BizFancy

hen building your content site, you have many options. Do you use Dreamweaver, Expression Web (formerly Frontpage) or perhaps use a CMS like Joomla or even a modified version of Wordpress. All of these are possible solutions, but I have found an easier solution. I use a program called XSitePro. It’s easy to use, makes it easy to optimize pages for keywords and phrases, allows you to create pages fast, makes adding Adsense and affiliate ads a snap, makes it very easy to update and is very easy to learn. These are features that the rest of the options simply don’t have. I can put up a perfectly nice, 100% search engine optimized site in an hour or less, complete with a professional looking logo/header, navigation menus, sitemap, unique page titles and meta information for every page etc. There is also a feature that allows you to add many pages at once, which I find immensely helpful. For one site, I created about 400 pages in about an hour. Due to this and many other features, I have found XSitePro to be the best solution for my content site building work. It’s also nice that, unlike doing a site in Dreamweaver, I don’t tend to dread or have a mind block from doing any updating to my sites, which is great, because the more updated your site is, the more search engines will like it.

I forgot to mention that I also add a Wordpress blog and sometimes a forum as an adjunct to each site. The Wordpress blog allows easy updating of the site without having to upload anything and also gets the attention of the search engine spiders. Once I put a site up, I make sure to make regular posts to the blog. I’ll even recycle some content, change it around and rewrite it a bit and include links to my content pages in the post. It’s also handy to be able to announce on your blog when you have added something new to the site and include a link straight to that fresh content. Search engines love that sort of thing.

As far as a layout is concerned, I like to do a three column layout in XSitePro for most sites. This allows for excellent placement of Adsense ads and affiliate ads. I usually put a leaderboard at the top of the site, just under my header/logo, as that’s the most clicked area for ads. I also put some Adsense boxes on each side, usually some 120×600 vertical ads or banner ads. It’s a good idea to experiment with different banner ad sizes, different affiliate ads and different Adsense boxes and placements. What’s good for one type of site may not work as well for another. I also like to place an Adsense search box at the bottom of every content site. Even on sites that I don’t think people would want to search, sites that don’t really have that many pages, I’m always amazed at the amount of searches that each site gets. People love to search your site, they think they will find what they need easier without having to go through your menus and links. Might as well give them what they want and make some Adsense $ at the same time! I find that Adsense search boxes work really well for my largest sites, sites with hundreds of pages. It’s also very handy that you can check your Adsense account for what keywords and phrases people are using on each site. This is imminently useful for creating new pages. If they are searching for it and not finding it on your site, then create a new page for it. And with XSitePro, it’s very easy to add new pages.

Don’t underestimate to importance of choosing a decent host for your website. If you put alot of time and work into your website, and your site is inaccessible to your visitors, then it’s all a waste. Here are two good choices for a budget host to start your empire.

In my experience, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get solid hosting for your website. I like the following hosts and packages:

ResellerZoom – You can start off with the Budget package that is $6.95 a month. Generally solid and decent support. I have had 20 sites hosted on a Budget plan for almost 3 years, and am still pretty satisfied overall. A good budget choice.

HostGator – HostGator has a good reputation. I wouldn’t hestitate to use their Baby plan which allows unlimited websites for $7.95 a month. If you’re only going to build one site, then go with the Hatchling plan for just $4.95 a month. I don’t have any personal experience with this host however, but have heard good things.

Once you’ve chosen your niche, you need to select a domain name. Here’s a nice little tool to help you get ideas: Bust A Name

Try to select a .com domain name, they are generally easier to remember and are worth more if you want to sell your site later. Next, try to include keywords or a keyword phrase related to your site in your domain name, if possible. Keep your domain as short as possible. I see people make the mistake of choosing a domain name that will be impossible to remember or difficult to type, like keyword-keyword-keyword.com or keywordphrase-keyword.com. Try to avoid putting a dash in the name if possible as well. You want a name that will be easy to remember, easy to brand and easy to type in. If we were going with the topic of “hand quilting”, then a domain like handquiltingweb.com would be good. Or perhaps handquiltingonline.com or quiltingcountry.com.

In my experience, the best place to register a domain name is NameCheap. They have monthly coupons for a percent off your new domain registration every month.

I’m going to start off this blog with the #1 way I make money online. That is, creating niche content websites. I have several websites that make me thousands of dollars each year. I won’t share my niches, but I’ll tell you how to find your own, create your content and even promote the site. This will be a multi post subject.

Keep in mind that I don’t bother with making junk websites, loaded with scraped content or PLR articles or other people’s content. I’m talking about making a real content website, with 100% or close to 100% unique content. A site that will take longer to get off the ground and make money, but will make money for years and years. If you don’t plan on putting some work and time into your website, then don’t even bother.

Here we go with part 1…

The first thing you need to do is find a niche. This is easy for me… I simply go with what I know and love. Do you enjoy quilting? How about crafts? Or maybe you are a connoisseur of cigars or wine or Maserati’s or a local college team or whales or the old West or whatever. Think about what you like, what you enjoy, what is your passion? First and foremost, pick what interests YOU. This is very important. If you pick a topic that interests you, then the content and care you put into the site because of your passion for it will come through to your visitors, and that will pay off in the long run. It doesn’t matter how niche it is, how specialized a topic, trust me, if you have a passion for it, chances are that there are other people out there in the vast Internets that are also interested in it.