We launched Seeking Profit in January, and the early response has been incredible. Our YouTube videos and podcast episodes have reached many more people than we expected, and listeners have started sending us all their burning niche site questions.
Every month or two, Andrew and Emil will select five questions you send us and dive into them on the show.
If you’re ready to hear their answers to your questions from this month, then let’s get into it.
How Should You Structure a Niche Site?
Submitted by @therobertleonar
There are two major site structures that are popular for niche blogs: the silo structure and the hub and spoke structure.
The silo structure is where you break content into categories, or silos. Blog posts in those silos link to each other and usually don’t link to other content outside the silo.
Typically, you’d also have a cornerstone piece of content for each silo that all the links eventually flow toward.
An example of this would be for a mountain biking site, you’d have categories for gear, guides, bikes, accessories, etc.
A hub and spoke pattern is similar, but with this structure, you have a primary content category, which makes up the bulk of your site’s identity. Then you have subcategories inside that primary category, and all the links flow back toward the center.
To use the mountain biking example again, in this structure, you’d have a primary category for mountain biking essentials and guides. Within that category, you’d have subcategories for bikes, seats, helmets, etc. All of that content would link back toward the primary essentials content.
TIP: Whichever structure you choose, the URL structure should prioritize your primary content, keeping it closer to the root.
For example, you may have a category page for mountain biking trails that looks something like this:
www.mountainbikeadentures/trails
Then, a subcategory for the best trails in Florida would look like this:
www.mountainbikeadventures/trails/florida
This way, Google and your users can easily understand how to navigate your site.
How Will ChatGPT Affect the Future of Blogging?
Submitted by @alton_lex
There’s no denying that AI will have a huge impact on the future of search and how search engines answer searchers’ queries.
However, anyone who says it will definitely kill blogging and niche sites is kidding themselves. Nobody actually knows how this will all shake out.
It’s in Google’s best interest to answer queries in whatever way builds the most trust with searchers. AI can’t do that right now (January 2023).
In the next few years or even this year, we’re going to see massive changes in the way AI content affects our lives. That means new regulations and laws are guaranteed to follow.
There are legitimate questions about AI in relation to plagiarism, as well as limitations for accuracy and authority. We don’t have any idea how world governments are going to handle that.
Bringing things back to the original question, I think it’s a reasonable prediction that AI search won’t kill blogging, but it will affect it significantly.
Low-effort info keywords will likely be even more worthless than they are now. Think about queries like, “How tall is Chris Hemsworth?” or “How old are the Pyramids?”
Keywords like that will easily be answered by AI chatbots, so niche site owners will need to work harder to choose keywords that require topical authority and expertise.
How Do You Find Reliable Affiliate Partners?
Submitted by @PlayWithFIRECo
Working directly with affiliate partners, rather than joining a large affiliate network, is a great way to earn more money per conversion. It also takes a bit of finesse.
First, it’s important to note that while diversifying is a great idea, there aren’t many affiliate programs that come close to Amazon’s conversion rate. You have to weigh the increased conversions against Amazon’s low commission rates and determine which works better for you (in other words, do the math).
The best way to break away from Amazon Associates is to find the brands you’re selling the most products for and reach out to them directly.
Start out asking for a significant increase in your commission rate in exchange for sending the sales to them directly.
Note: Remember, if the brand pays you 3x the commission rate, but converts ⅓ as well as Amazon, then you didn’t make any extra money. You’ll need to test and adjust things to make sure you’re coming out ahead.
The best part of working directly with a company instead of Amazon is your ability to negotiate for higher rates. Once you prove you can move their product, they’ll give you a higher percentage of the sale to keep you from switching to one of their competitors.
What Should You Do With Your Niche Site Profits?
Submitted by @thejoe126
I highly recommend you watch the episode for this question because it’s funny to see how uncomfortable Emil and Andrew get talking about profit. 😀
Most niche site owners will recommend you reinvest your profits. Once you have money, you should put that money to work, making more money.
The easiest way to do that is by building more niche sites. However, that will add more work to your plate, so plan accordingly.
You can also put the money into other income streams, like real estate or mutual funds.
But that’s not fun! So here are some fun (but practical) things to buy with your niche site profits:
- Your time! Use your niche site income to buy your freedom and quit your day job. Purchasing your time back from the 9-to-5 will be the best investment you’ve ever made.
- Travel. Travel broadens the mind and puts life in perspective. I guarantee the money you spend on traveling will enrich your life more than any small luxuries you’d buy instead.
- Property, Vehicles, and Peace of Mind. It’s widely considered bad financial advice to recommend paying off a mortgage early (you’re better off investing that money elsewhere). However, paying off your car, credit cards, student loans, and anything else you can is a great way to relieve any financial stress you’re feeling. (Also, if paying off your mortgage makes you feel more secure, I say go for it!)
How Do You Start a Blog When You Have a Day Job?
Submitted by @themadbahndari
The really lame but honest answer to this question is that you have to work on your niche blog outside of work during your free time.
Blogging is a side hustle. If you want to build an awesome niche site that eventually creates job-replacement income, you need to find the time to work on it.
That could mean staying up after your kids or spouse go to bed or staying home on the weekend to work on your website while your friends go to the pub.
Investing is always a risk, and investing your time in a blog is no different. This is a hard business to succeed in.
However, this level of difficulty and competition ensures are what make niche site building so lucrative. If it were easy, we’d be overwhelmed by competition, and it wouldn’t be worth it for anyone.
Submit Questions for Our Next 5 Questions Episode
Those were our five user-submitted questions for the week, and they were some bangers!
If you’ve got questions about building a niche site or running an online business, then we want to hear from you!
Reach out to Andrew or Emil on Twitter @andyfieb or @emilshour and ask us anything you want. We’ll pick the best replies and talk about them on the show.
For more resources on how to build profitable online businesses, check out our niche site toolbox, and join our newsletter below. Let’s keep Seeking Profit!
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We've built multiple six-figure online businesses that our moms are proud of.
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