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    Niche Pursuits Podcast: Find Your Next "Niche" Business Idea!

    Spencer Haws from NichePursuits.com discusses business ideas that actually work. Learn how to build niche websites, market your website through search engine optimization, and much more. In addition, you'll get interviews with leading internet entrepreneurs that provide insight on: authority sites, flipping sites, using Google Adsense, outsourcing, automation tools, linkbuilding, building a real business, software development, creating iPhone Apps, lifestyle business, small business tips, and more. Overall, get your dose of motivation to move forward with your niche business ideas or take your small business to the next level!
    enSpencer Haws435 Episodes

    Episodes (435)

    The 3 Most Popular Podcast Episodes of 2023...

    The 3 Most Popular Podcast Episodes of 2023...

    Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast! 

    This week Spencer and Jared decided to do things a little bit differently. As the year is coming to a close, they decided to talk about the 3 top Niche Pursuits podcast episodes for 2023, as well as their personal favorites.

    Spencer explains how he collected the data to determine which episodes were the most listened to this past year, and then they kick off the episode by talking about the third most listened-to podcast, which was the interview with Grady Hudd.

    Grady grew his niche site to $9k per month in 2 years with no SEO experience. Spencer and Jared talk about why they think this was such a popular podcast. Grady’s relatability was probably key, and it’s likely that many beginners connected with his situation.

    The second most listened-to episode was Forrest Webber, who talked about how he grew his portfolio to $40k a month after replacing rental properties with websites. They talk about his story, the important mindset shift that brought him so much success, and how he scaled his business.

    The most popular podcast for the year was with Shelly Marmour, a travel blogger who grew her monthly income from $700 to $52k per month in 1 year with affiliate SEO. Shelly’s story was also relatable and inspirational, as many people could probably identify with where she was in the beginning and were interested to see how she grew her business so incredibly. 

    Then Spencer and Jared share their favorite episodes of 2023.

    Jared’s favorite was Cyrus Shepard’s episode on internal link building and he described the interview and the information shared as incredibly succinct and easy to understand. The episode was packed with actionable tips and insightful details about internal linking based on a data-heavy study that Cyrus did, and he talks about everything from Link Whisper to link sculpting.

    Spencer’s favorite was how Kevin Espiritu grew his gardening site from $400 per month to 8 figures per year, which is also a story that most people can relate to. He started out like most of us, building his site back in 2016, and today he’s making over $10 million per year. 

    He did it by growing his website first, then his YouTube channel and his social media channels, and then he launched his own products. What Spencer and Jared especially like about this episode is his approach to plateaus in his business and how he acquired another website and merged the two into a massively successful brand.

    And that brings us to the end of this episode of Niche Pursuits News and the end of another year of Niche Pursuits podcasts that seek to motivate, educate, and inspire. 

    Here’s to another year of learning from one another and to a very successful 2024!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    How This Disney Blogger Gets 35 Million Monthly Pageviews

    How This Disney Blogger Gets 35 Million Monthly Pageviews

    Kurt Schmidt is an extremely successful site owner who is back on the podcast to discuss all sorts of traffic and content-related topics.

    Kurt is the owner of a portfolio of Disney-focused sites generating HUGE amounts of traffic.

    He is a true expert in Google Discover and other alternative traffic sources. And with all the Google updates, there's perhaps no better time to pick his brain.

    One of the big changes he's made this year is shifting focus from prioritizing page views to user engagement metrics like time on page, highlighting the importance of engaging content.

    Ingrained in all of his sites is the importance of balancing tried and true, evergreen topics with up-to-date, trending, and conversational content.

    His team does a great job of creating content fast for the newsy topics in the niche as well as long-term organic traffic.

    There was even a period when they were publishing 90 articles a day, but at such a scale comes issues of quality control and fact-checking.

    So, Kurt offers up a ton of wisdom on solutions that will interest and help site owners of all sizes.

    For instance, creative ways to tackle the same topic in fresh and unique ways, tips on AI, as well as various new traffic sources to pursue.

    Overall, Kurt gives us yet another insightful look into online publishing, with awesome tips and strategies to help you get more traffic and make more money.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhi... 

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201crea... 

    Google Removing 3rd-Party Cookies, an SEO "Traffic Heist," and a $13 Million Weird Niche Site

    Google Removing 3rd-Party Cookies, an SEO "Traffic Heist," and a $13 Million Weird Niche Site

    Welcome back, Niche Pursuits fans, to another episode of the podcast. As always, Spencer and Jared cover the latest news in SEO, AI, Google, and everything content creators and website owners need to know.

    This week they kick off the show talking about how Google has been discussing its plans to get rid of third-party cookies for a long time now. The underlying argument is that consumers in the UK, Canada, Europe, and increasingly in the US don't like the idea of Google collecting all of their private data, which is then used for advertising purposes. The main issue is privacy.

