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4. (The Entrepreneur Ridealong) Building A Niche Travel Site From $0 to $350,000: Day 1

(The Entrepreneur Ridealong) Building A Niche Travel Site From $0 to $350,000: Day 1

TLDR;

SEO
James Oliver

Niche
Travel

Content Strategy
A 50-50 mix of affiliate content and informational pieces.

Linkbuilding Strategy
Focusing on foundational links and HARO submissions.

Monetization Plan
Lead gen, affiliate sales, and display advertising

Target Earnings
$8,333 per month in net profit

Target Exit
$250,000 to $350,000

Welcome aboard my SEO journey. I’m building a website designed to generate a stable monthly income. The destination? A profitable sale on Empire Flippers at a 30-40x multiplier. The plan is simple, but execution is key.

I’ll document each step here: website design, content creation, link building, and other SEO techniques.

The domain remains confidential, but I’ll divulge the overarching niche.

I’ll record key statistics, such as traffic, rankings, and revenue. Reach out if you want additional details. Time and money investment will also be tracked.

By joining me, you’ll learn to construct a prosperous website, fine-tuning it for a successful marketplace sale.

The Goal

Our target? A $250,000 – $350,000 windfall.

Monthly numbers to hit the target:

• 30x multiple: $8,333 – $11,666 monthly.
• 40x multiple: $6,250 – $8,750 monthly.
• 50x multiple: $5,000 – $7,000 monthly.

I’ll need high-quality content, strong links, and diverse traffic to get a higher multiple.
What I’m aiming for? A cool $100k per annum or $8,333 a month, breaking down as follows:

Products only:

• $8,333 monthly ($278 daily).
• 3 purchases at $93 each.
• 400 daily visitors with a 0.75% conversion.

Affiliate marketing only:

• 56 orders at a 10% commission on $50 purchases.
• 5,600 daily visitors at a 1% conversion.

Ads only:

• $15 RPM (revenue per 1,000 visitors).
• 18,533 daily visitors.

A mix of all three:

• 1,000 daily visitors.
• $15 from ads at $15 RPM.
• $50 from 10 $50 affiliate orders at 1% conversion.
• $213 from 5 $43 product sales at 0.5% conversion.

Bookmark this page for future insights.

Whether starting fresh or looking to enhance your blog, it’s a valuable resource.

My Background

A bit about me, James Oliver. I’m a UK native who’s traveled widely, now residing in Dubai. I’ve been building websites for over five years, with a handful generating substantial monthly income through organic SEO tactics.

Niche Selection

Choosing the right niche is crucial. It’s the line between failure and a passive income stream. The factors to consider are revenue potential and niche specificity.

The chosen niche for this case study lies between broad and specific categories. The wider the niche, the higher the potential income, but it also means higher competition and the need for more content. I prefer being one or two levels above a narrow niche, offering room to grow and abundant content opportunities.

For example:

Pets > Dogs > Handbag Dogs > Chihuahua

I would choose Handbag Dogs.

Competitor analysis revealed limited potential.

I pivoted to a dormant travel domain which I seeded with content in December. Preliminary research reveals healthier competition and more promising traffic potential.

Monetization strategy plays a significant role in niche selection.

High commissions often come from digital products. A “boring” niche often translates to low competition, facilitating traffic acquisition. Multiple monetization strategies – affiliate, lead generation, ads – provide robust revenue sources.

Strategy

The strategy is straightforward.

A 50-50 mix of affiliate content and informational pieces. My aim is around 100 – 300 articles within three months of starting this challenge to kickstart Google rankings. Competitor research will be vital during this phase.

Link building begins post-launch, focusing on foundational links and HARO submissions.

Site setup is streamlined. Few plugins, a lightweight theme, and an emphasis on revenue-generating components. I favor GeneratePress and Generate Blocks for design and CTA boxes. This approach takes a swift 20 minutes, aided by a pre-saved theme and plugins.

Domain hosting is via Cloudways.

In summary, we’re reviving a dormant travel domain, aiming to grow it from $0 to $8,333 monthly, for a potential $250,000 – $350,000 sale.

The current statistics:

• Revenue: $0
• Costs: $1450
• Profit: -$1450
• Traffic: 200
• Posts: 20

Cost breakdown:

• Content: $1390
• Software/Hosting: $3
• Virtual Assistants/Operator: $57

Content is my primary investment, as I plan to hire writers for the content creation. My writers charge between $25 – $50 per article, not per word.

The quick setup using an existing theme didn’t consume much time. Most of my effort will be directed toward the keyword process, ensuring a strong foundation for the website.

I’ll dive into more detail in the next post.

In the meantime, you can find actionable techniques and big-picture blueprints for more SEO success on my website.

Cya then.