What is the secret of running a succesful minecraft server?

I just got myself a 20 slot server and its 24/7. Problem is, not many people played. Only me, my friends, and some people. Some people even rage quit because they ask for ranks and I say no. How should I do? How can I bump my server on the top of a server list? Planet minecraft is sometimes down. And how can I stop people from asking for ranks?

What is a VPN?

VPN is (Virtual Private Network) were first used by companies to enable their employees to securely access internal systems such as email remotely (e.g. from home or while on business trips). Today they are increasingly being used for personal use by individuals to protect their privacy while online in public places (e.g. when using the wi-fi connection in a cafe) or in a country where the internet is censored / blocked (e.g. China, Saudi Arabia…).