    But Google has finally announced its plans to really truly get rid of them and it all begins on January 4th. The roll-out is going to be gradual and may be completed by the end of 2025.

    The big questions are how will this impact advertisers and website owners? Will display ads decrease? Will RPMs decline? Does this have a connection to the anti-trust suit? At the moment, it's really a speculation game, but tune in to hear what Spencer and Jared think might happen.

    Then the conversation shifts to a tweet from Jake Ward, about how he stole millions in traffic from a competitor by using AI to write articles based on all of his competitor’s keywords. The tweet was essentially a marketing ploy to promote his AI tool, and it went viral.

    The bad news is that his tweet was seen by Google and his site was hit with a manual penalty because of copied content. Traffic tanked as a result.

    Why did Google penalize his website? What alternative strategy does Spencer suggest? Does the fact that it’s AI content factor into their decision? Has Google changed its position on AI content? What are the general takeaways from this story? Listen to hear what Jared and Spencer think.

    The conversation shifts to the ever-changing landscape of artificial intelligence and offers an overview of the changes that Google has had to implement since OpenAI appeared on the scene.

    They discuss spammy results and the future of spammy AI content as well as the role brands play in ranking. 

    In the Shiny Object Shenanigans portion of the podcast, Spencer reports that his Amazon influencer side hustle is going really well. So well, in fact, that he has seen massive earnings in the month, including some $500 days. During the last 30 days, he earned $6800+.

    Although he hasn't uploaded any videos since last week, he does have additional videos ready to go and is hoping to break $7k in the next few days.  

    Jared shares his experience with the program recently, and he’s seen his 30-day rolling total at slightly under $6k and expects to be under $5k for the month of December. Although he killed it on Black Friday, his earnings have been lower this past month. 

    Also, something “happened” to his star product that had been driving the bulk of his earnings until now. Listen to the episode to hear what he discovered, and hear what he and Spencer plan to do with the program next year.

    Moving onto their weird niche sites, Spencer shares Elfster, Which is a website and an app that helps you conduct Secret Santa gift exchanges. It can also recommend gifts, which allows it to make money from affiliate sales and sponsored product placements.

    He shares its highly seasonal traffic graph from Ahrefs, with 1.5 million organic visitors in December 2022, and appears to be trending up. The rest of the year, they’re still getting incredible traffic and are a multi-million dollar business. Listen to the episode for more details.

    When it’s Jared’s turn, he shares Campsite Photos, a site he uses often. You can enter just about any campsite in the US and check out photos so you can decide if it’s the right fit. 

    You can answer questions like if it’s flat or not, if your trailer would fit, etc. and is incredibly helpful if you’re into camping. This DR43 site is ranking for 119k keywords, and has organic traffic of 150k, according to Ahrefs.

    The site is monetized with ads, and it offers a service where it finds you a campsite if the one you want is booked. Check out the episode to hear more observations about Jared’s weird site!

    And that brings us to the end of another great episode. We hope you’re feeling inspired and informed, and don’t forget to come back next week so they can bring you up to speed on the latest happenings.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    He Has 56 Million Rankings on Page 1 and Makes MILLIONS

    He Has 56 Million Rankings on Page 1 and Makes MILLIONS

    Prolific site owner James Dooley joins the podcast to give a masterclass into the rank and rent business model.

    This is where you rank a website and rent it out to a local business seeking inbound inquiries.

    It's an approach that has helped him become a millionaire many times over.

    And with over 14 years of experience and over 850 paying sites in 650 niches, he has lots of important advice site owners of all types need to hear.

    In general, he emphasizes the importance of having a strategy for your site.

    For the rank and rent model, in particular, he suggests starting with a broad domain and creating industry-related content to attract traffic and engagement.

    He believes traffic and behavioral signals are key ranking factors. And with this ranking site, you can engage local businesses to understand their needs and discover the most profitable subtopics within the industry.

    This strategy involves building location-specific pages targeting niche keywords, using various on-page optimization tools, creating a diverse backlink profile, and foundational links like citations, a social fortress, and internal linking.

    As you can imagine, there is a lot of overlap with building affiliate marketing content sites, and the conversation covers the similarities and differences between these types of sites.

    James also has a lot of important advice regarding maximizing the profits of all kinds of sites, common mistakes found, and easy solutions.

    Overall, this is a dive into the rank and rent model, with valuable insights and strategies all site owners can benefit from. Don't miss it!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Google Responds to Parasite SEO, Amazon Influencer Side Hustles, and a Belt-Checking Website

    Google Responds to Parasite SEO, Amazon Influencer Side Hustles, and a Belt-Checking Website

    Welcome back, Niche Pursuits News fans, to the latest episode of the podcast, where Spencer and Jared break down the most recent events in SEO, website development, and content creation into bite-size pieces.

