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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Niche Website Profit Report

Profitable Pets?
My pets-themed niche website, which I started just over two years ago, is doing very well so far. It always picks up in the spring and summer months and slows down considerably in the winter. March earnings are outpacing last month, so I'll be sure to report on it again in April. But I thought I would share my income sources for the site in case it would be helpful to anyone working on niche sites for residual income.

Pets Niche Site Earnings in February 2011
  • Google Adsense:                                                            $373.11
  • Clickbank ebook sales commissions                               $60.09
  • Amazon book & product sales commissions                   $20.10
Total                                                                                         $453.30
    When I say "pets theme," I'm being intentionally vague as to the exact niche. It's a site on a specific type or breed of pet, and my url is a three-word well-searched keyword phrase in that niche. Currently, I have 22 content pages (articles with unique urls) published on the site.

    Encouraged by my pet site's success thus far, I've made it one of my top priorities for this spring. I'd love to have it earning $1,000 a month this time next year. To that end, I have some work to do.

    Niche Site Plans and Goals
    • Site redesign: I built this site on a free template back when I was brand new to website creation. Seriously, the site is not pretty, and its template is a bit bulky and problematic to work with. Whether I buy a quality template or hire a designer to create me something practical and attractive, this is one of my top priorities for the site. 
    • More content: Its earnings are impressive for having a couple dozen pages, so adding more content both to improve my readers' experience and to add income possibilities is a no-brainier.
    • Forum posting: I have a profile on a niche-specific forum and need to increase my posting there to drive traffic and create backlinks to my site.
    • Social media interaction: Adding a Facebook Like button is one thing I'm hoping to implement and currently researching. 
    Are you building residual income through niche sites, or planning to start? What are you working on this week?

      14 comments:

      Philadelphia Website Design said...

      Those are really nice stats... how many visitors do you get daily/monthly?

      Maria said...

      Good question, I'll update the post with my stats: in the past month, I've had 21,965 visits and 60,640 page views. The CPC on the Google ads is relatively low, but on the flip side there was not as much competition for the keywords I've used.

      Christina Crowe said...

      Hi Maria,

      Congratulations on your progress! $400 a month is definitely something that you should be proud of, and I have no doubt that you'll be able to increase this amount if you put the work in!

      Christina

      Peggy said...

      This is great to hear! I'm still in the "thinking" mode about a Web site or two and love hearing success stories. I want to convert all the good information I've learned in the past 2.5 years from you and others on article writing and put it to work on my own sites. Keep up the great earnings and sharing of info. I really appreciate it, Maria!

      Anonymous said...

      Hi Maria,

      I would personally suggest that you add some affiliate products to your site to help boost your earnings and ad valuable buying opportunities to your visitors who are interested in that particular breed/pet. This could definetly help you achieve your goals faster. You could review some products which you know well and have experience with from pet food dishes to pet "clothes." You could apply for a Google Affiliate Account or Commission Junction to get started. I didn't see any affiliate product accounts mentioned in your stats (outside of eBooks), and thought it would be a worthwhile suggestion.

      Sincerely,

      Allie Mae

      Maria said...

      Allie Mae, thanks for the suggestion. I do have Amazon products on the site, but despite numerous searches I've not found anything on cj.com that applies to this particular niche. I use cj.com physical products extensively in another niche, and think it's a great affiliate network. Oh, and these pets can't wear clothes, either. ;)

      Anonymous said...

      LOL...Hmmm...what could it be? Fish? Ferrets? Mice?!

      Well, that does make it more challenging I suppose. You'll just have to be creative and that is a talent I'm certain you possess.

      Glad to hear that you are using affiliate marketing to your advantage. I personally enjoy having options, reviews and personal endorsements when making an online purchase. When I was choosing cloth diapers, I must have spent a good month immersed in reviews and price research.

      Best Wishes!

      Allie Mae

      Alicia James said...

      This is great Maria. I registered a domain for a niche site last month and I hope to soon work on it.

      Maria said...

      Christina, thank you! I'm definitely trying -- seeing the results thus far is very motivating.

      Peg, I encourage you to take the plunge -- you'll do great! It's not as easy starting out but the peace of mind from managing your own content is great.

      Candace @ Candace Creations said...

      I'm getting real close to taking the plunge and try my hand at the niche websites...thanks to you as my inspiration! Thanks for showing us your tips and how it can be worth the effort to get going!

      Maria said...

      Alicia, that's great you took the first step -- best of luck with setting up your site!

      Candace -- I have a feeling you'll come up with something stylish, fun and creative. :) Have fun!

      Kidgas said...

      That is an amazing level of traffic that you are getting for a month. Congrats. I am sure that you will be able to increase your totals with additional content. Look forward to hearing about your progress.

      Anonymous said...

      I found you on IB and your post gave me food for thought. I have my own niche blog (over a year old)that drives traffic to my articles, but I have not monetized it properly. Defintily something to put on my to do list!

      Maria said...

      Thanks, Kidgas. it did even better in march so I'll update in a few days. :) How's March treating you?