I first started the Niche Site Duel about 5 months ago after hearing Pat Flynn’s successful story when building a niche site of his own. However, after the first few weeks, I ended up putting the project aside in order to pursue other goals – I just didn’t have a lot of time on my hands to dedicate 100% to the challenge. Now though, I’m ready to kick things up a notch, and my plans are to have Complete Betta Fish Care ranking well (on the first page of Google) by May 13th of next month.
But first, let’s look at how well the niche site is performing with only 4 published posts basically set on autopilot while the project was put on hold. To do that, we’ll take a trip through my Google Analytics account and then through the Market Samurai (ref link) rank tracker data. Once we’ve gotten a feel of how things are going, I’m going to talk about my monetization goals for the site and what I’ll be doing right now to boost income.
Betta Care Niche Site Results
It’s important to see where you stand at the present moment before you start making improvements to your site; this helps to better track growth, and it also gives you a clearer picture of what aspects of your site you need to work on most.
In this section, I’ll talk about where my niche site is standing right now and which areas I need to work on in order to increase overall results.
Visits, Page Views, Bounce Rates
Since my last update here on Cash Campfire (4 months ago), my betta site has received 337 visits (88.13% new), 705 page views, a bounce rate of 58.75%, and an average time spent (where visitors stayed on the site) of 2 minutes and 5 seconds (click the image to enlarge).
All-time (since 5 months ago), this site has received 400 visits, 945 page views, a bounce rate of 57.75%, and an average time of 2 minutes and 55 seconds. In the last month (from March 12th to April 12th), it received 70 visits, 113 page views, a 68.57% bounce rate, and an average time of 1 minute and 22 seconds.
First of all, before I move on, many of you may be wondering why I have a somewhat high bounce rate. Well, there are many factors contributing to this, but I believe the two main reasons are: 1) I don’t have many articles up on the site yet (only 4) and 2) my whole monetization strategy now is to get people off of my betta care niche site and onto affiliate sites like Amazon, ClickBank, and so on. There are also the Chitika ads to consider.
So, with this in mind, I think the site is doing pretty well in terms of page views, bounce rates, and the average time a visitor spends browsing.
Traffic Sources
Out of those 400 all-time visits, the top visitors to my site are: 1) direct traffic (visitors who typed my url in the address bar – most likely Cash Campfire visitors), 2) Google organic traffic (visitors from Google search results – my main focus), 3) Google referral traffic, 4) Squidoo referral traffic, and 5) Yahoo organic traffic (visitors from Yahoo search engine results).
As for why I’m getting referral visits from Google, I have no idea. I neither host the site on Blogger, nor have I posted any links to it from other sites owned by Google (at least, not that I know of). So if anyone can uncover this mystery as to why I’m seeing traffic from this source, I’m all ears. 
Keep in mind that “referral” is different from “organic,” which mainly refers to search engine traffic.
Keyword Phrases and Ranking Stats
I have received a total of 137 search engine visits since the site went live. After looking at the keyword phrases visitors searched for to get to my site, I seem to be mainly ranking for long-tail keywords, but the site did see a few hits from several of the main keyword phrases that I’m trying to rank well for.
So far, the top keyword phrases used by search peeps are: 1) betta tank, 2) betta fish, 3) betta fish care, 4) betta discolored patches, and 5) betta disease scales puffed droopsy (sadly, this person will probably have a dead fish on his hands soon – dropsy is lethal).
To recap, the main keyword phrase that I’m trying to rank well for is “betta fish care,” so I think the site is doing pretty well considering that I had the site on hold for all this time while I focused on other projects (I only had 4 articles up with a few backlinks pointing toward each article and the main domain name).
Secondary keywords that I want to rank well for include “betta fish,” “betta tank,” “betta aquariums,” “betta care,” “caring for betta fish,” and “care of betta fish.”
With that in mind, below are my rankings for both my primary keyword phrase (betta fish care) and my secondary keyword phrases when using the Market Samurai tool.
Income – Did I Earn Any Money?
Before moving on, it’s important to note that I haven’t really worked on the site much at all since after a few weeks from when the site went live. So I view any money that I earned up until now as pretty good, even if I only managed to make a little bit.
Below are the various income sources I’ve earned money from since making the site live.
- Chitika: $0.07
- InfoLinks: $0.13
- Amazon Affiliates: $2.70
- Total: $2.90
Key Areas that Need to Be Improved
From the looks of things, I definitely need to work on actually making money with my site (after all – that’s one of the main purposes of launching the niche site). I’ll get to the money aspects in a moment.
