Can I make a Howrse Help site like this?
Of course you can! But it isn't for everybody.
How much time do you want to devote to it? (because it takes a L.O.T. of time). How innovative are you? How determined are you? How reliable are you? How patient are you? How willing are you to put everybody else FIRST? To have an account on each server of a language you speak and check it often for messages? To be active in social media? To learn a little about HTML and graphics making (it really helps)? To research and utilize SEO?
You can do this too. Just set out with determination, innovation, and motivation.
If you start a site, contact me or post a comment below, with the site URL and I will add it to the TBH Links page!
Keep scrolling if you want to read the guide!
How much time do you want to devote to it? (because it takes a L.O.T. of time). How innovative are you? How determined are you? How reliable are you? How patient are you? How willing are you to put everybody else FIRST? To have an account on each server of a language you speak and check it often for messages? To be active in social media? To learn a little about HTML and graphics making (it really helps)? To research and utilize SEO?
You can do this too. Just set out with determination, innovation, and motivation.
If you start a site, contact me or post a comment below, with the site URL and I will add it to the TBH Links page!
Keep scrolling if you want to read the guide!
The Guide To Your Howrse Site
I have never, never spent a single dime on this game, or this site, and I won't. I will never run ads on this site either. I have made a point that everything I learn to do, or ad, or what have you, will be FREE. Therefore, you could start to do this right now if you wanted.
Firstly make an account with Weebly. I HIGHLY recommend Weebly. freewebs is another choice, but while it does offer one thing Weebly doesn't- a "members only" ability- that's a small pro compared to a very long list of cons, including how trashy the navigational menus look compared to Weebly (no sub pages), how scrunched the pages are with the mandatory sidebar, and how the pages don't look "quality". It is hard to explain, but you can tell that they just aren't... "real" or something like that.So anyway. You need an account with weebly. (There is a link at the bottom of this very website... the water mark of my free account).
Once you do that you we be helped through the set up of your website.
When you get to the part where you make your domain name, MAKE YOUR DOMAIN NAME THE SAME AS YOUR SITE NAME! I cannot stress that enough. It will hurt you in the long run if you don't. It will make it harder for people to find your site if they do not match.
Customize or replace the picture on top, and make sure it says your website name on it. Also write your slogan on it, if you have one (which I should hope you do).
Start out with a few pages- be prepared to write at least one page before you publish your site for the first time (the home page does not count!)
Basically, I'm going to list all the things you should do, that I've done, that I've noticed most people don't do, that will make or break your site:
Firstly make an account with Weebly. I HIGHLY recommend Weebly. freewebs is another choice, but while it does offer one thing Weebly doesn't- a "members only" ability- that's a small pro compared to a very long list of cons, including how trashy the navigational menus look compared to Weebly (no sub pages), how scrunched the pages are with the mandatory sidebar, and how the pages don't look "quality". It is hard to explain, but you can tell that they just aren't... "real" or something like that.So anyway. You need an account with weebly. (There is a link at the bottom of this very website... the water mark of my free account).
Once you do that you we be helped through the set up of your website.
When you get to the part where you make your domain name, MAKE YOUR DOMAIN NAME THE SAME AS YOUR SITE NAME! I cannot stress that enough. It will hurt you in the long run if you don't. It will make it harder for people to find your site if they do not match.
Customize or replace the picture on top, and make sure it says your website name on it. Also write your slogan on it, if you have one (which I should hope you do).
Start out with a few pages- be prepared to write at least one page before you publish your site for the first time (the home page does not count!)
Basically, I'm going to list all the things you should do, that I've done, that I've noticed most people don't do, that will make or break your site:
- Set up a blog, make sure not to have it in a sub menu- have it right out there in the open on the navigational menu, I recommend having it next to your home page.
- Make sure you post in the blog. You should post in it about once every other week at the least. Post updates on Howrse, promo break-downs for Howrse, big updates for your site (but not every single update, that would get old) and if there is a long "span" where there is nothing to blog about, pick a random subject which is not really worthy of its own page but still will be of interest to your site's followers. That way, 1. People always know your site is up-to-date, and 2. Google will not rank your site on the first page of a search if you don't have constant updates, and a blog is the best way to accomplish that.
