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Choosing your Website Topic and Reviewing the Demand

In yesterdays post about The Start of an Authority Website, one of the key things I focused on was finding a topic that actually interests you. Low and behold the timing was perfect and over at Elijah’s blog about their own Ups and Downs of Affiliate Marketing, I saw a post this morning of 20 Questions with Paul Piotrowski.

Paul’s site, Inspired Moneymaker, talks about this exact thing! Making money doing what you love to do! I mean, who doesn’t have their own idea of a dream job, doing exactly what trips their own triggers?! I had never read anything from Paul’s site before this morning and after just a few minutes of browsing, I found this post about Making your First Dollar Doing what you Love. Its a quick read… but truly gets to the point of reaching a small goal and getting started on doing what you truly love to do!

What Else do I Like to Do?

I am truly a do-it-yourself kind of person. Whether that is swapping an alternator on a car, replacing a leaky faucet in the bathroom, hanging a wall mounted TV stand, (I promise Kim, I will get it done) or even scraping down a popcorn ceiling and repainting it smooth. I have pretty much done it all where DIY projects are concerned and have quite a bit of experience doing so! Another huge aspect of my personality, is that I love to help others! Why not combine the experience of the DIY projects, with the ability to not only help others, but probably learn quite a few new tricks at the same time?!

What do Most People Look for on the Web?

Plain and simple… Information! Most of the time, the information they receive can lead to sales! How many times every day do we all go to our favorite search engines and look for information, or a solution to a problem? I know I do it myself at least 25 times every day! Sure, I occasionally land on a spammy looking website, but 9/10 times, the results in an engine like Google are spot on with a quick answer to my request.

Here is a quick example of someone who built a site based on their own love for bikes. I searched google for “fix a bike” and this site was the second result on the page. As you can see, the site owner has written a very useful and thorough section on common repairs, tools, and just about everything to do with bike repair. That unique and thorough content is highly capable of being monetizedand turned into quite an income beyond the adsense alone, if he chose to do so! The first thing he did however, was build the content based on his skills and passion!

So What am I Going to Do?

I am stepping away from a tightly focused product niche and instead, building 2 tightly focused sites! One based based on information, the other based only on products! The niche itself is “Do it Yourself” and the domains (I bought 2 domains to side by side test) are:

  1. DIYReviews(dot)net - This site will be a very targeted blog with reviews of the different types of products for specific do it yourself projects. Along with the blog, the site will also have a BANS store, a section for Amazon products and several other product level sections. In addition, I am going to add a user-to-user forum, where people can share their own experiences from DIY projects. I will invest a portion of EVERY DAY into adding unique content to this site!
  2. DIY-Reviews(dot)com – Will be a standalone BANS store with category level unique content and highly focused store categories, based on the different types of popular DIY projects most are willing to undertake. On this site, I am going to invest only the minimum amount of time to get it moving int he right direction, then add new content on a very limited basis.

Why am I building 2 Sites?

Truthfully, alot of this is still an experiment to me as well! I wish I could sit here and say that just by going to a blog, you will not only quadruple your income, but also have something that will last forever… but I can’t! Sure, I have a few other side by side comparison sites right now, and those with a blog DO perform better in both traffic and earnings, but not from the point of day 1. Those other sites were already active stores and were simply converted to my own needs.

I want to be sure that everything I am doing is worth the time investment, which I am confident it will be!

Free Domain Pickings!

I mentioned yesterday that I have a small list of domains I am going to do NOTHING with! In total, I have 359 domain names, not including Kim’s! Some of them are simply parked and awaiting future projects, others are 4-letter .coms, .nets or dictionary words, that I hope someone will want more than I do one day!

The list of 14 domains below are either parked, developed, or some stage in between! Heck, some of them have more than 100 indexed pages! Some only have a few months left on their domain life and others have almost a year… Almost all of these domains were purchased for their viability as a BANS site, based on keyword research before they were registered! The Pr3 site I have was offered to a friend who likes to debate politics… I am just waiting to hear back from him before it gets put on the list also!

This first list is truly very small compared to the list of sites I have doing nothing right now… It is just out here to see if anyone wants one of them.

