Name of your website?The Best Pet Insurance
Your name?
Dave
Your Location (city, etc)
Seattle
Please give us a short summary of your website?
A website where pet owners can learn about pet insurance. Definitions and details to be expected when purchasing a policy. Our intent is to help inform pet owners about the insurance so they can make a sound purchasing decision.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I found that many websites were only those of the end sellers. My intent was to create a website that had articles to educate purchasers.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
A long time ago I started a gaming forum. It since has become very quiet as the game is very old and few people play it any longer.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
It was related to my domain name, and it seemed to make sense as that was really the point of the web page (to find the best pet insurance).
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I try to be different by not adding tons of advertising or any popups. That is not to say that there won't be some advertising, but the main focus of the site is to help inform.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I would like to expand the website as it becomes used more to include a forum where owners can exchange details on their experiences with pet insurance.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
So far the balance is all on my time and minimal success. But, that's okay, we all have to start somewhere and this is where I'm starting.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would spend money on a nice template, that had really nice crisp colors. I would also purchase more photos of pets.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I would find a way. I would move to a better host if need be, and possibly hire a freelancer if things got really busy.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Honestly, besides sometimes just banging my head on the desk I have been fortunate. I have been self teaching myself web design and CMS configuration, so that can be hard sometimes. Read, code, mess something up, read again, code again, still messed up.... eventually success.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Learning HTML.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
So far, I haven't had any success with that as I am just starting the promotion now.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Not too much, it is actually very challenging, but I really enjoy the creativity allowed.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It's been up for a month or two, but it was really a skeleton until the last few weeks. I intend to keep adding to it in the coming weeks. If it becomes popular, I intend to keep it up indefinitely.
Why do you want to develop websites?
Because it is a job that is different every day. Also, it provides gratification when you see the success involved with hard work. I love to brainstorm, I would like to have a bigger development budget one day.
What is your website address?
The Best Pet Insurance
