A while back, Google did a crackdown on EMD’s (exact match domain) sites. Many thought this would be the end of hyper-specific niche sites. Yet, SEO’s, site developers, and entrepreneurs pushed on.
The reason? There’s a need for niche sites.
People may begin their research with a search engine, but they rarely make their way past page two. Niche sites condense information into a tight-knit package. It provides everything needed to understand a topic, product, or service.
Niche sites are easy to develop because they have a singular focus. There is a limited range of the topics covered. This allows the site developer to refine the SEO and targeted audience. This improves standings in search and user experience.
The reward? High rankings and conversion.
3 Reasons to Build a Niche Site (and the Benefits)
Besides how easy niche sites are to develop, there are a few additional reasons why one would want to focus on these types of sites:
- They’re fun
- They’re flexible
- They’re educational
Niche sites are fun because it allows you to explore interesting topics, share what’s learned, and possibly earn money in the process. Any topic is viable in the development of a niche site, whether it’s based on a hobby or something like CBD juice.
There are no limits to the topic of the site.
This adds excitement and fun to the site project. It’s a rewarding outcome for research and development. Something is learned along the way plus the development gets creative.
Then there’s the flexibility and scaling.
Niche sites are especially awesome because they are able to start small and grow into something big. Look at the growth process, as outlined below:
- A basic niche site is created to cover a topic, product, or niche
- The site becomes popular and earns a few bucks with ads and affiliate promotions
- The idea could turn into a real business if products are sourced or services developed
- The site sells at a profit
One could build dozens of these sites based on their research and interests. They can let them sit and mature — building traffic and income — and then ramp them up into a larger project!
Lastly, they’re an educational experience that has real-world benefits to building skill sets and improving existing projects.
A person with a niche site will learn:
- How to find and target valuable long-tail keywords
- What goes on in developing a small community
- The ability to test ads and small-scale marketing campaigns
- Experiments with user experience & design plus conversion optimization
These lend themselves in improving other projects. The strategies learned from developing niche sites give practical knowledge to apply to building larger websites — or as a freelance gig.
As for the SEO
The SEO strategies are the same with niche sites as they are with large ones except for:
- Prominence in long-tail keywords
- Hyper-specific content creation
- Keen selection of link building within the niche community
- Refined branding (not too generic)
Take what’s known about SEO and laser focus it. Don’t stray from the topic despite the temptation to explore horizontal and vertical offers. Stick to one idea. This makes the SEO and development simple and effective.
Each new niche site builds on the last. Before long you will have a portfolio of sites that are earning passive & active income. What’s not to love when you can spend a weekend building something that could become a successful project?
Your turn: Have you built niche sites? What makes them worth your while? Share a comment below!