Domain Name :: Expiry Date

  1. BUY-GAME-TICKETS .COM :: 10/22/08Transferred!
    Great for a sports fan, Football, Baseball, Basketball etc.
  2. BUYGAMETICKETS .NET :: 10/22/08Transferred!
    Goes with #1… choose one, get both!
  3. RACE-JACKETS.COM :: 10/28/08 Transferred
    Racing fan site?
  4. BUY-FIREPLACE.COM :: 11/08/08Transferred!
    Anyone interested in a home accessory site? Slide in fireplaces, mantles etc.
  5. THEGASLOGS.COM :: 11/08/08Transferred!
    Gas Logs… enough said!
  6. RACINGGIFTS.NET :: 01/05/09 Transferred!
    ANY kind of racing… including the horses! Gift site just in time for Xmas.
  7. HOME-SERVERS.COM :: 01/09/09
    This was bought after reading an article that 80% of US homes will have a home server delivering all media (TV, Music, etc) within 5-7 years! PC Magazine article dated in December or January of this year. Great topic for a tech savvy person!
  8. RV-AWNING.COM :: 03/05/09Transferred!
    Interested in Camping? Own and RV?
  9. BINOCULARGEAR.COM :: 03/31/09 Transferred!
    Binoculars are a HIGH PAYING niche!
  10. VISION-AIDS.COM :: 03/31/09Transferred!
         Glasses, Binoculars etc
  11. SCOOTERADVENTURE.COM :: 04/04/09 Transferred!
    Scooters, segways etc.
  12. SCOOTERGEAR.NET :: 05/09/09Transferred!
    Same as #11
  13. MEETTHEMERCHANDISE.COM :: 07/08/09 Transferred!
    Very broad toics… wholesale merchandise, closeouts, clothing, etc etc.
  14. MEETTHEDRIVERS.COM :: 07/19/09 Transferred!
    Another racing related domain! Driver bio’s and collectibles would be an easy target!

If you want one of these domains – just post a claimed comment and I will strike it out and forward it along to you. Please don’t email me first!! If you send an email and someone else claims it with a comment during the interim, I have to go by the comment. Also, when you DO post your comment, DO NOT put the .com or .net behind the domain you want, it will trip my domain spam filter and it won’t post to the comments section automatically. Whoever chooses the buygametickets domain WILL get both of them… its just the right thing to do! :-)

The ONLY requirement I have is that you MUST have a GoDaddy account for the transfer. Once you post the claimed, shoot me an email with your GD account ## and the email address your account is registered under for the transfer process. Keep in mind that even though

Before someone asks WTF are you giving these away for? I am simply not going to renew them and want to shoot them out to you for your own opportunities!

Mark

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About the Author, Mark Hansen

has written 573 article(s) at the Niche Store Builder site.

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. 

Latest Readers Who Commented on This Article

40 Comments »

  • Mark said:

    I’ll take Binoculargear please.

    Thanks

    Mark

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 3:32 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    Binoculargear – Gone!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 3:36 pm
  • Gerry said:

    Hi Mark,
    Another great post. I’m looking forward to this series and will be following along with a domain or 2 of my own.
    I would be interested in the BINOCULARGEAR domain if it is still available.
    cheers

    Gerry

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 3:44 pm
  • Gerry said:

    Hi Mark – Oh wll a bit too slow on binocular gear but if RACINGGIFTS is still going ….
    cheers

    Gerry

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 3:47 pm
  • Elijah said:

    Paul’s site has been a source of inspiration for me for quite a while – and I really enjoyed having him stop by and play with us!

    Those are some great domains – wish I had the extra cash right now, but I’m working on my first niche site flip so all my beans are in that basket!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:02 pm
  • Courtney said:

    Ok so I am dying to read whats next….I have my ideas…I have my domains….I am ready to get ready already! Thanks Mark!

    Courtney

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:06 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Gerry – All yours!

    @ Elijah – no funds needed… claim a name and its yours.

    Mark

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:10 pm
  • Courtney said:

    Can I have meetthedrivers?

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:12 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Courtney

    Done!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:13 pm
  • Jimmy said:

    Scooter Gear would be great. If I’m not too slow.

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:17 pm
  • Mark G. said:

    Mark, I’ll take ScooterAdventure if its still available.

    Mark G.

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:21 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Jimmy – Yours!

    @ Mark G – Poof… Yours!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 4:24 pm
  • Matt said:

    Hey, cool! Can I have vision-aids?

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 5:02 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Matt –

    Yours!

    Note to all… I am having a PILL of a time getting GoDaddy to work this afternoon!! I am going to step away from it for a few hours and see if it will work later tonight.

    I am keeping your emails active with account info and will let you know as soon as the transfer occurs.

    Mark

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 5:10 pm
  • Dan said:

    Hey Mark,

    I am the same way, I work on everything I can until there is no other choice but to call someone who can fix it, usually Google! May I have home-servers (DOT) com please, let me know what you need, thanks!

    Dan

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 5:13 pm
  • Mista Bombdiggity said:

    Homer-Servers, please.

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 5:15 pm
  • Nadiya said:

    Id like BUY-FIREPLACE.COM :: 11/08/08 please – thanks

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 6:24 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Dan – Home-Servers is yours.

    @ Mista Bomb… his comment got yours by a mere 2 minutes! You were probably typing yours when he was posting his.

    @ Nadiya – Yours!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 6:42 pm
  • Shelley said:

    Hi Mark,

    I’d love the game tickets if there still up.