I also need to add more content and continue my backlinking strategy (you can view my niche site content strategy here and the actual backlinking strategy here). Above all things though, adding more content will be my main priority, since it will not only help decrease the bounce rate, but it will also give my readers more info for further reading, adding to the value visitors receive.
But, while I have been keeping bettas for a number of years now, there are still tons more that I still need to learn in terms of betta care. So I figured getting more knowledgeable about the subject would be my first step – and you can’t really trust some of the information that you read on the Internet these days. For this reason, I took it upon myself to purchase several books from Amazon on betta care, and I’ll be going through them one-by-one while also writing about what I already know.
Once I’m done reading, I can then recommend the most valuable ones on my site to further my earning potential.
How Waiting Worked in My Favor
While, by waiting, I wasn’t able to get the results that I wanted in the quickest fashion, putting the site on hold did have one major benefit and that was it allowed my domain name to age some. Many SEO gurus believe that an aged domain has a decreased chance of getting sandboxed, simply because of the belief that domain names with the most years (or in this case, months) under their belt have been given a chance to grow and acquire a larger following of people who would then link to your content through other sources. In other words, an aged domain name presumably has more authority in a particular market.
So, if I decided to increase my backlinking efforts, Google wouldn’t view more incoming links as very “odd” behavior and so my chances of being sandboxed would be reduced (I understand a few Niche Site Duel participants were faced with this problem).
Now, I’m not saying I’m going to suddenly go crazy with backlinks (actually, that would be a surefire way to get your site sandboxed); I still plan to add backlinks as I slowly move along. I’m just saying that I can technically view my aged domain name as an advantage, along with the other 2 niche site domains that I have allowed to age.
Betta Care Monetization Strategy
I plan to monetize in a number of ways. First, I’ll be taking advantage of affiliate marketing and selling products (that I’ve used and tried) from several different sources to diversify my income. The major sources will be Amazon, ClickBank, Petco or PetSmart (I’ll contact each one to see if they have an affiliate program), and possibly Commission Junction if they have related products.
I don’t believe in promoting a product or service unless I’ve personally bought or used the product or service myself, so the majority of products that I promote will probably end up being from Amazon, PetSmart, and Petco, since I regularly buy from those stores.
My long-term aims are to eventually write and sell my own ebook on owning and caring for a betta fish – and possibly even raise betta fry to sell when they mature (I’ve heard of many people selling their fish on eBay, so that’s definitely something I’ll look into). Breeding fish and raising the young are also pretty exciting (at least for me), and I have multiple mini tanks (1 gallon and up) just sitting around collecting dust that I can use for keeping fry.
Next Steps
To make this niche site work, I need to put the time into the content creation and initial monetization stages. So, (starting immediately) I’ll be setting aside 1 hour each day to work on the niche site until it sees page 1 of Google for its primary keyword phrase. I’m also seriously considering outsourcing some of the articles for backlinks (most likely content for EzineArticles and GoArticles; I’ll still be writing the content for money sites – like InfoBarrel or Squidoo – myself).
To top that off, I’m thinking about investing money for professional photos to give the site a more professional appeal. I’m still going to go for the occasional Flickr Commons photo, but I’m also going to include iStock in the mix. I really want to make this site useful and the most valuable betta care site out there; having professional photos along with awesome content will help me achieve this aim.
So what do you think? Do you have any suggestions or feedback? Are you currently building a niche site of your own?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!
Niche Site Duel Series
- Niche Site Duel 01: Will I Rank #1 in Google with My Keywords?
- Niche Site Duel 02: Tackling Content Strategies for All 3 Niche Sites
- Niche Site Duel 03: Betta Care Monetization Strategy
Hey Christina,
I remember hearing an interview with Adam Short about his Niche Profit Classroom, he mentioned his niche site in Betta Fish Care. Interesting that you are going for the same niche, are there really that many people who care about Betta Fish?
I look forward to seeing you on the first page, good luck!
Hi Daniel,
Wow, I didn’t know that – thanks for bringing it to my attention. Honestly, I thought I was the only one going for betta fish care in the Niche Site Duel, but bettas are a widely popular fish, so I guess it can be possible. =/
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
Christina
Hi Christina, I’m not interested in building niche sites right now, but I applaud you for following your heart here. Not everyone wants to do niche sites, and most of those that do don’t want to put the energy in, or don’t have the time, or don’t want to make the time.
It’s great that you’re in the fledging stage of your adult life, you’re eager and ready to plow ahead! Just take your time, take baby steps if necessary, and be patient.
Enjoy the journey more than the reward
x
Hi Stu!
