Jon is a prolific niche site blogger✍. Earns a living with fun blogs. Multiple niches (rinse n' repeat). No selling 👏. High RPMs👍. Loads of free traffic📈.
My "newer" smaller niche sites together earn more than $16,000 per month and are growing fast.
Here are 16 tips for growing from one site into a lucrative portfolio of sites.
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I’ve spent weeks studying Google’s updates and the fallout trying to get a handle on it.
The only conclusion I can come up with is that it appears there’s an unwritten set of Google Web publishing guidelines for a subset of Web publishers. I set out what I believe those to be
SEO feels like 2010 again.
• Forums / UGC dominate search.
• Short, straight-to-the-point content wins.
• Parasite SEO works.
• Local is child’s play compared to global. Huge opportunity there.
Makes me wonder why Google put time and money in all those updates over the
Stop quitting too soon.
I know it's hard, but you need to be patient.
It took me 6+ months and 500 articles before I saw any results from my blog.
But once it started rolling, there was no stopping it.
Don’t let impatience rob you of your dreams.
Money is in the niche.
Blogging about "health" = no.
Blogging about "fitness" = no.
Blogging about "yoga for pregnant women" = yes.
Niche down, and you'll see your income grow.
Here's how blogging works. It's a numbers game. Adjust numbers accordingly. These are my goal figures:
=> $30 per 1000 visitors
=> Avg. 300 visitors per article per month
=> 500 articles = $4,500 per month doing nothing.
A good "SEO" comes in many forms.
1. Keyword research specialist
2. Link building / content promo maestro
3. On-page and on-site ninja
4. Content ace
Master one and you need only be proficient with the rest to rank well. Master all and the SERPs are all yours.
Google's guidelines are meaningless.
Do X and as long as you don't do Y or Z you can rank in search.
Okay Google, we can do that. Thanks for telling us.
Outcome: deindexed.
It must be our fault, right?
Wrong.
It's not an even playing field.
The problem is that some
The year was 2014. My 8-month-old affiliate site was a failure. 1000s of visitors per day (Google & Facebook). It earned squat.
I was about to give up. I threw up some Adsense ads to earn a few bucks.
Next day: $176 revenue.
Last month: $88K.
Ads aren't totally bad
.
Outsourcing master thread.
Here's a worthy challenge for all you niche site publishers looking to scale while working less.
Figure out how to delegate/outsource every part of your content publishing process.
This allows me to do more working fewer hours each week.
Tips...
The hardest part of growing a niche site business is patience and publishing your first hundred articles. It really is.
This business won't happen overnight.
Set it and forget it niche site experiment launched 2 days ago.
Built out a narrow niche site in 8 hours. Found brandable domain. Launched it, did all KW research and ordered all content. Should be fully published in 4 weeks. Then wait 12 to 24 months to hit peak earnings.
Boring makes money. Lots of tedious tasks. Here's what I currently do almost daily:
✅Review published articles on all sites
✅Assign tags to articles
✅Ensure internal linking is spot-on
✅Post articles to various FB pages
✅KW research
✅Order content
✅Write
Repeat.
Finding the right topics and keywords is definitely the foundation for my being able to grow niche site traffic into millions of monthly visitors.
This is my simple 4-pronged test on how I choose keywords:
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8. My next batch of content would focus on the topics and types of articles Google favors.
At 250,000 monthly page views, I would hire writers if I had some extra money coming in.
I would not think about launching site
#2
until I hit 1 million monthly page views.
The END.
5-hour niche site build update. It's a contained niche.
First article was published Aug. 29/22.
102 total articles published to date.
59 articles WIP.
It's already getting traffic. The only outstanding question is how well will this site do in the next 24 mos.
Need links?
1. Look for roundups in your niche.
2. Publish content that’s a perfect fit for those roundups.
3. Reach out to those roundup blogs with write up, image and URL asking to be added.
I add this content to my roundups all the time.
Example of what I don't look for in a writer:
"I'm an SEO writer who can write on any topic you throw my way."
