Name of your website?Thailand Travel and Tourism
Your name?
Alex Minchin
Your Location (city, etc)
London, England
When did you start your website and why?
I started my website a little after I came back from my travels. I spent a good month travelling around Thailand and was eager to go back as soon as I could. My website started really basic as a collection of my experiences and photos etc but only recently I have decided to document it properly on a website in order to urge others to check out this great country. All the pictures on the site are owned by me and I feel this gives the site something of a personal touch so that surfers can relate to my own experiences, without having some duplicated stuff and commercial pictures trying to ruin it for them.
Please give us a short summary of your website, business model, etc
The website is simply a brief guide to travelling around Thailand and just some documentation and points of view from my own experiences. As I said, all the pictures are my own and this gives the site a humble feel - people don't want to read the same stuff over and over, they want to be able to relate with the person they are taking advice from which is really what i wanted to achieve with the site. Of course, the site is still new and i am still updating it all the time. I have a few friends who are there now, so I'm sure i will be in contact with them to try and chip in some comments and experiences to share.
What has been the most difficult part of creating and running your website?
The most difficult part has been the exposure. Im fairly confident in website development and don't mind trying out stuff, and one of my passions is photography so it's a good mix to have at the start. I guess the really difficult test will be seeing if people find the content useful - but this feature will be implemented in the future im sure in the form of a rating/comments system.
What has been the easist part of operating your website?
The easiest part is the actual content as it brings back great memories of my time in Thailand and only spurs me on to save up and get out there again - although this time i would like to check out the more cultural and remote side to the country.
What was your biggest mistake?
Using Tables and backing out of the idea of using CSS!
Who maintains your website and why?
I maintain the website for the reason that it is a site about my experiences and recommendations.
Tell us how your business has benefitted from your website?
My site isn't really business aimed, but I have had some good CTR on my Adsense so it all helps. I use this income to pay for my next project.
What are your views on ecommerce and the future of the internet?
The future is going mobile, something i'd like to begin to explore and learn about. I can see the age of PDA sized browsing becoming more and more popular, as well as the introduction of browsing facilities becoming more popular in aeroplanes, cars etc.
What are your views on Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
The most important part of any website. No traffic, no exposure. I spent a lot of time trying to improve my SEO skills, and am always learning more
What are your views on Search Engines? Have they helped or hindered your website?
They have helped lots.. i rely heavily on organic traffic for all of my sites, and this one will be no different.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
I promote my website in forums related to travelling and the like. I feel this targets the relevant people and I do not feel like im spamming away offering information on Thailand when the post is on a gadget forum!
What method has been least successful for promoting your website?
Offline SEO hasn't been successful really. I live in a small town of mainly old people so it was a bit of a hit and miss idea! I'd love to try it in my University town where im sure i will reach more of an audience.
What would you like to see change with respect to the internet?
Id like to see all Automated, built-for-adsense sites be deleted and sites with parking pages for domains over a year old be automatically expired. They help nobody and hold back people who actually have a useful idea for a particular domain name/site
Where will I go from here?
Well when i was travelling, i went from Thailand to Australia - so I guess thats the next stop? :D
Alex
What is your website address?
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