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Giant “Niches”: How Much Work Does It Take To Compete?
Posted by: | CommentsA while back I wrote about the options you had for building your business. You could either build many small niche sites or focus on just one or two large areas with plenty of potential.
If you choose the latter method (which I am all for if you are willing to go after it and stay in for the long haul), I’d like to make a few points here that may put the task in better perspective for you.
Success in big areas (which have lots of competition) usually requires plenty of content AND requires a focused backlinking strategy for either building quality backlinks or building large numbers of backlinks (and probably both).
For example, I searched “dog training” in Google (a very large and lucrative area for those sites ranking on the first page).
On the first page of those search results I picked out a site for this example (thedogtrainingsecret.com).
First I searched with an operator to find out how many pages the site has. With this search, site:www.thedogtrainingsecret.com, I see they have 786 pages on their site. That’s not a lot really compared to the numbers I’ve seen for other sites in large areas. Many have thousands and even tens of thousands of pages. But still, 786 is still a lot of pages.
Google likes to see plenty of great content on a domain. It’s not the whole picture for how the site ranks, but it does play a part. Of course the more pages a site has, the more long tail searchs they have the opportunity to rank for (and thus more traffic comes there way).
Next I simply typed their full http:// address into Google. There were over 3 million results! I use this type of search as a relative means of gauging the site’s reach with respect to backlinking. Sure, there are backlink tools available, but they are notoriously inaccurate. Of course this type of search does not come close to telling me their true numbers of backlinks. But it is an interesting search which shows just how “busy” the site owners have been in getting exposure for the site.
By the way, the 3 million number may sound scary to you. You probably can’t fathom how you could possibly get near those types of numbers. But really, once you get into the process and learn about the legitimate tools we use to build links with, you will see it’s doable over time.
I use my own sites as a measure of gauging just how much other sites have worked at marketing their site. For example, I’ve done far more backlinking to my CactusCanyon site than my WeberInternetMarketing site. CactusCanyon shows about 500,000 results and WeberInternerMarketing shows only about 70,000. Since they are my sites, those relative numbers give a pretty good indication of how much more time I spend marketing CactusCanyon. Therefore, when I see a site with 3 million results, I can really appreciate just how hard they have worked at marketing the site.
Are you thinking about tackling a large area? Search that area and run those searches I described on several of the sites which rank on the first page for the area’s main keywords. Of course, don’t pay attention to sites like Wikipedia, etc. Just look at those basic sites which are probably owned by individuals like you.
Do not be discouraged if you see giant numbers for some of the competing sites you check. Remember they did not build those numbers overnight. All you have to do is build a great, optimized site, get better quality and quantity of backlinks and YOU will be on that first page of search results!
That’s what is so great about Internet marketing; you are on equal footing with other individual site owners. Simply make your site more relevant in Google’s eyes and you’ll see your site on the first page!
Should You Consider Private Domain Registrations?
Posted by: | CommentsI had a question last week from a member about private domain registrations. People have varying ideas on whether or not to add the private registration when registering a new domain. Some people register every domain they own as private. Some never do. I’ll describe here my philosophy about private registrations.
I’ve registered many hundreds of domains in the past years. I’ve only registered a couple as private. (I’ll tell you more about those later.) Some registrars would have you believe the world will come to an end if you don’t register as private. Of course they make money from the added costs of private registrations and all the other services/products they try to up-sell. By the way, almost none of the up-sells they offer are worthwhile.
Almost all my domains are public. Yet, the world has not ended for me. In fact, I can tell you that the email account I have always used to register with gets almost no spam even after all these years. Also, I have not had many contacts or salesman call me due to having the info available in a WHOIS lookup. I might have had some over the years and know I do get a bit of junk snail mail. But it’s not a big deal really.
Since I am very open with who I am and don’t try to hide from anyone, having my domains registered as private really wouldn’t do much for keeping me anonymous.
Actually, more than a few times I have had people contact me about buying a domain that was not for sale. But they made good offers on some which I took. It’s possible those sales would not have happened without having the registration info public. (My AdSense sites have a contact button on them, but not all the rest do.)
Basically, I’m not trying to hide online and have not had many/any negative consequences otherwise for having public registrations.
As I stated earlier, I do have a few sites registered as private. One is a site I registered for a friend with a rather risque name. Therefore, I made it private. Another site I own attracted a very, shall I say, “radical” following. There were those who hated the service/product and those who loved it. They all went at each other pretty good on the blog (as I thought they might when I registered the site). Therefore, I registered it as private.
