Mini sites vs. Authority sites and a few questions in between :-)
Hi everyone,
I have been studying a lot the last few weeks, and some of the big
cannons in the "Make Money online" niche keep talking about 5-15
pages mini-sites that keep the money flow coming in.
First question is, if I create a mini site with 15 pages, will I keep my
ranking let us say 6months after without creating new content?
I am thinking of creating 10-15 mini-sites and having one authority site
with a decent content flow (3-5 posts every week, mixed with information and
reviews). My concern is that I need to keep 10-15 sites updated with content
every week, which would make this strategy really hard Work. :-)
Just want to know if this "mini-site" thing really is a
mini-scam or if it really Works to create a site build up upon product selling.
Thank you for reading, and even more for helping!
/Thomas
Recent Comments
23
Hi Thomas. I'm not an expert but here's my 5 cents worth...
Stick to building one site for the moment. I have a landing page site that I will be tweeking in the next couple of weeks. But I am not touching it at the moment as it is better to concentrate on one project at a time. If you spread yourself too thin and you don't have a truckload of experience you will go at a snail's pace and never finish any one site. Especially writing 30 - 50 posts per week and keeping them up to date. You do need to do something with your site as Dom below writes, otherwise it will be a dormant site in the search engines eyes.
Many of the guru's made money not from what they did with their sites, but with selling a product. They make everything look easy, but they have been around for years and know all the tricks of the trade. Including how to sell the dream to others.
Just my thoughts and rantings :)
Indeed. Nothing comes overnight :-)
I have 2 Projects I run parallel. That way I can write about things that interest me, and learn tons of new things while doing it. Hopefully I will get some traffic on my way. :-)
Thank you for your comment, it makes perfect sense.
/Thomas
Mini sites probably worked more effectively back when you could buy an EMD and rank it overnight, they might still get a bit of ranking here and there, but without being consistently updated it won't be a lot of traffic, and who is saying a mini site will get income anyway. Sorry to break it to you, but getting traffic is just step one. Having to test 10 sites to see what pitches work and what products are good (each niche is totally different) would be a nightmare.
Well I found Andrew Hansen’s Forever Affiliate program, which is built upon making mini-sites to test niches for revenue, and then expanding them. I think Ryan Moran is doing something likewise with his 6-figure income project.
Was just wondering if it would be worth investing in. I like the WA model much more. Having an authority site is the way for me right now.
I agree with you that testing 10 sites seems like a nightmate lol. And that's exactly what I don't want. :-)
I dunno about those guys, probably they've been doing that model for years, since it worked back in 2005, and now they make their money selling that program to others. Even if it doesn't work now, it worked once before, so they are able to sell it to others and therefore they are still big cannons...sound right?
Yes makes sense. I know that I won't Invest in their products. I'm going to follow the training here, and make a few Authority sites and see how it goes. :-)
I did andrew Hansen's forever affiliate program. I had 3 mini-sites, now grown to over 30+ pages of content each, earning me affiliate income. I did minimal work on them now, building some white hat backlinks monthly. The rankings are still there are 1 year. So i won't say it is not working.
I built 10 mini sites, 3 profitable, 7 flops.
Im making profits, and it works, so i do recommend him.
BUT, his strategy is different from WA's.
I would say start with an authority site because if you go strait into trying to have many mini sites anchored by an authority site you are immediately putting yourself in competition against the people who have been doing that for years and have a lot more knowledge. Train for that marathon before you try competing with the hardcores. Make your mistakes with the authority site and then branch out.
I agree with the others below for the most part... at least in the beginning... There is a lot of work to do on the main site first...
many tweaks that must occur to generate the traffic you need to make it rank and be relevant. You need to be focused on every aspect of your site at this time... learning where your visitors are coming from and which article or link or service brought them there. If there are articles and posts that aren't generating anything, create new ones...
If they are coming from search, what words or phrase are bringing them and replace the words that brought nothing... it is all these little things and more that help you become a great site. Do that first and generate revenue, then think about your next site.
This is just my opinion and experience... Good luck!
Hi Mama2,
You are totally right. This is my plan for at least the next six months. There is a lot to learn going forward. Still have a lot of lessons here in WA.
Thank you for commenting. It really motivates me to keep going. :-)
You will be fine. It takes time to master all that one must to be an effective marketer... but that's not all... in the end you are not just building a website, you are creating a business... think about that, your very own business for very little investment! this is why it is so important to think carefully about your niche, and to make sure it is a niche that can be monetized in some manner. Google sites that are competitors so you are aware of what you are competing with and how you can be better then them... look at the 1st page competitors.. you will learn a lot. Remember, you are the brand... and must build a website you would like to visit... something you are proud of...one that cuts through the clutter, not just a another wordpress site. And I wil now climb down off my soapbox and let you get back to work...:)
Without being a voice of gloom - I wouldn't go there is you're just starting out. Not only will you have an issue with trying to run that many sites when you're just starting out - if you make a mistake you will be make them on all of them at the same time. Personally I think that you are better starting with an authority site
Hi Beverley,
Thank you for commenting. 10-15 mini sites was my long term strategy, but I wanted to have some oppinions on the "mini-site" subject before planning on the long term strategy.
I think your right. I am going to stick to a few sites the first 3 months and then if I find a working strategy with mini-sites, produce a few more of em.
It's a different "style" to what's taught at WA, and there's the risk that Google can slap a mini-site at any time. There's also anecdotal evidence that if you do them it's worth separating them out from your main authority site completely, including not using your Google Authorship, etc. I personally couldn't be bothered to work that hard, I'd rather build a business than a website which is what I've done following the training here, but that's me. :) Rich.
Hey Richard,
I guess your model is different from mine. My main goal is to build an authority site within my niche, and then start building these mini-sites to earn some revenue. However I am in doubt that they work, because the training here mention nothing about mini-sites. At least not the training I have been going through so far. :-)
However, if the "mini-site" thing are not working, then there is no reason to Work in that direction.
Thank you for commenting, it is great to get some opinions on the subject.
I know some people here that enjoy success with minisites, but most seem to view them as "disposable", ie. they might get in quick on a new product or promotion, make as many sales as they can and then if the site "tanks", they're not concerned, they've already moved on. I earn my living from the one site, although I'm considering a second and perhaps a third because there are some very different areas I'm interested in and believe I can add a unique "slant" to the marketplace. I'd certainly follow Diva B.'s (@BIS) advice though about cutting your teeth on one at a time, it prevents you duplicating and having to correct any mistakes you might make across multiple sites. :) Rich.
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Thanks for the follow! After a lot of trial in error here is what I do. One site, with my name for soliciting Internet Marketing work that's where my affiliate marketing articles go. Site two, a big lifestyle site where I can put articles I like writing about. Maybe someday it'll make money. Site three, my money maker-maker site. Site four, a magazine site about my money maker site. Four sites is enough to manage.
And thank you for sharing this. I am a bit curious. How is the "money-making" site structured, is it purely reviews, or does it include articles with "information only" for the readers or how is it set up? :-)
I am still in the "Get traffic" stage, but it is getting better each day.
Hi Laursen, I just sent your site review. A money-making site has compelling content that attracts and offers a set products tailored for the niche. Visitors become recurring customers. Normally, you need to be able to buy ads and consistently earn more than you spend.
Great, thank you for answering. I love that I learn something new each and every day in here. :-)