Build an Authority Website Based on a Knowledgable Topic!
As part of the latest series of posts that will help us all build a content rich, authority website for our visitors, the very first step we need to tackle is determining what type of market is going to keep us interested more than 2-3 days! After all, it is going to take us a while to Build an Authority Website and if we lose interest in less than a month, it may not be worth pursuing!
Do You know Jack?
You may have heard it said before… “You Don’t Know Jack $hit about This Subject”, well what if you DO know Jack? What if you have a hobby that truly interests you? Let me tell you… whether you like to go to Garage sales or know how to fix a garage door, there is something that you know quite a bit more about than those who don’t! Regardless of the hobby, skill, or job that interests you, you are well ahead of everyone else who doesn’t, and that is one area within yourself to exploit first! For me, I have interest in the following subjects for several different reasons:
-
Cars – I like to Drive!(picture rainman… I’m a good driver, I’m a good driver…)
I could start a blog about performance cars. The blog could have car pictures, reviews, test drives, you name it, anything to do with the cars themselves! Heck, eventually, I could go to local dealerships once a week and test drive the latest models, posting video, pictures, prices etc. From there, I could reach into auto accessories like radar detectors, wheels, basically ANY type of accessory to go with a car! Since I like to drive fast and my radar detector does not always save my butt, I can write additional content about how to beat a ticket and banner it with some CJ ads that pay very well. (research it, beat a ticket ebooks sell for $79.00, of which you get half for the referral!) -
Racing – I like Auto Racing!
Back in the day… I used to race street stocks on two tracks in the Northeast. Eventually, I chose to focus on family instead of racing, but never lost the urge to work on engines, suspension etc. You all know I have the Get a Race Car site… did you also know I have 4 others in the same niche? How about the tools for working on cars? In total, I think I have 4-6 sites revolving around auto racing. -
Heating and Air Conditioning – I Know Jack!
I know, boring… BUT, I Developed several local sites for a good friend and even parlayed it into 3-4 ecommerce sites as well as eBay stores. I do not have much interest in HVAC, but I DO know alot about it due to my exposure to their business. Combine that knowledge with a blog and a few different monetization strategies, and it turned into a very profitable niche! So profitable in fact, that we have 8-10 sites in the HVAC niche!
The list above are just a few of my own interests and don’t even begin to scratch the surface of everything I love doing or reading about. The point however, is that when you have a subject you are either interested in or knowledgeable about, it’s very easy to turn it into an authority website and get visitors involved in the discussions you start on those sites!
What do You Know About?
The last time I wrote a post about starting a site you are either interested in or knowledgable about, someone mentioned that they truly didn’t care to be interested, they just wanted to make money from it! Truth is… you CAN make money off topics you nothing about, but you will be hard pressed to create a community atmosphere, and eventually have the site run itself! Take this site right here… while I was gone last week, there were more than 100 comments left by readers, most of them were answered by other readers! We (not I) have built a community that helps each other out… this is what our new site will do as well!
This is also the point that most people start running into a roadblock, thinking their knowledge is not worth monetizing! I completely disagree and suggest you can find a way to monetize ANY subject, whether it is through the EPN or any of the other offers found in affiliate networks.
If you have an interest or hobby you think would be hard to monetize, post it in the comments below and lets see what we can do to help expand it into a profitable authority website!
Tomorrow – I am going to reveal the niche I have decided to use for this first new type of website. It is a subject I really don’t know much about, but I have always been very interested in and want to learn more! Writing may come hard at first, but within the first 30 days of the site being active, I will be well on my way to a profitable authority website!
This would also be a good time to mention that I have a group of roughly 20 domains I am no longer going to use. I will post the list tomorrow and offer them up to the first who claim them! Many are already indexed and one of them is even a PR3 site, I just don’t have enough interest in them to keep them. Most are registered through July 09, so you will have a great head start!
Previously Published Articles You May Like to Read:
- Choosing your Website Topic and Reviewing the Demand
- Days 10 & 11 – Rewarding your Visitors with Authority Content!
- When to Turn a Weak Affiliate Site into an Authority Site
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I have been doing my part to "Build the Internet" since 1994, when I built my first website! Since then, I have built hundreds of niche websites for myself and many others, focused on design, applications, ecommerce, search optimization and internet marketing.