But it’s up to you to decide. If you feel you have to keep yourself completely off the radar, then make them private. If you don’t, people can do a WHOIS search and find you as the owner. From my experience over the past years, there really are not any “dire” consequences for keeping domains public.
If you decide to purchase the privacy for a domain, the WHOIS lookup will show the info for the company who runs the privacy feature and not yours. If there are ever legal issues (like trademark infringement), your identity can still be discovered via the privacy company with a court order.
Many Niche Sites vs. One Large Site: Which is Best
Posted by: | CommentsProbably the most common question I get from beginning marketers has to do with finding/choosing a niche or area to market. Next on the list usually has to do with building many small niche sites vs. one or two larger, long-term sites in more competitive areas.
Many people choose both approaches. But until beginners have some success, I suggest beginning with the small niche sites which have little competition.
Either approach can be very profitable. However, in the beginning a new marketer needs quick feedback to confirm the strategy and methods work. It’s important to know as soon as possible if there are flaws with the methods or the strategy. Otherwise, without the quick feedback, a lot of wasted time and frustration can occur.
Again, either a large number of small niche sites or one or two large sites in highly competitive areas can earn good income. But when a beginner with no prior experience begins building and marketing a site in a large and competitive area, it can take many months of hard work before having any indication the methods are correct.
Therefore, I try to guide my new students toward smaller niches where they can quickly learn the basics and see some results. Of course “success” with many small niche sites may only mean $20 to $30 a month. In most cases there is a very low glass ceiling and it’s not hard to quickly market and maximize the potential of these niche sites before moving on to the next.
After the beginning Internet marketer has shown proficiency with driving traffic to an optimized page with their chosen keywords, it’s usually time to think about investing time and focus into larger areas.
Of course, before moving into these bigger areas, it’s important the new marketer’s personality allows for it. I have known some students who only wish to stay in the small niche areas. Their plan is for finding good niches and building sites for them on a regular basis. Eventually, they’ll have many dozens or even 100+ of these small producing sites. Some personalities aren’t able to and/or don’t enjoy having to focus a long-term effort on just one or two sites; many personalities thrive on beginning and completing projects rapidly.
On the flip side, having to create many small niche sites drives some people crazy. Again, this depends on the person’s personality usually. I can’t very well “make” a person go against what feels comfortable. Therefore, I’ll go with each student’s “flow” and help them succeed no matter which path best fits them.
Ok, all that being said, many of us (including me) find themselves somewhere in between. I have many tiny sites and a few in larger areas that I focus far more time and effort on. I for one have just enough ADD in me to keep the tiny-niche-site-side of me going. However, it is the large sites that produce the best for me. The 80/20 rule applies here.
Here’s how I usually progress with advice to my students:
Learn the ropes with a small niche site or two and then begin investing regular and consistent time in a site that has huge potential down the road…even if seeing results in that big area will require much time and work.
It’s OK to continue building small sites along the way if you wish. But let’s be sure and begin a long-term project that offers great potential.
All things being equal (and of course they never are), 2 years of X amount of work on a site focused toward a well selected and competitive area will almost always produce more results than the same X amount of work focused on well selected, small niche sites.
You might read that last paragraph again just to make sure that important concept is clear.
But again, all marketers must go with their own flow and not force strategies upon themselves which feel uncomfortable.
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5 Building Blocks For Online Success
Posted by: | CommentsThe past year was pretty odd for me. It was more challenging than I was used to in a number of ways. But the Zen folks say that adversity and change are always required for growth. I lived it this year and do feel that to be true.
I absolutely believe there is a silver lining attached to every single negative that comes your way. It’s up to you to find it though. If you don’t believe in that silver lining philosophy 100%, you’ll forever be stuck with the negatives and never enjoy the growth and advantages life’s kruddy stuff brings along.
The krud in your life has good sides. But you have to uncover and find the good stuff it also offers.
Ok, let’s move on; I think you get my point.
Let’s talk about earning income online.
I speak with many beginning marketers and have a good “feel” for what’s required for their success. Following up with many beginners has taught me how to spot the ones who at least have a chance of success.
Basic and Required Factors For Success (in my opinion):
1. Completely non-technical people won’t make the cut. I define “non-technical” here as a mindset. None of this is rocket science; anyone can learn it…UNLESS there is a complete fear of technology. For example, some beginners are petrified by the wp-admin screen and simply can’t overcome it. My response to them is that there are other ways, besides Internet marketing, to make money at home. They need to explore other options they have.