    Cheers

    Shelley

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 6:50 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Shelley -

    All yours – Both of them!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 6:52 pm
  • Nadiya said:

    Sweeet – thanks so very much!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 7:08 pm
  • John said:

    Hey Mark

    If buy-game-tickets.com hasn’t been claimed yet I will try and make ya proud

    As alway, a pleasure!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 7:45 pm
  • John said:

    Ok so I got beat out how about meetthemerchandise

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 7:51 pm
  • Sonia said:

    Boy, they’re going quick!

    I would love rv-awning, please.

    Thanks!
    Sonia

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 8:23 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ John – MeettheMerchandise is yours!

    @ Sonia – rv-Awning for you! (Alot of demand for this niche!!)

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 8:25 pm
  • Shelley said:

    Hey Mark,

    Thanks so much.

    I think this will be a fun one to mess around with and will work in well with another site I have.

    Cheers

    Shelley

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 8:56 pm
  • Josh said:

    Mark, I’d love THEGASLOGS.COM if no one has claimed it.

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 9:24 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Josh -

    Claimed!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 9:32 pm
  • Jon said:

    Mark,

    I’m currently enrolled in the Blog Mastermind coaching program, and have read many other resources on affiliate blogging. Everyone says that it may take 6 months or more before a blog begins to gain traction.

    Here’s my question for you: How long are you going to continue the experiment?

    It’s entirely possible (and this is just hypothetical) that the BANS-only site will earn quite a bit more than the blog initially, but the blog would do better over the long haul.

    So I’m curious how long you’re going to commit to the experiment?

    Thanks!

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 10:10 pm
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Jon –

    VERY good question! I truly expect the BANS only site to earn the first $1… but on the same token, I expect each visitor will be a one-time visitor, not coming back for more…

    I actually intend to track everything on this site on a monthly basis, indefinitely!

    I am in the midst of enrolling myself in the Yaro’s program as I think it will help me maintain focus during this entire process, so we will be able to share our experiences!

    Mark

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 10:18 pm
  • Courtney said:

    Question…has anyone heard of freshdrop.net? I came across it today in a blog (go figure) that i was reading and it looks like it may be a pretty cool tool to find domain names.

    Anyone have any experience or guidance?

    Courtney (Newbie)

    Reply – Quote
    # 10 September 2008 at 10:34 pm
  • Lionmom100 - Yael said:

    Hi Mark,

    I would like to try this one.

    RACE-JACKETS

    Yael

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 2:57 am
  • Mark (author) said:

    @ Yael -

    All yours!

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 6:34 am
  • Bill said:

    I use fresh-drop all the time. Aged domains offer a number of advantages over new domains so if I can find one relevant to the niche I am building then i will scoop it up off Fresh Drop.

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 6:50 am
  • John Treby said:

    Hi Mark,
    To get a niche idea of your life is to me the only way to go-lets just forget Bans for a moment-Yes I make a small amount of money as I mentioned leaching off the back of big players on Bans-However put up a few really basic web sites not blogs -which I now believe are better-selling weight loss etc-the one that really went well is my basic web site for my dog walking in Sydney Aussie-what am i trying to say here -is that a real basic web site with not enough content but straight to the heart as i love animals gets a few hits-Now imagine because i love animals i had great content-take a look at this Squidoo lense-you have to say she has a passion on Polar Bears http://www.squidoo.com/polarbearsvideoshowcase
    I feel she had no idea how popular it would be,but she had a passion in life-And you can imagine how far you can take a dream or hobbies into a earning factor-you are right Mark -people want content and info- just to change things -I have a web site not bans- i want change my main web site to wordprees so they look the same? have bought from you a web site that does that-i have 5 bans sites with some wordpress some not-what i feel is to have all my sites built on a word press theme even if they are not bans-need some help and feedback-always remember thank you for past help this is my work web page–www.dogsbfit.com.au a real basic site-any advice is great
    John

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 7:18 am
  • John Treby said:

    Sorry just looked at her site-she seems to have gone now with more videos and less content-still has some good hits
    John

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 7:23 am
  • John said:

    I think scooteradventure.com has a nice “ring” to it!

    Still available?

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 9:01 am
  • Jeff Jones said:

    Mark,

    I am really interested to see what your side-by-side experiments do starting from post one.

    Like you said, adding a blog to a site can only help but starting out two sites with similar goals but different methods should prove very educational for all of your readers.

    Thanks for the great content as always,

    Jeff

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 10:06 am
  • Matt said:

    Thanks, Mark!

    Reply – Quote
    # 11 September 2008 at 2:39 pm
  • shooglesk said:

    Greetings I’m new here
    And it looks like a good forum, so just wanted to say hello! :):):)
    And looking forward to participating.
    Going on vacation for a few days, so i’ll be back

    Reply – Quote
    # 17 December 2008 at 5:57 am