Just ten years ago if you wanted to profit in a niche market it was typically an expensive and
risky undertaking. First you had to do the research to see if the industry was big enough to
support you. Then you would setup a shop of some sort, whether it was a storefront, mall kiosk,
or kitchen table, run a mail order company and tons of little classified ads to bring in the
business. It usually took at least six months to see if a profit was likely in your future and
finding good suppliers for specialty items could be just as demanding as selling the stuff you
managed to get hold of. Thanks to the Web, those days are long gone.
Today, with a little basic information and $50 you can have a nice niche thing going. Or with
that same $50 and some hard won insider tips you can OWN any niche you want. That's what we'll
focus on.
First things first, spend wisely. Setup a budget early on and find ways to stay within it. Use
free tools whenever possible and when you do need to spend money on something, make sure it's a
bargain.
Okay, now for the good stuff. Let's start with finding our keywords...
Part One: Finding Keywords
Finding Keywords 1: We can use a free tool to do this part. Go to
Google Keyword Tool and
type in a common word or phrase that describes your niche (check the Use synonyms box to get
the best variety of results.)
Finding Keywords 2: Now click on the "Approx Avg Search Volume" header to sort by the
average monthly volume. You are going to take each of the search terms that look like good
possible keywords and run a search on Google for them. But lets keep track. Take a sheet of
paper (or Excel doc) and jot down the keyword, then the "Approx Avg Search Volume" and finally
the number of pages returned on Google.
Finding Keywords 3: When you have that information for a good handful of keywords you
want to come up with a success potential ratio for each. It's easy. Just divide the "Approx Avg
Search Volume" by the number of pages on Google. This is your success potential ratio. The higher
the number; the better.
Example A: Approx Avg Search Volume (6,500) / Matching Pages on Google (100,000)
= .065 is your Success Potential Ratio
Example B: Approx Avg Search Volume (9,750) / Matching Pages on Google (233,000)
= .042 is your Success Potential Ratio
Example B has a lot more searches performed but with even more competition than A. Long story
short, this means the keyword from Example A is likely our best bet to target.
Part Two: Securing Domain Names
Securing Domain Names 1: Now go to your favorite domain registrar (like Godaddy.com,
Register.com or whatever) and run a domain registration availability search for the keyword
phrase with the highest Success Potential Ratio.
Securing Domain Names 2: Use dashes! And don't feel like the splits need to be perfect.
For example, if you have a possible domain that is three words long, first try it without any
dashes. That will be gone, I can almost guarantee. Next try separating each word with a dash.
Maybe it's taken, maybe not. If not, grab it! If it is taken, don't despair. Try just one dash
between the first two words and let the second and third run together. If that version is taken,
move the dash so it is between the second and third while the first and second run together. Chances
are you will find one that works. And the best part is the search engines read it as the same keyword!
Keep in mind, this domain and resulting Website is for SEO purposes NOT branding. Who cares how
long it is or how many dashes it has? Certainly not you. The search engines will love it!
Securing Domain Names 3: A word of advice... Get your domain name as quickly as possible.
The older it is, the better in Google's eyes. And they actually run date scans on domains using a
Whois registry so they know the exact date and minute the domain was registered.
If you've never used one, check out AllWhoIs.com or BetterWhoIs.com and enter any domain name.
It tells you all kinds of stuff, including the owner, registrar, date or registration and even
the owner's home phone and address if that's what he or she used to register.
Securing Domain Names 4: As for the domain type, .com is best bet and .net and .org
extensions also do well. I don't bother with the others and I really strive for .com whenever
possible.
Part Three: Deciding on Website Type
Deciding on Website Type 1: Do you want a blog or a regular static site? For quickest
results I recommend setting up a WordPress blog (free technology with thousands of free templates.)
Google loves blogs because they are fresh, dynamic and already nearly perfectly optimized for their
spidering bot.
Deciding on Website Type 2: If you do go with WordPress, I also recommend installing the
free WordPress plugin "All
in One SEO Pack" by Michael Torbert. It's amazing and totally
free.
Top 10 Website Exposure at Rates Anyone Can Afford
- Quick Inclusion: Your Google-type Featured Listing added within 6 - 8 hours.
- Fixed Cost:: $3 to $4 per month per keyword term, or less. No pay per click.
- Top 10 Exposure: Guaranteed Top 10 exposure on 100's of search engines.
- No Hassle: No keyword bidding, bid management or charges for fraudulent clicks.
Part Four: Finding Web Hosting
Finding Web Hosting 1: There are tens or thousands of companies you can go with or you can
even just host your site at WordPress.com.
Finding Web Hosting 2: Personally I like to maintain full control of my site for future
expansions and customizations. And I have so many niche blogs in service that saving even just
a few bucks is a big deal. I use the starter blog package available at
Vortex Host for $25 per year.
It's also got push button WordPress installation, which is nice. So I'm up and running in about
five minutes.
Finding Web Hosting 3: But again, there are literally tens of thousands of hosts to choose
from. Shop around and stick with one you really like. It's much easier to track each of your niche
blogs with a single host (control panels, stats, etc.)
Part Five: Optimizing Your Site
Optimizing Your Site 1: So far we've covered how to select the most profitable keywords,
purchase unbeatable domain names, use the Website type most revered by Google for quickest results
and how to get reliable inexpensive hosting with bonus features. And we have only spent about $35
($10 for the domain and $25 for hosting.)
Optimizing Your Site 2: Now we move onto the actual optimization part. I will laundry list
the things you need to keep in mind for a competitive edge and recommend a tool bargain if you decide
you need one.
Use two of your most important keywords per page; the primary and a secondary.
Use your main and secondary keyword in the page or post title.
Try to make each page about 500 words in length or more, using at least five paragraphs.
Mention your main keyword about four times on the page as follows: Once at the beginning of the
first sentence, once in the second paragraph, once in the third paragraph and once towards the end
of the final paragraph.
Mention your secondary keyword about four times on the page as follows: Once towards the end
of the first sentence, once in the third paragraph, once in the fourth paragraph and once towards
the beginning of the final paragraph.
Add your keywords and META descriptions to the WordPress plugin "All in One SEO Pack" and let
that do the heavy lifting for you.
Optimizing Your Site 3: If you have an SEO analyzer tool, use it. This is a tool that
goes through you site just like Google will, and does the same to your top competitors that
dominate your search engine of choice, then tells you EXACTLY what you need to do to steal their
top positions.
Optimizing Your Site 4: If you don't have a tool like that but think it would help, you
can download a free trial version of one of the better ones at
iBusinessPR0M0TER.com. If you decide to buy it,
you will have the same tool that makes eBay number one all over the world. And for about $250.
Well that's it. You can dominate any niche you want with little time, effort or expense. Why do
I feel so confident about it? This is the exact process I have used to dominate over fifty niches
from Bass fishing to coin collecting and, of course, search engine optimization.
Above all else enjoy the ride. Best of luck!
About The Author
Mike Small is the owner and founder of SEOpartner.com . With eleven years
in the SEO industry he has written several popular books on optimization and continues as a consultant working with
clients from around the US, UK and Japan.
