Starting a Website
When my husband Zak and I first came up with the idea for EnergyDrinkRatings.com, we were fueled (pun intended) by our shared curiosity and passion for discovering what really went into all those colorful cans we saw lining store shelves. It was more than just a casual interest—we wanted to create a space where people could find honest, detailed reviews of energy drinks, because let’s face it, there’s so much more to these beverages than flashy logos and promises of endless energy.
But what started as a simple concept quickly turned into a long and often frustrating journey.
The Beginning: Turning an Idea Into Reality
We were full of excitement when we first began discussing the idea. We imagined a sleek, easy-to-navigate website where visitors could read expert reviews, compare different energy drinks, and learn about the ingredients behind each product. But turning that dream into a reality was a lot harder than we anticipated.
The biggest hurdle we faced early on was finding someone to actually build the website. Neither Zak nor I are web developers, so we spent over a year searching for someone who could code the site for us. That year was filled with trial and error, with developers who didn’t quite understand our vision or simply weren’t the right fit. At times, it felt like the website was never going to come to life, but we didn’t give up.
Finally, after countless interviews and discussions, we found the right person for the job. And let me tell you, seeing the first version of EnergyDrinkRatings.com up and running was like watching our idea take its first breath. But as exciting as that moment was, we quickly realized that having a website wasn’t enough. Tons still needed to be adjusted and fixed. It was frustrating.
The SEO Challenge: Building a Blog
Once the website was live, we hit our next big challenge: how do we get people to actually find us? At first I hand wrote over 5,000 envelopes to businesses like Vitamin Shoppe and GNC with our logo and QR code. We though they could help spread the word. We quickly found out that these stores were not interested in helping us.
That’s where the idea of starting a blog came in. Initially, I didn’t understand just how important SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was. I thought simply having a site with energy drink reviews would be enough to attract readers. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
After doing some research, Zak and I realized we needed to create content that would help the website rank in search engines. That meant starting a blog and regularly updating it with posts that could answer the questions our target audience was searching for. So, we shifted gears and focused on writing helpful, informative blog posts about the science behind energy drinks, breaking down ingredients, and diving into the benefits and risks of popular brands.
That blog was a game-changer. It took nearly another year to really get the hang of it—figuring out what topics worked, how to write for SEO without sacrificing our unique voice, and learning the ins and outs of keyword research. But once we got the blog going, we started to see more and more traffic. Slowly but surely, EnergyDrinkRatings.com was getting the attention we hoped it would.
Why We Started EnergyDrinkRatings.com
The purpose of EnergyDrinkRatings has always been clear to us. We wanted to create a reliable resource where people could find honest reviews and detailed information about the energy drinks they’re consuming. With so many different products on the market, it’s hard to know which ones are actually effective, which ones taste good, and which might be hiding questionable ingredients behind the buzz of flashy marketing.
At its core, our website is about helping consumers make informed decisions. We’re not just giving a thumbs up or down; we’re breaking down the key ingredients, analyzing their effects, and providing thoughtful insights on what each energy drink really delivers. The goal is to empower our readers, giving them the knowledge they need to find the product that works best for them.
We’ve always hoped that EnergyDrinkRatings could be more than just a review site. We want it to be a community for people who care about what they’re putting into their bodies, who are curious about how these drinks work, and who are looking for reliable information.
Looking Forward
Three years later, we’re still working on building and expanding EnergyDrinkRatings.com. It’s a labor of love that’s taken patience, persistence, and more late nights than I can count. The journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth every challenge we’ve faced.
We’re excited to continue growing the site, reaching new readers, and exploring even more about the fascinating (and sometimes misunderstood) world of energy drinks. There’s still so much to learn, and we can’t wait to see where the next phase of this journey takes us.
