Coming up with website ideas?

lost

[beyondtragedy]

I feel like I'm pretty good at making decent websites and such, but I lack a lot of creativity. How do you guys come up with ideas for websites/website content?

[AAnnAArchy]

Read, watch tv, listen to people talk, read some more...and most of all, shower. My best ideas are thought of in the shower. Also, bouncing ideas off other people helps too.

[Freedom]

Find out what movies are in production right now and build a website for it. By the time the movie comes out, your site will have time in the serps and might be out of the sandbox. When the movie appears, there will be a lot of traffic for it.

However, keep in mind that fan websites and movie sites might generate a lot of traffic but do not convert well nor make a lot of money (including A.S.)

But maybe you can come up with a more profitable method to make it all work.

[Trisha]

The shower works well for me too, that and when laying in bed in the morning. Those two places are where I get my best ideas.

When I'm thinking of starting another site I usually end up rolling around the idea in the back of my mind for days, weeks or months first. After a while something will usually just pop in my mind(usually in the shower, or in bed) as a way to approach a new site.

Another possibility is to look at other sites of the same topic and think of ways that it could be done better, and do it.

[Bentler]

I look at what type of information Web visitors generally like from statistics of existing sites and search frequencies, review a space to see if it's underserved, if there are unmet needs or weaknesses in competition, and look at what I am capable of providing. A match of all three provides a good basis to start from. The creative part then becomes a multilayered strategy:

• how to get a person who wants what you provide, (or will provide) to your site in the first place as they sit at their computer at home, work, school or library-- the info architecture and search engine background is needed

• how to convey immediately that they've come to the right place, that the site is credible and seems high quality -- the graphic design is key to this

• how to get "near hits" to dig deeper without hassle -- the navigation design

• how to get people to return and imprint a brand-- quality content and highly useful, transparent programming (ie hiding complexity) is key for this
  

This doesn't get into money issues though.

[Livenomadic]

The only thing I do is walk around with a tiny $0.79 note pad and pen.

It never leaves me side, so whenever I have an idea, either for my own site or for a new site I write it down.

It really works.

[createErrorMsg]

Take a lesson from Socrates and go for a nice walk.

Ancient philosophers knew what modern science has since proven: that the low-grade physical exertion of taking a walk stimulates the brain in any number of wonderful ways.

cEM

[dulwich]

And alcohol ... an excellent lateral thinking stimulant. Take paper and pen as you won't remember what you said, and be prepared for a high ratio of stupid:usable ideas. And don't blame me for how you feel the next day.