I Saw My Competitors' Websites...Now I'm Depressed

[MikeF421]

raising and rescue of squirrels in north carolina
wildcat campground point reyes
Baby Squirrels
horsetail falls oregon
oneonta falls
new nature videos download
caladesi island
Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Milepost 469) picture
boat in camping at tomales bay
little talbot island state park photos
letchworth state park map of park
map of peaks of otter
blue spring state park
big shoals state park
oceans
are killer whales found in the gulf of mexico

Just looking at some of your keywords here, wow. It goes from raising and rescuing squirrels in North Carolina to killer whales in the Gulf of Mexico. That is a pretty big variety.

I think what I would have to recommend is dividing this project up into sub-niches. Take a handful at a time... 6 to 8 or so and focus on those for a few months. Then look at another 6 the next few months.

What those sub-niches are I would leave up to you. If your passion is to become the go to site for information about rescuing squirrels in North Carolina, then focus on that. If you are more interested in educating people on Killer Whales, then let's focus on that.

I guess what I'm getting at is focusing on the main theme of your site being "nature" is just far too broad.

1) Adsense for now.

2) Get enough traffic to launch a network of nature forums on the site, thus largely automating content creation.

3) Get enough traffic to make it worthwhile to get in affiliate marketing, to diversify beyond Adsense.

4) Introduce my hosting services.

5) Have a career that I enjoy enough that I'd do it for free if I won the lottery.

I like #2. It's big. It's ambitious. I like that.

As for #3, what product or products do you have in mind to promote? That may influence what we focus on first.

I'm a little confused about #4... The hosting services. I'm just not putting the dots together between where someone would visit a nature site and the next logical step is getting them signed up for web hosting. Please help me to understand this.

Getting to your newsletter... I think you need to give away something here to get signups. Maybe something like a report of the #10 nature hikes in the United States (assuming you are targeting US traffic). Or maybe a list of "Nature sites you don't know about but should". Just throwing out examples. This is your niche though. You would know better than me. There needs to be something to entice people.

This seems very different, perhaps the opposite, of the small very targeted sites you seem to focus on.

Not necessarily. It's just instead of one niche site, you have many niche sites. We would just need to focus on each niche independently. The advantage you have over someone else that I might work with is someone who we attract in one of your niches, may have an interest in some of your other niches and there is more reason for them to stick around. I think that's a plus.

For the social media marketing, Facebook is almost a must. It's such a popular tool today. Like it or hate it, you're doing yourself a disservice by not using it. What I like best about it is the viral potential of it. For example, I'm trying to talk a local sushi place into letting us work for them. I love this sushi place and any chance I get I tell people in my area about it. The owners are nice as can be. The food is fantastic. I think Facebook would be tremendous for them. As people in the area see their friends become "fans" of the Facebook page, if they never heard of the place, they would probably look them up and try them out or ask people they know about the place. Then they would become fans. All of their friends would see that they just became a fan of this sushi place, and the cycle repeats.

Twitter, like I said, I hate, but it does get results. I've seen it. It's dumb. It's such a stupid thing. But I have been able to drive traffic to a website through Twitter. I almost wish it wasn't true.

Well, my impression (correct me if I'm wrong) is that your focus and skill is with SEO. So, if we're going to keep this about you more than me, perhaps we should stick with SEO?

I like to think that my skill is with online marketing as a whole. I just have a passion for SEO. I think of it like a puzzle that I must solve.

Alright, so you would need to pick a few niches to focus on at this point and we can go from there.

[Engage]

I guess what I'm getting at is focusing on the main theme of your site being "nature" is just far too broad.

I'm agreeable to zeroing in on a specific topic for awhile.

For educational purposes, perhaps we should explain why "nature" is too broad?

Hmm... Perhaps the question is, why would 25 pages on one nature topic be better than 25 pages on 25 nature topics, assuming all pages were made by the same process?

Not arguing, have no point here, don't know the answer myself, just trying to help readers understand why we're doing what we're doing.

