These tips are for kickstarting a low cost and high impact website, however some tips are general principals rather than recommendations for all cases. Part 2 of the article is a list of 37 web apps for shopping.

- utilize APIs as much as possible including those for storage, video, and GData. Why reinvent the wheel?

- build and launch a platform with a good API and runtime environment for others. Create an ecosystem around that platform. Share the wealth.

- build a mashup, OpenSocial or Facebook app. Standing on the shoulders of giants.

- Use good shared or VPS hosting. Use open-source dev tools. Bang for your buck.

- use a freemium model, using PayPal or Amazon FPS to collect, pay and manage funds. Obtain information, sell knowledge.

- raise capital only after gaining traction. Alternatively, for small projects, request contributions directly from site users. Neither oversell, nor sell yourself short.

- work with and offer equity to a development partner who already has a team, management processes, track record and infrastructure in place. Lowers some risks and shortens time-to-market.

- avoid a beta program and simply launch a clearly displayed 0.x version unless aiming to curtail traffic. At most beta programs can only marginally protect against competitors and marginally help solicit feedback, with neither guaranteed. Betas with their invitations are an unnecessary and often damaging interlay repelling potential users from ever returning, in return for some minimal hype potential.

- run a site news blog. Provides the press with newsworthy announcements and references to past press mentions, whereas users can be informed of new features to explore.

- launch the site using Buzzshout, Launchfeed, MoMB, news.YC, Ning networks‘ collaborative blogs, web directories, Google Ad-words, email footers (staff & supporters), guest blogging, good comments on popular and relevant blogs (eg Techcrunch), a blog post competition, Yahoogroups and Googlegroups, reciprocal banners and links on partner/related sites and Facebook posted links. Then have a Myspace page, Facebook group or other community area for the site. Launch through these avenues gradually to build momentum for creating the right expectations at the right times.

- Scan the sites linked above for web apps of a similar nature and monitor them for ideas of either what to do or what not to do. Create a feature matrix. Avoid copying directly, better to create a variant on another’s most attractive features, or rather create a supplementary or complimentary app alongside others and partner in tightly coupled and cohesive instances using equity and API swaps.

- Examine one’s site statistics (and custom site metrics) looking for activity that resembles user interest and adoption of certain features and functions. They are markers as to what to pursue and develop. Poorly adopted features can be scrapped, de-prioritized or improved. If not taking cues from competitors, take them from users directly and anticipate their needs according to trends both onsite and elsewhere.

- record and watch user sessions, and examine heatmaps. Gauge and improve usability.

- Create a widget and Firefox plugin if pertinent. Make your ‘service‘ accessible through multiple avenues. Use a widget distribution platform. Propose and develop a widget jointly with complementary sites or businesses. Go beyond port 80 thinking.

- Manifest value propositions and not random ideas without worldly context. To do this see the unique attributes of yourself and those in your team as building blocks for creating combinations and processes that can create the most utility to others whilst being difficult to replicate by others. What industries and markets do you understand? What customers and markets are accessible to you? Who do you know and who do they know? What are your most advanced skills and how can they be used? When and where is your energy the highest?

These ideas above should help and guide the creation of low cost, high impact internet presences.

— Part 2 —
Compiled below is a list of shopping websites which supplements this blog’s previously published list of travel websites. The relative success of each one can be gauged by each site’s Google Pagerank, Del.icio.us saves and Diggs with these metrics being precursors and correlations to traffic by being indications of user interest. Each site is classified as one or more of the following:

- ‘Buying’ sites are for searching, browsing, comparing and pinpointing goods for purchase. They are generally mashups of the larger shopping sites including Ebay, Amazon, Overstock, Ubid and Shopping.com.

- ‘Affiliate’ sites generate stores of predefined goods to promote through one’s own blog or personal pages for the subsequent collection of commissions.

- ‘Selling’ sites are to sell one’s own goods by providing shopping cart facilities or as an intermediary to Ebay or Craigslist.

- ‘Tracking’ sites are to receive notifications of price changes or other product-type changes for then obtaining refunds or reimbursements.

- ‘Social’ sites use crowdsourcing to find products and here is list of further social shopping sites.

3 Comments

• At 24 Sep 2007, Patrick Hogan wrote:

  Great suggestion, keep up this work

• At 26 Sep 2007, MYBLOG by Ouriel wrote:

  Do’s and Don’t for entrepreneurs planning to launch a web startup with no money…

  good tips and resources for web entrepreneurs who wish to keep a low burn rate before they prove something with their idea

• At 26 Sep 2007, micheleb wrote:

  Great suggestions. Thank you so much Adrian .