Ready to prune out the LOW-PROFITABILITY topics?
Before we can start pruning, we need to check out the SUPPLY of your
"fashion-containing" keywords. In other words, how many sites already provide
content for the keywords that we found in your DEMAND WINDOW (i.e.,
WINDOW #1 above)?
Let's start the ball rolling with "fashion design" or "medical job search", if you are looking for a job, for instance. Open Search It! once again.
(You did keep it handy on your desktop, right?)
Search It! > Competition (STEP 1) > Google Single Keyword SUPPLY
(STEP 2) > fashion design (STEP 3)
This specific search yields almost a million pages.
Repeat the same process for each of the "fashion"-containing keywords that you
found in your DEMAND WINDOW. Yes, seriously, do a search for each
keyword. It is a bit tedious, but the research will pay off in spades.
Before you do those searches, create a MASTER KEYWORD LIST. I
recommend that you do this either in a simple text file or via a database or
spreadsheet program. A database or a spreadsheet will speed things up and
provide you with extra functionality.
The best choice is a database like Filemaker Pro...
http://www·filemaker·com/
If you don't know anything about databases or spreadsheets, your fastest way to
get up and running is with Filemaker Pro. It's a friendly, easy-to-learn database
program. Your particular needs are simple, so it won't take long for you to create
a MASTER KEYWORD LIST that can be sorted and searched, and that can warn
you of duplicate keywords.
If the idea of a database or spreadsheet scares you, simply stick with a text list.
It's a bit inefficient so it will take you a little longer, but it will do the job just fine.
Whatever you decide, please, please, please...
DO use a MASTER KEYWORD LIST. It will evolve into the master blueprint
for your entire site. If you follow these instructions, the site will almost build itself!
OK, here's what to do with your MASTER KEYWORD LIST. Create four
columns and label them KEYWORD, DEMAND, SUPPLY, and SUPPLY SITE
INFO. For each "fashion"-containing keyword in your DEMAND WINDOW...
1) Enter the keyword itself into the column labeled KEYWORD -- copy-and-paste
to avoid typos.
2) Enter how many times it is searched (info that you found in the DEMAND
WINDOW) into the DEMAND column.
3) Enter how many sites Search It! finds (in your SUPPLY WINDOW) in your
column labeled SUPPLY.
4) Read the listings for the Top 20 sites that Search It! returns for each
keyword. Make brief notes in the fourth column, SUPPLY SITE INFO -- no need
to visit the sites yet (perhaps just a quick click to the home page if you need a bit
more info). Just get a flavor for the kinds of sites that each KEYWORD search
delivers.
I've started your MASTER KEYWORD LIST for you...
| KEYWORD | DEMAND | SUPPLY | SITE INFO |
| fashion | 418,114 | 96,100,000 | See NOTE... |
| fashion model | 100,064 | 554 | "Information about models, agencies, sites about a specific model or nationality" |
| fashion designer | 34,172 | 694 | "Barbie designers (!), various "name" designers" |
| fashion magazine | 36,695 | 309 | "online and offline fashion mags, eye-ware magazine" |
| fashion design | 27,188 | 949 | "Schools, colleges, and internships; designers selling fashion designs" |
Add as many notes as you like for SUPPLY SITE INFO. I've kept it very brief
here, since it is only an example.
Finally, make two more columns, one labeled POSSIBLE PARTNERS and the
other called IDEAS FOR CONTENT. Time for some in-depth, professional,
SUPPLY WINDOW research...
Review as many sites from these results as you like. I'd suggest at least the first
10-20 sites. But you may find merchants in need of traffic help (i.e., you!)
deeper down.
As you get into this in-depth research, you'll notice three types of sites...
. irrelevant -- for whatever reason (off-topic, geographic, lousy site, etc.), they
just don't fit. Skip these.
. merchant -- in POSSIBLE PARTNERS, enter what kind of merchandise they
sell. If they have an affiliate program that fits your concept, enter the URL of the
"join page" for the affiliate program of that merchant. These are indeed potential
merchant-partners for you.
Even better, you're automatically organizing the POSSIBLE PARTNERS
according to each keyword. This means that you are already pre-planning each
Keyword-Focused Content Page's "in-context" text links and setting the
groundwork for the "M" (Monetization) stage.
. content -- these sites are your direct competitors. They make money through
affiliate programs, too. And good news! They'll speed up your learning curve by
giving you a lot of information. Why? Because they've already done a ton of
work for you! Here's what to do...
i) As you review these content sites, you may get some great ideas for content
on your own site. Enter these ideas into the IDEAS FOR CONTENT column.
ii) Browse the site, drilling down into the content. Click on the banner ads and
text links, following these links out to their destinations to see what kind of
merchants they have chosen as affiliate-partners. Or perhaps it's a straight
advertising deal -- make a note of these merchants as potential advertisers, too.
If a given merchant fits your concept and has an affiliate program, enter the kind
of merchandise it sells, and the "join page" URL, as you did just above. Once
again, you are preparing for the "M" stage.
Plow through your MASTER KEYWORD LIST until you have completed all six
columns for all of your HIGH-PROFITABILITY "fashion"-containing keywords.
Expected results?...
. lots of good content ideas for the site
. some good monetizing leads to merchants who could need pay-per-click
advertising from you a bit later
. a few merchants who have affiliate programs (but the real mother lode for
affiliate programs -- more "M" -- will come in DAY 4!).