Chapter three

Finding Something to Say

> Eric: Today, we're going to decide what your sites are going
to be about.


> Anita: Aren't we doing this backwards? Shouldn't we learn how
to build a Web site first and then decide what our
topic should be?


> Eric: You could do it that way, but having a firm idea of what
the site's going to be about makes the concepts easier
to grasp. Besides, I'm sure you'd rather know sooner
than later how much money you can make from a given
topic.

I met Claude and Anita a few days later at a coffee shop near my house. I brought along my notebook computer to show them a few things via the coffee shop's wireless hotspot. After we ordered our coffees, I got right down to business.

"Today," I started, "we're going to decide what your sites are going to be about."

"I have a question," Anita said. "Aren't we doing this backwards? Shouldn't we learn how to build a Web site first and then decide what our topic should be?"

Her question wasn't unexpected, and I had an answer ready. "You could do it that way," I agreed, "but I find that having a firm idea of what the site's going to be about makes the concepts easier to grasp. It also gets your subconscious thinking about the topic as early as possible, which will help when you sit down to write some content." Then I grinned. "Besides, I'm sure you'd rather know sooner than later how much money you can make from a given topic."

"You can do that?" asked Claude.

"Only approximately, of course," I said, "by determining relative keyword values. I'll show you how to do this shortlythat's why I brought my laptop. But the topic choice also influences important decisions, like what to name your site."

"And you want to choose a topic that Google won't frown on," Anita added.

I nodded in agreement. "Preciselyyou definitely want to avoid topics that violate the AdSense program policies. But, you know, finding something to say isn't just about deciding on a topic: It's about creating compelling, AdSense-friendly content; it's about copyrights; it's about organizing and editing your material."

"Sounds like a lot of work," Claude grunted.

"It is work," I said, "but have you noticed that people do it all the time, most for no compensation? What motivates them?"