Creating a community that will run itself… That’s where the real reward is at!
Great post, and a topic that I’ve always believed to be of great importance. If we’re going to spend 4-14 hours a day online, why not spend it doing something which you enjoy?
Interested and could need some help in monetizing:
- helping others out with computer problems
- cats
- digital painting (existing community)
- photoshop knowledge
- wide knowledge of computers
- websites
Currently I see a big lack of driving traffic to my sites (not the ones above).
@ Manuel -
- Computer Problems… I would never be afraid of proving TOO much info on this, as many will take the easier way out, and BUY a fix versus doing the fix themselves. Create a knowledgebase type site with common issues, wrapped in a blog with posts about how you have been answering them!
You could easily turn it into a computer hardware store, complimented with various ads for service/software based solutions like online virus scanners, etc. I think Geeks on Call even has an affiliate program.
- Cats could be setup with photo galleries plugins to prompt visitors to post their cats pictures as well! it could be monetized through both BANS, and several other affiliate programs!! Food, Toys, Travel needs, etc.
- Digital painting requires a place to share their work as well as a set of specialized tools to do it right! Tablet PC’s, Photoshop plugins, brushes, Fonts, etc etc.
- Photoshop is pretty expensive software, but if you monetize it with tutorials on how to use different brushes and filters etc, it could be pretty easy to do. Don’t forget, graphics are always easiest to work on with HUGE monitors! A photo gallery where visitors post images they have “shopped” could include an area for the digital cameras they used for the orginals (if applicable) .
- Wide knowledge of PC’s… this goes without saying! incorporate a “How to” section in a blog… How to change a video card, How to upgrade RAM, How to setup dual monitors, etc etc. In each post, link to the most likely products people would use for the upgrades!
- Websites… I have often looked at ways to monetize this niche myself, but it is very saturated and would take time to come into its own. The easiest way I could think to do it immediately would be to target one type of website building.
Offer up a review site of all different services surrounding website design. Hosting reviews, e-commerce application reviews, domain name choices, etc.
Finally, you could even offer up your own services on the site at the geo level, targeting your own local community.
Mark
Mark,
I gotta know what tracks you raced at in the Northeast. I live in the Northeast and I spent a lot of time at the local dirt tracks (mainly central NY) when I was younger. Not as a driver, but working on the pit crew. There’s hundreds and hundreds of tracks in the Northeast, but hey ya never know.
- Bill
This is creepy….too many Bills……I am from the Northeast originally too….but I am not that Bill.
I did used to race at Epping though.
:-)
OK Mark,
Re my hobbies: Here goes. I have several areas of interest that I think may be either oversaturated or I have an interest in but little expertise, or there isn’t much money in it:
Gardening – this is the area of my best expertise
Various arts and crafts from sewing to stamping to soap making, photography, etc.
I have others, but these are at the top of my list.
Yael
Thanks a ton for your thoughts Mark. Actually I need to think about them as I would do this in german (as its my mother language). I can’t build this sites for the english spoken guys :-(
For my languange is the problem that we maybe don’t have that much merchants in my interested niches…Aww affiliate marketing sucks sometimes.
With every visit to your site, I realize more and more that, when it comes to SEO, CONTENT IS KING!
My website is now two months old, and hardly ever gets a visit. That is not a good thing :-( (although, I haven’t had the worries that come from being placed in a higher income tax bracket!).
It has become obvious that the problem is me! I haven’t done the things that can make the site “search engine friendly” so I certainly shouldn’t expect magical things to be happening with it.
I believe that I have created a site that is “pleasing to the eye,” but if no eyes ever see it, then what is it’s value? NOTHING (other than the knowledge I’ve gained in the html arena), NADA, ZILCH!
I welcome any and all constructive criticism from your loyal readers/fans in regard to my website. Basically, I’m treating it as my “guinea pig” as far as BANS site development goes. I think I also selected a niche that is too broad, but hey, I’m learning (the hard way ;-)
I honestly believe a good understanding of SEO practices is a key, if not THE key, to a successful BANS site. And understanding SEO leads to the development of good site content with optimal monetization practices.
Keep the good stuff coming! We all appreciate the service you provide to the BANS community!
