For many people, the thought of building a website may seem like a daunting task and something that’s above their skill level.
With all the technology we have access to in 2016 you can now have a website up and running in only a few minutes with a few clicks of your mouse.
In today’s blog post I’m going to show you how to build a niche website in 6 easy steps and start making money in a short time after that.
I’m going to be sharing some really valuable information with you guys today so continue reading for all the juicy details below.
Step 1- Finding Your Niche (Topic Of Interest)
This is one of the most important steps when getting started online and it tends to be where most people get stuck. If you’ve had any experience online you may have been asked the question “What’s your niche”? lol
If you’re new to the online world you may scratch your head and say “What’s a niche”? When I started here 3 years ago, I did that same thing and was asked this question many times.
A Niche Is Nothing More Than A Group Of People Looking To Buy Something
Many people get confused when picking a niche and fail to understand the true meaning of the word. I’m going to break this down for everyone and show you how to find your niche.
I happen to be a gamer myself and I’m always looking for the newest games and accessories to hit the market. This means that I’m part of the video game niche. By itself, this is massive and you could probably create 100’s of sub niches off of this alone.
I will list a few ways to break this niche down below:
A Group Of People Interested In RPG Games- This would be extremely targeted and directed at a specific audience. You could build an entire site around this and help lots of people looking for information on this.
A Group Of People Interested In Action Adventure Games- This is another super targeted niche and there are thousands of people looking for help and need some direction here. You could build a site helping these people out and pointing them in the right direction.
A Group Of People Interested In Shooter Games- This is another targeted market that you could build a site around that provided people with helpful information on this popular genre.
A Group Of People Interested In Gaming Headsets- I actually have a gaming headset site that I started a while back and I have made many sales from it. I offer a variety of headsets from a ton of distributors and write thorough in depth reviews of each one. This is one of my hobbies and something I have been passionate about since I was a kid.
A Group Of People Looking For Gaming Accessories- While this is narrowed down pretty good, this could probably be narrowed down even more like I did with the example above. This would be another possible direction you could go with this niche by targeting people looking for information on the latest and greatest gaming accessories on the market today.
Do you see where I’m going with this? The more you narrow this down the easier it’ll be for you to talk to your audience and provide them with the information they’re looking for.
When I ask some people what their niche is they tell me health or weight loss. These are probably 2 of the most competitive and broadest niches out there. This is NOT something I would recommend you to start with unless you broke it down like I did above.
What excites you? What could you talk about for hours on end and never get bored with it?
What do you feel you could write about for up to 5 years and never run out of stuff to say about it? When you answer these questions and narrow it down like I have above, you will have found your niche.
Let’s move on, shall we?
Step 2- Doing Extensive Keyword Research Before You Buy A Domain Name To Determine How Many People Are Looking For Information In Your Niche
Now that you have discovered your niche it’s time for you to find out how many people are actively searching for information within your niche and find a domain name. There are many, many, keyword tools out there both free and paid that will provide you with these stats.
It depends on how deep you want to dig and how detailed of stats you are looking for. If you’re a newbie I would suggest starting out with free tools like Google planner or Uber suggest and eventually move up to the paid ones like Jaaxy and many others, when you gain a better understanding of what keywords are and how they work.
As many of you may know, I prefer to use Jaaxy for my keyword research because I can get detailed stats on any keyword I want, delivered to me instantly in under 1 min.
Following along with my gaming niche, let’s take a look at what people are searching for in this niche below.
I usually tend to go after keywords that get more searches and traffic than the one I have highlighted above, but in this particular case, I’m not worried about it.
Why you may ask?
I’m looking for a domain name that’s relevant, brandable, and describes what my site is going to be about, not a keyword to get ranked in the search engines.
I’ll get traffic from the content I create for this domain by doing extensive keyword research before I write any posts for it. I also like this particular keyword phrase because the.com is available, which should always be your first choice when looking for a domain name.
I wrote a post a while back, that shows you how to pick a domain name that not only describes your business but allows you to brand yourself as well.
Step 3- Buy Your Domain Name
Once you’ve done some keyword research and found a descriptive domain name and have verified that it’s available you need to snag it up before someone else does.
There are many places where you can purchase your domain name with the most popular ones being Godaddy and Namecheap.
Up until a month ago, I had always purchased my domains from Godaddy because I loved the fact that I could snag any domain that I wanted for a $1 for the first year.
That’s great, but what happens once that year is up? Go daddy tends to raise their prices and you usually end up paying anywhere from $15 or more each year just for your domain name.
