Name of your website?
Special Apartments, Paris.
Your name?
John Armstrong
Your Location (city, etc)
Paris
Please give us a short summary of your website?
specialapartments.com is a website presenting a selection of beautifully furnished apartments to rent short-term in central Paris. We have studios, one bedroom, two bedroom and three bedroom apartments suitable for a variety of budgets. There are many large photos, with detailed descriptions of the apartments and the area where the apartments are.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
The idea of being able to 'open shop' practically with no finances and just a little know-how and a lot of imagination was very exciting for me. Also being part of a global market place from behind my screen was an inspiring factor.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
I launched my first website for my communications company http://www.service-production.com I can't remember exactly when that was, i guess about four or five years ago...
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Well, we had a list of some potential names that we wanted, but of course they were all taken, so then it became a case of 'instant inspiration'and Special Apartments fit exactly with the idea and service that we wanted to offer.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We try to be much more selective than most of the agencies that I see on the net. The idea that each of the properties that we have on our books is 'special' (which, for us, is not a question only of price, but of taste). We also make a point of putting a lot of large photos, so that you really get an idea of what the apartment is like. We also try to give the viewer a feeling of Parisian Chic, telling them as much about the culture and history of the area where the apartment is.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
Keep it for income and make it better and better.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
good
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Maybe add search features.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
we like to grow steadily but surely so that we're sure to keep our guest happy with a good service.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Providers failures, bugs and server breakdown.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Trying to compromise between what a reader would like to read and see, and what a computer robot will index the site with...
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Until now, Google adwords, but it has become strangely extremely expensive since the present economic crisis has set in. So I'm now trying to learn about SEO, backlinks, social networking site promotions etc...
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Maybe harder work than i imagined.
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'd try to do what was neccessary to make it work
Do you have any other interesting web projects on the go?
yes, at the moment I am working on a joomla based site, which is a guide of Paris. Only a selection of the best things that Paris has to offer, http://myspecialparis.com
What is your website address?
Special Apartments, Paris.