2. Time is money in this business. Too often the scams have convinced people they can spend a few hours a week and build a successful business. Of course that thinking sells scams, but that is all. Many people simply don’t have the time required. They have a job, a family and not enough time to devote to the process. I won’t specify a minimum time here, but I can tell you, in the beginning anyway, 3 or 4 hours a week won’t cut it.
3. Those most likely to achieve success down the road are NOT strapped for cash. When someone tells me they are laid off and need to learn Internet marketing in order to make their coming house payments, I encourage them to find as many part-time jobs as they can for now. There is simply no way to learn this stuff and make it all come together if you feel that much pressure. It’s not paint by numbers; your head has to be in the right place to fit the pieces together correctly.
4. Successful people enjoy the “process” of Internet marketing. No, none of us like 100% of all the tasks involved, but we have to enjoy 90% of it. Otherwise, the very difficult process of building an online business is simply too much work for those who do not enjoy the process.
5. Support from friends and family really helps. I won’t say that your spouse has to be ALL the way on board with it in the beginning. I am living proof you can make it work even without that early support. Also, one of my most successful students overcame tremendous family pressure in the beginning (now he’s well into the mid 4 figures each month and on his way to 5). But wow, it sure helps if you have some support…or at least not have any anti-support. My advice here is to invest as much time in communication as possible to ensure you don’t let any negative energy build around you. (meaning…don’t keep your nose glued to your computer screen every possible minute while neglecting too much time with your spouse. This neglect, along with making ZERO income in the beginning, is pretty tough for most spouses…surprise surprise.)
There are many other minor factors that help the process along of course. But I believe those 5 are pretty important for everyone beginning the process.
Do Guru’s Hoard The Good Online Methods?
Posted by: | CommentsPeople new to Internet marketing have a few hard (and expensive) lessons to usually learn. The most common one is following the idea that they can “buy” their way into online success via a “packaged system”. Usually a very slick sales page promising the world is involved.
No matter if the “package” was an outright scam or one that had some legit info, it never works for the beginner. All the excitement of buying “the key to success” very quickly turns to frustration.
Some folks have to learn that lesson more than once unfortunately.
Success is not plug & play. It’s not paint-by-numbers either. That’s why the one-size-fits-all packages just don’t work for anyone.
Can you imagine yourself trying to open a home building business but you don’t personally know how to even build a simple wall or counter?
That’s how most beginners think. They mostly all put the cart before the horse when trying to build a biz online.
So why don’t the “gurus” making and selling all those packages start out more with the “basics” as required learning first?
Some people tell me they think the Guru’s just want to keep everyone stupid in that respect so they have less competition. But that’s not true. There is more than enough room; the Internet is a very very big place.
The simple truth is that it takes a ton of work to teach the basics and it takes a ton of work to learn the basics. It’s just that simple.
Teaching and learning the basics is not a huge amount of fun.
Both the Guru’s and the students would rather talk and think about the more glamorous aspect of online marketing…like making buckets of cash.
The people already down that dead-end road with a hyped-up “package” or two have either already quit out of frustration or, like you, have persevered on.
You KNOW (or should know) that people who are successful online are not lucky and they are not smarter than the average person. The successful people did not quit; they learned from their mistakes.
Those who have online success all learned the basics and honed their skills with action…before they ever saw their first dime.
It cracks me up how people look at the Guru’s with awe; yet they never see or think about the trials and errors and frustration all successful people online have been through.
Success comes in very small increments that begin to add up. That’s how it works in this and most businesses. In fact, it is often 5 steps forward and 4.5 steps back for a lot of beginners.
Learn the basics and what works for other people, don’t try to reinvent the wheel, take action, there will be failures so “fail fast” and keep learning, keep taking action, keep tweaking, keep improving, keep making tiny tiny steps of progress. Never quit.
Lastly, you CAN learn and do all this and have massive success all on your own.
But WHY would you do it like that?
Time is money. Why spend the next year constantly moving 5 steps and then losing 4.5 of them by making beginners’ mistakes all the time?
In the beginning you don’t know what you don’t know! Fortunately, when I see my beginning students making serious mistakes, they have me there to correct them right away. They had no idea it was wrong; to them it seemed logical until I explained to them why.
Beginners who are on their own will suffer through the most basic of concepts and steps simply because they didn’t know better and/or have not been taught correctly.
