How To Build A Niche Site Series Part 1: Accepting The Challenge
Now that my series on building my new house is winding down I felt it was time to start a new series here at Stumble Forward but this time I really want to make this more of a challenge and that’s why I’ve decided to build a niche site from scratch. Along with that I plan to give periodic updates and document how to build a niche site as I go and share what I learn along the way as I build my site.
One of the big reasons I decided to start a niche site was because I’ve been reading a great series on how Pat Flynn built one of his niche sites back in 2010 and has been very successful with it. In fact, on his January 2013 income report he shared that he earned $3707.17 with that site. That’s not bad for a site that was entirely based on security guard training.
So in this article I’m going to cover my goals with my niche site, why I chose to build this site, and what I will be sharing about my site.
My Goal With This Niche Site
My goal overall is to earn a $1000 of residual income from this site on a monthly basis, and maybe more overtime. Now I can’t personally guarantee that this will happen but I will be working hard to make it happen. On top of that the reason I chose a $1000 a month is because I’ve built websites that have earned a $1000 a month and I know I can achieve that kind of income.
Now I should also mention this goal is also a challenge for me as well. In fact this is a challenge between my brother and I, who also happens to be my twin brother. The reason for the challenge is to push one another to achieve success. My brother is also in the process of starting a niche site right now which is perfect timing.
The great part about the challenge is that it will force us to try and outdo the other person. On top of that I also have a steak dinner on the line for this as well to make things fun.
Why Build a Niche Site
There are a lot of reasons I chose to build a niche site. Below are a few reasons I considered before I even got started.
- Simple. First off niche sites can be very simple to run. There will still be work involved to keep it running such as updating content and such but for the most part it won’t require a ton of work to maintain, which is exactly what I’m looking for.
- Focus. Secondly, niche sites focus on a very specific topic, instead being more of a general site covering many different topics.
- Not Hard To Get Started. Third, niche sites are not hard to get up and running. In fact, all you need is a little know how and you can be up and running in minutes.
- Cost. Finally, one of the biggest reasons I chose to build a niche site was because of the low barrier of entry. The cost to start your own website is very inexpensive these days. On top of that if the site doesn’t work out I won’t be out much either.
What I’m Going To Cover
Now that I’ve covered my goals and why I plan to build a niche site, there are certain things I plan to share along the way as I build my site out. My goal here is to be as transparent as possible and share as many of the details as I can. Now I don’t plan reveal the exact niche I’m using but I will reveal almost everything else from traffic, to rankings, to earnings.
Below is exactly what I will be sharing with you.
- Traffic. I plan to show specific traffic numbers and where visitors are coming from whether it be search, referral, or even direct traffic.
- Earnings. I plan to show a complete breakdown of where I’m earning money with this site and how much from each source.
- Rankings. I also plan to share the exact ranking for my main keyword, but I will not reveal the keyword itself. On top of that I will also be sharing how many different keywords I’m being found for in search as well.
- Site Stuff. Fourth, I will be sharing specific things I’m doing with my site such as page layouts, link placements, and so forth.
- Tools. I also plan to share tools that I used along the way as well. This could be keyword research tools to themes and plugins.
- Process. Finally, I plan to reveal any process I’ve done such as how I picked out my niche or how I set up the content management software and even do a little outsourcing.
Do You Want To Join The Challenge
Now that I’ve covered the basics of the challenge and what I plan to do, would you like to join in on the challenge and follow along as well. This could be a great way to earn some extra cash and if nothing else learn more about building a website.
I would certainly like to get a few extra people in the challenge to talk to and to see what we could really do here. Of course we don’t have to have any real bets between us. In the end if this could earn you an extra few hundred dollars a month and could be well worth the money, and if not that’s fine too, but I’d still like to hear your thoughts about the challenge as well.
Also depending on the time that you are reading this it doesn’t matter when you start. You can start now or whenever you want, time has no preference here. If you do plan be a part of the challenge just let me know in the comments below as I’d like to hear about your progress as well.
Finally, maybe you just want to follow along on the process, and that’s fine too. The easiest way to do that is to sign up to my mailing list so you can receive updates right to your inbox. To do that you can sign up below.
So do you want to be a part of the challenge too?
Great idea Chris! I’ve thought about maybe doing one in the future, as if I started another website right now I fear my wife might just shoot me. 😉
good luck Chris! same as John, no time at the moment but I hope to start one some day.