I like #2. It's big. It's ambitious. I like that.

My whole approach to all of this is quite ambitious, maybe too ambitious.

Anyway, I have the software for a nature forum network already installed on the site. An unlimited number of full featured, fully independent nature forums, all within my domain.

But I need more traffic to launch it. Maybe three times my current traffic, something like that? Not sure, time will tell. Anyway, that's my automated content strategy.

I have an automated link building strategy underway too, but it needs more of my time to really work.

Too many irons in the fire....

As for #3, what product or products do you have in mind to promote? That may influence what we focus on first.

Truthfully, have no clue. I've been putting that whole topic off until I have more traffic to work with. Honestly, if I could make it with Adsense only, that would be my preference. But not sure that's the best plan.

However, I have one little tool to share. Here's a search tool that searches only leading affiliate program networks.

http://webmaster-engine.com/tools/se...irectories.cgi

I'm a little confused about #4... The hosting services. I'm just not putting the dots together between where someone would visit a nature site and the next logical step is getting them signed up for web hosting. Please help me to understand this.

Ok. First, I didn't create the nature site to promote hosting services. Just trying to make full use of whatever traffic I have.

It's kind like you and the sushi bar. What does sushi have to do with Facebook? Just about everybody is on Facebook now, or should be.

Hosting services are kinda like food, everybody needs them, even nature lovers.

Getting to your newsletter... I think you need to give away something here to get signups.

Yes, you're right. I have 120 full screen Florida nature videos on the site, perhaps I can rework that in to a signup hook. Good idea, good point, will do. Thanks!

Here's what's working best for me now. I've got a full page multimedia ad for the nature newsletter running on the signup confirm page for my ezine service.

I can't really put a big fancy newsletter signup form, with multimedia hooks and bonus offered explained, on the top left of every article on the site.

Thus, I was considering focusing my list building efforts on creating a series of SEO optimized squeeze pages, where I can really present a compelling offer.

What I pictured was, optimize a squeeze page for some keyword, get it ranked well, and then do another one, and another etc.

I realize there is a duplicate content on one site penalty, so I was considering presenting the signup form content via javascript, so the engines wouldn't see it. The engines would only see the unique optimized SEO paragraphs.

Did I explain that well enough? Opinions?

The advantage you have over someone else that I might work with is someone who we attract in one of your niches, may have an interest in some of your other niches and there is more reason for them to stick around. I think that's a plus.

Agreed, yes, you get it. Nature-Talk is the very broad theme within which an infinite number of related topics can be addressed.

The point for me is, only one site to build links to.

And, now I have my worked mapped out for the entire rest of my life. Everyday I get up, and know what to do. No more delays, decisions, distractions etc.

For the social media marketing, Facebook is almost a must. It's such a popular tool today. Like it or hate it, you're doing yourself a disservice by not using it.

I really do agree here as well, and am willing to try Facebook, assuming I'm still allowed to hate Twitter.

If you have an unlimited amount of free time available to be our tutor we might want to start a new thread about Facebook. I could surely use a Facebook 101 course.

Or perhaps it would be more efficient and reasonable for us to create a list of sites which are already providing such Facebook tutorials.

What I like best about it is the viral potential of it.

I hear you, yes, too powerful to ignore.

Twitter, like I said, I hate, but it does get results. I've seen it. It's dumb. It's such a stupid thing. But I have been able to drive traffic to a website through Twitter. I almost wish it wasn't true.

I have my fingers in my ears, and I'm singing a stupid song very loudly.

I like to think that my skill is with online marketing as a whole. I just have a passion for SEO. I think of it like a puzzle that I must solve.

A puzzle to solve, yes, that expresses it well. Your mindset is a good complement to mine, thus this thread has value to me. Hope you're getting something out of it as well.

Alright, so you would need to pick a few niches to focus on at this point and we can go from there.

Ok, will do. Might take me a bit. While I'm working on that, perhaps you might consider my squeeze page theories?

