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Web Entrepreneurs: Why an Ugly Website May be More Profitable for You

17 Sep

I was reading an interview featuring Markus Frind of PlentyofFish.com. Mr. Frind’s site is the world’s largest online dating website. According to published reports, Markus pulls in over $10,000 to $20,000 a day from Google AdSense alone. His overall income is $5 million to $10 million a year.

Plentyof Fish.com is one of the ugliest sites online. It looks like a newbie web designer threw it up, got it operational and turned his interest to something else.So, why then is it so successful? The site’s success is not by accident, which got me to thinking – and inspired this article.

Why “Ugly Sites” Like PlentyofFish.com Thrive – and Yours Can Too!

Quite simply, PlentyofFish.com thrives because it’s live.

To explain further, one of the things Markus says in the interview I read is that you need to have a rigorous work ethic to succeed in business.

He expounded, “When I came home from work I sat down and I forced myself to code for a[n] hour or 2. . . . it’s amazing how much you can get done when you just type. . . . At the end of the day you just need to sit down and DO it. Most people don’t.”

Lesson Here: Perfection can get in your way and steal your dreams. If you wait until you can afford a web designer, the right logo and perfectly written content, your site may never go live. Hence, your dreams will never be achieved.

A Recent Personal Example That Kicked My Butt in Gear

I’ve had an idea for a website that I feel in my gut could be huge. I’ve had this idea for about two years now, but have always put it off – because it requires coding knowledge beyond my personal ability.

While talking to one of my sisters about it recently, she was like, “I’m tired of you talking about this idea. You know how to do basic sites. Why don’t you just throw it up already!”

Around this time is when I was doing some web surfing and came across Markus’ interview. And you know what, she’s right. Doing what you can puts good “work karma” in the universe. Not to get all religious, but there’s a bible verse where God says something to the effect of, “If you take the first step, I’ll take the next two for you.”

The point is to not let what you don’t know stop you. Do what you can and trust that the rest will come.

A few years ago, the talk show host Montel Williams put out a book entitled, Mountain, Move Out of My Way. The gist of the book is that sometimes you have to go over, around, under and/or right through an obstacle to achieve your dreams.

Note – status on my much-delayed site: I started work on the site. It’s not live yet, but I’ve written a good portion of the copy and sketched out a marketing plan. I’ll finally put it up in a couple of weeks.

Other Profitable, Ugly Websites

Craigslist.org

Google.com

DrudgeReport.com

Hence, fellow web entrepreneurs, if your site is ugly for a while, so what. At least it’s live. And, that’s a lot further than the vast majority ever get – so keep on stepping (coding, programming, learning, marketing, etc.)!


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