Is it easier to start a links site...
 

Through Dreamweaver or just plain HTML?

This coming from a dude who really doesnt know how to do either...

Welcome Dustin
If you mean a link list it wouldnt take long doing it by hand to decide you need a script.
We don't recommend anyone build a link list unless they have been making free sites and submitting for some time. For one you need lots of free sites to add to a new linklist, and a lot of knowledge of this type of business. Also link lists do not make money for ages, its a very long term plan.

Run while you still can is my advice :)

I totally agree with everything nat has said. Its a long road to success with a link list. You have to know your market before you jump into somethiing like this or it will be a waste of time.

But if your still going thru with it I would say design it wilth html because it will be alot easier to change in the future if you decide you want to add something else.

If you insist on building one - do it after you've done everything else you had planned for that day.

As Nat and Joe say - it's a long hard road and success is far from guaranteed.

Sound advice.

If you don't know how to code pages (by hand or in an editor) then you really need to learn that 1st before you do anything else.

Let me get on my high horse for a moment...|horse|

IMO, you should know how to code by hand, even if it's just to fix issues made by code built by an editor before you are even making freesites or galleries.

I couldn't agree more. Being able to understand the coding behind the page is essential in figuring out what is wrong and then fixing it.

I use DreamWeaver, but still spend as much or more time in code view as I do in "design" view.

Absolutely true!

I recently hired an outsourcing company to do some very basic grunt work for me...easy cut n paste kinda stuff. What I didn't know was he was using DW. Long story short...I sent him clean coded pages that validate to start from...what I got back had everything from tons of white space in the code...to blown tags...to duplicated tags...to inserted height tags where he was draggin and droppin...to just outright garbage code.

Personally, I won't touch an editor...all hand coding for me. But, if you're going to use an editor...use it for convenience only and make damn sure you know what the code should look like before trusting an editor to do it for you.

Lots of good advice in this thread for you. Do you have any other sites or is this your very first try at an adult site? I agree with the others about learning how to build freesites and learning how to market your site.

I started my LL without a script, with plain html about 2 years ago. I quickly found out, I could not keep up without a linklist script. I had massive backlong on submissions, and the site pretty much sucked without the script. :)

A linklist will take a long time to start making money as previously stated, so I'd advise you to learn HTML, and how to build and submit freesites to the linklists. You'll get a much quicker start making money IMHO.

I'm of the exact same school as MrYum here. That said, the newest version of Dreamweaver has on hell of a good code view to work in. I never used it's design view, but the code view is my wet dream. But this is from someone who coded in notepad for a long time before even knowing that there were programs made for web design, and learned HTML on WebTV, so I'm stuck that way regardless.

Baby steps. Coding everything by hand is a huge time sink, but it's how you should start if you don't know HTML. Once you learn to hand code a few free sites, get Dreamweaver or Homesite to speed up your work. Even if you stay in code view, it's a much faster alternative to notepad or TextPad.

Exactly. I'm about as "old school" as it gets when it comes to coding. My Comp Sci degree is dated 1983. My senior sequence was in Assemblers and Compilers, so we're talkin' machine code.

Coding web pages by hand, particularly if you're using CSS elements, is just too time consuming. I build the basic structure in design view, then fine tune and add any scripting (ASP, PHP, javascript, etc) in code view.

Dreamweaver is a powerful tool that can create very clean code if used properly. But it call also create an absolute mess. My best advice is to never highlight in design view to select an object, click within the desired area then click the appropriate tag in the status bar.

This has gotten a little further off topic than intended, but my point is this: It's not the tool that's bad, but the improper use of the tool.

I agree with whats has been said. I started a links list by hand, it took SO much more time. As natalie said, it might be a good idea to start with free sites to get the hang of how it all works. Plus you can get more traffic quicker with free sites, compared to starting a links list. Another idea is to start with free sites in sub directories of your domain and over time build the root into a links list. Will build up some PR and traffic while your doing the free sites. It would be like your getting ahead of the game.

There are a few inexpensive links list scripts, WELL worth getting. You'll be happy you did.

ronnie

Thanks for all the advice...

Thing is, I was made to believe throwing together a links site wouldnt be THAT hard and at least a decent way to supplement one's income. I don't plan on quitting my day job anytime real soon, but the business is very intriguing to me, and I feel like I could throw a halfway decent page of links together and make a few hundred or so a month starting out.