Is Content Still King?
Posted by: | Comments
There was a saying when I first began Internet marketing (in a serious way) which I luckily took to heart.
Content is King
What it means is that the more and better content your site had, the better. Of course content could be articles, video, or photos. But mostly it referred to, and still does, written content. The idea was that valuable, written content is what gave websites their value and what Google really looked for when deciding how to rank them.
In the beginning, Google focused almost entirely on content. Back in “the day”, on-page SEO ruled. All you had to do was have great, well optimized content on your site and you would rank well. Sometimes, before the algorithm was refined, even trashy/spammy content would rank well.
Content was king then….is it still?
In general, the answer is still yes.
Your site must still offer value to the world. (Google has cracked down hard on spam, duplicate content, auto-blogs, link farms, and even the major article directories to some extent.
Therefore, nothing has changed concerning the on-page aspect of SEO. You still need great content on your site that is optimized correctly. (by the way, “correct SEO optimization” has changed a lot over the years…but that is another blog post).
Creating high quality and original content is still important for your site.
But now days, the concept of “content is king” goes a step further. Today, off-page SEO is vital to success in all but the tiniest niches. Off-page optimization simply has to do with getting backlinks with optimized anchor text. The more links the better AND the higher quality the linking web site is, the better.
Simply put, backlinking is very important and required for success in organic search results in almost all cases. Building backlinks requires content. Whether you submit articles to article directories, post relevant comments to blogs, create feeder sites for link wheels, or build relevant Web 2.0 sites, you will need content…and tons of it!
So yes, content is still king….and it’s more important than ever!
Backlinks: How To Count Them
Posted by: | CommentsSomeone just wrote me who was very upset. They had been working hard at getting backlinks to their site for several months. But when they checked their progress in a backlinking tool, it only showed a few dozen backlinks!
As a side note, it’s a good thing they contacted me because when I looked at some of the methods he was using to get backlinks, it was obvious he didn’t really understand how to use anchor text. …but that’s another story for later.
I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again: Backlink tools are NOT accurate….None of them! Plus it seems they can take forever to update with new backlinks.
Therefore, these tools cause beginning marketers to think their efforts are not paying off. But in this video I show you just how off-the-mark those tools are.
My advice to new marketers is to backlink in the correct way as much as they can. Everyone needs a system where they get backlinks on a regular basis. It cannot be a “hit and miss” activity. Plus, one’s methods have to be reasonably correct in order to get the most out of process.
If you have any questions about this process, post them below in the comments.
Will Affiliate Marketing Die Someday?
Posted by: | CommentsI had 2 people this week ask me the same question; I bet there is an email going around about it.
Here’s the question:
Will affiliate marketing still be around in a few years? (He was worried that if he put all the work into now, it might all be wasted if affiliate marketing dies.)
Here’s my answer:
I told him that I didn’t know. But also, I told him I did not care. He seemed shocked at first I would say such a thing.
I quickly explained what I meant. I told him there were four aspects to online success.
1. Choosing an area to market (Find a niche)
2. Building websites (Not just with such things as instant site builders, web 2.0 sites, etc.)
3. Utilize a method for getting traffic to the site (via SEO, social media, etc.)
4. Making income with the site’s traffic
Items 1, 2 and 4 above are the easy parts. There are tons of great niches, and they are easy and quick to find once you know how. Plus, anyone can learn to build a simple and nice looking site. Also, making income on the site IS easy…once the site gets targeted traffic.
That leaves #3. That is the tough one. That is where all the work is. #3 is why 97% of beginning marketers never succeed.
The original question is about #4. Affiliate marketing is one way to monetize a site now. If affiliate marketing goes away tomorrow, no problem…we will simply use another method. Right now there are AdSense ads, banner impression advertising, selling clicks directly, lead generation (then selling those leads), selling your own stuff directly, etc.
Who knows what new methods will evolve down the road.
I told him I was not worried if affiliate marketing goes away or not.
As long as people spend money online (that is one thing that seems a given), we will ALWAYS be able to monetize targeted traffic to our sites. There will ALWAYS be advertisers who, in some way shape or form, want access to our targeted traffic.
Again, if your niche selection is good, and your site attracts plenty of targeted traffic, you will ALWAYS have methods to monetize that traffic.
So let’s deal with numbers 1, 2, and 3 above. #4 really is the easiest part and will always take care of itself one way or the other.
Steve
