Don Modekali

Tag: 10k challenge

  • Authority Website: Getting Started

    Authority Website: Getting Started

    authority-websiteGuys, hope your December is turning out well.

    It’s summer time over here. Lots of sunshine where I live. Days are much longer and nights are shorter.

    This is my first update on the 10K Challenge, where I am documenting my journey on building an authority website from scratch and grow it to 10K in revenues.

    So far, I have done the basics required to get a site up. Here’s what I have:

    i) Bought a domain name: buzzandbees.com (Get yours from Namecheap.com at $.5.88 per year)

    ii) Hosting: I already have  unlimited disk space with JustHost

    iii) WordPress theme: I got the Seashell theme from Themeforest

    iv) Downloaded about 800 keywords related to bees from Google Keyword Planner

    I haven’t even got the theme ready. Here is how the website looks like now:

    authority website

    Goals of the Website

    The goal of establishing the website is to make it an authority source on matters related to bee keeping. I chose the bee niche not because I have any passion in it, but because it’s an evergreen niche that has huge potential. Moreover, I have scoured the web but have not found many, if any, authority sites in the niche.

    You can get a list of evergreen niches for your niche sites here.

    Majority of the websites I have come across look outdated although there are some very active forums. I will strive to make Buzzandbees.com the number one site where bee keepers and enthusiasts can get information that will help them be successful with their bee businesses or hobbies.

    Here is an overview of some of the content I will cover:

    i) Bee farming guides/advice

    ii) Reviews of different bee farming products

    iii) Interviews of successful bee farmers

    iv) Provide one-stop source for bee farming resource

    v) And more

    Authority Website Content Creation

    At the moment, I will be creating most of the content on the bee farming authority site. I have excellent research skills and although I don’t know a lot about bee farming, I am sure I can create great content. This 10K project is going to be one hell-of-a-ride and a great learning experience.

    I have a very modest budget for this project. I will try to do most of the content creation by myself but outsource some parts of marketing, for example SEO. I may also outsource things like video creation.

    All these are just thoughts at this time. When the activities are due, I will know how to proceed.

    I will be creating long detailed guides that have a number of keywords that will make them rank well. For every article, I will strive to provide as much detail as possible so that visitors will feel contented after reading.

    Authority Site Monetization

    I will monetize the authority site through different ways. The potential obvious ways include using Adsense, promoting affiliate products and creating my own info products. When the site finally explodes in traffic and users, I may look into creating my own physical product, having a forum/marketplace, or finally sell the site.

    Things will fall into place in time.

    To-Do List in December

    This December, I plan to accomplish the following tasks for my authority site:

    i) Finish the website design

    ii) Create a logo for the site

    iii) Create a list of potential titles that I can write about

    iv) Write down a list of competitor sites for drilling down their marketing strategy, forming partnerships, and getting content ideas.

    v) Find a list of potential relevant traffic sources for the website.

    There we go guys. Slow and steady Dean wins the race.

    Are you creating a niche site or authority website? I would like to keep up to date with your projects. Comment below with a link to your authority site.

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  • 10K Challenge: Building an Authority Website

    10K Challenge: Building an Authority Website

    authority-websiteHello October,

    New month is here and I’m excited to get started with another challenge. This is the 10K Challenge, which is all about building an authority blog, or website if you wish.

    One of the goals I made at the beginning of the year was to build an authority website. I never really got to get started with the goal apart from buying a domain name. Then, sometime in August, one of the bloggers I follow, Tung Tran from Cloud Income started an authority website case study. I figured I should jump at it with him and others so that we can keep each others on toes. You know how it is in the online world, it can get pretty lonely when you have no one to be accountable to.

    Anyway, I never got to get started with the project due to commitments here and there. But now, I feel I’m ready. The energy I have within me is daring me to roll on. So, here we go.

    What is an Authority Website?

    An authority website is simply a website that focuses on a large niche. To better understand what I mean, let’s look at some aspects that differentiate authority and niche websites.

    i) Audience

    The audience of a niche website is fairly defined while the audience of an authority website is more general. For example, a niche website may focus on “weight loss for women over 40” keyword  phrase while an authority website will focus generally on “weight loss” and related keywords.

    ii) Monetization

    Niche websites usually focus on selling a specific product in the niche while authority websites usually sell multiple products and have different monetization avenues.

    iii) Traffic sources

    For niche websites, traffic mainly relies on getting specific keywords ranked high on Google. For authority websites, traffic sources are diverse and the aim is not to rank high on Google for specific keywords but to get traffic through brand building and social clout.

    Challenges of Building an Authority Website

    You can look at an authority website as niche site on a higher level. All the challenges one has to go through with a niche site should be anticipated with an authority site, but at a greater level.  For my part, I have both business and personal challenges with the project that I’ll have to overcome.

    Some of the challenges I see include:

    i) Fatigue. I am already doing different projects on the side. Sometimes, life gets in the way and I may get tired with the project. The good thing is the project is set on a timeline of up to two years. So, I can go as slowly or as quickly as I wish. In the end, it’s all about making small steps towards achieving the large goal.

    ii) Financial constraints. I anticipate I will have to outsource some tasks along the way. For instance, I usually write articles on my own but I will have to outsource SEO, and perhaps social media marketing. This requires money, which I may or may not have at the time.

    iii) Market challenge.I am entering a market that I am entirely not familiar with. This is a farming market. I will have to devout a lot of time to learn the lingo and everything related  to the market if my website is to become an authority in the industry.

    iv) Delayed results. One of the joys of building a niche site is that you can see results quickly. Sometimes, you will need  just a few weeks to get your website ranking on page 1 of Google. With an authority site, things are different. Since we are not chasing after niche keywords, it can take quite some time before we start getting traffic. This can be really discouraging especially after pouring all the sweat, blood and tears into the project.

    And that is that.

    Updates on the 10K Challenge

    I will try to make at least one update every month with regards to where I am with the 10K Challenge. You can view all the updates of the challenge here.

    The 10K Challenge has official began. May the odds be in your favor, dear friend.