Off-kilter?

Where do you plan to get your traffic from? The greatest site in the world won't generate a dime without traffic.

Oh ok I guess you didn't mean a link list as such. More a ... hmm I dunno. Kind of like a hub but the links arent to your own sites. Or a tgp perhaps?
Either way.. unless you have a pre-existing domain with some page rank I don't believe you would make that much for the 1st year.

Some research on free sites would be the go if you are serious about starting in this business. You could grab a $15/month host and a domain, do a bunch of reading on forums like this and start learning html. However be warned that this industry is no longer a way to make a quick buck. Six months of making free sites and you should be seeing the money you are looking for if you are fast learner and a hard worker. But hey this is just my opinion. :D

A tad bit, yeah.

Few hundred a month straight off the bat... don't kid yourself Charlie...

Mmm...dammit...I need to learn HTML...sounds like that's step one....

I believe you may have been misled.

This will be your second fulltime job so be prepared to work late nights. Don't get me wrong this is a great business but its far from being easy. I would follow natalies advice and start with free sites if your looking to make money in the first year but its not gonna be a cake walk.

So good luck to you.

That would be step -10 . When you get to step 0 then this is the place you wanna check out.

Yep, starting with free sites to build up your own traffic base is spot on advice. And building a hub at the root of the domain is an excellent way to get a starting point for your link list later |thumb

However, the easy money was made long ago. These days, this business is long hours and hard work. Especially if you expect to make enough to pay the bills.

That said, if you're willing to put in the hours and learn the ropes...eventually, you can make money...and the biz does have its upsides :)

So what does it mean to start with FREE sites?? How would that further my success with links?

Dustin,

Surf over to http://www.link-o-rama.com/ and look at the sites listed there, say on this amateur page: http://www.link-o-rama.com/greenguy/amateurs-mega.htm

Build a few sites similiar to the ones listed there, then come back and post the urls to your sites.

Dustin, the days of easy money are over in this business. Years ago when I was running a tgp, I had an adverisement on my main page for one of those penis enlargment programs. At $27.00 a pop, I was making $300 - $450 per week from that one little ad. And I was getting only 30,000 hits a day. I don't think you could do that now with that kind of traffic. Then, the penis enlargment thing petered out (pun intended.) Oh well. Speaking of tgp's, you may want to consider that over a link list. Although I 've never run a link list, I think a tgp might be better for you starting out. But for god sake, get some kind of script. There's lots of inexpensive ones out there. I rigged up some kind of form that sent submissions to my email and I was getting 350 submissions a day. And I was on dialup. Reviewing took forever. Anyway, you could give out partner accounts to cut down on the cheaters and spend more time networking and generating traffic instead of reviewing galleries. And of course list your own galleries and fhg's in juicy spots. But like everone says, learn html first.

What exactly is your goal with this?

Do you want to create a site that links to other sites.

OR

Do you want to create a Links List that links to Free Sites? (I think most replies in this thread are based on this thinking)

Just remember, TGP traffic can be very low quality. Nothing wrong with starting a tgp, just that the returns might be lower.

ronnie

without sounding like a broken record here...lol....I vote that if you intend to do any kind of site, just as GG said, learn the html code because you will thank yourself later. But to make things easier, if you are a visual person, use Dreamweaver...if you are a techy person, do hand-coding.

As for actually starting a Link list or Link Directory, all I can say (and I've said this before to new ones), be afraid, be very afraid. If you want to be serious with this project, you will have to make personal sacrifices in social life, your own free time, and be prepared to work your butt off. Trust me and others in this thread (and forum) that its a LOT of work. My suggestions:

1. Read more and learn more from the boards
2. Ask lots of questions
3. check out the various LL's and Directories that we all have
4. Learn the basics of HTML and get good with it
5. Get Dreamweaver and practice with it and get good with it
6. Get some Search Engine optimization knowledge as well
7. Check out various sites listed on LL's
8. Best not program your own LL at this time...look for a good script
9. create a personal schedule to work this project...stick to it

Thats just a few of many more :)

One more item to add to NetGoonie's list, not sure where it fits, but definitely near the top somewhere.

Learn to generate traffic and make it go where you want (filtering).

Well to answer GG's question, I'm looking to do an affiliate program links site, plain and simple. Establish the links, get revshare.

And for everyone else, I appreciate all your feedback. I just want to make sure were all on the same page.