    Get ready for their insightful analysis and actionable tips and, as always, a good dose of inspiration for your businesses.

    It’s another episode of the podcast and another opportunity to talk about Google completing, yet again, another of its updates. The November Reviews Update has officially concluded, after about 5 weeks.

    Spencer and Jared talk about the extended duration of recent updates and what this might mean for sites impacted by the HCU. 

    Will these updates be baked into larger updates in the future? What should content creators who do a lot of product reviews do moving forward? And what happens to you in future updates if your site has been deemed “ unhelpful?” Check out the episode to hear their thoughts.

    For a bit of good news, they then talk about how Google’s How-To rich results seem to be returning to Search. Check your Google Search Console to see if you’re getting any clicks and look for ways to optimize it.

    Moving along, the next topic is parasite SEO and the fact that reviews are currently appearing on Harvard University’s official website. GoogleLiaison’s Danny Sullivan recently tweeted that Google is aware of this and taking appropriate measures, but still, this raises questions.

    If Google previously positioned sites based on their link profile and pagerank, the algorithm no longer works when authoritative sites start publishing review content unrelated to their topical authority and ranking on page one, so how do they fix this? Spencer and Jared discuss a few ideas.

    The next order of business is Google’s new AI Studio, a web-based tool for developers to allow them to create Gemini-based chatbots. Jared turns to ChatGPT to find out more about how it works, and they both brainstorm about how they might use it. Tune in for some clever ideas! 

    Moving on to the Side Hustle Shenanigans, Spencer and Jared both have exciting updates on their Amazon Influencer Program performance. Spencer reports that he’s published over 1000 videos and has already earned over $5.5k for the month.

    When it’s Jared’s turn, he reveals that he’s earned over $6200 for the month so far, and shares some details about which video is bringing in the most commissions. They both talk about their ideas for strategies going forward, as well as the importance of just getting started.

    When it comes to Weird Niche Sites, Spencer kicks things off with Keep The Score, a very professional-looking DR40 website that lets you keep score of any type of competition you have going on. Traffic could be between 28k (Ahrefs) and 195k (SimilarWeb) per month. 

    They talk about some of the site’s unique features, what keywords are driving the traffic, and how it’s earning money.

    Jared reveals his site, Belt Checker, for Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners. You can create a profile and then enter all of your information like competition history and belt promotions, you can track your injuries, and much more. This DR46 site ranks for over 10k keywords and has over 18k indexed pages, so it’s a pretty solid website.

    How many users does it have? Was it affected by the HCU? Was the site built for SEO? And, perhaps most importantly, what can we learn from it?

    You get all this and more when you listen to the latest episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast, so don’t miss this one! 

    See you all next week when Spencer and Jared tackle new topics and offer even more ideas you can apply to your own projects.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter 

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhi... 

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201crea... 

    He Bought a Site With ZERO SEO Knowledge and 50x’ed Earnings

    He Bought a Site With ZERO SEO Knowledge and 50x’ed Earnings

    Brock Yates joins the Niche Pursuits podcast to share his journey of acquiring and growing the website AllTurtles.com.

    He acquired the site on Flippa in 2012 for $3,000.

    At purchase, the site was a forum with 80,000 pages with thin content about specific turtle species, generating $60 per month.

    This all presented a whole new world for him, as he had zero prior SEO and site-building experience.

    Fast forward to today and AllTurtles peaks at 150-180,000 page views per month, earning mid-five figures a year.

    Brock attributes much of the site's success to its history, branding, well-rounded content, and some link juice from a large brand's fun little PR confusion he describes.

    He's largely taken a hands-off approach to content production but still manages to produce quality content. Which he emphasizes is the result of hiring good researchers if you can't access subject matter experts.

    It's interesting to hear about his mostly outsourced content creation model and his strategy for hiring writers through Upwork.

    And its especially interesting to hear how affordable his writing team is, which has stuck with him over a long term.

    He also shares insights on content monetization strategy, primarily relying on Mediavine and Amazon Associates, with a 90-10 split in revenue. And Brock highlights how he maximizes ad revenue through content structure and layout, highlighting the importance of ad impressions and reader experience.

    He finishes things off with his plans for maintaining the site's stability and growth, including potential future strategies such as video content, email list building, and improving reader engagement. Enjoy!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

     

    Google Search Team Deletes Tweets, Gemini Pro, Amazon Influencer, and 2 Weird Sites

    Google Search Team Deletes Tweets, Gemini Pro, Amazon Influencer, and 2 Weird Sites

    Hey everybody, welcome back to the latest episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast. 

    Like they do every week, Spencer and Jared cover the latest happenings in the Google, SEO, and content creation space so you can feel informed and make the best decisions for your business.

    The first news item they discuss is a tweet from Barry Schwartz noting that Danny Sullivan and John Mueller from Google had deleted some of their previous tweets about the Helpful Content Update.

