New year plans! If you could only build one website to retire on what would it be?

by sitefurnace

Posted: 13 years ago 17 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you are enjoying your holidays as much as I am

I'm really excited about next year, I'm hitting it on the front foot with some good profits to re-invest, some solid SEO techniques to implement and more drive than ever!

One thing that is becoming more and more important to me is longevity and dependability of my business model. I plan to retire early one day, and want to do it as stress free as possible with some solid virtual real estate.

With all this in mind I have decided that I want to put all my efforts and resources into building one large authority site and create something that will last me for a lifetime.

I have decided on my niche (health related) and am up for a fight! The one question that I still have is thte format of the site.

Long term I believe that communities will only get stronger and more popular and so am considering creating a forum. Originally I was planning to create a silo content website with hundreds maybe eventually thousands of articles but now I am wondering if I should pump that content into a forum.

I have been looking at vbulletin v4 that now includes a CMS ( blog and HTML article) and looks like it is well optimised for SEO - potentially it looks like I could combine the best of all worlds.

Does anyone have any experiences of using a forum over a content website?

Is it as good for SEO, can it be monetized as effectively?

I know that a forum will produce its own content, more than I ever could, and would eventually be the ultimate autopilot website, but my fear is that this content will not be as valuable as an article based site.

If you could only make one ultimate website that you had to rely on for the rest of your life what would you do?

#build #plans #retire #website #year

jasonmorgan

13 years ago

If you could only make one ultimate website that you had to rely on for the rest of your life what would you do?

Something similar to what you are thinking. An authority / community web site.

I'm kicking around a couple of similar ideas myself.

My suggestion. Don't think of it in terms of article site or a blog or a forum. The big important sites are all of this and more.

Thanks
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sitefurnace 13 years ago

That's a good point
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Mike Anthony

13 years ago

an entire comunity that creates its own content and feeds its own growth. You are on the right track Sitefurnace. Forums are good but you can easily add a social network that takes it out of just being a forum and into a full web 2.0 site. th technology has finally gotten where you can build a social network for pennies with the click of a few buttons and go into niches that previously could not sustain large social networks.

Every CMS is adding social network functions. ust choose a platform that you can easily add more and more features that will draw customers withouthaving to do your own programming.

Thanks
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Blogmudgeon 13 years ago

Anything to do with sex. Anyone who cannot make money in that vertical has an albatross hanging around their neck.
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sitefurnace

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

an entire comunity that creates its own content and feeds its own growth. You are on the right track Sitefurnace. Forums are good but you can easily add a social network that takes it out of just being a forum and into a full web 2.0 site. th technology has finally gotten where you can build a social network for pennies with the click of a few buttons and go into niches that previously could not sustain large social networks.

Every CMS is adding social network functions. ust choose a platform that you can easily add more and more features that will draw customers withouthaving to do your own programming.

That's actually a good way of looking at it, it will really help using a platform that is forward thinking and constantly innovating. I think vbuletin is the leaderin this area and so this seems the obvious choice.

When you say health related site, try competing with WebMD.com. Now that, IMO, would be a fight

I am thinking of the next level down from health in general such as something like 'holistic therapies' or 'emotional conditioning' or 'herbal remedies' i think these niches will still be very popular but at the same time much easier to compete in.

I am also thinking of just targeting my own country (UK) to further eliminate the big boys. I want to achieve around £3000 per month revenue and that will do me form the lifestyle I want. I don't think that's a lot to ask from one site of this nature? Or is it? It's a high paying, evergreen, growing niche with plenty of opportunities for monetization.

Thanks for your replies

Thanks

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theultimate1 13 years ago

When you say health related site, try competing with WebMD.com. Now that, IMO, would be a fight.

All The Best Please let us know what you ultimately decide to incorporate as your site's format. I've been thinking of doing something like one long-lasting online goldmine as well.
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J Bold 13 years ago

Hmmm, a search engine that becomes the most popular in the world?
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LauraJames 13 years ago

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. The concept of an ultimate website is certainly interesting. I have been dealing with helping others, both individuals and businesses, with their business plans, so I had not given this much thought from a personal level. Thank you for posting this question. Without question, there is a lot to consider when trying to find a logical answer.
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margocales 13 years ago

How much time are proposing to spend on the website after you retire?

There are some more questions this idea raises with me as I would be looking to spend mimimal time working on anything like this after retiring.

Who would provide your articles?
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sitefurnace 13 years ago

A couple of hours a day would be nice. I think the beauty of this model is that all aspects are easily outsourced. I would just employ some moderators and find some good article writers. The main reason for this model is that it will generate it's own content.

The other benefit I have is that my brother is highly academic in all things 'of the mind' like NLP, hypnosis, inward journeys, meditation, stress management. He has agreed to write some content for me too. It may well be what I need to attract other authority contributors.

There are so many methods within IM that just don't sit right with me, or I am concerned will not last. I think there will always be a demand for discussions and social interaction, thats what humans naturally do and as the web changes, this human need should remain hopefully.

