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two sites or one

by BringOnTomorrow
6 replies
The more I read about IM the more I learn. The more I learn the more confused I get.

I started out wanting to write my own reviews for an Amazon affiliate site, foolishly thinking it would be easy money. But then I read about SEO, Backlinking, Niches, affiliate marketing vs e-commerce, dropshipping. Now I'm kind of at a loss. I have to start because it seems like the only way I can really learn.

Here are my questions:
  • I have a niche affiliate site idea with some competition (quite a bit really) but I can target some keywords that aren't being mined by the larger review sites.
  • I have another idea for a kid centred version of the same niche...Do I combine the two together, one section for the niche and the other for the kid part of the niche? Or create two separate sites?
  • I read that affiliate marketing is a chump's game and you're better off making your own e-commerce site. Considering how new I am at this and how little capital I have to begin with ( about $250 to begin with) I'm wondering if I can change my affiliate review site to an e-commerce site later on?
  • realistically how long will it take for my site to even be recognised by Google? I've been afraid to start without having a lot of content, but maybe I should just start with the content I have now and slowly build and edit the site. The holidays are coming and we know that's the peak internet shopping time, have I missed that money-making boat?
  • Finally, I have another micro micro niche idea, it's in the beauty product industry and a lot of the top ranking sites are large physical/e-commerce/medical sites, I have some really good long tail keywords I think I can rank well at, and maybe start off as review affiliate then transition to e-commerce later. The product is really cheap, but people buy it all the time, and there's a real market for people trying to solve a specific problem with this product that hasn't been properly capitalized on. The only thing that puts me off this venture is that as an affiliate I stand to make very little money unless I generate a lot of high converting traffic...

I have a lot more questions but I think these are enough for now (don't want to bombard you with them). Ultimately I'm full of uncertainty but I think that's just how it's going to be for my first time at this. I'll keep reading but if I don't get started I probably never will.

I'd be really grateful if you big IM brains could help me out, I've done a lot of reading but now I need human input.

Thanks
#sites
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    It's natural to be uncertain when you don't have experience to support your ideas. However, right now, those ideas are part of the problem - you've mentioned three already in your opening post.

    At this stage, it probably doesn't matter a great deal which idea you settle on; you just need to get going with one. And as a more tightly-defined niche is going to help you to get faster traction, I'd recommend you don't combine sites just yet.

    Also, understand that in all likelihood, your first attempt(s) will fail - at least to the degree you might be hoping for - but you'll learn more from each project, and tweak or change where necessary. You'll find as well that as you progress, the quality of your ideas will improve as you gradually build a clearer picture of what sort of business you want to be in.

    Good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author BringOnTomorrow
      Thanks Frank,

      I started out with one idea that exploded into several ideas. I'm going to stick to the one tightly-defined niche as you suggest. Someone else on this forum said learning IM is a bit like riding a bike, to follow that analogy I should start out attempting to ride one bike instead of 4 fully prepared for the inevitable stumbles and falls.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by BringOnTomorrow View Post

    I have a lot more questions but I think these are enough for now (don't want to bombard you with them).

    Just one quick suggestion about this: I find that I am much more eager to help someone that asks one question at a time after they have done some digging to find the answer themselves.

    If you try to find an answer, it will help you with how to couch your question because you'll now have some context and background and your question will make more sense to those trying help you.

    A lot of times when I see a poster that asks many questions in the same thread or post, it appears that they haven't done any "homework" on their own - that they are asking the question to avoid spending the time to do their own research. I'm much less interested in trying to help that person.

    IMO, one question per post is optimal and I believe you will get more and better responses from seasoned members.

    Good luck to you,

    Steve
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    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
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    • Profile picture of the author BringOnTomorrow
      Thanks for your response Steve. Reading back my post it does seem a little erratic and overwhelming. In future I'll stick to one question. I think once I've actually launched those questions will be more specific and refined.
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  • Profile picture of the author davidricherd
    I suggest you need to create one website with good content & links.
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    Digital Marketing & SEO
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  • Profile picture of the author affilorama-portal
    Most problems come with overthinking. Like everyone here suggests, you need to minimize and simplify everything to a single idea/thought, Try to pick one niche and spend your time researching about that niche. If you want to have some guidance on the steps, you can check our free lessons in affiliate marketing (Affilorama). Good luck!
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