    What does this mean? 

    The HCU is not being rolled back, but what would lead them to delete their previous tweets? Is there a glimmer of hope for the people affected by the update? Is the potential December update actually a “rollback?” Or are we all reading too much into this? Spencer and Jared have a few thoughts to share on the subject.

    The next topic is Google’s new update, Gemini Pro, which is already rolled out into Google Bard. A ChatGPT competitor, this is an advanced multimodal AI model that will be part of the Google Search experience very soon. 

    Jared and Spencer talk about how Gemini and SGE are actually in conflict with what Google wants and show a few examples. What happens when Spencer pokes around to test Gemini out? What are the implications and how will this look going forward? Listen to hear what they think!

    The next news item is how there are continuous leaks of information and tidbits of Google’s strategy that have been coming out as the company faces its major anti-trust lawsuit. 

    Most recently, an article was published that offers a ton of insight into how Google works behind the scenes. Spencer and Jared share a few of the highlights, like Google’s many ranking signals, the use of keywords, how websites are rated and tested, and the Navboost system. 

    Listen to the tidbits that surprised them in the super-detailed article.

    Moving on to the side hustles, Spencer gives an update on the Amazon Influencer Program. He has 967 videos live and he shares a screenshot for over $3k in earnings for the last 30 days.

    He talks about the cost of outsourcing his videos, and he and Jared talk about whether they think earnings are up because of the holidays or if this upward trend will continue.

    In the ongoing competition between the hosts, Jared talks about reaching the 1000-video mark and his most recent earnings from the program, $4600. This is a great performance for a side hustle he started just a few months ago.

    He and Spencer talk about the enormous possibilities of this side hustle and share an inspiring story of a podcast listener who earned $11k in November from the program and started in July!

    The big picture message is that there are lots of side hustles out there that anyone can start and potentially earn life-changing money if they’re willing to put in the work.

    Spencer then goes on to share his weird night site, which may very well be someone’s side hustle: Flpbk.io

    This cool, little website lets you submit a 1-minute video and they will turn it into a flipbook and send it to you. 

    Although this website ranks for 0 keywords and only gets about 17k visitors per quarter, which is probably direct traffic and social. That being said, if the traffic is targeted, the website could be quite profitable.

    Jared shares his weird niche site next: Celebrity Cutouts, where you can buy masks, large heads, and life-size cut-outs of your favorite celebrities.

    This DR28 site is doing pretty well, ranking for 47k keywords and getting 17.5k a month in traffic. They discuss how it’s most likely a print-on-demand business and encourage listeners to take advantage of the holiday sales to buy loved ones cutouts of their favorite celebrities.

    And that brings us to the end of another episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast. Hopefully, this episode inspires you to start that side hustle and keeps you informed of the latest SEO news.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

     

    My Blackjack Side Hustle Turned into 450k YouTube Subscribers and a 7-Figure Business

    My Blackjack Side Hustle Turned into 450k YouTube Subscribers and a 7-Figure Business

    Today on the podcast, founder of Blackjack Apprenticeship Colin Jones shares his journey from being a professional blackjack player to building a successful online brand.

    He's built both a popular website and YouTube channel for his business and combined, they help him bring in 7 figures per year.

    He joins us to share a ton of actionable tips based on his own experience.

    Initially, he focused on search engine optimization (SEO) for his website, but soon realized the power of video in boosting traffic and engagement. So he began creating high-quality videos for his landing pages, resulting in increased traffic and click-through rates.

    Over time, Colin realized he'd have to approach YouTube differently, shifting his focus from ranking in search results to creating content that would engage and retain viewers.

    Thumbnails and the first 30 seconds of a video capture viewers' attention and encourage them to continue watching. And to attract viewers, Jones split tests thumbnails, comparing the process to marketing a movie, with the thumbnail acting as the movie poster and the first 30 seconds as the movie trailer.

    But he also emphasizes several times - the importance of watch time and delivering value throughout the entire video.

    And maintaining quality and value throughout the entire video is essential for retaining viewers' attention.

    Understanding the audience and their interests is key to creating compelling video content. Researching successful YouTube videos in the same niche can provide insights and inspiration for creating engaging content.

    And Colin shares a bunch of great tips, some of which may surprise you.

    For instance how audio quality and lighting trump camera quality.

    Short-form content, such as YouTube shorts and TikTok videos, can also be a valuable addition to a video strategy and attract new subscribers.

    Monetizing that audience isn't always easy though.

    And Colin emphasizes the importance of having a valuable product and creating content that speaks to the ideal customer. Video is found to be more effective in building trust and likability compared to written word alone.

    The goal is to provide value through YouTube videos and gradually lead viewers to the website (in a non-salesy way). On the website is where the more sales-focused videos can be found. Even showing how embedding videos have helped his SEO with an increased time on page and EEAT.

