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The
following is a reprint of an article written by Jay Servidio,
President of Teleteria,
Inc., in the January issue of IA2000 magazine. Jay Servidio
was asked to write this article for the Interactive 2000
Trade Show in Las Vegas (Jan 13 - Jan 14, 1998) which is
the largest adult internet trade show in the US. He was
a guest speaker at the convention on Custom Web Site design.
A
SITE BUILDERS TIPS FOR CONSTRUCTING A PROFITABLE WEB PAGE
Twenty
thousand new people come to the Internet each day, and with
the day-by-day growth of confidence in credit card commerce,
the Internet's billion dollar sales of 1997 are projected
to shoot up to $20 billion by next year. Adult Web sites
will generate a good portion of this revenue so its important
to look at what goes into making a successful adult Web
site. Just because your product deals with sex and involves
the Internet you shouldn't neglect the successful business
practices used by Wall Street darlings to make money. In
my thirteen years at AT&T, MCI and Sprint if I only
learned one thing it was this: you win customers when you
offer them service that is a) cheaper and b) better (i.e.
faster, easier and friendlier). Similarly, there's a wrong
way to create an adult Web site and a right way. The right
way makes use of the same elements as any other business,
no matter the industry.
Like
the selling of any product, you must concern yourself with
manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and since having
a Web site is a long term investment, like owning a store,
maintenance. Once these elements are established and under
control, then, and only, then, should expansion be considered.
With
the Internet some of these elements overlap, which is the
beauty of online commerce. In traditional media, the process
of creating the product is distinct from its distribution.
Once you create a movie on a VHS tape, 15 million people
don't suddenly have access to it. A completed Web site,
however, is at once the product, its own store and the means
of distribution.
Two
general types of adult sites are common on the Internet.
One style is the "link site" consisting of a list
of other adult sites and links to them. This kind of site
derives its revenue by selling advertising. The more hits,
or visitors, the site generates, the more money it can charge
an advertiser.
The
second type of site is the membership-based site, where
income is generated from access fees. What is offered here
is not links to sexual content, but the actual content itself.
This is what the Internet surfer wants and, overwhelmingly,
is willing to pay for.
The
second adult Web site is the focus here because, in general,
it can be more profitable than the link site. Its potential
market is the millions of Internet surfers, as opposed to
the several thousand adult site advertisers link sites court
for income.
"Manufacturing"
What
goes into building or "manufacturing" an adult
Web site? First off, a free page of sample images is the
bait that draws a potential customer to your site. My advice
is, deliver on a promise. If you say you have a large free
sample section, then have a large free sample section of
quality pictures. Quality free photos are very important
because they have the power to turn a casual browser into
a paying customer. The same goes for live video streaming.
You should consider including a few freebies to entice them
into purchasing. If they like your calling card (the free
stuff), they are more likely to buy your goods.
For
both sample pages and members-only photos, remember that
more is better. Quantity, here, is a measure of quality,
because it creates an impression of value. For instance,
for the sites I create, typically I'll have three to four
pages of large, free photos, and then for the member, 25,000
images separated in 20 categories.
In addition
to quantity, however, you also need quality. Attractive
models under good lighting and in provocative poses are
a must. Although image quality is important, you must also
take care not to frustrate a customer or potential customer
with large file sizes that take forever to load. Keep them
small and the user will be grateful.
The
design of the actual Web site, the interface, is important
too. A delicate balance must be maintained between attractive
design and file size. Clean and simple is the overriding
rule here. You can add a few bells and whistles, such as
Java applets and animated GIFs, to draw the user in and
let him know that time, money and effort went into constructing
this site. Just don't overdo it.
Billing
procedure is also a key issue. The approach I recommend
is to have a third-party company collect membership fees
and disburse them to the the owner of the Web site directly,
instead of going through the site builder. This way the
client has an his own account that he can access at any
hour of the day. I believe the site builder's income should
not come from a percentage of membership fees.
Distribution
& Marketing
So your
site is created and it looks good. The next step is distribution
which is as simple as getting connected to a server. A server
is a powerful computer where your site is stored so that
every telephone line in the world can access it. If the
site builder who also runs a server, benefits can be had.
Now
just because millions of people have access to your site,
this doesn't mean they will find it. You have to get your
number, or in this case Web site address (URL), out there.
You do so by registering with search engines like Yahoo!
and Alta Vista and also by establishing links on other Web
sites. This can all be done without spending a dime. Paid
advertising, like banners, can also be effective if you
have the money to spend.
A good
site builder will also help his clients devise an effective
marketing campaign that is within their means. I believe
this type of consultation is especially invaluable when
you are dealing with Internet.
Maintenance
The
product is not just the site, it's also the service required
to keep that site productive. Maintaining a site is time-intensive
work which I think the Web designer is much better equipped
to handle than the client.
The
average length of users' paid memberships to a site is for
three to four months. Unless a site is refreshed and photo
libraries are restocked, users will head for someone else's
adult page. Another idea is to have a "what's new"
section which highlights your commitment to evolving content.
Members
will also need technical support to deal with things like
PIN code problems, should they arise, hardware or software
problems, etc. Here too, I think that the site builder is
much better equipped to provide technical and customer service.
This frees up the client so he can devote more time to promoting
his Web site, the key to success.
Some
general words of advice: don't expand beyond your means.
Get your feet wet first. See if this is your kind of market.
When your site is successful and is reaching critical mass
then start looking into building more sites. I also advise
that a client build more sites that are linked together
rather than to build a bigger site. This way there are more
sites that can be registered in search engines, which means
greater coverage.
Each
new technological advance, as for instance with video streaming,
where the image will become faster, cleaner, smoother and
larger, will create greater demand for adult Web sites in
the future. This coupled with the 20,000 new surfers who
are coming online each day, makes me optimistic that adult
Web entertainment is just beginning come into its own. By
understanding what elements go into a good Web site, you're
well on your way to riding the wave too.
Jay
Servidio is President of Teleteria,
Inc., a company that has been building and hosting commercial
and adult custom Web sites since 1994. Teleteria's
clients are located all over the world.
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