In an earlier post I suggested that those who do not already have a website go immediately to Wordpress.com and open a free blog. I’d like to elaborate on that statement and talk a bit about getting started in general, for those who have not yet begun their Web Empires.

The important thing is to take action now, so you will have something to build on. There is no reason to wait. You don’t need to learn more before you start. You have no excuse. Start a blog, and begin posting daily. Choose any subject matter you have an interest in, don’t worry about making money or choosing a profitable subject or anything else — just start it.

Of course a free blog will never be your main site, or even a major part of your empire. But when you do start building the money sites you will have had some experience with making at least one type of site — your blog. Also, you will be able to link from your blog, which by then will certainly be getting frequent visits from the search engines because you post frequently, and have never stopped posting frequently. That link will ensure that the search engines find your money site right away, giving you a jump start.

When you have two or three money-making sites going you can decide if you want to continue adding new posts to your first blog. It depends on the following you have by then (how many people read the blog) and whether or not you can get money out of the subject. If it is something advertisers are willing to pay for (and we will cover how you figure that out in another post) then one or more of your money sites can be on the same subject as the blog, and you can use the blog to drive additional traffic to the money site.

Why do I recommend Wordpress.com, which does not currently allow advertising, rather than blogger.com, where you can place ads? Because blogs should be an important part of your Web Empire, and it is more important (and will generate more profit in the long run) to learn how to use Wordpress software. When you get your own web hosting and domain, you can install Wordpress and be up and running in no time, since all you have to learn is the basic installation and configuration — you are already familiar with the mechanics of adding and editing posts and pages from your experience on the free blog.  That will be worth more to you than you can expect to earn from a free blog on blogger.com.

When it comes to your first ‘real’ site, the first site that will not be on any free hosting service, you will want to get much of your content ready before starting the site, unless it too is to be a blog. I’d suggest a more static site for your first, and add more blogs later. As mentioned elsewhere, it is best if this static site be database driven and modularly designed — you don’t want it to look static — so your first one will take a little time to build. Don’t worry, with a bit a practice it will get easier and the work will go faster.

Before you can begin gathering data for your first site, however, you need to decide what your Web Empire is going to be about. You need to choose something that lots of people are interested in — cars, sports, travel, cooking, health — there are hundreds to choose from. Pick one that you are passionately interested in, and your odds of success will be much higher.

Next, decide what sub-topic within your general subject area will be the first ‘neighborhood’ you will build. Think of your Web Empire neighborhood as a country within this great empire you will rule. Sub-areas corresponding to the five examples we gave for general subject areas might be — race cars, baseball, National Parks, Mexican food, longevity — of course there are hundreds or thousands to choose from, depending on the main subject.

Finally, take a very specific area of specialization from within your sub-area to be the subject for your first website. Again, using the same sub-areas, we might choose — Formula One race cars, the Detroit Tigers baseball team, Yosemite National Park, Mexican Salsa Recipes, anti-oxidants — or any of the hundreds of other subjects you could choose.

In our next post, we will talk about gathering data for your first website. Generally you have two choices: spending money, or working hard.