It ain't gonna make me a millionaire but what it may lack in profitability compared to other methods, should be made up for with an accompanying lack of stress. It would let me sleep at night!

I don't want to be worrying about Google algorithm changes and the like- the theory being that an authorative community will survive whatever changes the web may decide to throw at it.
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Biggy Fat 13 years ago

A micro niche site making me $200/day.
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- wanna-succeed 13 years ago
  
  I think your general idea and heading are good, but I am (sorry) doubtfull as to the success of a health forum...
  I don't know you or what resources and knowledge you have in the area but that field is highly widespread and very professional, meaning that there are loads of forums regarding health and the big ones that get huge amounts of traffic have so many articles. The thing is these articles are submitted largely by people who work in the industry since people who read these forums imply them to their personal health.
  So what I'm saying is I believe that obtaining the amount of articles you are aiming for will be rather dificult as they would have to be high grade and certified articles, written by doctors, pharmacists and others in the industry.
  I am very new to this whole IM thing so I don't mean post this to sound as some preeching newbie spewing nonsense.
  It's just my father is a neurologist and has published many medical articles (80-100 I believe) and many have gone to the internet and newspapers (this was years ago before he started his company).
  Basically I would hang your success on whether or not you can use these articles for yourself as many of them are appointed to specific medical sites\journals. I don't think people will take too much advice from a forum that doesn't have 100's of certified articles.
  
  I have a few creative ideas from the top of my head. Some are probably worthless but I figure why not share them.
  If you could get a doctor (you would probably have to pay him something considerable) to join your forum, after you have generated some decent following, to post something like "Bob's health tip of the day" or something else of that nature, that might work out nicely.
  Also, for a forum the size you're thinking of, I would definitly work on getting a list of every current medication\drug that is being used and have members be able to search through and click on links to buy them.
  You could have your resident forum doctor (Lets call him "Handsom Bob" for our purposes) recommend a very widely used drug like cold medicine and post some usefull stats about it, gaining extra clicks and hopefully a strong product.
  As I said, just ideas, very general as I have never started a forum or anything in IM infact as I'm still learning with my course. I have been in 10's of forums though over time, and have visited a few medical ones too.
  
  Best of luck to you,
  Hope I was able to help.
  
  Daniel
  
  Thanks
  
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  No sig, good day m8...
  
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  wanna-succeed 13 years ago
  
  One more thing I think would be crucial for the take off of this forum and repeat visitors is a very unique, yet not childish design.
  I would put many non graphic pictures of the human various systems (blood, bones, muscles, nerves...and so forth).
  It would put people at ease I think, unless you put pictures of open heart surgery with a man's chest split open.
  I would definitly balance this with real photos of doctors in white robes and that thing they put on your chest that they listen to (I forget the name....ARGHHHH---->).
  So basically a balance between nice easy going pics or cartoon pics of the body and credible medical people in order for your forum to look very user friendly, not childish on one end, or too cold and harsh on the other.
  
  Thanks
  
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  No sig, good day m8...
  
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wanna-succeed 13 years ago

[QUOTE=sitefurnace;3079948 Long term I believe that communities will only get stronger and more popular and so am considering creating a forum. Originally I was planning to create a silo content website with hundreds maybe eventually thousands of articles but now I am wondering if I should pump that content into a forum.

One last piece of advice...I'm only guessing here...
first off, can you specify a little more as to what area of health you are thinking of linking this forum to? Fitness? Illnesses? Diet?
If it has to do with illnesses, but also in other health niches, I would think that a large portion of your forum members would be looky loo's, meaning they would come, look at whatever they needed atm (painkiller info or something of that nature) and perhaps ask a question, which after they find their answer will vanish.
No discouragement aimed in these posts, just my thoughts on the area.
I'm not too sure also as too how many people who are sick with more than a common cold will come to a forum to discuss their illness...I might be wrong...just my common sense...
Anyway, best of luck to you, whatever direction you explore in this very large and diverse niche.
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jasonmorgan 13 years ago

ding dong... have you even bothered to read the rest of this thread especially the OP follow-up posts?
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unikk 13 years ago

A Review Website
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sitefurnace 13 years ago

wanna-succeed,

Thanks for your input. I understand what you are saying about the articles having to be written by experts. The niche I am looking at is a little different I think to the general health and medicine.

General health, medicine, drugs etc needs to be treated a lot more carefully, I would in no way want to be giving medical advice on drugs and operations and stuff like that!

The alternative health niche is a lot more forgiving. It is more to do with using natural techniques that are relatively harmless. For instance in the main health niche, an article may talk about taking a drug to combat a serious disease, whereas an alternative may be drinking some tea infused with herbs or meditating to heal your inner self.

There's a big difference there - the first could be very harmful if the wrong advice is given. The second would probably have no ill effects. I think that's why alternative health is so popular, it's because it has no negative side effects in a lot of cases.

90% of the articles would not need to be expert. They could easily be re-purposed if need be - I am sure there are many articles on 'the benefits of green tea' floating around the internet that could be re-written.

I would never consider entering into a specialist field like medicine.

Thanks for your viewpoint
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