Great post Mark. I was just talking with an old friend yesterday about starting a website. He had me on the phone for more than 2 hours. Even though my ear hurts it was great to talk to him.
He is a very knowledgeable guy and has years of experience in so many things yet he has never started a web site. Well until now.
He definitely knows Jack!!
I have also started a few sites based on my hobbies and interests. It’s so much more rewarding to earn money doing what I love to do. It gives me the energy to keep on keeping on.
The sites are all less than a year old but over this next year they will at least double in content size and I am sure they will start to become more authoritative and the income will grow as well.
I would expect soap making could be a killer niche. I am shooting from the hip but probably not much competition and you could easily build an authority site.
Search counts might be light but I don’t know.
Hey Mark…being an avid movie buff…….it’s “I’m an excellent driver” not a good driver and this is definitely not K-Mart and these are definitely not my underwear. :)
I am gone all day so save me one of your good free domains if you have any in my “niche”
I am actually up in Maine on vacation this week too…..it’s cold already. Geez.
@ Bill -
I started out racing at the 1/4 mile high bank paved Riverside Park Speedway in 1988… ran a hobby stock and the exhibition figure 8 races. In 1990, I switched over to Stafford Motor Speedway, to what is now called the Dare Stocks division (Hobby Stocks). Did alot of travelling to Monadonock and many other area tracks to watch races, but never raced at them. Racing is definitely a sickness… once it gets ya, its hard to get rid of!
At some point, life, children and a family took precedence over racing every weekend. The bug has NEVER gone away though and as recent as a few weeks ago, I considered getting a legends car and racing again out here at Charlotte (Lowes) speedway. Fortunately, I had a beer instead… :-)
@ Yael – I can see gardening being a very profitable niche to be into! From Mowers, tillers, swings, and gazebos, to those fake fish ponds around a garden…
@ John – As much as I hate to say it… either G has not indexed your site or it is dropped from the index. It looks like its fairly new, so I hope it is the first of the two. Do you have a Google Webmaster Tools account? If not, go on over and sign up and get the site listed in it (Its a free account) to see what G is doing with it.
The Niche is actually good and the site itself looks fine, but I think you will benefit more with some keyword research and menu customization, based on what the research shows you. Right now, you have the same menu that comes from the default BANS install, which means there are literally thousands of others with the same content menu.
Use what comes with BANS as the starting point… and then build it out into a very robust menu, completely steering your traffic exactly where you want them to go. For example, under Pinball right now, are the default eBay and BANS menu items… instead, build a set of menu items that focus on specific years or types or names of pinball machines. (New Pinball Machines, Used Pinball Machines, Vintage Pinball Machines, etc) Making your own site menu unique, will instantly set it apart from the thousands of other bans stores in the same niche.
@ James – One thing I have not even mentioned about building this new type of site yet, is that once we are done, you will not only be able to build your own content rich sites, you could even turn to people in your local market and build websites for them just as easily! This opens a whole new set of doors for anyone who may WANT to provide services to their local market!
@ Bill – I used to visit Maine every year! My fathers family had a vacation home on Mousam Lake (Little Mousam) Had a lot of “firsts” up there… Jamie, you still reading? Had alot of great times at the lake camp didn’t we?
Hey Uncle Mark!!!
Ok so I am BRAND new obviously to all this so HEY ALL…
I have a few interests that I could blog about….
• Weight loss and big girl issues (I want to buy fatgirlfriendly.com)
• Real Estate Marketing. I have started a blog for practice at remaxfoothills.wordpress.com (yes it’s a free account but I am just trying to learn it)
• Fundraising and Non profit information
• Greenville, SC for Young Professionals (kind of a list of what greenville has to offer)
Would it be hard to monetize the Greenville one? Again…not sure exactly how this all works yet.
Thanks for your advice and guidance!!!
Courtney
Mark, thanks for your comments about the site.
I have now added the Google Analytics to the website
and will have to wait the 24 hours to see what affect
it has.
I will get to working on the site-specific menu as you
have recommended and try to “beef things up” a bit!
When I first ran across BANS, it appeared to be a
simple thing. Just purchase the software, install, and
scoop up the cash. Boy was I in for a surprise!
This has been quite a learning experience for me, but
an enjoyable one none the less.
