Soo you want to start a niche site......

Sooo you want to start a niche site. This can be hard to pick but it really isn't actually that hard to do, if you know what to look for and how to do it.

When you are thinking about starting your first site or entering a new niche, you can do this fairly easily as long as you do some research or think about a few things first.

1. Research domain names.
2. Use keyword tools like the Google one (Overture tool is dead)
3. Be passionate or create a list of topics
4. Figure out your brand
5. Find programs that match it
6. Start working towards getting traffic

1. Research domain names.

The first thing to do is see if there is a domain name available for your niche site. You may want to think about a few things when choosing the domain name for your new site. Is it easy to remember, does it have the correct keywords in it. Do you need to get ones with hyphens and is it easy to remember to put them in and how much will it cost you to buy the domain?

Once you have the domain picked out, then you can move on to the next step....ohh ya, you may want to buy it so your hosting company doesn't pick it up or steal it from you, THIS DOES HAPPEN!

2. Now that you have a domain picked out, you can start to research how many people are actually looking for information about this topic. This step can actually be the first one, but then again, if you really love the topic then you can create something for people to find that may not know that there is a site out there yet.

Find about 50 phrases that are heavily searched or very targeted so it converts for you and look to see how much competition is out there. To tell who your competition is or even how competitive the term is, look how relevant the results that come up are, look how many pages the search engines bring back, do research on the site to see how much authority they have with the search engines, find some blogs and sites that may want to exchange links with you and then begin to develop your ideas.

3. Be passionate and create a list of topics.

If your new niche site is not something you are passionate about, then chances are you will get bored with it and the site may die. Try to create a list of 20 or more topics or idea that you can break the site off on to and think of an article for each that uses the keywords you researched. If you cannot think of 20 articles for the site, you may run into issues with updating it in the future, this isn't always true, but if you can't think of ideas right away, the site may pay for it and you may have just wasted a bunch of time launching a new site that you cannot update.

4. Figure out your brand.

Your brand is what is going to make your site. Find how it should sound to people. Should it be high end or should it be discounted. Should it be very opinionated or should you let the readers fill in the tone. Should you post as a person of a different gender or race or should you post as yourself. These are all things to think about to build a site that people can relate to or a site that you would be proud to represent.

5. Find Affiliate Programs that match your site or could convert on it.

It is important that if you want to make money on your site you find Affiliate programs that match the theme or compliment your topics and traffic. If for some reason there aren't any, you can always reach out to sites and recommend they start a program and send them to Share a Sale or another network that you enjoy, trust and would be a good fit for them, or ask them to pay you from their internal analytics program or buy ad space. If you cannot get any of the above, then try adsense on your site. Either way, if your goal is to make money, find a way to do it with Affiliate Programs, Adsense or even become a publisher on a network like Snap or Kontera.

6. Start working on getting traffic to it.

Start writing your content. Contact those sites that would want to link to you or exchange links. Submit your site to directories and the search engines. Add in blogs or forums or other ways to get your readers to interact with you. Set up a newsletter to remarket to your visitors with. Most importantly, have fun with your site. If you don't enjoy creating it, your readers and shoppers will be able to tell and it can flop.

The most important thing to remember with your new niche site is to have fun with it and do it from your heart. If you don't you will be able to tell and so will your readers. Have fun, choose a topic you like and then build it so you would want to find it.

Please feel free to add to this post if you would like as there is a lot more to add and that you should look into if you are starting a new site or starting your first site.

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This is a great starting point, but I think #3 - list out your passions should really be #1. Use that list to do the keyword and domain name research.

Maybe I have not been successful in affiliate marketing because I am not really passionate about anything.

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Excellant Post! See - it's not so difficult! I would make a slight reordering of the list:

1. Be passionate or create a list of topics
2. Use keyword tools like the Google one (Overture tool is dead)
3. Figure out your brand
4. Research domain names.
5. Find programs that match it
6. Start working towards getting traffic

And I would bold the first sentence of #6 Start writing your content.
If you're not a writer, find someone who is ~ Content is King, Baby!

Start writing your content.

Rob Cox
(removed sig)

Great post Rob, but you need to be aware of the Sig rule, it takes 250 posts to get one

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when you say, "start writing your content", is it literally just that? writing anything and everything (interesting) about your niche? Do you just write a blog? Are there any good examples of content laden pages? Sorry, obviously i am a newbie and just trying to get my mind around this whole thing

Yup.

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Agree with RollerBlader - but here's the long tail answer.

1. Start with Keyword Research
2. If you write about products - ask "100 Questions" about the product to help you write about it. Think of every possible question someone might ask about the product or service and use this to write the ad copy.
3. A blog is an easy way to write content, and republish the content to many sources but they are not the only type of content to write. Others include:
4. Ad Copy and Image Alternate Text copy
5. Articles on your subject or niche.
6. FAQ's is an easy format to write.

But remember to start with Keyword Research, and weave in your keywords to a certain density. And when you reach that density, say the same thing in a different manner. The Semantic Web thanks you!

Rob Cox

Great Post..

You could have explained how to choose a affiliate network better.Thats the hardest part for me at least.

Great free, basic advice for newbies! I would like to add is to follow trends in what you're passionate about. Walk around in malls, box stores: what's on sale? What merchandise is prominently displayed, in the front of the store, in a product's department that you're interested in. There are so many clues all around us.
Of course you are passionate! You're passionate about pessimism.
This thread is about the basics for creating a niche site. Do a search for "parasites" or start reading some of the ABW Parasiteware forum threads.

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Renée
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. — Porky Pig

SeymourButts -
"I am not really passionate about anything"

Yea, you are. Everybody's gotta have somethin they feel passionately about. Maybe, it's a teeny bit hard to realize for some people, unless ya really think about it. Not starting any religion topic or anything but I'm guessing from your signature....you're passionate about that, right?? Least, usually you don't have somethin in your signature that you don't have some sorta feelings about. How bout some sorta focus on somethin having to do with religion??

Am bettin deep down there's this real passionate Seymour just waitin to come out.

Teeny question.
(Overture tool is dead) has been mentioned couple of times. Uhh is this the "keyword discovery" tool you're talking about? I use the lil free version and had thought it was good. Uhhh maybe if what you're sayin is true..... I coulda been one of the biggies a long time ago if I hadn't been using it. lol

Which one has the products you want to promote and a landing page or site that you think could convert your traffic. That is pretty much all you need to pick a Network to join. You may also want to read about the Network to make sure they pay, if they allow adware that can steal from, etc... as well. If you stick with the Big 4 you should be safe.

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Online Marketing Blog | Do you need help with your Marketing or Sales funneling, write me at adamr (at) adamriemer (dot) me

loxly created a fabulous Affiliate ABCs forum which can help answer many newbie questions and give you insider affiliate insights.

Regarding networks: they don't promote products or have landing pages. They represent merchants. You can join as many networks as you wish, you don't have to choose one. There are smaller networks that have an anti-parasite stand and merchants that don't allow parasites no matter what network they're on.

There really isn't a 30-second sound bite for this. It takes time, research and testing to see what works for your site(s). But taking the plunge is more important than worrying about all the details at the beginning. It's a life-long learning experience!

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Renée
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. — Porky Pig

Great info! I agree that it's so important to be passionate about what you're doing, otherwise you'll quickly lose interest. It's also great to be involved with something you love, because you can find helpful info or products that you can use yourself!