    Colin even shares how camera-shy people can make use of YouTube to grow their business, such as using voice narration with B-roll or partnering with experienced YouTubers.

    Overall, Colin Jones shares a masterclass in how to leverage video to boost traffic and engagement with your business. By focusing on watch time, delivering value, and understanding your audience, you can create compelling content that grows your audience and business.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Sports Illustrated Caught Publishing AI Content, Amazon Influencer Update, and 2 Weird Niche Sites

    Sports Illustrated Caught Publishing AI Content, Amazon Influencer Update, and 2 Weird Niche Sites

    Welcome back everyone! It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast. 

    A lot happened this week so there’s a lot to talk about. Join Spencer and Jared as they discuss and analyze the latest happenings in the SEO, AI, and content creation space.

    The first news item they cover is the Google Core Update and the fact that it has finally finished rolling out

    How long did it last in the end? What kind of movement did Jared and Spencer see? Was there a reversal from the HCU? Are there any updates currently underway or coming in the future? Tune in and find out!

    Then Spencer and Jared shift the conversation to a slightly more controversial topic: Sports Illustrated allegedly published a ton of content written by AI-generated writers

    When the articles were deemed as potentially AI-generated, the team at Futurism pressed Sports Illustrated, which then deleted all of the content and issued a response.

    What did they say? What do Spencer and Jared think about the situation? And how does EEAT play into all of it?

    The next topic is how the Canadian government has reached an agreement with Google on the Online News Act. Google has agreed to pay online Canadian publishers around $100 million a year to publish their news content on Google. 

    This is clearly a win for news publishers, who are going to get paid, but it raises some interesting questions. Why did Google agree to pay? Will other countries follow suit? Will it go beyond news publishers at some point?

    In more Google news, the number of companies who have blocked Google from crawling their sites and using their data for Bard has increased by 180%. Jared and Spencer have talked about this situation previously, but in that case it was the GPT OpenAI bot; now it’s the case with Google-Extended.

    What about this article really riles up the hosts?

    Spencer gets especially riled up sharing that Google Bard is now summarizing YouTube videos. Not only can you get a summary, but you can also get a transcript. Spencer gave it a test drive with one of his videos.

    What was the result? Was the summary accurate? The result is pretty funny, so check out the episode to see why. 

    Moving along, the next topic is X (formerly Twitter), and how some brands have paused their advertising campaigns while others have stopped altogether. As a result, the platform may lose up to $75 million in ad revenue by the end of the year. 

    This is attributable to the fact that Elon Musk is a bit of a loose cannon, he's making offensive statements, and there are also lots of changes to the platform. 

    What does this mean for other advertisers? Could this be part of Musk’s overall strategy?

    Last but not least is news from Amazon, which has launched a new AI chatbot for companies. This chatbot is not a competitor for consumer-facing chatbots but, rather, for companies to use for their businesses. Think financial projections, policies, and procedures.

    What is AWS and how is it involved? And what might the name of the chatbot be a reference to? Listen to the podcast to hear what Spencer and Jared think about it.

    Moving into the Shiny Object Shenanigans portion of the podcast, Spencer talks first about his progress with the Amazon Influencer Program. With 954 videos currently published, how did he do during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

    Jared then shares his progress with the program. Currently, he has 982 videos live, but how did he do during the big shopping days? After talking with other members of the program, Jared also has an interesting theory about how to increase earnings during this period next year. 

    He also talks briefly about Weekend Growth, progress, and new developments. 

    As for their Weird Niche Sites, Spencer goes first with Katie Goes Platinum—a site that’s more unique than it is weird. Katie documents the process of letting her hair gray gracefully and seeks to inspire others. 

    She’s got ads and digital products, not to mention a YouTube channel and a section featuring her web stories. A little research shows that back in 2020, she was earning $6k per month from her site—a figure that has most likely increased since then.

    Jared’s Weird Niche Site is Hood Maps, which creates funny maps for different cities. He and Spencer take a closer look at a few of them and share some of the entertaining descriptions.

    This DR41 website doesn’t have any display ads but it does rank for 50k keywords. But how does it collect the descriptions for so many maps? And is it making any money?

    And that brings us to the end of a jam-packed episode. See you next week when Spencer and Jared tackle the latest headlines and serve up more information and inspiration.   

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    How Julian Goldie 10x'ed His Productivity and SEO Results With ChatGPT

    How Julian Goldie 10x'ed His Productivity and SEO Results With ChatGPT

    SEO, YouTuber, and AI expert Julian Goldie joins the podcast to give us a masterclass in AI jam-packed with actionable tips and free tools to help boost our productivity.

    He begins by discussing two ways to scale content using AI: one-click article generators and AI-assisted editing by virtual assistants.