Example of what I DO look for in a writer:
"I'm passionate about X. I've written over 300 articles on the topic for a variety of publications such as X, Y & Z."
Google hammered 🔨 affiliate sites… twice. Affiliates quit in droves.
Is now the greatest 💥 SEO affiliate opportunity since 2007?
I’m thinking it might be‼️
My problem is I don't like ❌ writing affiliate content. I'm not big on CRO either.
7,900% SEO Increase in 3 Months
Misleading case studies are annoying.
"I grew traffic 7,900% in 3 months." The fine print says 10 to 790 visitors.
10 to 790 visits in 3 months is not genius. Don't fall for it.
100K to 1M visits/mo... that's genius.
You can make money by talking about what you love.
If you have an interest in something, start a blog.
Write 30-100 articles integral to the niche.
Get the site indexed and throw ads on it to start making $2-$10 per day.
Don't wait for inspiration. Create opportunities.
When I launched my first niche site, $2,500/mo was my goal (started as a side hustle). Seemed so far off. I'm glad I didn't cave to the daunting tasks ahead and instead gave it a shot.
Meaningful traffic and revenue seem so far off when starting but the years do zip by fast.
2023 is the year I launch and grow my first local service biz in 12 years. Up front investment is considerable. It’s thanks to my high profit margin niche site portfolio that I’m able go all out launching a local biz. Stay tuned for updates.
@NicheDown
Over the last couple weeks I’ve learned about some sites earning over $250k PER article PER month. My mind is blown. I’m inspired, EXCITED and motivated to make it happen. I’m all over this. Full speed ahead.
Being your own boss isn't easy.
But it beats waking up every morning with anxiety about going to work.
You can do better than that.
Take control of your life and start building something great.
I recently bought a cooked affiliate site from
@Motion_Invest
for $3,700.
So far I've added 59 info articles to it ($3,200 spent). Slapped on some ads.
Am close to doubling my investment in a few months.
It's just the start. Easy win as
@TheWebsiteFlip
calls them.
Some
@mediavine
publishers want a witch hunt and I'm not okay with that.
This statement is for the lone blogger out there doing their best.
Some publishers are asking that Mediavine (MV) set up a system where publishers can report "low quality" websites resulting in websites
Stop trying to be productive all the time.
Humans aren't machines, we need rest and breaks.
Take a walk outside, read a book or watch your favorite show.
Your productivity will thank you later.
9 Ways to Make Money from a Website
1. Sell stuff
2. Collect emails and promote as an affiliate
3. Sell sponsored posts
4. Paywall
5. Sell placements in listicles
6. Beg for donations
7. Consult
8. Offer services
Or just slap up ads and go to the beach.
The next best step is...
to publish another article.
Not once, in the 10 years that I've been at this, have I ever felt I wasted a day if I published something.
There have been many wasted days when I didn't.
You want to find a niche?
Here's what I do:
• Look for topics that interest me
• Research on Google Trends
• Check Ahrefs for competition and traffic
If it's profitable, great.
If not, move on.
My biggest win was starting a blog early.
I didn't overthink it.
I didn't wait for the perfect moment.
I didn't want to get everything right.
So don't waste time overthinking your next move.
Just start and adjust as you go.
Traffic down on two of my bigger sites the last few days beyond the usual fluctuations. Update taking its toll. Meanwhile, Ahrefs shows a record number of KWs in spots
#1
to
#3
. Will stay the course but working on some systems for making content better going forward.
This week I closed on a local service biz that operates in same niche as my primary niche site. I hired someone to run it (I’ll do the marketing of course). I hope this gives me plenty of insider insights in the niche to distinguish my site.
Yesterday I arrived home to find a really great new purchase my wife made for the house. I default to blog mode. Whip out my camera, snapped five photos. I published a killer new post this morning. As I type this tweet, that post is getting hammered with email traffic.
So, I'm in the bank yesterday in an office setting up a wire transfer. First thing I notice is the woman helping me has one monitor. I asked her if she ever considered asking the powers-that-be to provide two monitors. I said she'd get way more work done. She said "not going to
Mediavine:
✅ Off-the-chart RPMs ($73? Really? In June?)