- The next step is social media. I have never liked social media, I admit it, and I still don't a whole lot- after all I have no personal accounts- but it's really the only way. Find unique promotions (that don't involve paying for stuff) to drum up followers on social media Your best bets are Twitter and Google+ and Facebook probably would do you a lot of good too, but I have my own, personal reasons for refusing to get involved with that whole thing. Any popular social media that you have time to post on OFTEN (not once a week, not once a month, not once a year, OFTEN) will help.
- When you feel your site is popular enough, make an E-newsletter- the best way is to sign up for a free MailChimp account. You have to give some personal info, but don't worry, it's not going to be broadcast or anything. Send it out regular, but not too regular- but not too far apart either. I'd say monthly is a good time frame. I always set mine for "within the first week of the month" because if something in real life comes up I have leeway. Put in interesting articles, maybe interview players and send them out, talk about Howrse and your site's updates, add "___ of the month" sections (Question of the month, player of the month, Icon of the month, etc etc), think of cool stuff that will entertain people. Send it out. When you do it, you can also have a version to send out on Howrse too. But you will have to have people who sign up PM you, put them om a list separated with commas, and when it comes time to send it out, copy and paste the list wit the commas and it will go to everyone at once! If you use MailChimp (which I highly recommend) make sure to include your site logo as your main picture in the letters, embed a sign up sheet on your site, make it easy to get to, and easy to sign up. Promote the heck out of it. Go to notify snack and make a notify var to prompt people to sign up. Embed the code you generate in the very bottom of your home page. In the Weebly editor, it will appear down there, but when people actually go to your site, it will appear on top! :)
- Learn graphics. There is no better way to popularize yourself then with tons of free use graphics and free custom graphics. You may say "But graphics take work and we can't just give them away!" well, that's true, but also keep in mind this: It's punishable by banning to sell Graphics on Howrse. It is also rare that people find this cool new site and buy a bunch of graphics from the random Howrse player when they aren't even on Howrse. Just think about that before you decide that's a waste of your time. If you want to get into Graphics, then here's my written tutorial for Layouts, here's the video tutorial for layouts, here's the tutorial for banners/avatars, here's the video tutorial for manips, and here's where you can ask questions about Graphics!
- The next thing is to get into swing for holidays. Make special site decorations (banner replacements) for your site, Make one for pages which have small banner and pages which have a long banner (regular pages, landing pages) and make them sort of match, but be different sizes of course. Always go back to your regular site graphics in between, and decorate at least two weeks before big holidays (like Christmas, or New Year's Day) and one week before smaller ones (like Mother's/Father's day, or Easter). Holidays only celebrated in your country (like, for where I live, [in the US] Memorial Day or Arbor Day) don't really need to be because.... well, for example, I have found that well over half my visitors are from the UK. What sort of... "site festiveness" would they feel from Thanksgiving Day? I have found that most people who do not live in the US have never even heard of it. It doesn't do to confuse people. Smaller holidays, like April Fool's Day, are optional. If you don't want to, you don't have to. Simple as that.
- Never stop updating, adding more about Howrse, and keeping your info updated. From here, it's up to you. Next will be a list of things to remember when building your site.
Things to remember when you build your site
- Always use HYPERLINKS. DO NOT just slap in the link. It's so nonprofessional and messy looking! You may not think it matters, but it does.
- Use slideshows, not galleries, when there's a ton of pictures so people don't have as much to load on the page, which can be harder for some people's computers.
- Make sure to edit your contact forums! Don't leave them requiring full names and phone numbers. It makes people less likely to contact you.
- Make an email account just for your site and have everything you sign up for which is related to your site- social media, graphics programs online, etc etc- go there. Have people email you there too, and make all your contact forums go there. Check it daily.
- Comments embed on your pages make communication easy for people and you can get a lot more feedback that way. Here is good one that's is free and easy, just sign up with Google or yahoo or twitter or something and you can moderate the comments and stuff.
- You are not limited to the drag and drop blocks of Weebly. You may add anything which has a code offered up, and I have a page on some of the ones I use, and instructions for them, here.
- This list will be slowly added to... as I have time. XD
I hope this was helpful guys! If you have any specific questions, contact me or post a comment below!
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...