I spent months of my time writing a complete guide to building a profitable website. There’s no way this article is going to replace that, but this simple formula has been circulating in my mind every day lately. It’s a much more digestible version of my bigger strategy and a great place to start. In a way, it’s the core of a successful website.
Feeling confident enough to just get started is one of the major hindrances aspiring website owners face. But if you eliminate your fears and follow my 3 simple steps below, you’ll be well on your way.
I’m going to provide two examples along the way: a real life example and a hypothetical one. Hopefully they will help you really envision exactly how this works.
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Fill In This Blank
- Step 2: Solve The Problem 365 Times
- Step 3: Write One Article Every Day
- Get Started Now
Step 1: Fill In This Blank
Complete the following sentence with your own answer, your friends’ answers, and anyone else’s answer.
The one thing I want more than anything in the world is __________________.
Depending on your personality and circumstances, the answers could be just about anything:
- To be married.
- To see my football team win a Super Bowl.
- To go to heaven when I die.
- To live in Portugal.
- To retire young.
- To get out of debt.
- To own a restaurant featuring my dishes.
- To have children.
- To restore a vintage Ferrari.
- To achieve financial freedom.
- To start a band.
I could’ve gone on forever, but each of these answers has a common trait: they are desires so deeply rooted in the person that, if it doesn’t happen, they will feel a constant nagging feeling of failure.
Real Example
My real example in this article is the site you’re on right now: scottdelong.com. I filled in the blank above with “to achieve financial freedom” because it was my deepest desire for many years. And I know it’s the life-changing desire of millions of other people.
Hypothetical Example
There are countless examples, but let’s go with:
The one thing I want more than anything in the world is to visit 100 countries before I die.
Perhaps this doesn’t apply to you, but there are so many people who feel passionately that seeing and experiencing the world and its many cultures is the most life-fulfilling thing someone can do. If these people don’t figure out a way to do it, they’re going to feel unsatisfied.
Step 2: Solve The Problem 365 Times
Now it’s time to make a list. A giant list of 365 ways to solve or otherwise help someone achieve that one thing they want more than anything in the world. If 365 sounds overwhelming, it’s okay… start with 31.
Real Example
I have a huge list of strategies, thoughts, ideas, real life success stories, tools, tips, and formulas that all contribute to how I can teach you to achieve financial freedom. In my case, it’s (surprise) through building profitable websites. So, I can just start questioning everything that someone would need to know in order to achieve this “one thing they want more than anything in the world.”
- Where do you host your site?
- How do you get your content to rank in Google?
- How do you write a good headline?
- Which WordPress plugins should you use?
- Which ad network is the best?
- How much can you really make from a website?
- When should you hire someone?
- Which types of content will make you the most money?
Honestly, doing that exercise just now genuinely helped me come up with new article ideas, and it only took 45 seconds.
Think about every single question a person would have about their answer to the fill in the blank sentence.
Hypothetical Example
So, if someone wants to visit 100 different countries before they die, how can I help them achieve this? What do they need to know to make this a reality?
- Which countries require a visa for Americans?
- How do you visit Brazil on a budget? (this could be repeated for every country)
- Which countries are the safest?
- How do you work while traveling the world?
- Are there sponsors that can help fund your trips?
- Should you travel with others or solo?
- What should you pack?
- How much is a flight to France?
- How long should you spend in each country?
- Which countries can you visit all in the same trip?
The list above took me about 90 seconds, it’s an example I really don’t even feel strongly about, and it only scratches the surface of how I can help people visit 100 countries in their lifetime.
In fact, if I were pursuing this actual idea, nearly all of the ideas above can be repeated for each individual country. I could thoroughly cover everything a person needs to know to visit each individual country all under the umbrella of “visiting 100 countries before you die.”
It’s a solid idea. Feel free to steal it and make it your own, but I recommend focusing on something you personally have done or want to do more than anything in the world.
Step 3: Write One Article Every Day
Whether you have 31 questions listed and want to apply this strategy on a monthly basis or 365 for the entire year, the next step is the same.
Use my complete guide on creating content and, every day, write one article.
Real Life Example
This is exactly what I’m doing on scottdelong.com. This article is the 5th one I’ve written in 5 days. They take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the topic. I have experience on the topic (financial freedom) and really enjoy writing about it.
My wife and I have a newborn baby, so to make time, I shaved an hour off of my morning cell phone routine and also started writing on the toilet. Gross, but I’m not kidding.
Hypothetical Example
In the made-up “visiting 100 countries before you die” web business, it’s just as straightforward. Each day, take one of the items on the list above and write a thorough, clear, and informative article that provides the answer. For example, perhaps the first one covers which countries Americans cannot legally enter.
17 Countries Americans Can’t Legally Visit
Now I’ll hit Google, YouTube, and any other number of sources to compile a list of those countries, why you can’t visit, when that might change, and what it’s like there. Turning it into a helpful article completes the final step of the simple strategy.
Each article is a piece of the puzzle toward the end result.
Get Started Now
Using the steps above, you have created a website that genuinely helps people and has valuable content that will keep your business afloat for years. There are so many shortcut methods out there that either don’t work at all or result in your site failing quickly.
Simply aiming to solve a deep desire from a different angle every single day for 1 year is a simple but effective business model. After your first day, week, or even month, you will likely see no results. It’s vitally important that you stay the course because it truly is a case of slow and steady wins the race.
Before you know it, you’ll have created a mountain of amazing content, and that’s what makes money at the end of the day. By going further in-depth with my guides, you’ll be able to take this approach to all new levels, reaching more people and higher revenue.