I have been toying with this idea for some time, but just don’t have the time to do it. I know that niche sites can be profitable, but they also require time and commitment to get there. I might join the challenge later down the road. Best of luck to you Chris and I hope that it goes well. I will be following your series.
HaHa! I agree John building a website can definitely chew up a lot of time, but once I got the heavy lifting done the site shouldn’t be to bad to manage.
That’s completely understandable Pauline, time is a precious commodity. At least for now you can follow along and maybe it will inspire you to go to that next step.
Sounds great Grayson. As far as time goes, I’ve been spending around an hour a day working on the site, but I do plan to do a little outsourcing once the site starts to turn a profit.
That’s awesome and I look forward to reading about your site. I’m not ready to be taking on any challenges like this yet but maybe in the future, who knows.
Can’t wait to keep reading your posts all about your site’s growth and continued success. Good luck!
This is a really awesome idea and I wish you the best of luck. I will look forward to your updates. I’m still trying to get my blog off of the ground, but if I do I may try my hand at a niche site some day.
Thanks a lot Mr. CBB. I’m sure this will be a great learning experience for us all. Whether it be successful or not I’ll still learn something from this even if I don’t earn one dollar from this website.
Thanks Jessica. I’ve already had some success with the niche site and I will be sharing that with everyone next week. Thanks for the comment.
Congrats on starting the blog Nick, it’s always a big first step to getting started but once your up and running things will get easier, at least this is what it’s been for me. Thanks for the comment and I look forward giving the updates.
Ok. I mind as well take the challenge. Ugh. Lol
Greg keeps talking about building a niche site. I think he may actually do it some day!
Great post, Chris! I may very well be interested in joining you at some point as we are thoroughly researching ways to bring in extra income right now. Can’t wait to learn more!
Sound awesome Holly, I’m been in the same boat for a long time wanting to start a niche site but for me I wanted to see some real numbers from others before I got started. That’s why I’m following what Pat Flynn has been doing because he has made it happen and is making some great money with niche sites.
That sounds awesome Laurie. Starting a new site can be exciting and a tad bit scary all at the same time because you don’t know if things will work out or not but in the end it’s still going to be a great learning experience that hopefully everyone will be able to learn from. Next week I’ll be covering how I picked my niche topic and how to determine if it is profitable.
Hey Chris,
Awesome idea. I followed Pat’s site when it first came out. I particularly like his clickable map (I use it on my site). My best advice is to have plenty of good resources/tools that are useful to your niche. If you can make those tools yourself, even better. It’s a great way to get consistent repeat traffic.
– Mike
Hi Mike, The clickable map is an awesome tool and it so happens that I’m going to be using it on my site. I also agree on the resources, making stuff that will draw back visitors time and time again is a big key to building a quality site. I should also mention I’m not building my site in exactly the same way Pat did with his but a lot of things will be similar. Thanks for the comment Mike.
Let’s do this!! I’m in. It should be interesting for me because I have no clue on an idea but would love the challenge. Sign me up.
Chris you should check out Spencer site at http://www.nichepursuits.com/ as he is building a site from scratch as well. He’s very good at this as he has build hundreds of them.
I too would like to join the challenge but I will do this later this year as I am still getting started on my primary site 🙂
Awesome Jon, it’ll be fun sharing what we learn together. I look forward to hearing about your results.
Thanks for the link Kevin. I’ve heard of this site before but I’ve never had the chance to look at it. I will defiantly give it a look. As far as the challenge goes jump in whenever your ready, or just follow along. Thanks for the comment Kevin.
Hey Chris, welcome back! I would love to build a niche site, however time is at a premium right now, however if in the future I can make it happen I will certainly join the challenge!!
No problem Jim, I know timing is different for everyone but whenever you do decide to I’ll be here to help you out.
Count me in on the challenge!! I’ve actually already started a small niche site as a follow-along to another public niche site project – but I haven’t really done anything with it yet. I only bought the domain, loaded WordPress onto it and loaded a theme onto it. I haven’t done anything with content or site layout yet. I’ll follow along with your series and keep you posted on my progress.
Sounds great Matthew. I look forward to hearing your progress.
Pat Flynn ROCKS!!! I have started a couple of niche sites since following him. The reality is that a profitable niche site won’t happen from 4-5 flimsy pages of spun content. Dozens of pages of original quality content are needed along with the know how on choosing the correct niche and keywords. Go Pat!!!! Thanks Chris!
Totally agree, Pat does rock. You are also right that you can’t build a profitable site with a 4 or 5 page site. Personally I think the best option is to build a high quality site built around a specific topic.