✅ Best UX of any ad network (sky-high RPMs WITHOUT annoying header ads. Love it!)
❌ Payment is net 65 (boo!!!)
Worth it? YES. Do all you can to qualify. Game-changer ad network.
Niches make riches.
Don't try to appeal to the masses.
Focus on a niche audience instead.
Blogging about "parenting" = no
Blogging about "single parenting while working full-time " = yes
Get specific, make bank.
I’m obsessed with my niche site and I don’t know why.
After HCU obliteration a sane person might have decided to scrap it and move on.
The thought crossed my mind.
But I just couldn’t stop trying new things to make it hum again.
I like the niche plenty but it’s not my life.
Here's an affiliate marketing strategy to try on Pinterest and Facebook.
The goal is twofold:
• get clicks to your blog to earn ad and/or affiliate revenue.
• achieve decent engagement.
Find sizable Instagram accounts in your niche.
Look for posts that have both of the
If your blog has over 50k views per month and no ads,
You're leaving money on the table.
Stop:
• Doubting yourself
• Over-analyzing
Flip the switch, and turn on those ads.
The perfect moment is now.
Stop worrying about failing when choosing your niche.
Failure is just feedback.
You can always pivot and try again.
But the skills you'll learn along the way will be priceless.
How to make your content 2x more impactful?
Switch from telling to guiding.
❌ How you should do it.
✅ How I did it to get to X result.
People follow people, not robots spitting out advice.
Show them who you are and what you've done.
Success leaves clues.
You don't have to start from scratch.
1. Identify successful people.
2. Analyze how they got there.
3. Emulate what they do.
Don't reinvent the wheel. Just make it spin faster.
Is blogging harder in 2023?
I remember people asked the same question in 2013 and every year since then.
Every year the general answer is the same. It's both harder and easier. It both changes and is much the same.
Here's how it's harder and easier.
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Writing is the ultimate superpower.
It allows you to create value out of thin air.
If you can write well, there's no limit to what you can achieve.
Start a blog today and see where it takes you.
Blogging is ideal for people who like to write.
Hate writing?
You’ll have to pour money into content.
How much?
$20,000 at a minimum. Probably more. Then reinvest revenue.
It’s sweaty or money or both.
I went the sweat equity route.
This summer I took over 500 photos for my niche sites on my humble smartphone.
I have several more excursions planned with my family which means hundreds of more free photos.
Then: Airdrop, bulk resize, compress, rename, upload and add detailed alt text tags.
My article success rate is bordering on deplorable yet my sites make a lot of money.
Biggest site: 14% of my posts drive 84% of my search traffic.
Two Takeaways:
1) I have lots of room for improvement.
2) No need to strive for perfection to succeed with online publishing.
If you hire writers directly, invite them to come up with article topics they want to write ✍️ about.
When good writers like topics, they write stellar articles 👋. Go figure?
Saves you having to do KW research too. Win/Win 🏆🏆!!!
I've officially hit the December traffic and revenue doldrums. Happens every year through the New Year. I should be used to this annual slug to the gut but I'm not so I'll just go on vacation through the New Year. Problem solved. I'll probably stick around here on and off.
What kind of blogging business do you want?
Do you want to scale by managing people and processes?
Or, do you want to scale by focussing with personal branding and higher value content created by you?
It’s the manager vs. creator decision. Both work.
Your blog is like a car engine.
Every old part (post) in the engine slows the performance down.
So, find what you need to fix.
Update your posts every 6-12 months.
Take care of the engine.
One of my most valuable assets is my content ordering templates. Using these is how I get the articles I want without spending much time ordering articles in bulk.
If publishing ✍️ blogs is so great, why doesn't everyone do it?
Because while I think it's great 🌟, and maybe you think it's great, we both know it's a TON of work 🏗️🏗️🏗️🏢.
Seriously, unless you love it, there are easier ways to make a buck 💰.
