Case Study: How to Easily Create & Promote a Profitable Site

March 13th, 2012 | 49 comments

make profitable website Before the initial launch of Keyword Canine, Jonathan and I released the results of a few case study sites that I did. I had gotten two sites to the top of Google in a VERY short amount of time.

I believe I got the first one ranked is about 2 weeks and the second in about 3 weeks. One of the sites was splittoeshoes.org targeting “split toe shoes” (currently #1 from my location) and the other was sugaraddictiontreatment.net targeting “sugar addiction treatment” (currently #4 from my location.) In this post I’m going to go through the entire process of how I did this. We’ll use splittoeshoes.org for the example.

1. First, from within Keyword Canine I found a niche that had an “Easy” (Green) competition rating, at least 400 monthly searches (KC shows exact match, so you’ll also get traffic from related phrases in alot of cases,) at least a $1 estimated CPC (also strict match, so it’s much closer to adsense payout than what adwords usually shows) and at least 70% advertiser competition (if you’re putting up an adsense site, you want as much ad competition as possible… the more ads the more chances of showing a relevant ad.)

(Side note: The difficulty rating is an internal algorithm that Jon and I put together that checks multiple data points, including but not limited to competitor avg. PR, sitelinks, number of search results and more.) I then used common sense to filter out some niches that an adsense site just wouldn’t make sense targeting. I ended up with split toe shoes.

2. KC told me that the .org version of that EMD (exact match domain) was available (the above screenshot was taken after I registered it,) so I registered it, entered my server’s nameservers at GoDaddy, added the site to my server and installed wordpress.

3. I then added some pages to the site for credibility purposes (about, contact and privacy.) For the About and Contact pages I just entered some basic info. For the Privacy page I generated a website policy from here. I removed all of the default wordpress stuff from the sidebar except for the categories and archives and I removed all of the links from the blogroll and added a link to an authoritative website in the niche for credibility purposes. I also added a copyright statement in the footer.

This is probably not all necessary, but they are things I always like to do… just trying to think like someone who runs a search engine and I’ve had pretty good luck over the years, so I keep doing these things.

4. I then ordered 4 articles to publish to the site, although the more content the better! Four articles is a bare minimum. If I wanted to ensure that this site stayed at the top, I would add more content. If you don’t want to outsource the content or write it yourself, Article Builder is an excellent alternative.

5. Once I got the articles back from my writer and published them to the site, the site was done and ready to be promoted. All I did for promotion was order 30 web directory submissions, 30 social bookmarks and 30 forum profile links. All spread out over a few weeks to look natural. (Edit: I completely forgot Backlink Booster!! duh) I then boosted all of those backlinks with backlink booster.

The site now enjoys the #1 spot in google Do I get the #1 spot every time I do this? No. But I frequently get top 10 rankings doing this! And once there, it’s not hard to get it to the #1 spot nearly every time.

keyword canine case study

This site currently earns a buck or two just about every day. If I had the time, I could make several of these sites every day and you could too. It’s actually a pretty easy process.

Also, we’re looking into making this entire process as automated as possible from within Keyword Canine, from finding the profitable niche and getting cheap quality content to promotion, so keep an eye out, the doors to KC will be open once again in the near future.

49 comments

Latha (1 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 4:53 pm

Looks like it is pretty easy to rank for these keywords.
Split toe shoes – very targeted niche
Don (1 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 5:08 pm

Hi Josh,

I was wondering if you would mind disclosing the sources you used for promotion.

Of course, I understand that if it is something that might dilute or adversely affect your process than it won’t be a good idea.

Thanks for this information and for being so transparent in explaining what you do.

Don
Rahman (1 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 5:10 pm

Most people won’t even go after a site “only” getting 400 searches a month. That site if it were making an average of 45 dollars a month would earn $540 a year. Crazy considering how simple the process is. Who says micro niche sites don’t work anymore??
Ion (1 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 5:35 pm

Considering how fast the emd websites rank I would try to make a few sites like these.
Gary Lambert (6 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 5:59 pm

Hey Josh

I did a site very similar to this a couple of weeks ago. And the rankings are really climbing I got a bunch of the keywords ranking on the second page so far. I only did one page with 3% keyword density so I may need to go back a add some more pages.
Stef (68 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 6:30 pm

Nice one Josh: “… just trying to think like someone who runs a search engine”

Would you mind sharing the income of the sugar addiction treatment?

Cheers
Cliff (1 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 8:14 pm

Hello Josh,

Split Toe Shoes – who would have ever thought of this one? Looks like Keyword Canine helped you uncover a small nugget. It’s really interesting to see how discovering a relatively unknown, obscure niche with very little competition can put you on Goog’s page one so quickly.

