There is no doubt that the original UK pixel ad website MillionDollarHomepage.com was a great idea and have succeeded, because it is new and had a human story behind it. Many people believe that the new copycat pixel sites being built every day can not replicate its original success. On the other side, many optimists, in contrast,still see and hope it as a opportunity. Some hosting companies are trying to appeal it strongly to the pointless innocent wannabes by promoting hassleless pixel site development and hosting service. And some scam artists are even trying to sell you their "Know how" ebooks about the pixel ads.
But unfortunatley the true is, that pixel site needs to be promoted just like any other websites to get traffic, which is the the hardest part of all. It will not get attention anymore by just replicating the story or cloning the site, because the content itself is not the real appealing element, therefore making it much more difficult to be promoted.
To create a successful pixel site, it should refine and expand the idea by following at least some or all of the 10 basic rules below:
1. Create a theme for your website, so it may get attention from the internet community. A simple theme by just adding a prefix or suffix "noun" to the word "pixel" or "milliondollar" like free, women, porn, USA, American, new, christian, penny, dime, etc. will not do the trick. Unfortunately, most pixel sites fail on this from the start.
2. The site must have a memorable unique top-level domain name.
3. The domain name should reflect to your site's theme, idea, and business.
4. For US sites, it is preferable to use more recognized top-level .com domain instead of .net, .org, .biz, etc. for obvious reasons.
5. Target only the vertical niche market. Remember that the horizontal market has already been taken by the original UK big daddy.
6. Focus your target audience to a more specific local area as much as possible. Don't try to conquer the World overwhelming with pixels or pixel grids like some sites are trying to do.
7. The pixel ad content itself should be appealing, dynamic, or both.
8. Make your site design unique and professional. Don't use the script's default template spamming the internet! Who said the lunch was free?
9. Should be innovative with an idea that nobody has done before.
10. Add interactive sticky website elements like news, community, apps, information, etc., because it will be your site's backbone.
Some nice example sites complying with rules above are:
- MainClassifieds.com: Example of a website that can use the pixel ad system to replacing the old banner system (complies 5 rules: 2, 3, 4, 5, 10).
- MillionDollarState.com: It builds contructions in a virtual city instead of using the pixel ads (complies 5 rules: 1, 4, 7, 8, and 9).
- HollywoodWalkofFame.TV: It tries to bring the Hollywood Walk of Fame online by building a Handshakes Club community (complies 8 rules: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10).
- PixelCoffeeHouse.com: It only deals with the coffee industry. (complies 5 rules: 1, 3, 4, 5, and 8)
- TimesSquareJobs.com: This is the most innovative and creative idea of all by complying all the 10 rules because it have transformed the pixel ad itself into a dynamic appealing sticky content by focusing on the vertical market (jobs) and targeting the smallest possible audience unit (Times Square, Manhattan, NY).
For long term growth the new pixel site has to provide value to visitors, and not just a fad that captures people's short term interest. Using the 10 basic rules above, the pixel site can be transformed into a long term business by taking it to the next level. |
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