It was that way with me for a while – I mean, I’ve been keeping fish for years, but I just don’t know the specifics without doing the research. And it was just taking me incredibly long to write a post because of all the research I was doing. In the end, I ended up buying several books on the subject, so I’m going to be studying them in-depth along the way to hopefully build upon the knowledge I already have and increase my own confidence on the subject.
I’ve begun to realize that staying consistent – doing a little bit every day – is a lot more effective than doing a lot one day, burning out, and going for weeks at a time without working on the project. And so staying consistent has been something I’ve been trying to do more of; it’s just a lot better in the long-run, and this way you know you’ll make it to the end zone eventually.
Thanks so much, as always, for your wonderful support and comments!
Christina
I really like the honesty in the information and the transparency of thoughts . Most IMs out there are easily bluffing their rankings and earnings in a bid to sell the “secret” of their ‘success’ , which is very easy to realize .
And about the betta fish , is it not nice that less people care about making sites related to betta fish , I mean that is what is called micro niche marketing
Tapping less popular niches to dominate them .
Great site here !
Hi Rohan,
Thanks so much for your feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the article – and welcome to the Cash Campfire community!
I agree – it is nice to work in a scarce niche, as long as there’s a demand for your topic and the products/services you plan to sell. However, it can be just as nice to work in a populated, broad niche (like this one) as well, simply because of all the supporting bloggers and the extended community that you can build and be a part of.
Thanks for the comment – I hope to see you around again soon!
Christina
Hi Christina! If you’ve had a link to your site in previous posts and people are viewing the posts in Google Reader and then clicking on the link to your betta fish site from there, that would be a google.com referral. Just a thought.
Keep up the great work here!
Kasi
Hi Kasi,
Wow – I never considered that. Thanks for letting me know!
Glad to see you here contributing to the discussion.
Christina
Hey there, thanks for this article.
I have been contemplating doing a niche site and doing a bit of research into it and during the process got thinking about whether there really is much chance of me getting anywhere with the site?
Well, having read this post I have decided to continue on with the site. The reason behind it is the google analytics information you have shared. It has really inspired me into believing that I can get somewhere with a focused site.
So thanks
Hey John,
I’m happy that you found the article inspiring! Honestly, I believe that you can create any profitable niche site, as long as you consistently take the time to add fresh (valuable) content and promote the site with backlinks.
After years of writing, it was only recently that I realized that consistency is key to acquiring any goal you want in life. You just have to keep at it, make baby steps if you have to, and just take the time each day to make things happen. With this logic, it’s almost impossible to “fail.”
Good luck with your niche site! Don’t forget to keep me updated on your progress.
Christina
Hi Christina, Thanks for the info, Every time I come over You always have something great to share. Ive had my blog for about 3 years and in the next up and coming mouths am going to turn up the voltage, I really cant wait implement some of the learnings and strategies I find here – Thanks Christina
Aww, thanks Lloyd. I’m glad this article was useful for you! I’ll be writing another Niche Site Duel update in the next few weeks – so stay tuned for that.
As always, thanks for the comment!
Christina
Hey Christina,
I think video tutorials could really help you out here. We all know Google loves video especially if it is coming from YouTube. You can talk about different topics in Betta Fish Care, optimize the titles and submit them to the video sharing sites. You can even transcribe the videos so you can get the text version on your site. Gives you other mediums to engage your visitors and still get the search engine benefits. Good luck with your niche site.
Hey Samuel,
Wow, what a great idea! Believe it or not, I hadn’t even thought about creating video tutorials for my niche sites. And I love your suggestion to include a transcript with the video. Looks like you know your stuff!
I’ve just started getting into video marketing, though my speaking skills need TONS of work.
Taking videos for the niche sites I run will also be good practice for later on down the road.
Thanks for the suggestion – I’ll definitely be taking your advice.
Christina
Hi Christina,
Thanks for your sharing and inspiration. There is a lot of potential building niche sites. I see writing great content is hard, but I feel building an empire of niche mini-sites is a great business model.
Keep it up and I look forward to upcoming updated posts. Thanks!
KC
Hey Kent,
Thanks for sharing!
I agree that writing awesome content can be time consuming – and, at times, difficult if you don’t know where to begin. I’ve found that creating the subheadings of the post first before you start writing really helps to keep you on track and don’t lose any main ideas you want to include in the piece. I often work on the content below each subheading first, leaving the introductions for last. That way, I have the bulk of the content already written, and it’s just a lot easier to write the introduction when you know what you talked about in the article body.
But yes – niche sites definitely do have a lot of potential, especially if you want to make an income writing about something you enjoy. I hope I helped, and thanks for the wonderful comment.