Um, apologies to the original poster, whose thread we have hijacked. Hopefully his confidence will be assisted by the education you are providing here.

[Engage]

Mike, a big THANKS to you.

I took your suggestion, and am just about done adding a signup bonus to our newsletter. We have 100+ nature videos we've taken on our travels around Florida. I created a password protected member area just for subscribers, and made a nice display of the videos there.

All that's left is to create a new subscribe form to present the bonus offer.

Anyway, it's all coming together quite nicely, and I wanted to give credit where it's due.

Thanks again!

[MikeF421]

No thanks needed, but you're welcome. Always happy to help. Glad to hear it is coming together for you. I'm anxious to see the finished product.

Sorry, I've sort of abandoned this thread recently. It wasn't by choice. I picked up 3 new clients on Thursday. I usually get one or two here and there. Once in awhile 2 in a week. Never 3 in a day. Also picked up an SEO job that is proving to be more difficult than I first expected. I way underpriced myself on this one for the amount of work it is taking. A few power outages as storms ripped through the area and a router dying didn't help any either. Live and learn.

On top of all that, I had been planning a new site I wanted to do for myself and decided to take it this weekend. Girlfriend and kids are at the beach until Tuesday, so it seemed like the ideal time. I've always done Adsense or affiliate marketing of digital products. Never messed around with Amazon, but I had a niche idea that thought Amazon would be perfect for. Kinding of stumbling my way through the Amazon affiliate side today. Not liking it. I thought their Amazon store would be a little more eye catching. It's garbage.

Anyhow, I've been busy as can be all weekend. Things should be getting back to normal in the next day or two.

Then I can get back to wasting time trolling forums again.

[Engage]

No worries Mike, I get being busy, and am glad you have lots of good things going. We're not on a deadline here.

Sorry about Amazon. It remains a mystery to me why the biggest companies always seem to have the worst sites.

My net connection went down for a half day this week, got a much needed break. It would probably be good if it went down more often.

Would be happy to give you access to the member area and our videos if that is of interest. You don't even have to subscribe, wow, what a special deal!!

Ok, see ya the next time you go trolling.

[MikeF421]

I was actually going to wait until you were done with everything and then go ahead and subscribe. I'll even use my special email address. The one I actually read.

[Engage]

Ok, good idea. Please stand by, next day or two.

[kentheriot]

[Um, apologies to the original poster, whose thread we have hijacked. Hopefully his confidence will be assisted by the education you are providing here.]

That's just fine with me! I've been following along with baited breath and learning a ton.

Ken

[Engage]

That's just fine with me! I've been following along with baited breath and learning a ton

Ah, good! Glad to read that, thanks for letting us know.

Ok, my new newsletter subscribe system is ready from any page of my site (nature-talk.com).

I took Mike's advice.

1) Made the signup form prominent, first thing on every page of my site.

2) Added an incentive signup bonus.

Here's a strategy I'm hoping to work, that might be helpful to somebody.

STEP 1: Build the readership of my ezine up from the current 1700 readers. When I have 5,000 - 10,000 readers, then...

STEP 2: Reach out to other nature publishers and offer to announce their new content in my newsletter if they will add a link to my site to their site template.

If it works, the hope is to get one way links from lots of nature sites, using exposure in the newsletter as the bait, instead of a link swap.

[MikeF421]

I like it.

Three things I might suggest, and you're going to hate me because at least two of them would involve a fair amount of work.

1.) I would make the font bigger and more noticeable for your signup. The text on the left side of the page is kind of small. Doesn't really grab someone's attention.

2.) Love the nature videos, but let's pretend I'm an idiot when it comes to nature. I stumbled across your site and signed up. A little detail of what I am looking at or about to look at is something I think your members would like.

3.) Is it possible to setup the videos to view them on your site rather than by download? Would that eat up too much bandwidth? I think the convenience that would offer would be something people would like better than having to download and unzip anything they want to view. Also, I've come across quite a few people who would like your site, but couldn't unzip a file to save their life.

In the meantime, I've got some videos to download.