As website publishing is becoming more widely recognized as a legitimate and highly profitable business (mostly thanks to Google) it is only natural that more people want to get started in this field.

So what makes it so hard for new people to get started? There is no shortage of free information online about building websites. There are countless open source programs which mean virtually no money has to be spent on expensive new software.

Profitability is virtually guaranteed in this business — it just takes time to sort through all these piles of free information (and dis-information) to figure out what works and what doesn’t.

But, there is one hurdle that often is the most difficult for new web developers: “where do I start?”

Its not an uncommon problem. Many people want to start their own business — but they have no idea what to start.

I believe that new developers should start in one place: a topic they like. It can be a hobby, a sport, or personal interest. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you like it. Here is why:

-You already know what you are talking about, so content is easy to write

-Because you know more you sound more interesting — readers come back to your site and tell friends

-Because you know more you sound more authoritative — other webmasters link to you, often with out you asking them

-And ultimately, updates feel like recreation rather than work

This first site might be in a super-competative field or have limited growth potential, but at bare minimum, you will make a few dollars and have fun learning the unwritten ins and outs of website publishing along the way.