AssociatePrograms.com

eirikra · **Joined**: 25 Nov 2003 **Posts**: 11

Hi,

I have been reading these boards for quite a time now, and just two weeks ago I bought SBI. I'm don't regret buying it, but I can't come up with any ideas for any content-sites... that's why I feel like I've been throwing money out of the window. I've been reading a lot about motivation and that the best thing to create a website about is something you're interested in. My problem is that I have difficulties sorting out what I'm really interested in! (it's not that I don't have any interests, I just don't understand how I can use them on a website... or... In one way I do understand, but still... I feel like I'm getting nowhere! It's hard to explain.) anyone else ever had the same problem?

I know that I'm interested in computers, guitar-playing, web-designing and more, but... ugh. I guess I'm stuck in some kind of really sticky beginners-mud! I need to get out of this... any tips?

Thanks,
Eirik

DatabaseDesigner · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 12:41 am Post subject:

What do you like like?
-Motorcycles
-Fishing
-Salvation Army (great niche for a mating (sorry:dating) forum)
-Great places for holidays
-Northern lights (market in Japan is huge and it's a super keyword)
-Skiing techniques
-Swimming styles

Whatever you have the slightest interest in (beer and women not included, or....?)

Study the field you decide to enter (read Kidino's post in another thread). There is just one little hunch to it, You actually have to work, not a little, but quite much, that's how you become an expert (better than the rest).

Show some initiative, my friend! Think!
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thepoolroom · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 3:51 am Post subject:

I'd take guitar-playing as a good site theme. 'Computers' is too broad, and there are already millions of sites discussing computers. 'Web design' also has a lot of competition, and undoubtedly some of them are very savvy so it'd be hard to get your site ranked higher than theirs.

'Guitar-playing' is an interesting, highly specific niche. Other sites in that niche are fairly unlikely to have webmasters that really optimise their search terms well, so it shouldn't be too hard to rise near the top of the search engine rankings.

There are lots of products and services you can sell related to guitars. There's the instruments themselves, plus strings, picks, cases, stands, microphones, pedals, cables, amps, etc. Then there are CDs, DVDs, books, magazines, posters, tapes, concert tickets, etc. There are services such as teachers/tutors, recording studios, managers, lawyers, etc. You could even build a forum for people to disuss all this stuff, for guitarists to find bands (and vice versa), for people to trade mp3s of their songs, etc.

Lots of scope for income!

Once you've decided on guitar-playing as a theme, do some searches on Overture to find related search terms and demand. Also look at the bids on the PPCs to see how much people are paying for traffic.

Using the related search terms from Overture, brainstorm domain names and get one registered. Again using the Overture search terms, plan the scope of your site and start brainstorming ideas for articles. You want to write specific articles to target the most common search terms.

Just keep writing a new article every day (or week, or whatever) and add it to your site. When you've got a few articles written, start looking for affiliate programs in some of those products and services I mentioned before. Join programs that match the content you've already written (e.g. if you've written an article about how to choose your first guitar, look for affiliate programs for selling guitars), and write down any other interesting programs you come across as ideas for future articles.

This is the basis of building a content site for profit. Just keep iterating this process, and before long you'll have a great site!

All the other stuff -- like link-building, newsletters, ebooks, advertising in PPCs, publishing free-reprint articles, etc -- is about boosting the effectiveness of your site. But none of it's particularly useful until you've got your site up and running, so ignore all that for now. It'll only complicate things and distract your focus. Return to this stuff when you've got at least a dozen or so articles posted.

Once your guitar-playing site is pretty stable, you'll be ready to think about your next site. This would be a good time to revisit your interests in computers and web design.

You could create a site primarily focused on computers for musicians - how to buy a computer, what they'll need, how to record and edit music and distribute mp3s, how to burn CDs, how to record and edit video, how to interface their instruments to the computer, what software they'll need, etc. There'd be tons of products and services in this area.

Or you could create a site instructing musicians on how to set up their own web sites. Again, what hardware and software they'll need, where to host it, design tips, how to post music samples for download, how to sell music online, how to get found via search engines, etc. Again, you could find tons of products and services in this area.

The beauty of these three web site ideas is that they dove-tail really nicely with each other. Visitors to one of the sites will most likely be interested in the others, too, so you should be able to build some loyalty and repeat customers and share the traffic through cross-links.

I've rambled a bit, so I'll stop here. Hopefully I've given you some ideas. All this is just my opinion, so make of it what you will!
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Debs · **Joined**: 16 Aug 2003 **Posts**: 4296 **Location**: NY

One of the things I suggest, if you don't mind, is to have you post a short bio of yourself, hobbies, interests, passions (not your other half passions --- topic passions lol) ... what can you talk about all day long and never tire of?

Answer these questions for us, then we can help you brainstorm some ideas and maybe even a USP (unique selling proposition).

Fire away Smile

Debs
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eirikra · **Joined**: 25 Nov 2003 **Posts**: 11

Thank you all for some really helpful replies! I have actually been thinking of the guitar-playing site, but I never get started... I guess I'm afraid of wasting my time (although I know I most likely must fail to be able to succeed later on).

As for myself I'm really interested in mainly music and computers. I've played guitar for over 7 years and piano for 8 years, so you can say that music is something I reallly enjoy and can talk about nearly all day (I need some time to sleep and eat lol). ... Another thing I'm into is webdesigning, web-application-development and other web-related subjects, but I don't think I should start on a site about that because, as one of you already said, there's so much of it out there. In my sparetime I don't really do much else than playing guitar, studying (history), being with my friends, take a beer and doing things on my computer. Oh and I like to watch TV, but hey - who doesn't? Smile

I don't really know what more to say, but I hope this can help a little. I have already started thinking about a musicians-computer website as thepoolroom mentioned - what a great idea!

Again, thanks for the help! I really appreciate it! Hopefully I can get somewhere sometime;)

eirikra · **Joined**: 25 Nov 2003 **Posts**: 11

Oh and for those who think my last post was meant as a contact ad - I'm already taken! lol

DatabaseDesigner · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:22 pm Post subject:

Eirikra,
It looks as you have found your niche;

Be an expert on:

guitars,
history of the guitar,
electronics devices for guitars,
amplifiers,
special effects devices,
interfacing to computers,
software evaluations for guitar players (best products),
best guitar buys,
famous guitar players,
styles,
how to play,
guitar genres,
Best string set for each style

Earn money on:

Selling guitar books,
be an affiliate of big stores,
find anything about guitars that is selling on the net and check if they have an affiliate program,
get up a newsletter, etc.

Lots of things you can do, and guitar playing is popular all over the world, big market. Say a nice 'Thank You' to Debs for starting you off.....

(I have been playing for many years)
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Guest · Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2003 1:51 pm Post subject:

Wow, I don't know what to say... Thank you!

I can't believe how helpful you all are! I am forever thankful for all the help I have gotten in this thread, and esp. Debs for making me "think" out loud:=)

Oh and thanks alot to you, databasedesigner (Alf?) for giving me some suggestion of topics to work on. (and did I ever get the chance to say thanks for the icons you sent me in the mail? If not - thanks for those as well!).

Ah, this really made my day!

~Eirik