Should you focus on one website (or niche) or several?
This question has come up for me many times since I started my online writing journey, or more precisely, since I began focusing on my own websites for the foundation of my writing business. Part of my conundrum stems from having more great website ideas than I have time to build, develop and write. I've purchased a couple (okay, maybe a few) dozen domain names and yet the bulk of my income comes from just two of those.
Oh, I've tried outsourcing, to mixed results. But ultimately, my best websites and articles are ones I've written myself. They tend to be so focused that a hired freelancer without preexisting interest or experience in the topic can't do it justice at the standard freelance rates I've been able to afford.
The problem I've discovered, when you have a large number of domains and thus websites and blogs (assuming you've made the first steps to turn the domains into traffic-generating, revenue-earning assets) is that your attention can become very fragmented, meaning that even your best niches and blogs become somewhat neglected.
In the quest to make every website reach its potential, none actually do. For example, my
pets website earns $500-$1,000 a month. It could hypothetically bring in much, much more, but I still haven't gotten it a new and better template, or regularly added new content in recent months. I'm too distracted by other sites that may not be in as great a niche and I've barely touched, yet feel an odd obligation to take care of.
I don't think I'm ready to just delete -- or not renew -- my collection of great-idea domains that are languishing in various stages of completion. But my approach moving forward is to give my most focused attention to the ones that showed themselves early on as true winners. By winners, I agree with fellow WAHM
Felicia at No Job for Mom: the website has to both do well AND be something I truly enjoy writing about.
By putting about 80% of my efforts into my two top niches (the pets site and a home/ family niche that is also doing very well, responsible for most of my
affiliate sales) I think I can have my cake and not eat it, too (I'm on a post-baby diet.) That is, I can both hold onto all my wonderful ideas and still maximize my earnings by focusing the majority of my time, effort, and resources on the best income-generating ones.
With these two websites alone, I know I can get back to my previous income level of $5,000 a month.
To keep myself on track, I will:
- Make a detailed work plan at the start of each week, and a checklist for each day to accomplish the week's goals.
- Schedule my work time, with my family's cooperation.
- Use my prime morning work time (5-7:30 am) for my top niche sites.
- Work on the extra sites when I need a break, or during extra work sessions after my main weekly goals are completed.
Have you faced the dilemma of how many successful websites you can truly manage? What was your conclusion or solution?
