Last post I spoke a bit about how and why Niche websites can be a great way for writer's to earn money.
I also stated that to be the best at this you should stick to Niche's that are part of areas you are knowledgeable about and have experience with. This allows you to speak to people on a personal level and reach out with genuinely useful and relevant information.
Have you ever searched for something on the internet and then clicked a link to a website or article only to find the content was fluff and you could have written something more detailed and in-depth yourself? And this was for something you were looking to learn more about!
The internet unfortunately is full of these kinds of websites - keyword driven for profit only without a purpose and it's sad. I think there can be room for both and I've found that by using both marketing techniques combined with strong writing skills and a deep passion for my subjects - I can build websites that people will actually find useful.
My hope is of course - that I spread some sunshine into the world :) but also that I have shown people that I am a trustworthy source of information and that maybe they will consider using my resources, clicking on my suggested product links etc. and in the end I'll make some money out of it.
An example of my niche work is the website I just launched last night. I have been living with Celiac for a couple of years now having to learn to go Gluten free. I recognized that the learning curve can be steep - so I chose to focus a Niche site specifically around gluten free foods - I then searched for a name that reflected the subject I wanted to write about and develop around. http://www.glutenfreefoodlist.info was available so I registered that. (.info domains are less expensive than .com/.net/.org also) I spent the past couple of days designing, developing, and writing the content for my website. (I will do some more tweaking as time goes on) uploaded it. Now I submit to search engines, share it with my friends and network and hopefully due to the strong content and the great domain name choice it will place well in search engines. Also, hopefully people will find the information useful enough to share the link with others... voila a Niche website is born. I have others as well, but this was a good example of a very simple website - no real bells and whistles, but good information and good placement of advertising.
Anyway, hopefully I've inspired some of you writers to give this idea a go. It takes time, but over time this technique really does work. I have several others in the works too :).
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Building Niche Websites is Lucrative for Writers
Lately I have been buying domains and building Niche websites. My goal with this is to not throw together poorly researched fodder like many adsense websites. I actually buy domains around subjects I am passionate about, write all of the content in a professional manner and put it on my own website.
I am a web designer by trade also, but there are many software and content management systems that don't require a huge learning curve that you can use. This has generated residual income for me that is very nice to have each month. It also allows me to share my knowledge and hopefully provide genuinely useful information to those who are searching.
To get started doing this there are some things to consider...
First of all it doesn't happen overnight, quality matters, and you must be patient. It took me over a year to start getting monthly adsense payments above the threshold. ($100)
The beauty of websites you own though is that if you use a webhost that allows you to host unlimited sites - you only pay one hosting fee per month. I pay mine yearly and get a steep discount.
Domains are inexpensive as well from 5-10 per year depending on who you go through.
Once you build your site with quality content and work regularly to promote it and add it to search engines etc. the traffic and income is there for a lifetime.
You can join affiliate programs or just sign up for Google's adsense program. Follow the rules and don't try to cheat! If you try to cheat Google will blacklist you and remove your site(s) from it's search engine - so play fair and stick with "white hat" promotion tactics and don't be tempted by places that say they can promise you tons of backlinks etc.
Overall I feel that having my own websites and promoting them is more lucrative for me long term. I do still write articles and hubs when I have time for other websites as well and it is useful for getting followers and backlinks and simply sharing my love of writing.
Over time I have built up by developing "evergreen" content and sites and now make around 250.00 per month on average with adsense - and this is with only a few websites live and running. I have several more in the works and hope to expand my residual income from those as well.
It's hard work - it takes a lot of time, but it is also rewarding and I feel I am doing something I love and that it is helpful to others.
I am a web designer by trade also, but there are many software and content management systems that don't require a huge learning curve that you can use. This has generated residual income for me that is very nice to have each month. It also allows me to share my knowledge and hopefully provide genuinely useful information to those who are searching.
To get started doing this there are some things to consider...
First of all it doesn't happen overnight, quality matters, and you must be patient. It took me over a year to start getting monthly adsense payments above the threshold. ($100)
The beauty of websites you own though is that if you use a webhost that allows you to host unlimited sites - you only pay one hosting fee per month. I pay mine yearly and get a steep discount.
Domains are inexpensive as well from 5-10 per year depending on who you go through.
Once you build your site with quality content and work regularly to promote it and add it to search engines etc. the traffic and income is there for a lifetime.
You can join affiliate programs or just sign up for Google's adsense program. Follow the rules and don't try to cheat! If you try to cheat Google will blacklist you and remove your site(s) from it's search engine - so play fair and stick with "white hat" promotion tactics and don't be tempted by places that say they can promise you tons of backlinks etc.
Overall I feel that having my own websites and promoting them is more lucrative for me long term. I do still write articles and hubs when I have time for other websites as well and it is useful for getting followers and backlinks and simply sharing my love of writing.
Over time I have built up by developing "evergreen" content and sites and now make around 250.00 per month on average with adsense - and this is with only a few websites live and running. I have several more in the works and hope to expand my residual income from those as well.
It's hard work - it takes a lot of time, but it is also rewarding and I feel I am doing something I love and that it is helpful to others.
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