This is solely for the name itself and it doesn’t include many of the other things you need like hosting and privacy protection.
Hosting prices vary depending on what package you go with based on your needs. This ranges anywhere from $6-$10 a month or more.
Privacy protection usually costs $7.99 a year which is added on to the cost of your domain each year. Like I said a few minutes ago, about a month ago, Wealthy Affiliate entered the domain world and revolutionized the way you buy domain names forever.
Instead of having to pay upwards of $30 a year or more you can get all of this plus more included in your domain purchase for less than half of what you would pay at Godaddy or Namecheap.
Take a look at the chart below for a detailed breakdown of this
It just makes sense to have all of this included in your purchase instead of having to fork over more money for features that should be included with your domain name wouldn’t you agree?
How To Buy A Domain Name At WA
Select how long you would like to register the domain for, fill in your contact details, and choose your payment method and you’ll be good to go.
You also won’t have to go through the confusion of changing your name servers or have to mess with any DNS settings as this is already handled for you as well when you buy your domains from WA.
Where you choose to buy your domain name is totally up to you and I could really care less where you buy yours from. If you’re like me, and are looking to save money and are technically challenged, then it would be in your best interest to stick with my top recommendation.
Click Here To Learn More About WA Domains
Step 4- Setup Your Hosting
You’re free to go with any hosting company that you would like and prices vary from one company to the next depending on which package suits your needs the most.
WA does provide state of the art secure and high speed hosting at no extra charge for up to 25 websites if you’re a premium member.
What hosting provider you decide to go with is totally up to you, but if you would decide to have WA host your sites they will take care of all of the technical details for you.
Like I said before other hosting companies charge anywhere from $6-$10 a month for their basic hosting plans, but if you’re looking for more advanced hosting packages this could get pretty expensive.
Step 5- Doing Research And Writing Content For Your Website
For some people writing content may sound like a pretty daunting task and it may require some people to step outside of their comfort zone to do this.
I can totally relate to how you must feel about now cause I felt the exact same way when I first started this business 3 years ago.
Writing content is nothing more than communicating with your audience just like you communicate with your friends and family through text messages and emails every day.
All of these forms of communications involve writing which is something you already do on a daily basis without even thinking about it.
I think of writing content as nothing more than sharing your thoughts and opinions about something you’re passionate about with other people and recommending what you feel would be their best option.
You can find out just about anything you want about something by doing the proper research on it.
Nobody is an expert at anything, and we were all new to this when we first started so don’t think you need to know a lot about any particular niche in order to be successful with it.
The Basic Layout Of How To Structure Content For Your Site:
- Product Reviews- This is how most niche sites make money. It’s a pretty simple concept once you know what you’re doing and can pay really well. I have a template that I follow when I write reviews which work out really well for me that I’ll share with you below.
This Includes:
- Product name
- Product Manufacturer
- The best place to buy
- A Brief Overview
- Pros vs Cons
- Important facts and features
- Product specs and customer ratings
- Overall product rating (Based on a 5 star rating system)
- Your personal thoughts and recommendations
The more information you provide people with the better. How many times have you searched for product reviews on a particular product before you purchased it online? If you’re like me, I always like to search for reviews first and see what other people’s experience was like before I spend my hard earned money on anything.
- Comparison Reviews- This is a widely popular way to show people the flaws as well as the strengths of any 2 similar products by putting them side by side. The template used for this style of reviews may be a little different but shouldn’t be much different than regular product reviews.
You’re basically comparing 2 products side by side and giving your #1 recommendation as to which one would benefit them the most and give them the most bang for their buck.
- Informative Posts & The Latest News Surrounding Your Niche- In order to keep your readers entertained and in the know about the latest news in your niche, it’s always a great idea to mix it up some and offer your readers with a wide variety of content so they don’t get bored or lose interest in what you got to say.
Step 6- Sign Up For Affiliate Programs & Get Paid From Top Companies Like Amazon, Walmart, & Best Buy
Once you get the foundation of your website in place and get a decent amount of content written, you’re naturally going to want to monetize it. You can do this by joining affiliate programs that sell products related to your niche. It’s free to sign up and you can get paid anywhere from 4% up to 75% commission depending on which affiliate program you decide to go with.
When you join, you’ll be given a special affiliate id that you’ll need to grab from the merchant and put onto your site. I usually put this somewhere towards the bottom of my page so that people have a chance to read my review before making any purchasing decisions.
