How-To Geek
With 1 Billion Views So Far, We’re Moving How-To Geek Forward
Nine years after starting How-To Geek, we’ve served up 1 Billion pageviews to our readers. Here’s the (brief) story of how we did it, and how we’re going to take things to the next level. Spoiler: We’ve hired an awesome new editor-in-chief.
In case you don’t know who I am, my name is Lowell Heddings, and I’m the founder, owner, server admin, programmer, and current editor-in-chief of How-To Geek.
How-To Geek Has Come a Long Way
Our story begins in the fall of 2006 on the only day that I ever showed up to my programming job early. I was trying to figure out how to configure something in Windows, and the Microsoft help article I was reading was so terrible that I thought to myself “Why don’t they just have a picture of what it’s supposed to look like? I could do a better job than this!”
Ten minutes of brainstorming later, I registered howtogeek.com, setup a quick WordPress site, and spent the rest of the day writing articles. The logo was based on a drawing from high school that I had scanned in a few weeks before. I added a couple of ads to the page, and promptly forgot about the entire thing.
A few days later I remembered and went to check to see if I had made any money. Imagine my surprise when I had made $2 in just a few days.
This, I told myself, is what I’m going to do with my life.
Our Overnight Success Took 9 Long Years
Building a website without funding from rich people is hard. Many months went by where I worked 20+ hours each day, writing articles before going to my day job, and then staying up all night long writing articles. I had access to the Windows Vista beta, and it was so annoying that I had a rich vein of article ideas to work from. By the time Windows Vista was released, How-To Geek was the only site on the Internet with not only a full set of articles on how to fix all the annoyances, but the only one that had pictures to go along with them.
Within days of the Windows Vista launch we went from a few thousand views a day to tens of thousands every day, and our reputation as a help website was solidified. From there the trend just kept going up… slowly but surely. We made a lot of mistakes along the way (does anybody remember Productive Geek or the ill-fated How-To Geek “Blogs”?) and we had a lot of success (Geek Trivia and our email newsletter).
These days we’re seeing the result of working so hard for so long: 20 million unique visitors every month and hundreds of thousands of people have subscribed to the site, whether on RSS, Facebook, Twitter, or through our email newsletter. We went from this site being my hobby to it being a successful business with eight full-time employees and a lot of freelancers. We’ve seen competitors come and go, and we’ve continued on.
We’ve had 1 billion page views since we started, which is an incredible milestone, but it’s just the start.
Growing Pains Are Hard
When we started the only things we really covered were Windows and Linux, and it was a lot easier to keep on top of technology. Over the years technology has changed dramatically — the world is mobile now — and with those changes has come an explosion in what we need to cover to be a general interest tech site. Now we need to cover iOS, Android, Windows, OS X, Smarthome, apps, services, and so much more.
Since I’m the CEO, server admin, programmer, and also the editor-in-chief, I’m stretched far too thin to put the focus where it needs to be: On you, the reader, and what you’d like us to write about. I don’t have time to give the writers the feedback and direction that they ask me for, and I don’t have the energy to tinker with technology like I used to. The biggest thing holding How-To Geek back from where it needs to go… is me.
And let’s face it: we haven’t done a great job lately covering things like Android and Windows, and a lot of people have complained that there’s too much Apple focus, or that we haven’t covered Windows much lately, or Android, or Linux, or any number of things. These are valid complaints.
It’s Time for a Change (For the Better)
So how do you take a successful site and make it much better? Simple: you bring in the one person who ran a more successful site than ours, and is much better for the job than I am. He’s the kind of guy who builds his own computers and loads custom ROMs on his old Android phone to make it run faster. He’s a true geek. And an amazing writer and editor.
Starting January 1st, Whitson Gordon, currently the Editor in Chief of Lifehacker, will be joining How-To Geek as our new Editor in Chief.
Whitson will be responsible for all editorial decisions, and he’s going to help take things to the next level. He’s the guy who would actually know whether editor-in-chief is supposed to be capitalized in this sentence because I have no idea. He’s the only choice we even considered for the job, and we’re thrilled that he’s decided to captain this ship.
Don’t worry, we’re still going to be exactly the same as we are now… except better. Like how? Like this:
- We are going to branch out into new areas (PC hardware, gaming, Smarthome, cybersecurity, and more) while doing a much better job covering what we already cover today (Windows, Android, iOS, Office, etc).
- We’ll be more timely in covering things — we still aren’t going to ever be a news site, but when important things happen, we need to do a better job of explaining them sooner.
