSense ads or affiliate links within the first few days of launch.

Would I make such a basic mistake as giving up too soon?

No...and yes. I almost did, with my own SiteBuildIt site, CoffeeDetective.com.

I certainly didn’t expect miracles within the first few weeks or months.

But at about the 8-month mark, I must admit to losing confidence. I had written about 70 pages for the site and secured some good inbound links.

In other words, I had put in a lot of work. And, I think, the right kind of work.

But I wasn’t getting a lot of traffic, and I was making about $20 a month from the site.

I almost stopped working on it. In fact, I slowed down quite a bit. I had other projects on the go which were giving me a much better return on my time.

But luckily I didn’t stop altogether, nor did I let the domain lapse after the one-year mark.

What kept me going?

There were a number of factors.

First, SiteBuildIt is quite unique in offering an extraordinary degree of support, through its forums and weekly newsletters.

And one message that rang through loud and clear was “be a tortoise!”

Just for the pleasure of it, take a few moments to watch this video, made by an SBI owner, all about "the way of the totoise". It's really good...

Back to the article...

But...to be completely honest, there was another factor that made a difference too.

I began to see a small measure of success.

I had about half a dozen affiliate programs represented through links on the site. Five of them did nothing for me, and still don’t. But the sixth program began to show some life.

One month my total income was about $25, and then suddenly the next month I received a check from this one company for almost $500. And the month after that it was for over $1,000. And now it’s over double that.

No time to rest on my laurels

I’m not saying the site is now “done”. Far from it. Nor am I saying it doesn’t need some refining and editing in places. It does.

And yes, I should keep trying new ways to get traffic and different ways to monetize the pages. And, of course, keep adding pages.

But that one success, which started as a glimmer, made a big difference.

It captured my attention again. It encouraged me to keep doing what I had been doing before...adding new content and generating more inbound links.

That’s my tip...watch for that first glimmer.

Maybe it will happen after six months. Maybe after twelve.

But at some point you will see a small measure of success. Something will happen.

Watch for it.

And when you see it, bask in its warmth for a little while. It’s great to see all one’s efforts rewarded, even if only in a small way.

But also, learn from it.

Figure out how that small success took place. Understand what it was you did right to spark that flame.

And then do more of the same.

Much more.

And watch for the next glimmer. It might be quite unrelated to the first.

Above all, don’t give up too soon. Keep working on your site, making it better and bigger.

If you give your visitors quality content, that first success will come. Sooner or later.

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