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Update on Two Re-Focused Sites
October 27, 2006
Earlier this month, I wrote about turning two existing sites into online magazines. It's been almost a month now since I changed the format and focus of these two sites, and I'm going to jump the gun a little and write an update post now rather than wait for Tuesday.
These sites were basically duds because I hadn't promoted them at all, and I didn't really like the way I had been working with them. I actually hadn't started out with much of a plan with either of them - they both really started out as great domain names that I had thought up.
What I've been doing with these two sites is adding reprint articles regularly. I look for high-quality content that is relevant to the niche. I also check author bios to make sure I'm not linking to anything spammy or sploggy or MFA. Generally, I prefer articles written by authors who then link to their own websites.
Site Details
Both these sites are in areas in which I have a lot of interest (there's actually a common theme to both of them even though they are in different niches), so I'm looking to eventually build them both into good quality resources with a lot of returning visitors.
So far, Site 1 has 16 articles and Site 2 has 23 articles. (I deleted all previous content and started fresh with both sites.)
Both sites are in niche areas, but one site had a healthier start. Site 1 sported a PR4 at the time of its transformation, while Site 2, although indexed, was a lowly PR0. Site 2 had no incoming links, but Site 1 had a small number of backlinks.
Before I made these changes, I was seeing very little traffic for both of these sites, so I was basically starting fresh even though both sites have been up for a while.
Both sites are using Wordpress as their CMS, so all new articles are pinged.
Aside from pinging each article, I've been doing nothing in terms of promoting either site, although I did go on a small link building campaign for Site 2.
Site Layout
While Site 2 is using a template that I've found effective for monetization purposes, Site 1 is using a template that's untested. Site 2 has a lot more "real estate" available, as it's a three column format. Site 1 has a more designed look, and only has one sidebar.
Both sites are displaying Adsense.
October Stats
Here are the stats so far for October for both sites:
Site 1
Unique visitors: 149
No. of returning visitors: 6
Page loads: 313
Site 2
Unique visitors: 43
No. of returning visitors: 0
Page loads: 55
Results So Far
Both sites are seeing the same pattern in terms of search engine results. Two-thirds of the traffic is coming from MSN and the other third is coming from Google. Yahoo isn't even a player. (I guess this means I've actually got two sites now that work better with MSN than Google!)
Search terms are, on the whole, relevant to the new articles I've been putting up. Site 2's traffic has been fairly consistent - between 0 to 2 visitors per day. Site 1 has seen a bit of a spike in traffic in the last week. I think that's when the MSN traffic picked up.
Despite the much higher visitor count for Site 1, I've only made the masterful sum of $1.33 from that site. The CTR is abysmal, to say the least. Site 2 has earned $0.00 so far, despite the use of a proven template.
In the Works
I'm actually quite excited by these results, especially for Site 1. Considering I haven't done much of anything with these sites other than add content, I am pleasantly surprised. So here's what I plan to do this coming month:
1. Continue to add articles.
2. Add a monthly newsletter to Site 1.
3. Change over Site 1's template to one that gives me more space for ads.
4. Concentrate on getting inbound links.
5. Promote the sites using article marketing.
I find it more exciting to make a big change in format or focus for an existing site than to launch a new site - it's always easier to work with a site that's already been indexed.
I have a few more duds in my basket of sites, so I'm going to brainstorm some changes for them, too. I'm also tempted to dust off some of my other sites that I was using reprint articles with, but none of them are in niches that really interest me, and right now, I'd like to stick to doing things that do interest me.
I really like turning around an existing site that's just not working. I always start from the perspective, there's nothing to lose if I revamp this site. Because it's true! So okay, I'm only $1.33 richer as a result of re-doing these two sites, but I'm really seeing some potential here.
Not to mention, I'm having fun.
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Posted by BJ at 07:20 PM in Web Publisher's Life | Permalink
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Comments
Thanks for blogging about my post BJ :)
Posted by: Cristian Mezei | Oct 28, 2006 10:26:50 AM
And thanks for writing such a great post, Cristian. (Visitors - see my post at http://www.adventuresinnetmarketing.com/2006/10/101_web_marketi.html)
Posted by: BJ | Oct 28, 2006 7:20:28 PM
