Out of the seven billion people in the world, over three billion of them are on the Internet. At the same time, there are over 1.8 billion websites in the world. While many of these are websites for companies both large and small, a vast majority of these are personal websites.
But out of the estimated one billion personal websites, only about half are actually being used – they are actively receiving traffic. What about the other half? What are these people doing with their websites?
Well, apparently nothing. At least nothing that is drawing in visitors.
If you have one of these 500 million websites not being used to their fullest potential, perhaps it is time to revamp your site and get people to visit it again. Here are some suggestions for your for your website, some of them are just for fun, others can potentially earn you some extra income, or even become your primary source of income if you work hard enough to make it so.
E-commerce
This is perhaps the biggest use of personal websites on the Internet. A lot of people are quitting their full-time jobs and switching to selling stuff online. While the larger companies are great for availability and selection, they typically offer only the basics that appeal to the widest audience possible. Personal e-commerce websites have the ability to appeal to a particular niche of the customer. This could be where you come in.
If you see a need to make a certain line of products available, then you should jump on board and start selling them. If you are one of the first, then you have an opportunity to establish yourself as the leader in that market. If you are not the first that’s okay. You just need to sell them better.
Keep in mind there is a lot of competition out there among e-commerce sites. As mentioned before, you will have to work hard to stand out in the crowd. Creating a new, awesome name for your site is the first step. Finding the right products to sell is the next. After that, it’s all in the details.
Portfolios and Resumés
The next biggest use of a personal website is for self-promotion. People will often post their resume online for potential employers to find after initial contact is made. The employer will be able to see in greater detail what roles you have filled and what accomplishments you have made in your career. They will be able to cross reference your statements by following links to your previous employers and past accomplishments.
Artists, writers, and musicians will often post samples of past works on their sites to advertise the genres they work in as well as provide them with credibility. The clients they have worked with in the past will be mentioned in the post, giving new clients the opportunity to verify the validity of the claim.
Your personal website can be your means of landing that next great job or that awesome new project. Make it as attractive as possible; and not just attractive as pretty, make it appealing to the type of employment you are seeking. Business professionals need a simple, well-written site while artists can be a little more creative in the layout and design of their website.
Blogging
One of the other top uses of a personal website is blogging. Blogging is just writing short stories about something that interests you (and your readers). It is a great way of expressing your likes, thoughts, or encounters to a wider audience.
Some of the best topics to blog about would be your adventures in traveling, marriage with children, styles in fashion or home decor, upcoming or released technology, or your interest in a hobby. Whatever you write about on your blog, make it something you are knowledgeable in.
You may not have all of the information when writing your posts but that is okay. You have the power of the Internet at your fingertips. Do some research to fill in the gaps. The more you can write from your personal experience, however, the better.
SEO
A side note to blogging, you can use your website for search engine optimization. If you can build up enough monthly readers of your blog, companies will begin reaching out to you to advertise on your website. They will pay you to put ads linking to their business within your blog.
You could also earn money from sponsored posts. These are posts written by the aforementioned companies doing a similar thing, linking to pages on their own websites. These companies will pay you to post their articles, and the bigger your readership becomes, the more you can ask from them in payment.
If you begin accepting sponsored posts, you will want to ensure that the topics are good fits for your website. You will also want to make sure the quality of these posts matches the quality of your website. Just because a company has reached out to you doesn’t mean they are a credible business. You want to check the writing in the posts as well as the links. You do not want your blog to diminish because one of these companies has posted to something unbecoming. Your website will lose its credibility if you allow something like that to slip through.
As you can see, there are several options to choose from when revamping your personal website. Convert it into a blog about your favorite TV show or model building. Earn some extra cash while you’re at it. Start selling comic book collectibles on your site. Post your best work to demonstrate to employers the quality of work they will be receiving if they contract or commission you for their next project.
Whatever you decide, the goal is to move your site from the forgotten pile and into the active stack. Then you need to work at being the best you can so that your website will be seen among the nearly two billion websites on the Internet. Stand out to be seen!
