Is anybody still making descent income with niche sites?

Niche site building still works. It works well. Especially when you are interested in the topic you are promoting. Anyone can create a niche site just to promote a product or service, but if your heart isn't in it, you will barely make a dime. I know this personally.

In 2011 I built two niche sites I was very interested in the topic. I spent a long time gathering data and building an "authority" site for that specific niche. All the data was compiled in one place and I let it run. It wasn't long before those sites were generating traffic. I didn't monetize those sites for well over a year. I just spent the time building them organically. Each has between 2,000 and 5,000 unique visitors per day. Now those sites are generating revenue, not only through affiliate sales and Adsense, but also sales of their own products, DVD, pay-for-webinars, on-demand video, membership websites, etc. I also built quite an extensive email list that helps promote new products and generate additional revenue. They are successful because I am interested in the subject. I am always adding new content and features to engage with returning visitors. I share the success with others and they have been successful financially because of my help. I have always been successful with this type of site for some reason it has worked. Here's some history, between 1998 and 2003 I built one of the largest membership sites for a popular type of marketing, it offered so much content and value I was successfully able to sell access between $25 for a monthly membership and $300 for a lifetime offer. That specific site generated over $600,000 and I didn't even know what I was doing. PayPal didn't exist, membership software didn't exist, pay-per-click was only just starting. I didn't build a list. It was successful because I was very interested in the subject matter and I over delivered on content. I have also operated several other successful niche sites based upon interests. Some of the sites do not have a specific product for sale, so I just monetize through advertising.

Building a niche site, slapping up a handful of articles are not going to work successfully now. You need to focus on authority. Know your audience. Know what they want and how they want to be served. You need to gather data from all the competition and build something bigger, better, sleeker, and of course more engaging. Authority niche sites are what works. Just look at the big marketers such as Ryan Deiss. He has been very successful with niche authority sites. Build an email list. Automate your site as much as possible. Value your time. Over deliver. You will be successful.

My advice to you is to look at your interests, plan out a site based on your interests and your research into that niche. Can you build a site out and continue to add loads of valuable engaging content to your visitors? Can you keep motivated even if there's no revenue being generated? Look at Facebook, created out of the love of the idea. Didn't monetize until it had a certain level of success. Those same principles have made some of my sites very successful (I say some, because some were total failures, but I really think it was because I wasn't that interested in the subject and was building them for the revenue it could generate.)

Just writing this short response has made me even more motivated to build some other great niche websites. Loads of ideas, not a great deal of time ... c'est la vie...

Regards...

James Harkin...

Thanks for the story James. Interesting read.

When I got into IM, I just missed the whole niche site thing. Everyone was complaining about google updates while I was just building my blog and doing my thing.

It's been a few years now and my blog generates a decent monthly salary. Enough to live on and it's still growing!

Same approach as you, just build it and eventually people will find the value you put in and money will be a by-product.

just a remark, every site is a niche site. cnn is in the news niche, facebook is in the social network niche and so on and so on...

You can as long as you can funnel that niche from relevant people on social media. Trying to make a ton of cash from search alone is tough.

Thank you for sharing your views James_Harkin.

$11,300 from Amazon and $4,400 from AdSense last month. They still work. ;D I haven't touched those sites in ~6 months.

10 pages is enough, 20 is better. Put your visitor first, solve a problem, then monetize it. Use PBNs or buy links from other people's PBNs.

Things have changed over the years, but in the end, they've stayed the same. Niche sites work, when you target a niche market.

Please don't PM me, I don't have time or energy right now to help anyone. Everything I can teach you about niche sites is already on the web, and NichePursuits is running a live coaching project right now.

yes have a small targeted travel website making over $10k+ a month

made blogger niche blogs from 2006

till now still making money

just left for dead ... still making money

Yes. I make four figures a month, too, so it is a full-time income.

Niche site marketing and email marketing are NOT mutually exclusive

They reinforce each other

If you know what you're doing, you can use your newsletter (despite the fact that you only have a few members) to drive more social media traffic to your niche site.

i thought i would say something.....Thank you very much James_Harkin for sharing your story....

Thanks for the story James. attention-grabbing scan. When I got into IM, I simply lost the full niche web site factor. everybody was querulous regarding google updates whereas i used to be simply building my diary and doing my factor. it has been a couple of years currently and my diary generates an honest monthly pay. Enough to measure on and it's still growing! Same approach as you, simply build it and eventually folks can realize the worth you set in and cash are a by-product.