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I know passion about the topic is key, but what about branching out and going after content topics that are in demand (more $$), would you pros (and semi pros : ) ) advise against picking a topic and becoming a self made expert on it (hanging out at Barnes & Noble all day..haha) AND then putting together site(s)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Al
1. The higher the value ($$) the more competition you have which generally makes it harder to get a good position in SERPS etc and in turn less traffic.
2. The lower the value, the less competition there is and the easier it is to get a good position in SERPs, and more chance of getting traffic. If you are interested in a subject then so are others.
3. If you know your subject it will shine through in your content, you will have less of a problem keeping it upto date and fresh.
I don't pick topics based mostly on earnings potential
Sometimes the weirdest topics can end up making a lot of money.
I would not limit myself to things I have a big passion about. Keep in mind just like your audience you have a discovery mode where intrigue and interest have the capability of turning into passion for new things. You really don’t know what you’re capable of being interested in until after you have already started, so just keep starting!
I would write about things you hate, more specifically things you dread. We live in a service economy where we pay others to deal with the things we would rather not mess with. People dread things because they are complicated, frustrating, and not fully understood. If you have ever faced an unpleasant 3 hours with a customer service rep and in the end were successful in your efforts, then I bet you others would like to know what worked for you. Confront a problem, solve it, document it and publish it.
I personally have found that time is of the essence in writing on new topics. If something is new and has not been discussed you must act upon it first.
And therein lays the Catch-22. If the item/topic is new and unknown then ads for it will not exist. If the topic is not known but not popular then ads for it will not exist or be extremely unprofitable. If the item is popular then you face big competition on the webmaster side and opt-outs on the Adsense/Adwords side if your site does not rank well.
You will waste time if you follow the "build a better mousetrap" philosophy when it comes to trying to outrank already high ranking content/sites. No matter how "optimized" your site is your competition has the advantage in terms of trust, age, backlinks, indexing, etc.
On the other hand, if you find yourself very frustrated with the results when trying to find something via search then that is one mousetrap I would try to re-engineer. What I have found is that bad information gets duplicated just as much as good information. If all you can find is bad information then your contribution to good original content would be sorely appreciated by your users!
So do your research on the keyword/topic side, structure your site/articles correctly and strike just before the iron is hot.
If it is good, but unpopular, remember today's unpopular article is tomorrow’s long tail hit. (Ugh, I said that phrase.)
One more thing. If your topic is really good, don't sell yourself short for pennies on the dollar by using Adsense. If it is that good then sell your solution directly.
- If you're a writer (or, better yet, a writer-editor) with subject expertise, then it makes sense to build an information site around what you know and are capable of writing about.
- If you're primarily a techie whose skills are on the programming and SEO side, then you may be better off developing your site as an application (a la TripAdvisor or Webmaster World).
As for picking a topic that's "commercial," remember that the same topic can have advertising potential or not, depending on your focus and audience. For example:
- A travel-planning site could a great source of revenue, while a travel-narrative site probably wouldn't be (because the latter would appeal to armchair travelers instead of people who are researching how to spend their money on trips).
- A travel-planning site geared to middle-class travelers is likely to be more profitable than a travel-planning site for hitchhikers, because middle-class travelers are looking to spend money while hitchhikers want to avoid spending money.
Finally, if you're entering a crowded category, look for ways to distinguish your site from the existing leaders in that category. Does the world need another general travel site about Rome? Probably not. Might there be an opportunity for a Rome travel site that's geared specifically to Catholic pilgrims (including those who buy religious-themed tours, tickets to papal audiences, etc.)? Maybe. Find a potentially profitable niche that hasn't been done to death (and which you won't lose interest in three months from now), and you'll have a better chance of earning traffic and income over the long haul.
However, in keeping with the business model approach, it's clear that not every topic that holds revenue generating promise is going to stimulate the juices. On the other hand, I've found that as I gain more knowledge about a subject, creation of content becomes easier and quality of the output, over time, tends to improve significantly. Also, I believe you can have passion for a topic and still do a crappy job, or have no passion for it and do a wonderful job. Plenty of website developers perform beautifully for their clients regardless of a site's genre.