    Julian recommends using ChatGPT and its plugins, such as Web Pilot, to generate optimized content outlines for articles. He explains that training ChatGPT involves inserting custom instructions to make it act in a certain way, such as using personas or following specific writing styles.

    API access to ChatGPT is another useful tool for scaling content production, as it allows for the generation of hundreds of articles per day. Julian also explores other applications of AI in content creation, including density analysis, expert citations, and topical maps to build topical authority. He highlights the power of using ChatGPT for various tasks, such as creating topical maps and generating keyword ideas.

    Furthermore, Julian emphasizes the importance of using AI tools like WebPilot and Dali3 to enhance content by adding videos, images, tables, and other forms of media. He shares his personal experience of leveraging AI to streamline his marketing efforts, replacing a five-person team with himself and a few virtual assistants empowered with ChatGPT.

    To implement AI effectively, Julian suggests taking a systematic approach, starting with a time audit to identify tasks that can be automated for maximum efficiency. He encourages content creators to focus on one high-leverage task at a time and gradually incorporate AI into their workflow. Julian concludes by recommending his YouTube channel for actionable insights and real-world examples of using AI in content creation and marketing.

    In summary, Julian Goldie provides valuable insights into the impact of AI on content creation and SEO. He discusses various AI tools and techniques, such as ChatGPT and its plugins, API access, and AI-assisted editing. Julian emphasizes the importance of using AI to enhance content with media elements and shares his personal experience of streamlining marketing efforts with AI.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    The Open AI Drama, New Google Features, the Best Black Friday Deals, and a Weird Cloud Niche Site

    The Open AI Drama, New Google Features, the Best Black Friday Deals, and a Weird Cloud Niche Site

    Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast, where Spencer and Jared cover the latest news in SEO, AI, affiliate marketing, and content creation.

    As always, there’s a lot that happened since the previous episode, and they talk about the best Black Friday deals, so don’t miss this one!

    The first news story they cover was the major upheaval at OpenAI over the last few days. Essentially, the board ousted Sam Altman as its CEO due to a lack of confidence and trust in him. 

    This led to a whirlwind of events: other employees quit in solidarity, he was hired by Microsoft, and then the board at OpenAI changed course and hired him back. 

    What does this all mean and how will it eventually play out? How did Sam and Microsoft really fare in this debacle? And how does this ultimately impact content creators? Tune in to hear Spencer and Jared’s takeaways.

    The next bit of news they cover is that Google is testing out a “Simple Search” function, which would allow users to filter their search queries and simplify them. 

    How exactly does it work? What does this mean for the Search Generative Experience? What is Google really doing as it implements all of these changes? And what does it mean for bloggers? Listen and find out.

    The next topics are about shopping, which could not be more appropriate, since it is Black Friday after all.

    Google is now using AI to help people shop for their holiday gifts. Spencer and Jared discuss how it works and show the demo. Essentially, AI will help refine gift categories and help people find exactly what they’re looking for. The new functions even let you virtually try on clothes!

    In other shopping news, Amazon has announced that, on Black Friday, its Prime Video will feature shoppable ads, allowing users to scan QR codes to make “instant purchases” during the NFL game.

    Speaking of shopping, as it’s Black Friday, Spencer and Jared forgo the usual Shiny Object Shenanigans portion of the podcast to share some of the biggest and best deals they’ve seen this season.

    They talk about special discounts on Spencer’s tools, like Link Whisper and Rank Logic, as well as on Jared’s photography course. To save big on the best tools, check out the Niche Pursuits Black Friday Deals page!

    As for this week’s Weird Niche Sites, Spencer goes first and reveals Rhyme Zone which, as the name suggests, identifies words that rhyme with your chosen word. The extensive results are organized by syllable. But what’s really shocking is how much traffic the site gets! It’s off the charts!

    How is it monetized? And what could it do better to earn more from ads? Listen to the episode for all the details.

    Jared’s site is a bit more whimsical: Cloud Appreciation Society. This weird site features everything from the cloud of the day and cloud of the month to a “Recent Clouds Spotted” section.

    It also has a very cool UGC feature that Jared and Spencer discuss, as well as the possibility of buying a membership. Is this DR69 site ranking for a lot of keywords? How is it probably doing in terms of revenue? 

    And that brings us to the end of another episode! Hopefully, you feel like you’re in the loop and caught up on recent happenings with Google and SEO. See you next week for another jam-packed episode!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    How to Grow an Email List Faster and Make More Money from Subscribers with Matt Molen

    How to Grow an Email List Faster and Make More Money from Subscribers with Matt Molen

    The importance of email marketing in today's digital landscape is front and center in this excellent podcast episode.

    Matt Molen is an expert in email marketing and shares his background and experience in helping content creators grow their email lists.

    And the conversation is particularly timely with the changes in Google's algorithms and the disappearance of cookies, highlighting the need for building a brand and owning your audience through email marketing!