One simple way to ensure much of your content is unique and offers information not found elsewhere on the Web is to write as much of an article as possible without research. Just write.
I often do this and then do research to fill in gaps to round it out.
Your old blog posts are like diamonds in the rough.
Polish them up with new information, images, and links.
You'll be surprised at how much value they still hold.
1. Choose a niche based on:
=> I know it.
=> I like writing about it.
=> I can take my own photos.
=> Content is easy.
=> There’s commercial interest (people buy stuff).
=> Thousands of low-competition keywords.
=> Ex: hobbies, sports, work experience, academic background.
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This is why I love programmatic ad revenue.
A business asked me if I could move them higher up in a listicle article.
I replied “$500 per month. Good to go?"
They respond “Too much. Do you have any data on that page?”
Programmatic ads pay me without haggling or getting data.
The ultimate blueprint for earning your first $1,000 online:
• Learn a high-income skill -> writing
• Use that skill to build a traffic source -> niche site
• Turn your traffic into income -> turn on ads on your site
It can't get simpler than this.
I was ripped off Black Friday thanks to my being lazy.
I ran Lasso plugin Amazon link scanner and noticed at least 20 tracking IDs across my sites that weren’t mine.
Check your Amazon tracking links regularly. Writers insert their’s (can’t say I blame them).
You don't need much to start your own niche site.
But you need to love either:
• SEO
• Writing
• Research
I started with no money, but my love for writing was enough to bootstrap it.
Love what you do and the rest will follow.
Sometimes you have to admit defeat.
I built a tech niche site on an old domain I used for a different niche. Dumb move on my part.
No matter what I throw at the site, it just won't grow.
Today I migrated the entire site to a fresh domain. Now I wait. Better late than never.
Today's ad revenue far, far exceeds what it was years ago when AdSense was the only game in town.
I'm reminded that back then, we could only put three banner ads plus two link units per page.
How things have changed... for the better.
This is the greatest niche site learning opportunity I’ve ever put together!
Registration is open. It's FREE!
What: 2-day Niche Site Virtual Summit.
Learn from 21 of the most successful folks in the niche site business. Each will give a 30+ minute in-depth presentation.
👇
Bloggers aren't surgeons so don't worry about it
I've only got this blogging gig about 37% figured out.
That's my publishing success rate. Dismal, right?
Not really. It's enough to be hyper-profitable.
There's room for error, unlike surgeons. Don't sweat it; just publish.
“You can’t do anything with $5 million, Greg. $5 million is a nightmare. Can’t retire, not worth it to work. Five will drive you un poco loco, my fine-feathered friend.” - Connor Roy, Succession.
Keep this in mind when deciding whether to sell your site or not. I sure do.
Here's a little blogging secret. Google tells you what it likes about your site.
How do you know what it is?
The articles Google sends traffic to are your winning topics. Do more of that.
2024 will be the year for creating new revenue systems.
I’ve embraced systems for years.
I started some new ones in 2023.
Time to scale in 2024.
• Pinterest traffic systems (started).
• Facebook traffic systems (ongoing).
• Local business systems (new in 2023).
• X
Terminology time:
(a) Brute strength blogger: high volume publisher. Target many KWs.
(b) Finesse blogger: Carefully craft epic content. Less is more. Much higher traffic per post.
Which one are you?
(a) Brute strength blogger,
(b) Finesse blogger, or
(c) both (hybrid).
I've onboarded with both
@mediavine
and
@weareraptive
over the years.
Once in, you have a ticket to print money. Take full advantage of it.
Here are 9 things to do within the first two weeks:
Do NOT sign a contract with an ad network.
You never know what opportunities will come along.
The truly great ad networks retain publishers with high revenue, not contracts.
I refuse when asked. Had signed, I would not be hitting RPMs anywhere close to this:
Your blog is not just a hobby, it's an investment.
The niche you choose can make or break its success.
So take your time and think:
Seasonal trends become irrelevant.
Evergreen topics don't.
Build on foundations meant to last.