Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 1:08 am Post subject: SBI Templates Seem Pretty Weak
I just got my first SBI site last night, and after spending some time in the forum and checking out other people's sites, I have to say that I am quite unimpressed with the quality.
I think the service is amazing and I have already learned so much, but I am starting to question if I need to have my site built else where. I am actually a bit surprised that with all the great tools and training, that the site graphics don't maintain the same standards.
Could anyone please give me some feedback as to if I should consider outsourcing my site construction and if so, any referrals would be appreciated.
Also, Allan, could you post some site names you have made with SBI so I can get an idea of things you have done. By the way, congratulations on your success in this business. I just found your site a week ago, and have learned a tremendous amount from it. I will be sure to link through your business as much as possible as I build my own. _________________ Marc Brown
Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 5839 Location: by the beach, Australia
Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 4:58 am Post subject:
Here are a couple of SBI sites we've built:
dj-tips-and-tricks.com
cheap-computers-guide.com
You can find case studies of these website on AssociatePrograms.com.
I didn't build them myself - an assistant did. One of the biggest challenges I've encountered while getting assistants to build websites using SBI is that they invariably want to spend a lot of time fiddling about, changing things, doing things their own way. And this fiddling about and experimenting can end up adding weeks or months to the construction time.
If this is your first website, I strongly recommend that you just use the available graphics, use one of the templates and concentrate on pouring all your individuality and personality into the words on the page. They matter much more than anything else.
If this is your first website, it's really important to get it done as quickly as you can, get good links to it, get the traffic flowing, and prove to yourself that affiliate marketing works. The time to get all experimental and complicated is with your third or fourth site, not your first. _________________ Allan Gardyne
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 3:10 pm Post subject: Re: SBI Templates Seem Pretty Weak
Hello Marc.
I don't know if creating good content first and foremost is absolutely necessary to the success of your site, but...
gopats23 wrote:
I just got my first SBI site last night, and after spending some time in the forum and checking out other people's sites, I have to say that I am quite unimpressed with the quality.
Did you know that it's human nature to look for reasons to doubt any decision you've just made? (Once you've chosen A, B suddenly looks altogether better than before.) You probably did, but it's easy to forget, especially when you see how good the SBI forums are for people going that route...
You yourself said how good they are.
Just imagine how you'll feel when you have built up some original content, are starting to get steady traffic and look back and see you've got a good site look (almost without realising you changed much).
There is plenty about sprucing up the look of your site in SBI-F. You'll find it.
Hope this helps,
Charlie.
P.S. Congratulations on choosing SBI. Some people just go out and buy it without even thinking about anything (apart from the cost). You have obviously taken the time to look into it properly. Have faith in your judgement. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
As you can see there is great variety possible as regards ?look and feel.?
Some of those sites are using a standard SBI template, some have customized standard SBI templates, some are the downloadable SBI templates and some have been created using Dreamweaver or the like.
But really, as Allan and Charlie say, whilst look and feel is important it is the content that is the sum and substance of a site.
I don?t know if you have ever come across a site which is basically a plain white page, no header, no navbar and absolutely no graphics, I have, and one such site was so captivating that I spent a good two hours completely absorbed by the content.
Thanks to all 3 of you guys for the comments. I really appreciate the feedback. I didn't mean to sound so negative, I just really want to be able to build a site on the level of associateprograms.com. I know, high aspirations for out of the gate.
The thing is I am and have been involved in a highly competitive market, and I know content is most important for the search engines, but I believe the image for the consumer is very important as well.
I did get a chance to look at some of the sites on the link that Larry posted and I was much more impressed.
Thanks again to each of you and continued success to you all.
They offer a great deal of valuable insight into what works and what doesn't with human visitors. It is all underpinned by comprehensive, scientific testing, rather than guesses and hearsay.
Quote:
I did get a chance to look at some of the sites on the link that Larry posted and I was much more impressed.
It's true that the SBI templates were very crude in years gone by, but things have improved vastly since then.
All the best,
Charlie. _________________ "Before I speak, I have something important to say."
- Groucho Marx
Joined: 08 Dec 2003 Posts: 132 Location: St Louis Mo
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:57 am Post subject:
Having a pretty site is not everything!
If you have the best looking 30,000 sq ft showroom floor and you get no customers what good is that ?
If the guy down the road has 1,000 sq ft and knows how to get customers in his store...who do you think is going to make more money.
The same applies to the internet " Content is King " this isnt a beauty contest.
You can be the most hansome man or the most beautiful woman in the world but if nobody can find you . I doubt you will be dating anytime soon and looks are still superficial.
I really wish that i would have purshased a SBI site a few yrs ago when I created a couple sites to debunk SBI. I have a very pretty home decorating site , some may remember ...I get about 200 visitors a day but Im sure that it would be 2,000 by now, if I would have used SBI.
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: SBI's capability: Question for Alan
I would like to address this question to Alan:
Obviously this site (AssociatePrograms.com) was built with SBI, right? It's nothing "whizz bang", but I kind of like its format because it's quite close to what I want for my 1st. site. I'm close to "coming onboard" the SBI "bandwagon", but I would like to find out a little bit more. I would use this site as a kind of comparison "template" to format the layout of my own pages. Questions, Alan:
(1) That blue bar at the very top: can the vertical dimension of that be increased? (to accomodate my main Logo & site name?)
(2) That row of buttons (starting with "Home"): can that be "sunk" lower into (& within) the brown band? Can this brown band be made to stretch left to right, un-interrupted?
(3)The left-hand & right-hand columns (VERY important to me): can their vertical line borders be varied/shifted? Obviously, within these columns, you can have a different shade of color (if you want to), right?
Does SBI have TOTAL flexibility of page-layout/formatting & coloring?
Charlies response was great advice - so do take note of what he said about buyers remorse.
Don't worry much about design to begin with. You can always improve it later. But, content really matters - as does loading speed. Some of these fancy sites with heaps of graphics, flash etc take ages to load and only encourage people to press the back button.
My first site was the ugliest site on the Internet and I still sold stuff, because I provided good, honest information.
Just take a look at Craigslist if you want reassurance. It's one of the most popular sites on the Internet - but it definitely isn't pretty. _________________ Catherine Lawson's Business Advice Blog
Joined: 17 Nov 2006 Posts: 45 Location: Boulder, CO
Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 10:10 pm Post subject:
SBI is always building new templates. And if you are not satisfied with them, you can make your own or have one built for you - like we did we our two sites from SBI.
Again, the template doesn't matter so much as if you are giving your visitors what they want. _________________ MJ
Think massage is merely for relaxation?
http://www.deservingbodymassage.com
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