Niche Site Challenge: Week Eleven
It’s week eleven of the niche site challenge.
For those of you who hit this article before any others on the subject, here’s a summary of the niche site challenge:
- Everyone is invited to join in. The Niche Site Challenge is where we all build niche websites in order to make income.
- The niche sites must be based on affiliate sales – we’re practising writing sales letters in this challenge and creating content that converts readers into customers.
- You have to do it part time – no quitting your day job and working 24/7 on this.
- Outside of that, you’re free to do as you please. Leave updates in the comments, and if you have your own articles about your experience, let me know and I’ll link to them in this weekly article.
That sums up the very vague and general challenge. As for these update articles, I usually follow a loose structure – I talk about what I’ve done this week, write some random thoughts about niche websites and what I’ve been learning, and then link to other articles that people might find interesting.
Let’s get to it.
What I’ve Been Doing
Last week, I wrote that I’d come up with a ton of ideas for more niche sites. I have to admit, I’m finding that part of the challenge a bit addictive.
Anyway, this week I’ve done (or, am doing; my software is working on it as I type this) the keyword research for all of the ideas I had last week. I’ve also written a couple more articles for my current niche sites.
I’ve got 4 niche sites that I continually update. One niche site has twelve articles that I posted on one day and haven’t updated. (I’m testing whether this’ll make a difference in the long run as opposed to twelve posts over varying lengths.)
So that’s five sites total. I’ve got another site that I’m probably going to launch in the next couple of weeks which is half-written. I want to get a seventh completed (as in launched) by the end of July so I can be on track for seven sites a quarter, and twenty-eight overall. I’d like to be quicker, but fitting this challenge in around life is part of the challenge.
Also… more things that I’ll mention in more detail.
Random Thoughts: Vocational College Prospectuses
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been writing about how to generate ideas for niche sites through perusing catalogues. Read here and here about that.
Here’s another variation on the same theme: go to your nearest vocational college and grab one of their prospectuses. There’ll be plenty of ideas in there.
Things like trades and arts and crafts are going to be niche interest but with a ton of specialised equipment and techniques for you to write about. A lot of them will exist well outside of the usual fare for niche site creators as well.
Random Thoughts: Low-Hanging Fruit, Difficult Niches
I’ve done a ton of keyword research in the past week. I’ve had even more ideas as I’ve been doing it that I’ve had to ignore.
Sometimes, you’ll be tempted to think, “I really want to do this subject… but I’m scared it’s competitive. There are too many competitors. There are not enough products or no good affiliate programs.”
I’d recommend doing a ton of keyword research and find more ideas. I’ve always said that competition doesn’t really matter, and I stand by that.
But when it comes to a niche site that you’re doing purely for income’s sake, it’s worth having a ton of ideas to work with.
Some ideas I thought were great look a bit like hard work. Some that were whimsical look great. There are plenty of niches and industries to work in that have next-to-no competition.
When that’s the case, think about whether you want to make it difficult for yourself by writing about stuff that everyone else is writing about.
Of course, you might find that you really love a topic and it doesn’t matter if you’re making money from it. If that’s the case, ignore the above. But make it a conscious choice.
Other Articles About Niche Sites From This Week
If the above tips and tricks haven’t satisfied you, I’ve got great news.
I wrote a ton of information that’s applicable to the niche site challenge this week.
How To Sell Products You Don’t Own
An article which will tell you how to ethically create sales letters for items you don’t own. Obviously writing about subjects you know about is always preferred, but sometimes it’s not possible. Read that if you’re conflicted.
Why spend time creating niche sites where pay off might not be great? Because when you’re learning to sell with a limited budget and limited options, you have to get the fundamental aspects of selling online right. The above article will tell you why that’s important.
How to Sell Premium Products When There Is A Free Option
A reader question sparked this article. Often, you’ll be selling a product where there’s a cheaper or even free alternative. How do you do that without losing the customer’s trust (and their sale?) Find out above.
Is Making Money With Niche Sites Unrealistic? (Reader Q)
Another article prompted by a reader question.
Is this whole challenge realistic? Is it possible to make money from a niche site?
Read my thoughts on the subject, as well as me going through a real-world example of how to build a niche site from picking a product to keyword research and more.
Final Thoughts
Another week done, another update done.
Let me know what you think, what you’ve all been up to, and how the challenge is going.
See you next time!