- We’re going to work to engage and build the community more, whether on our forum or through our social channels. These are all things that we’ve done a pitiful job of so far, but with Whitson in charge, we’ll do a better job of in the future.
- We’re working on going back through all of our articles and making sure that they are all updated and valid. And we’re going to keep our articles updated all the time — it’s a huge project, but it’s something we need to do.
- A few months from now, we’ll be unleashing a revamped and reorganized site that makes it easy for you to find articles about a particular topic. If you are interested in articles about Windows security, you’ll be able to easily drill down and find them.
- Many of our readers will be happy to know that Whitson is a Windows and Android user, unlike myself who is such an Apple fanboy that I’m writing this in the iOS Notes app on an iPad Pro.
Make sure to give Whitson a warm welcome in the comments, even though he’s not actually starting for a few more weeks.
I’m not going anywhere, we have some big projects in the works, and I’ve never been more excited to be a part of How-To Geek. And now, for the first time, I can be a How-To Geek reader like everybody else.
Here’s to another billion pageviews.
Way to go How To Geek and welcome to Whitson Gordon!
This is definitely a huge step forward for How-To Geek.
And it's been a long time coming. We need a real geek to run the show here, not somebody like me that uses an iPad Pro as a primary PC
I'm not going anywhere at all, in fact HTG is going to expand in amazing new ways, and I'll be leading the charge on that.
@geek, new blood is good in any business but I think you've done a hell of a job so far.
Uhhhhhh that would be great!
I was just reading about Lifehacker (another site I frequently visit) looking for a new Editor in Chief, I'm glad to see the former Editor in Chief is joining the HTG ranks.
I've been a HTG fan for about 8ish+ years, I've even submitted an article or two. One in particular was http://www.howtogeek.com/75052/from-the-tips-box-repurpose-an-old-cd-case-as-a-cable-organizer/
I was so thrilled to have an idea of mine picked and featured on your site. It was something to show my fellow tech/geek friends and co-workers and a little bragging rights because we all love your site. However, with the universal adoption of micro-usb...and soon to be be USB-C...and organizers like Cocoon Grid-it (a wonderful contraption I found from a Lifehacker EDC Bag article), the idea of using the CD case as a cable organizer doesn't seem as useful as it once did.
I have always been a huge fan and I wish you all the best. I look forward to see what is to come. Thanks for helping solve some of tech's little mysteries.
As a long time user of both HTG and lifehacker, welcome Whitson, please don't use the lifehacker website design.
As an IT professional I find this exciting news indeed. Lifehacker and HTG are my absolute two favorite sites to go to for tips and fixes for fixing issues, and Whitson coming over to HTG can only be excellent news.
A BIG welcome to Whitson Gordon! I'm a fan of Lifehacker too!
I've been a huge fan of HTG for years, Lowell & his gang have done a brilliant job. This is one of my first go-to sites every day. I love HTG and I'm excited about the changes to come. CONGRATS on one billion views!!!
Every morning, when I boot up my little PC - the first thing I do is stop by a number of tech sites which I've been following for a number of years.
Unfortunately - as time has gone by, many of these sites have been left by their admins to flounder -- with the latest update or article being months (or even years) old. -- In fact, lately, as we approach the new year, I've been giving serious thought to letting go of some of these so-called "tech" sites and even deleting their bookmarks.
After sweeping through those places, checking my email, and having a look at the news of the day -- I finally settle in and save the best for last - as I log into How-To-Geek, where I know I'll see a brand new article every day, along with updates, lots of interesting and informative content, busy forums with interesting posts - and - best of all -- lots of great and friendly people.
I am very grateful to be a part of this community and look forward as HTG moves on to its next step and welcome Whitson Gordon as he joins the HTG team.
I've been reading Lifehacker and How-to-Geek every day. As a windows and android user Im looking forward to the change. Welcome, welcome, welcom.
Wow, thank you all for such a warm welcome! I'm so excited to be joining my other favorite site on the web, so I'm glad you aren't mutinying against my presence (yet)!
I still have a month to finish up my work at Lifehacker before I officially take over, but I've got a lot of ideas I'm really excited about, so get pumped. See you guys on January 1st!
I am very excited for the coming future for HTG. I have been using HTG as my go to how-to for a very long time and whenever I Google a problem and I see a HTG article I don't look anywhere else and instantly click on it because I know it will be a very well written solution, and it's great to hear that the HTG library will be expanding.