    Three avatars are identified:

    • Those not doing email marketing,
    • Those doing the bare minimum,
    • And those making a go of it but not seeing significant results.

    The key to growing your email list is to identify your biggest source of traffic and create lead magnets that address their specific problems.

    And Matt emphasizes the importance of using existing website traffic (be it SEO, Pinterest, etc.) as the source for list growth and suggests creating targeted lead magnets that solve specific problems for visitors.

    Lead magnets can include quick start guides, PDFs, eBooks, calculators, quizzes, and more. Even repurposing existing content and making it relevant to the audience landing on your page or post can help improve email list growth.

    The success of lead magnets depends on the message and solution they provide rather than the specific conversion tool used. Segmenting your audience allows for more targeted and personalized email marketing, leading to higher engagement and conversions.

    Monetizing your email list requires serving your audience with relevant content and building trust before presenting offers. Consistently sending valuable free content helps establish trust and credibility, making it more likely for subscribers to purchase paid products or services.

    Other successful monetization strategies include creating communities, courses, physical and digital products, affiliate offers, and getting sponsorships.

    It's important to create a sense of urgency and scarcity in your email offers to encourage action. To grow your email list faster, consider using tactics like pop-ups, calls to action, Facebook or Instagram ads, YouTube pre-roll ads, and partnerships with other creators.

    Trial and error is necessary in email marketing to find what works best for your audience.

    And Matt also dives into the best tools he believes can help with email automation campaigns as well as the biggest mistakes people make in email marketing!

    Hope you enjoy!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Apple Gets 36% of Google Ad Revenue, New Google Experiments and Updates + Weird Niche Sites

    Apple Gets 36% of Google Ad Revenue, New Google Experiments and Updates + Weird Niche Sites

    Welcome back to Niche Pursuits News, where Spencer and Jared share the most important and recent news in SEO, digital marketing, content creation, and website building. Grab something to drink and get comfortable—there’s lots to cover this week! 

    The first topic they cover is Google's antitrust lawsuit. One of Google's witnesses made a mistake on the stand and accidentally revealed that it pays Apple 36% of the revenue earned via search ad activity on Apple’s Safari browser. 

    Essentially, Google is paying billions of dollars to Apple to ensure that it's the default browser on all of its products and it did not want this data to be revealed. What does this mean for other search engines? Does Google have a monopoly in the search engine market?

    Or, maybe a better question is, how good is Google really? Does it need to go to these lengths to become the default browser? Is the quality of its search actually getting worse? And what is the science behind being the “default?”

    The next news item up for discussion is Google's announcement about new ways that users can find what they're looking for on Search

    Google is testing out three features: allowing users to follow topics that they're interested in by adding a follow button, adding a perspective filter to allow users to get the best first-hand knowledge on a topic, and including information about content creators to highlight their expertise. 

    What other potentially controversial announcements has Google made with regard to new features? What’s the role of AI in all of this? Tune in to find out! 

    Jared and Spencer then talk about Danny Sullivan's recent presentation at brightonSEO. The Google Search Liaison essentially told attendees to get ready for even more changes, tweaks, and improvements to Google’s search rankings.

    To get a peek at his full presentation, head on over to Twitter, where he posted all the slides and see for yourself. But what were the overarching themes? Listen to the podcast to hear Jared and Spencer's impressions. 

    When it comes to Shiny Object Shenanigans, Spencer goes first and talks about his adventures building a faceless YouTube channel. 

    He offers a summary on Twitter, but the gist is that he started uploading videos and one video went viral in May and got 474k views. He started to earn money and was making plans for the future when his viral video got hit with a copyright notification and had to be taken down.

    How have things gone since then? What’s in store for this side hustle? Listen and find out what Spencer’s doing now!

    When it’s Jared’s turn, he gives an update on his Amazon Influencer Program side hustle which, if you've been tuning in over the last few weeks, has been particularly volatile. The good news is that earnings appear to be picking up, so stay tuned to see if he sees a full recovery. 

    He also talks about his photography course on Weekend Growth and the importance of having high-quality photos, particularly in view of all the changes in Google. His course, which offers useful tips for non-professionals, is celebrating its 1-year anniversary. 

    Don’t miss out on the chance to get it! Jared’s offering it for 50% off with the code “Niche Pursuits.”

    When it comes to Weird Niche Sites, the co-hosts really capture the weirdness of the web. Spencer reveals his ‘90s-looking website, Disk Prices, which is essentially a list of hard drive prices and their different characteristics. 

    All of the links are Amazon affiliate links, and search engine traffic varies according to the source: 2600 organic searches per month according to Ahrefs, 20k according to SimilarWeb.

    How is the website updated? How is it doing on mobile? How did it fare during the HCU? What are the key takeaways from this website? 