I’m looking forward to hearing more about the “automation” process you’re planning for Keyword Canine.

Thanks for sharing the Case Study,

Cliff
Ann
13th March, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Great one Josh! With all of the talk I’ve heard since the Panda 2011 update, about building only authority sites (aroun 20+ pages) I decided to put this theory to the test too.
I built a ‘sniper’ site pretty much ‘to the letter’ the way Josh explains (except for the forum links, which wouldn’t have hurt), in a microniche that’s geo-targeted and gets 390 monthly broad searches, and 39 exact monthly searches according to the Google KW tool.

Within 12 weeks, I’m sitting at position 3, and am collecting $150.00 per month from my latest client as I’m leasing out the site to him.
I used an emd also, and everything else Josh mentions here.

Only thing is I haven’t given Canine Keyword a kick at the bucket yet, but it has my curiosity going.
Leon (4 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 9:00 pm

G’day Josh:

I’m still a newbie, but am putting together an Amazon site pretty much the way you suggest here.

Apart from the techy side, writing the content myself is pretty time consuming.

Time to start looking at outsourcing some of that stuff, like you do..

As usual, a very readable and informative post.

Cheers, Leon
Franck Silvestre (11 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 9:58 pm

Thank you for the case study. I like these. It would not be difficult to keep your position in this niche. I didn’t have a look at keyword canine yet, but it seems to be a good keyword tool. I know that Jon only creates good products (I created my first product – and made my first back end sale as well! – back in the day with his $7 secret)

Franck
Eddie (8 comments.)
13th March, 2012 at 10:44 pm

I like this idea very much. I love keyword research, but I looked at KC and it seems this is saving me tonnes of time.
How do you keep the sites on the top of google? do you add more content? and if yes how much.
great post
Eddie
Leonard Aberts (2 comments.)
14th March, 2012 at 1:05 am

You have definitely made a case for KC. Though that is the purpose right? You have got my attention for sure! Look foreward to seeing what the new version does.
Angie Berg (52 comments.)
14th March, 2012 at 11:43 am

As interesting as this idea is and appears to be a method for making a quick buck, it seems it will be something that will eventually be sorted out by Google in a future algorithm. Do you feel it’s worth it to make the quick buck for as long as possible and then just let it go when the “season” has ended? I sometimes feel a bit guilty taking that route when it seems like it really isn’t “adding value” to the web. Do you know what I mean? I don’t want to be just another “spammer” added to masses of others online. I know you can, of course, be sure that what little content you do add is of good quality, so maybe I’ll give it a try at some point and see how I feel about it then.
Stef (68 comments.)
14th March, 2012 at 1:54 pm

@Angie A little site with good content doesn’t have to be spammy, so it would be able to withstand the time, unless:
-somebody else discovers the easy niche and makes a little bigger effort
-the gostwriter isn’t really knowledgeable about the subject and will/could/should be pushed down once a knowledgeable writer adds better value.

But if you have mouths to feed and no other income, this method is all legal

God bless.
Charles Anderson
14th March, 2012 at 2:34 pm

Josh, do you typically use the default theme on your sites? If so, how successful have they been?
Tom (1 comments.)
14th March, 2012 at 3:32 pm

Thanks for the post.

Do your new sites that get on the first page of google usually stay there or do they play the google dance every now and then?

I noticed that my sites sometimes just disappear and then come back.
Jennifer (1 comments.)
15th March, 2012 at 5:10 am

I love KC and ArticleBuilder, but your post has helped me even more. I was always checking the niches with ‘low’ competition, not realizing how the high component to enter was better!
Josh Spaulding
15th March, 2012 at 1:10 pm

@ Don – I Just did 30 web directory submissions, 30 social bookmarks and 30 forum profile links. In the near future KC will have the ability for users to promote their sites similarly very affordability and easily.

@ Rahman – Very true.

@ Gary – Yep, I would definitely add more.

@ Stef – It’s only done a few bucks, but if I put up an adsense theme and built a few more links to get it up to #1 I’m sure it will do just as well if not better.

@ Ann – Awesome, great job with that!

@ Franck – This is true. Jon is a very talented developer and all around good guy. I’m Blessed to have the opportunity to partner with him.

@ Eddie – The more content the better. I would typically add more content, yes.

@ Angie – It’s not a spam site. 100% unique content, all researched. Just as good as the top 20% or so of all websites on the Internet. So no, I don’t believe google will “sort it out” as there is nothing to sort out.

@ Charles – No I do not. I do only for my case study sites. If I wanted to optimize this for maximum income I would use a good adsense theme.

@ Tom – They often play the google dance and go up and down. Especially in the first month.