Thanks again!
@ Courtney -
Welcome in Courtney! FYI – I know you have been reading fro awhile, its about time you decided to post!! :-)
I already sent you an email about a domain for the Greenville site… and wanted to comment a bit more on the others.
The Big Girl and weight loss site would be a great blog to have! The ways to monetize your content are literally endless. I have running a Pay Per Click (PPC) adwords campaign just this week on a Weight Loss Tea offer I received from one of my affiliate networks and it has proved to be pretty profitable in a very short time!! The terms I am targeting are low volume, but I have seen some of the higher volume terms in the 10,000+ daily search range. From clothes, to shoes, to diet plans, to health issues, to anything larger people have to be concerned with, I dont think traffic will be an issue! It is a competitive market… but fortunately the demand is there as well!!
In regard to a city specific site – this could go in all kinds of directions!! From home sales (Which leads to banner sales for realtor advertisers) to restaurant reviews, places to go, things to do, etc etc… you would never run out of something to blog about, as you could just talk about your daily activites! Even a post about bad traffic on 1-26 at rush hour could bring additional traffic to the site and it could be monetized by offerring alternative routes and advertising GPS systems!
Fundraising could be a challenge at first, but once you get the content flowing and start talking about different fundraising methods, there are literally tons of products out there that could be related to it. From vistaprint t-shirts, to pens and any other fundraiser type products, you could monetize easily!!
BTW – Vistaprint pays $12.50/referral, for their FREE tshirt offer!! In other words, you send a visitor, they sign up for a FREE tshirt print offer, you get $12.50! Imagine if you multipled that by 1000 visitors in a week!
Mark
Hey Mark,
I have been browsing your site for a while now and I wanted to get some advice on my two test sites. I want to start a blog for both of them but i don’t really know much about the tickets one and while dragonball is a love of mine i don’t really know how i would blog about either one. I have seen your posts about intergrating wordpress into my sites, but i am unsure if i could be successful at it. Any help would be welcomed, and thanks for all the great info!!
Mark,
Some suggestions on my hobbies/Niches would be appreciated!
Ice Hockey
Tennis
Computers – Networking/Building/Free Software Etc./Support
Movies
Thanks!
@ Dave -
Looks like you have some great sites to focus on or choose just one and make fantastic!!
Hockey… drills, gear, rink locator, videos, etc
Same for Tennis… Training section, “understanding scoring” (I dotn have a clue and always wondered) rackets, balls, nets, homemade courts, health benefits, etc etc..
Computers… you could go all over the place with this one!! Pick the top 10 things people like to do with PC’s and just setup areas blogging/advising on each! From burning CD’s to making movies, setting up advanced things like dual monitors, home networks etc… in each post, you can explain the hardware, why itis used and where to get it!
Movies are tough… mainly because they are so cheap!! BUT… you could do movie reviews, home hardware reviews, promote places like netflix (I think they pay $25 per signup for affiliates)
Mark
Yup to many Biils. Thats why I added a G. after being a guest blogger.
I’m from New England too and grew up at Riverside Park watching races. It 6 flags now.
Great blog added to my reader.
I have a sports (soccer) site, its a fansite for a specific team in the English Premier League and traffic has been slowly building since I launched. On a good day I can get 1000+ uniques on a bad day 200+ uniques. I have 4 very good volunteer writers as well as myself providing the content and am well on the way to being an authority site in the niche.
My problem is monetisation. I have tried Adsense and it’s a waste of time. I may have a little luck with direct ads but i’m not sure. I did try a few affilliate programs but I just put banners into articles and they weren’t clicked on much. Considering a BANS or PHPBAY section of the site.
Have you any tips?
@ Shaun –
I would take a look at Clickbank to see if they offer some “Improve your Game” type offers. Aside from that, eBays UK program would be a great addition, showing team specific gear (Jerseys, souveniers, etc)
Since your blog is already active – I would go after phpBay, and maybe just start with the sidebar widget, showing 4-5 listings per page.
If you just want to test out effectiveness first, you can always just use the eBay Partner editor kit, to build a few widgets manually as well.
Mark
Thanks Mark,
I’ll give the Ebay partner kit a try to begin with and then maybe build on that with PHPBAY.
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