You need either a real knowledge and passion for a subject or an "idea" for something. In any case it wont "fly" unless its truly good in the "i must send links to my mates/collegues" and if a webmaster sees it they WANT to link... Not every writer can do this as witnessed here - Or is a best seller. Not everyone can be a JK Rowlings. Most of us are the rest of the shop and unsold...
[edited by: Genuine1 at 1:09 am (utc) on July 24, 2007]
Also, I believe you can have passion for a topic and still do a crappy job, or have no passion for it and do a wonderful job. Plenty of website developers perform beautifully for their clients regardless of a site's genre.
Sure, but they've a clear, immediate motivation: guaranteed paychecks for the work they put in. Becoming a Web publisher is more like writing a book: It's easy to start, but it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep plugging away for rewards that are uncertain (and which are likely to be a long way off).
It's easy to start, but it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep plugging away for rewards that are uncertain (and which are likely to be a long way off).
You should have placed that statement in bold because it needs to be.
I don't think I could write well enough about a topic I wasn't personally interested in, no matter what the $$ value of the subject.
See, you guys are locked into the DIY mentality.
I rarely write my own content and don't scrape content either.
Let your MEMBERS that are passionate about the topic write your content, a forum or blog is one example, but not my favorites for making money.
Think COMMUNITY and build something that compels others to contribute content in some form freely to your site.
For instance, I don't give a rats arse about weddings, bridal showers, bridal gowns or any of that nonsense but I can build a site that allows those that care about such things to contribute in a positive community way that's profitable for me without becoming an expert in the field.
I know people making even more money than I do at AdSense that also let their members build the content so it's not a novel concept, you just need a novel site.
[edited by: incrediBILL at 10:34 pm (utc) on July 24, 2007]
Why should I? I enjoy what I do, and even if I don't earn very much money, at least it pays the bills.
Being happy is the #1 thing I need in my life right now. Money is only secondary.
Being happy is the #1 thing I need in my life right now. Money is only secondary
Find me a billionaire willing to give up his billions just to put a big grin on his face.
Find me a billionaire willing to give up his billions just to put a big grin on his face.
And I'll show you a codger marrying a young but washed up former playmate. :)-Y
I know passion about the topic is key, but what about branching out and going after content topics that are in demand... and becoming a self made expert on it (hanging out at Barnes & Noble all day..haha) AND then putting together site(s)?
You can pay someone to write articles for you. A few months ago I paid someone $125 to write five articles for me. The articles were however, on topic wfor my website. The topics were based on emails sent to me by website vistors. To date the articles have earned over $500.
I found the writer on eLance, although there are plenty of sites where you can find people who are willing to write for you.
Pick a unique topic that hasn't been or hardly written about yet.
On the contrary. Obscure topics get very few visitors. Popular topics always do best for me.
Whatever topic your website covers, look for a topic related to "free."
If you have a tourist site, write an article about free activities in your locale. If your site is about ice cream, write an article on how to get free samples.
[edited by: King_Fisher at 6:17 am (utc) on July 25, 2007]
look for a topic related to "free."
Give it all away and make it up on volume!
...look for a topic related to "free."
Isn't "free" generally an advertiser's default negative keyword in their AdWords campaign?
Are people who want freebies good prospects for advertisers' products and services? I suspect not.
Actually, yes. Not all websites are consumer-oriented, and your advertisers know that. Take a look at the ads on your site. Are they all trying to directly sell a gadget? Probably not. In fact, many of them are offering free information, just like you are.
Case in point for your tourist website - visitors looking for free tourism brochures are often intending to spend money to go to those places.
I have some articles describing free offers and info, and they perform quite well (in terms of clicks). If the advertiser's ad is worded accurately, then it will convert satisfactorily.
A good example is Universal Studios. Their ads don't say "Click here to buy tickets to Universal." Their ads simply invite you to visit their website. But in the long run, yes, they are selling products and admission.
Madison Ave advertising guys (big clients)will tell you that "NEW" and "Free"
are the two most eye catching words you can put in an ad.
We aren't talking about "free" in ad headlines. We're talking about "free" as a topic of editorial content.