Christina
Hi Christina,
I love this article-serie about your niche-site. Thanks for letting us know exactly how you work this out.
You mentioned that initially you set up wordpress, added the main-pages (about, …) and added plugins.
Would you mind sharing which plugins you use in your “standard”-installation. I would really be interested.
I see that the amazon-links are “masked”.
Which plugin do you use for that?
Thanks for your inspiration
Anna
Hey there Anna,
Glad you’re enjoying the Niche Site Duel series.
I use the Pretty Link plugin to mask affiliate links. Other typical plugins include Akismet, All in One SEO Pack, Broken Link Checker, Fast Secure Contact Form, Exclude Pages from Navigation, Google XML Sitemaps, Robots Meta, SEO Slugs, TinyMCE Advanced (for displaying paragraph tags), WordPress Database Backup, WP-PageNavi, WP Security Scan, WP Super Cache, Yet Another Related Posts Plugin, and WP Greet Box. I sometimes include others as well, but those are the main ones.
If you have any other questions, let me know.
Good luck on your own niche sites!
Christina
Thanks Christina for the great list of your plugins!
I just tried the Pretty Link plugin and it’s exactly what I was looking for all the time, but never found this one.
Thank you very much
Anna
No problem Anna!
I’m glad the Pretty Link plugin is working well for you.
If you need any more help, let me know!
Christina
Niche site creation is pretty much what I do in my spare time so I applaud this post.
I started my sites around the same time as you but fortunately I had the time to continue without interruptions. I am pleased you have decided to restart your niche site as there is huge potential in creating niche sites. The main thing people seem to forget is the lifetime value of a niche site. Its not just what you earn now but its the earning potential in 2 to 3 years time. If you have the luxury of been able to drop client work in order to work on personal projects then its a total must.
I started off with 2 niche sites and now have another 3 which I am currently working on. My niche sites are now making me approximately $415 a month which is pleasing after 5-6 months.They have a long way to go and much potential but like you I will be updating everyone on my progress.
Thanks again for making this post. Great reading.
Ryan
Awesome to have you here, Ryan.
And wow – congrats on your amazing progress!
I look forward to following your progress as well. And I can definitely agree with your statement that the hard work and effort you put in now will make a huge difference with where you’ll end up in the future (and how much income will come in on a residual basis).
I can’t wait to see your awesome turnout months down the road, and you might even want to consider joining in the Remarkable Contest I’m hosting. I think you’ll do very well.
Thanks for the comment – and good luck with your niche sites!
Christina
Caffeine rank triggers after 6 years of “age” of domain. Good tactic is to buy already old domains, with established authority and backlinks. They are really cheap, just beginners don’t know about it often.
Hi Bojan,
Thanks for sharing! I’ve heard before that you could buy old domains, but I’m not too sure about any particular source. Do you know any reputable websites that might sell old domains?
Thanks for the tip! It’s really appreciated.
Christina
I haven’t used it, but flippa.com is a site where you can buy domains.
Hey Anna,
I have heard of Flippa, though, like you, I haven’t used it myself. However, from my understand, you buy and sell complete websites with Flippa, not just domain names. =/
Having an entirely new website at your disposal is nice though if you didn’t want to start from scratch.
Christina
Christina, first of all this competition over internet is just awesome. So, i decided to to give a try to it.
But i am little confused with my niche. I checked for the competition for this field by market samurai, but i got bit confused after that whether i should continue or not, and whether i would face that little more competition it has.
So can i mail you and ask some questions about that. I could not publish them right here, because i do not want my niche to go public.
Hey Christina,
I’m Tyrone Shum’s VA/Personal Assistant and I’m here to let you know that we’ve just launched Outsourcing Live which is our main blog now (we have recently converted Tyroneshum.com as static website for contacting/booking purposes only).
So in regards to that, we have compiled all our Niche Site Duel posts/post updates to Outsourcinglive.com as well where we have also included your website as one of the participants in the challenge (similar to Pat Flynn’s Niche Site Duel Hub). Check out this page: http://www.outsourcinglive.com/nichesiteduel.
If you have most recent updates on your niche site, feel free to send us the link/s to it so we can update the page on our end from time to time. I believe this will both help our audiences and boost link juice the more content we get posted.
Also if you love this page and our new site, we’ll be more than happy if you share this with your networks too or like us at Outsourcinglive.com/Facebook.
Warm regards and good luck to your niche site progress!
I am currently working on getting my niche site in a better ranking. But what do you do when you realize that the keyword you have been trying to rank for does not have enough searches? I’d like to grow the site into the ultimate resource for eco-fashion but that keyword is not very searched. Is there a way to rework?