As someone who's done both let me tell you now that if you're doing this for business, you don't need to worry about the site at all. Here's a site I made a bunch of money from - done in vanilla HTML:
Your real issue is moving on your idea. From what you've written, it sounds like you're putting the cart before the horse. Making a niche site is great... but where is your traffic coming from? Do you have connections with publications / ad platforms? How are you going to get traffic?
If you explain the niche/idea, maybe I could give some ideas. Ultimately, I've been in your shoes before, both having owned one of the largest sites in a niche, and having the aspiration of creating one & it failing miserably:
Second-largest "Webkinz" site in the world
"Learning to code" is profitable, but only if you're good at it.
I've been coding for like 5/6 yrs professionally, and it's tough. It's tough because "coding" isn't about making a Wordpress site look pretty; it's about creating underlying functional solutions for different business requirements. You're expected to know - and traverse - the entire technology stack in the pursuit of implementing said solution.
Take a look at some of my Github repos if you want to get an idea of it:
Furthermore, you're competing against some of the brightest minds in the world. I cannot stress enough how important this is -- if your goal is to "learn to code" just so you can make a pretty site, ditch it and focus on converting traffic instead. If you have an affinity for it, then by all means pursue it - but most people don't. The rabbit hole is too deep.
I've been coding since I was 13 and only took it professionally when I ran out of money for a project (money that went on professional software devs because I didn't want to do the code myself).
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If you're starting out, here are some pointers I've picked up over the years (my opinion and not to be construed as advice):
Sums it up well:
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I was going to plug my own Fiverr service for this stuff (I can get WP installed for $50) but I think the forum rules are against it. Either way, I will say this --> if you really want to get WP running, go to Namecheap and buy their middle "shared" hosting plan:
This will give you access to CPanel, which has a plugin called Softaculous. Softaculous will install Wordpress for you without you having to do anything:
That gives you a Wordpress site (you'll need a domain with it) for about $35. This is your starting point. Plugins etc come after that. If you want further info or help, you're welcome to email me at rpeck@frontlineutilities.co.uk. I will likely recommend my Fiverr service if you need help with themes/plugins, but there's no reason you can't do it yourself.
Your real issue is moving on your idea. From what you've written, it sounds like you're putting the cart before the horse. Making a niche site is great... but where is your traffic coming from? Do you have connections with publications / ad platforms? How are you going to get traffic?
If you explain the niche/idea, maybe I could give some ideas. Ultimately, I've been in your shoes before, both having owned one of the largest sites in a niche, and having the aspiration of creating one & it failing miserably:
Second-largest "Webkinz" site in the world
"Learning to code" is profitable, but only if you're good at it.
I've been coding for like 5/6 yrs professionally, and it's tough. It's tough because "coding" isn't about making a Wordpress site look pretty; it's about creating underlying functional solutions for different business requirements. You're expected to know - and traverse - the entire technology stack in the pursuit of implementing said solution.
Take a look at some of my Github repos if you want to get an idea of it:
Furthermore, you're competing against some of the brightest minds in the world. I cannot stress enough how important this is -- if your goal is to "learn to code" just so you can make a pretty site, ditch it and focus on converting traffic instead. If you have an affinity for it, then by all means pursue it - but most people don't. The rabbit hole is too deep.
I've been coding since I was 13 and only took it professionally when I ran out of money for a project (money that went on professional software devs because I didn't want to do the code myself).
--
If you're starting out, here are some pointers I've picked up over the years (my opinion and not to be construed as advice):
- If you're starting out, throw shit at the wall.
Webkinz site was made because I noticed on eBay pulse that "Webkinz" was the 2nd most searched-for term on the platform. I decided to make a site and sell it on Flippa ("I'd be happy to get $500"). I made the site on WP and started to publish it to directories and such. I made a bunch of posts but the one that exploded was called "Webkinz Cheat Codes" (or something like that) and got to the top spot on Google. Traffic started coming, I opened a forum and ended up with 3,000+ visitors a day.
The point is that if you're starting out, don't worry about the idea. The idea is only important if you're Apple, and have a reputation/expectations to manage. If you're green, no one gives a shit.
- Don't bet on an outcome.
Most people put the cart before the horse (me included). They'll fantasize about making some product, some idea, how they're going to promote it and everything. It's natural to do this... but rarely works. Not to say you can't do it... but it's only really for companies with $100k+ budget for projects.
If you really want to get into this stuff, focus on getting traffic to a page and making it pay. That page can be anything -- ecom, fb ads, niche site -- but it has to be something that converts. If it fails, put it on Flippa or sell it on DigitalPoint for $350-$500.
- Treat it as a blood sport.
I've done a TON of stuff, and 90% failed. Having an idea for a niche site is one thing... following-through is another entirely. I put many of the failures down to not being in the US. Regardless of this, the fact is that regardless of how good you think the idea is, the market doesn't give a shit.
It only cares about what you can do for it.
Sums it up well:
--
I was going to plug my own Fiverr service for this stuff (I can get WP installed for $50) but I think the forum rules are against it. Either way, I will say this --> if you really want to get WP running, go to Namecheap and buy their middle "shared" hosting plan:
This will give you access to CPanel, which has a plugin called Softaculous. Softaculous will install Wordpress for you without you having to do anything:
That gives you a Wordpress site (you'll need a domain with it) for about $35. This is your starting point. Plugins etc come after that. If you want further info or help, you're welcome to email me at rpeck@frontlineutilities.co.uk. I will likely recommend my Fiverr service if you need help with themes/plugins, but there's no reason you can't do it yourself.
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