Name of your website?PremiumComparisons.com
Your name?
James Thomas
Your Location (city, etc)
Crystal Lake
Please give us a short summary of your website?
The site's main focus is to be a unique resource for those seeking coverage. There are multiple projects in the works that will include data, articles, and information to which the general public has never previously had access.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
There are alot of insurance websites and they're all doing the same thing... I simply wanted to do something unique and valuable and that I could take my time with. Having run my own brokerage, I found myself spending too much time putting out fires-- working in the business instead of on the business. PremiumComparisons provides an outlet for my creative energy while simultaneously helping people ultimately get what they want.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website was a cheesy subdomained version of a site provided by a brokerage much larger than mine. It helped me understand that most insurance sites are geared entirely towards sales (and understandably so) but what most surfers want is enough information on which to base an insurance decision. The information should be unbiased to have real value.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
"Premium" has a double meaning... It can mean "the best"... but it also refers to the name of an insurance payment. So ultimately-- PremiumComparisons.com will become the best resource for comparisons and perhaps not just for insurance. For now, insurance premium comparisons is what I know best, so I'll be building mostly on my existing knowledge base.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
I've begun to offer printable guides for comparing quotes for different types of insurance.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
This depends... I would consider selling it at some stage, I think. But if I put as much time, cash, and effort into it as I intend-- it may become hard to let go of it.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I haven't measured any of this yet... and don't intend to analyze it too much either. I'm learning... Ultimately, visitors will benefit greatly from having visited the site. Eventually-- positive feedback from visitors will give me an indication of my success. If I've helped someone get exactly what they want in a smooth, affordable way-- I'll use that to determine whether or not the site is a success.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Holy cow... I have ideas and aspirations for this site that would truly need an unlimited budget. For now... suffice it to say that I'll continue to develop things slowly... and learn everything I can along the way.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes... This would be a high class problem to have. Rest assured I would be ready and willing to shift my entire focus to making this site all it can be.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Development. I'm fairly good with sales and marketing and I've learned alot about Search Engine Optimization. But I'm not a developer or graphic designer. This has meant that I need to work particularly hard at creation of pages. Even with the long hours and hard work-- I know my pages could be better, simpler, and more effective. I'm constantly trying to teach myself new concepts and techniques which takes time away from adding more content.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Ditto on the developement issues... I know what I want to do but simply don't have the time and ability to do it all.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
PPC campaigns.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
I have a much better understanding of challenges associated with helping visitors find a site. My expectations with regard to the effectiveness of PPC advertising were based on prior experiences. Competition in the insurance industry has heated up to a level that has made it more difficult to generate the traffic I was previously used to via PPC campaigns.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
I've run the site for a year-- but did virtually nothing with it after it was it was initially nailed up. Only in the last couple of months have I become serious about making it a success. So I'll keep it up until it's a success.
What is your website address?
PremiumComparisons.com
