Unveiling the Secrets of Niche Site Success with Victoria: A Conversation with an SEO Expert
Join us in this exclusive interview with Victoria (@VictoriaSEO_), a renowned expert in SEO, niche site creation, and content strategy. With a strong web development background and a Mathematics & Computer Science degree, Victoria brings a unique blend of technical knowledge and strategic thinking to her work.
In our conversation, we delved into various aspects of starting and building niche sites, exploring her tried-and-true methods for keyword research, niche selection, and content strategy.
Let’s uncover the secrets of niche site success through Victoria’s valuable insights.
Interview with Victoria: Secrets of Niche Site Success
Q. Can you tell us a little about your background, including your real name (if revealing it is not a problem), and what led you to become an online entrepreneur?
I have a background in software development and a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics & Computer Science.
My first online $ actually came from running a Minecraft server as a teenager, and I’ve been chasing online sources of revenue ever since. I’ve dabbled in all sorts of ventures since (not always successes), but the first real success was with an e-commerce site selling in-game currencies. Little did I know at the time, but this was my first point of contact with the world of SEO.
Years later, I stumbled upon the r/juststart subreddit. The case studies posted there motivated me to launch my first niche site, and the rest is history.
Q. Please give us an overview of the types of sites you run and the numbers behind them (such as traffic, revenue, etc.).
My main site yields anywhere from $3k-$4k per month with ~100k monthly visitors. It is monetized with Mediavine ads and Amazon Associates affiliate links, and the ratio between the two sources of revenue is nigh-on 50/50. It’s just under 2 years old.
I recently (2 months ago) launched a second site which is making great early progress, and I’m also in the process of launching a third site to be run by my partner.
Q. How many sites do you have? And in what niches?
3 sites. All three come under the umbrella of ‘lifestyle’.
Q. What criteria do you follow to choose a niche?
I only enter niches in which I’d be able to provide genuine value to the internet. Ideally, I’d have original imagery, some personal experience, and a hefty dose of passion for the subject before work on the site even begins.
Q. What steps do you follow to build the site?
I typically map out ~100 low-competition, low-volume, highly-related keywords (using a combination of WhatsMySerp and Semrush. These keywords will be the foundation of my site.
I register a brandable, niche-related “.com” domain with Route 53.
I deploy an AWS lightsail instance with my custom template as a staging site, remembering to set up the ‘About’, ‘Cookies’, ‘Privacy Policy’, ‘Sitemap’, and ‘Contact’ pages. I tend not to spend much time on the branding initially, but there’ll at least be the brand name in text form as a logo for the time being.
I write 5 articles from my list of 100, and then I move the staging site into an S3 bucket. I set up a Cloudfront distribution with the S3 bucket as my origin, and then I set up my DNS settings such that traffic to my “.com” domain is routed to the Cloudfront distribution. At this point, the site is live.
Going forward, it’s all about consistently publishing new content and periodically refreshing the keywords list with topics that have slightly more and more competition and volume.
With around 100 clicks per day, I apply to affiliate programs in my niche as a start to my monetization efforts. I then “wait” (in the sense that I’m still constantly publishing) until 50k monthly sessions before applying to Mediavine.
Q. What are your favorite tools and theme that you use to build websites?
I use Cyberduck to FTP into my S3 buckets, and Notepad++ to edit the HTML. Nothing fancy; no CMS.
That said, I’ve built a custom tool with GPT features for my second site. It remains to be seen whether this beats my usual approach, though!
Q. Recently, content site owners are reporting their traffic down, but I found your tweets about the traffic going upward. Would you mind sharing the tips with us?
I don’t think there’s any real ‘secret’, it’s just a case of consistently publishing genuinely helpful content on a well-maintained (technically optimized) website.
Google updates inevitably throw traffic around sometimes, and that’s an unfortunate part of the game, but I like to think that webmasters doing everything ‘right’ for their readers and users ultimately prevail.
Q. What is your content creation strategy for your sites, and how do you ensure that your content stands out in a crowded online space?
I just bank up low-competition keywords and write detailed, helpful answers for them. There’s no magic here.
Q. What are your favorite monetization strategies or networks, and why?
Display ads (Mediavine) and affiliate links (Amazon) are a super straightforward and easy way to convert traffic into revenue. Digital products are another great monetization strategy, but I’ve not implemented this into any of my niche sites as of yet (though I suppose I do sell digital products via my “VictoriaSEO” personal brand).
Q. How do you approach link building for your sites, and do you have a favorite link building technique?
I don’t build links.
Q. Have you built sites using aged domain site-building techniques? If so, how has this contributed to your success as an affiliate marketer? If not, can you explain why you haven’t tried it and if there are any reasons for that?
No, all my sites are built on fresh domains. I just feel like the market for expired/aged domains generally seems quite sketchy.
Q. How do you ensure that your sites provide value to your audience while aligning with your monetization strategies? Do you have a specific content strategy in place to balance these aspects effectively?
I think I’ve more or less answered this already
Q. How do you stay updated with the latest trends and changes in the SEO and affiliate marketing industry? Are there any specific resources or communities you rely on for continuous learning and staying ahead of the curve?
Niche site Twitter!
Q. What are your thoughts on the future of affiliate marketing, particularly in terms of emerging trends or technologies that might shape the industry? Are there any areas or niches that you believe will offer significant opportunities for affiliate marketers in the coming years?
Anything that can or has been said in relation to this is pure speculation. Nobody knows, plain and simple. For now, I’m just focusing on creating more helpful content while keeping a wary eye on developments with Google and AI.
Q. What are your long-term goals and aspirations as an affiliate marketer? Where do you see yourself and your online business in the next few years?
My dream is to have 1 million monthly readers across my niche site portfolio. I’m aware there’s a long road ahead, though! Again, it’s impossible to say for sure what will happen in the next few years, but I’m ready to adapt if necessary and just “keep on keeping on” otherwise.
Thank you for your time!
Victoria’s expertise and passion for niche sites shone through in our interview. From her meticulous approach to keyword research to her strategic content planning, Victoria shared invaluable insights into creating successful niche sites. Her experience as a niche site creator, combined with her technical SEO knowledge, has paved the way for exceptional results.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, Victoria’s thoughts on the future of niche sites serve as a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs.
By applying the strategies and wisdom shared by Victoria, you can unlock new opportunities, enhance your website’s performance, and position yourself for long-term success in the world of niche sites.
Where you can find me…
Website: seoptimi.se
Twitter: twitter.com/VictoriaSEO_