@ Jennifer – Great to hear But for this situation you would definitely want to look at only low competition niches.
James (7 comments.)
15th March, 2012 at 7:49 pm

Hey Josh – it seems like you make this sound really a lot easier that it is. I’ve followed this process time and time again and still don’t have any sites ranked on even the first page in Google. Maybe I am completely failing with my keyword research but it seems very hard to rank in Google. I guess I gotta research my keywords a 100 times harder and find an exact match domain and go from there. Thanks for the tips though Josh.
James (1 comments.)
16th March, 2012 at 6:20 am

Wow, I never knew Keyword Canine would be such a powerful combination with Article Builder. Thanks for sharing this Josh. Good job!
Rika Susan (28 comments.)
16th March, 2012 at 1:34 pm

Interesting case study, Josh. Do you plan to expand the site over time, or do you leave it as is?
Josh Spaulding
16th March, 2012 at 1:38 pm

@ James – Keyword research and competition analysis are the most important things, that’s why Keyword Canine is so valuable.

@ James – Anytime.

@ Rika – I probably won’t … I just don’t do a whole lot of niche sites anymore. I’m concentrating more on software development these days. I may sell them or give them away to a Keyword Canine customer or something in the future.
Josh Spaulding
16th March, 2012 at 1:42 pm

Everyone, I completely forgot an important part of the promotion! I’ve edited the post above to reflect the change. I forgot to mention that after the backlinks were built, I used Backlink Booster, as I do with all of my link building, to boost those backlinks! I’m assuming Backlink Booster had a big role in the #1 ranking.
James (7 comments.)
16th March, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Hey Josh – thanks for getting back to me. Yeah I definitely think I must be doing something wrong with my keyword research. I already have a tool I use to do keyword research. I think I am just not picking the right sweet spot for niche sites. I think I’m going to target easier keywords to rank for now and see if that helps.

I was initially going for a bit of a bigger fish in 2000 to 7000 local unique searches. I guess that it too difficult for me to rank for with my current linkbuilding strategy.
Murrey Donaldson
22nd March, 2012 at 1:39 pm

Hi,
Does someone know what the writer means about the high component?

The person wrote: “I love KC and ArticleBuilder, but your post has helped me even more. I was always checking the niches with ‘low’ competition, not realizing how the high component to enter was better!”

What is the “high component”?
Thank you.
Murrey
Murrey Donaldson
22nd March, 2012 at 1:41 pm

Hi Josh,
Yes, I really enjoyed reading your post.
I have KC and want to learn how to use it better.
Thank you.
Murrey
Stef (68 comments.)
22nd March, 2012 at 2:40 pm

@Murrey,

I think what jennifer meant was “high competition” when she talked about high component.

And for some extra confusion: ideally you want zero competition from other sites and as much ad competition with a high pay out from each advertiser, so the theory goes
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
22nd March, 2012 at 6:41 pm

Hi Josh,
I would like to know how you monetized your case study sites? Was it with Adsense or Clickbank or some other that you made 1 or 2 dollars per day?
Thank you so much.
Murrey
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
22nd March, 2012 at 6:48 pm

Hi Josh,
If I may, I have another question.
In the post above you mentioned using Article Builder. How would one use Article Builder to write content for Split Toe Shoes?
Thank you.
Murrey
Josh Spaulding
22nd March, 2012 at 6:51 pm

@ James – Yeah, 2,000-7,000 exact match local searches can often times be difficult to rank for with basic, manual link building, as there are typically alot more competitors, but competition strength isn’t directly related to search volume.

@ Murrey – The KeywordCanine case study sites weren’t monetized at first. I stuck some adsense on them though. Those sites were created with the only intention of showing people how easy it is to do. If I wanted to maximize the profit potential I would install adsense optimized themes, match the ads with the theme colors, figure out the best placement of the ads etc.

@ Murrey – I didn’t use Article Builder for the split toe shoes site. Article Builder only has content is certain categories. I mentioned it as an option in some cases.
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
22nd March, 2012 at 11:13 pm

Hi Josh,
Thanks so much.
Murrey
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
23rd March, 2012 at 4:32 am

Hi Josh,
You talked about finding the split toe shoes niche with 400 searches.
What about a niche that has 2400 (local) and 5400 (global) but shows EASY in green on KC. Is that too much competition?
Thank you.
Murrey
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
23rd March, 2012 at 4:35 am

Hi Josh,
What if there is a good niche but no EMD like you found in Split Toe Shoes? Does it make that big a difference?
Thank you.
Murrey
James (7 comments.)
26th March, 2012 at 5:18 am

Hi Josh -

Yeah I realize that competition isn’t an exact correlation to the local search volume. That is why I am using my keyword tool to figure out the competition. However I do notice “usually” that if you have less local searches then the competition can be a lot less for those exact keyword phrases. So now I am going to target one with around 500 local searches and less competition and see how it ranks. Hopefully get it on Google’s first page within a month or so.
James
29th March, 2012 at 3:45 am

Hey Josh – do you mind telling us where you got the 30 web directory submissions, 30 social bookmarks and 30 forum profile links from?