I can't wait to see what Whitson will bring to the site. I love Lifehacker and it is a site I visit daily and have enjoyed many of the project related articles posted there. There aren't very many good "tech" how-to sites out there and I am excited for HTG to fill that gap.
Lowell, lighten up on yourself! You have done an admirable job with How-To-Geek and are a most treasured resource.
I am glad that you will have capable assistance and rest assured that I will continue to enjoy How-To-Geek.
Many thanks for an outstanding effort and contribution.
Now don't beat yourself up Lowell Heddings. To get any business off the ground is a success story and you've done well; so now you've got Whitson joining you ... you will have time to run the business side and relax a little I hope! Good luck to you both and all the team. Great site. Well worth spending time looking at your stuff. Taught me a lot. Cheers and thanks. David Proudfoot, United Kingdom
Don't be modest Lowell. The reason that the site has been such a success is because of you. HTG is in my RSS feed, I'm signed up and and I read it every day.
I must admit that when I first came across the site I looked at the logo and said, "No, not for me. It must be for absolute beginners." One day I had to read up about a Windows problem and the results contained an HTG article. It was the most informative piece of writing out there and I have not looked back.
Brilliant job so far mate. I look forward to it being better if that is possible. Perhaps less IOS :0)
All hail the new editor in chief.
Stephen
As a windows and android user I´m looking forward to the changes you mention.Thanks to Lowell and welcome Whitson!!Peter
This is a great site already, hope it doesn't change too much. I love the layout as it is, and articles are written to help the not-so-advanced crowd like me. Congratulations on the one billion and welcome to the new chief editor.
Yeah, we're going to keep the design similar to what it is now, just with much improved navigation. And our articles will still be the same quality they are now, we'll just do a better job of covering more things.
Good. I was worried you'd switch to Kinja and I'd have to throw my computer off a cliff.
Welcome to Winston, and congratulations on your HTG expansion!
You've made HTG one of my favorite spots on the Internet, Lowell; you have a lot to be proud of! Thank you for all your hard work in making our geeky lives better!
Welcome, Whitson! This is exciting. I have been a fan of Lifehacker all the way back to its founding, a user of HTG for years, and an HTG newsletter subscriber for a little over a year now. Looking forward to the changes ahead of us all in 2016.
Here's my grrreat, big, HELLO, and, WELCOME ABOARD, to Whitson Gordon!!!
Been a reader for a while. Don't know how long, but I've visited daily and I've loved everything about it. As a Windows and Android user myself, I'm glad to hear that we may be learning more about them soon. Welcome aboard, Whitson!
I use my iPad to visit this site all the time. Quite frankly, I appreciate that @geek is keeping up with support for non-desktop computers. Far too many web sites don't bother with that, using things like rollover menus and non-touch friendly interfaces. This forum works very well on the iPad, and I'm pretty grateful for that.
As to him using an iPad PRO... I'm not sure whether I'm annoyed at him for being a pretentious techno-snob or envious because I'd like to have one myself.
Welcome, Whitson! HTG is already a terrific site, so I guess it's going to become amazing! It's my go-to website for anything computer-related. The how-to articles and photos have led me to try things I never would have otherwise. Getting into computers in my 60s has brought me surprising enjoyment and the ability to help other seniors who are as afraid of technology as I used to be--but no longer!
Thanks for a great website and best wishes for continued success!
Heh. I don't even like technology all that much but I feel the need to know the enemy so I regularly visit the HTG web site. And I enjoy it! Go figure. Anyway, please keep up the good work, you guys.
Fantastic! First off Lowell, your success is well deserved. I refer to your articles frequently in my Quora answers, blog posts, etc..., and I'm not the only one.
As a LONG time adherent of both Lifehacker and HTG, the only way I could have imagined to make HTG better is nabbing top talent from somewhere... And you certainly managed to do that! Makes me wonder about the story behind the story.
Welcome Whitson!
I almost, almost removed HTG from my RSS feeds the other day. Nothing personal - long time reader, but I felt the articles had shifted so much away from areas of my immediate interest. It sounds like my worries are being addressed though - Whitson is a good pick. I am looking forward to broader tech coverage here and some fun articles!
We all know @geek's an Apple polisher, I'm a Wintel zombie, and @MichaelTunnell is a Penguinhead. It's just like religion and politics: the way to get along is to not call people out on it or start "my thing is better" arguments.
Yup, I will indeed be leaving Lifehacker. I have a month in which I'll be helping transition my replacement, and then I'll be kicking off the new year with How-To Geek.