Every time someone clicks on your link and makes a purchase you get a portion of that sale, depending on the commission rate that the merchant is offering per sale. This can really start adding up after a while and it took me about 3 and half months before I made my first sale.
Shortly after that, it began to snowball and it has really paid off for me.
My Final Thoughts And Recommendation
I have covered quite a bit of material in just 6 steps and this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can use this article as a guideline for getting started in the online world and a way to start making your first couple of sales online. If you are willing to step outside of your comfort zone and learn some life changing skills, I would highly recommend that you check out Wealthy Affiliate. This is the place that taught me everything that I have shared with you guys today and the reason why I have been so successful online. I would advise you to check them out for yourself and see what they can do for you.
I really hope this has helped everyone today and that I have been able to break down this process for everyone and show you how to have your very own niche website up and running in 6 easy steps. If there’s anything I left out or if you have any questions about what I’ve covered in this article, I would love to hear from you.
Leave me your comments, questions, or any feedback you have for me in the comments below. I will get back to you A.S.A.P.
Jerry D Little
Hay; Hi, Scott. How are you, My name is Jerry I am 73 years old, and I was one those that has taken the ride on the old ( My Traffic Business,) train. and there site dump me into Cool handle site, well that was a $1811.00 bust. Still working with the bank, for money Back, and calling cool handle on refunding . but so. so, I came across your write up on MTB. Well still wanting to do the online sales with Niche Website niche being (clothes & Golf ) to start out with & go from their. do you think (Wealthy Affiliate) would Be a good starting point for this old man? thank you for reading my junky note,
Scott Newkirk
Hey there Jerry!!
Sorry to hear that you were taken for a ride by Mr. James Wendall (AKA My Traffic Business) to the tune of $1,811.00 Ouch!!
However, it’s great to hear that you’re working with the bank & trying to get your money back.
I’m glad that this negative experience hasn’t turned you off from making money online building niche sites.
If you have basic computer skills (Checking, reading, replying, to emails, surfing Facebook) & have basic knowledge, I think you would be an excellent candidate for Wealthy Affiliate.
Don’t take my word for it though!!
Check out my detailed Wealthy Affiliate Review Here for yourself to see if this is something you could see yourself doing over the long term.
With their Free Starter Membership, you’ll be provided with everything you need to get your niche website off the ground & up & running.
Furthermore, you’ll also have me there to guide you in the right direction & answer any questions you may have moving forward.
I have built several successful niche websites that bring in some pretty good money by utilizing the awesome training at Wealthy Affiliate.
I hope this has answered your questions & if you have any further questions please let me know Jerry.
I really am looking forward to working with you Jerry & helping you out in any way I possibly can.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Cheers
~Your Friend, Scott~
Vanja
Hi Scott
I came across your page when researching wealthy affiliate reviews.
I was hoping you can offer some advice as I am looking to start up an online business related to the health, fitness and lifestyle niche.
Now I’m not sure if WA would be suitable for this or should I be looking at something more in depth.
Basically I am a novice when it comes to doing much online and I would like to create a blogging, education type service as well as provide consultation, programs and memberships etc.
My ideas are not really all that structured yet as I am still brainstorming but def ready to take the next step and develop a career online.
If you have a minute please let me know your thoughts and any ideas you may have
Kind Regards
Vanja
Scott Newkirk
Hi Vanja,
I’m glad that you were able to find my website while searching for information about Wealthy Affiliate. If you’re looking to start a website in the health and fitness niche then you would need to narrow this down as this niche is pretty broad.
WA would be the perfect place for you to do this and we have many other members who currently run a health and fitness style website that you could pick their brain and bounce ideas back and forth.
We were all new to this whole online thing at one time or another Vanja (Myself included) When I started here a little over 4 years ago I didn’t know the first thing about websites and my computer knowledge was limited.
You could definitely start up a blogging educational type of site where you offer consultations and memberships.
However, If you’re just getting started with limited knowledge then I wouldn’t jump into running a membership site just yet as this can really be a headache if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I would recommend that you start out with the basics and add to it once you start learning more and expanding your knowledge on whatever niche you decide to go into.
I will also be there to help you out every step of the way Vanja and get you headed in the right direction.
I would suggest that you get started by clicking the link above that says “Get Started Building Your Niche Website Today”to create your free starter account and complete your profile with an image and description.
I’ll be sending you my personal welcome message welcoming you to the community and providing you with the link to your first training course 30-60 minutes after you join.
I really am looking forward to working with you Vanja and if you have any other questions or need my help please let me know.
Cheers
~Scott~