Did you order them from a friend? Fiverr? Or somewhere else.

I am trying to find some cheap back linking besides blog and article directories that I am manually creating.
Josh Spaulding
29th March, 2012 at 1:20 pm

@ Murrey – Yes EMD’s do help for long tail phrases.

@ James – I used LexorSoft for the link building, but there will be a more affordable option for web directory submissions very soon (DLP v.2.0) I’ll be emailing about that soon.
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
30th March, 2012 at 12:46 am

Hi Josh,
I noticed you have one keyword and you promoted it. So would you do the same for other keywords that might be added to the website?
Thanks.
Murrey
James (7 comments.)
2nd April, 2012 at 3:33 pm

Thanks for the details Josh. I actually targeted an easy keyword about two weeks ago after reading this post and got a niche site ranked #3 in Google now in 2 weeks! It’s pretty exciting abut at the moment the site still isn’t getting traffic even though its at #3 with 590 local search in the US.

Is there that much difference in traffic between 1st position and 3rd? Or do you think it may have to do with the title and description I put in?

Thanks for the input!
Josh Spaulding
2nd April, 2012 at 3:38 pm

@ James – KC shows exact numbers, so the numbers are actually low, as it does not not related rankings that typically come from targeting your phrase. If it’s showing 590 and you’re ranked #3 (be sure you’re not logged into google and you clear your cache when checking rankings) then you should DEFINITELY be getting some traffic.
Josh Spaulding
2nd April, 2012 at 3:40 pm

My guess is you’re not seeing the true ranking. If you’re logged in and/or you have visited the site (which I’m sure you have) and/or you’ve interacted with it socially (Google +, Facebook, Twitter etc.) then google likes to show different results “personalized” that are different than what others will see.
James (7 comments.)
2nd April, 2012 at 3:44 pm

Okay – great thanks for the advice. That must be the case.

I checked through Google Adwords tool and software I have and know that there are 590 exact local searches in the US for my keyword so it must be that my site isn’t actually ranked #3 spot just yet. I’ll clear cache and log out and try again and see where my site shows up.
James (7 comments.)
2nd April, 2012 at 3:53 pm

Hi Josh -

So I did a couple more things here to test my rank. I first logged out and cleared cache as you said and searched and found my site in spot #3. So then I went to the Google Adwords tool – Ad Preview and Diagnosis. Selected a US location and did another search there and I was in spot #3 too. So I am really confused. Maybe I haven’t given it enough time to get traffic. I think I moved into #3 spot over the weekend to be honest.

So I’ll give it a week and see what happens.

I also updated my Title and Description of my site and I think that could have been causing an issue.

Can’t think of anything else I can do here to make this niche site work especially since it is already on page 1.
Josh Spaulding
2nd April, 2012 at 3:56 pm

That should be accurate then. The title could very well be the culprit. But sometimes the traffic numbers google gives just aren’t accurate. It would be nearly impossible for it to be 100% accurate. Many times it’s close though. It’s hit and miss, that’s why it’s always important to do multiple sites and never use one site as a measurement of success or failure.
James (7 comments.)
2nd April, 2012 at 4:00 pm

Thanks Josh.

This is like my 25th site I believe – but I know what you mean. It is definitely a numbers game. I’ll keep watching this site and make 10 more and see if anyone of them gets some traction.

Thanks for the advice! Appreciate it!
Josh Spaulding
2nd April, 2012 at 4:09 pm

No problem and keep up the good work. Follow the advice in this post and they will. I have several that have done very well and continue to do so. And I’ve only done a handful of them.
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
7th April, 2012 at 5:21 am

Hi Josh,
You said, “All I did for promotion was order 30 web directory submissions, 30 social bookmarks and 30 forum profile links.”
Where can I get these, please.
Thanks so much.
Murrey
Josh Spaulding
7th April, 2012 at 12:46 pm

If you’re a Keyword Canine customer click on the “Boost” tab in the navigation. Otherwise, there are many different sources. One is lexorsoft.
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
7th April, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Thank you so much, Josh!
Murrey Donaldson (10 comments.)
8th April, 2012 at 4:35 pm

Hi Josh,
Do you have a source for writing your split toe shoe articles?
Thank you.
Murrey