    When it’s Jared’s turn, he shows his love for cats with Cat News Headlines. It’s a repository of daily (and probably) manually updated cat news from all over the web. This DR4 site only ranks for 250 keywords. The main articles it’s ranking for are cat food reviews and, in general, the site isn’t doing especially well. 

    What do they think of the design? What is the site doing correctly (if anything)?  

    And that brings us to the end of another great podcast. We hope you feel informed of all the latest news in the SEO space and inspired to launch or continue your business projects and side hustles. See you next week!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Portfolio vs Single Brand: Brad Wayland Shares Insights From 80+ Exits & 20+ Years in Online Business

    Portfolio vs Single Brand: Brad Wayland Shares Insights From 80+ Exits & 20+ Years in Online Business

    Brad Wayland from Quiet Light joins the podcast to share his expertise and insights into whether it's best for you to grow a single brand or a portfolio of sites.

    With over 2 decades of experience in all aspects of the online business world, he offers a TON of value to all site owners.

    The conversation kicks off describing various ways to own web or digital assets:

    • A solopreneur with one website
    • A solopreneur with a portfolio of sites
    • Having a team for one website
    • Having a team for a portfolio of websites

    He highlights some of the key perks and pitfalls of each approach, emphasizing that owning a portfolio may not be for everyone.

    The solopreneur lifestyle allows for complete focus and dedication to one project, which can lead to potential success. However, being a solopreneur also requires managing limited time and responsibilities, which can be challenging.

    Brad says that successful solopreneurs often have a long-term commitment to their work and prioritize it over other activities - emphasizing the term 'grind' several times.

    As a result, this model can lead to significant financial success and high levels of achievement. The key though is to resist the ever-present temptation to chase shiny objects.

    Brad describes how diversification of projects and thus focus can be a pitfall for entrepreneurs, and buying and acquiring multiple businesses without proper management can lead to failure. And Brad shares his personal experience buying businesses in niches he wasn't passionate about and the negative impact it had.

    He emphasizes the importance of dedicating time and energy to rethinking strategies and staying passionate about the topic.

    Operating at a high level and achieving long-term success requires a special mindset and creativity. Simply following a checklist of industry trends and best practices is likely not enough to stand out to the best in your niche.

    In short, Brad recommends doubling down on focus and intentionality in business. He encourages you to prioritize and not spread yourself too thin.

    If you're an exceptional entrepreneur (such as Syed Balkhi - the example he uses) who can attract excellent people and manage several projects at once - then great! But it's best to reflect honestly on your abilities - and most people will find they're best served focusing on a single project and grinding to the finish line (in the form of a big exit to financial freedom).

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    More Google Updates, The Verge and AI, Feedback for Google, and Wirecutter Making $6 Million/mth

    More Google Updates, The Verge and AI, Feedback for Google, and Wirecutter Making $6 Million/mth

    Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast, where Spencer and Jared cover all the latest relating to SEO, digital marketing, affiliate marketing, and website creation and break it down into bite-size pieces for listeners. 

    Spencer and Jared kick things off by talking about how the November Core Update was rolled out about a week ago. Spencer reveals how Niche Pursuits has fared thus far and Jared talks about how site owners he’s in contact with have been affected by Google’s latest update. 

    Did most websites see a recovery or more of a decline? What will happen as the update concludes? 

    They also announce that the Reviews Update has also been rolled out. Will site owners be able to determine which update affected them and how? How is this latest update different from the HCU? How is Google going to handle update announcements moving forward? And will there be another update before the end of the year? Tune in to hear what Spencer and Jared think. 

    Changing gears, Spencer shares an affiliate article in The Verge that is clearly written with AI with no human editing. Listeners of last week’s episode will recall the discussion of a different article in The Verge complaining that the internet is overloaded with poor-quality SEO content. And here it is, spamming the web with SEO-optimized unedited AI content!

    Is their article ranking? And if it is, is it outranking truly helpful content written by humans who have actually tested the products? What do Spencer and Jared think about this case of parasite SEO? Listen to find out!

    Next up on the agenda is a very interesting tweet from Danny Sullivan from Google Search Liaison on how he brings people’s feedback back to Google. Jared lauds this moment of transparency and Spencer wonders if this feedback could impact the way that Google Search works. 

    Another tweet that made it into this week’s news is about the New York Times’ 3Q revenue numbers. Glen Allsopp did an excellent write-up after analyzing The Wirecutter, the Times’ affiliate website. How much does he estimate it’s bringing in per month in affiliate commissions? It’s clear that “the little guys” can’t compete with The Wirecutter, but what are Jared and Spencer’s takeaways from this situation?

    In the last news item of the episode, Spencer shares that Elon Musk and Twitter recently revealed their ChatCPT competitor, Grok. Premium Twitter subscribers can currently sign up to the waiting list to test it out. Where will this go? It remains to be seen, but as Spencer says, it’s always interesting when someone with very deep pockets gets into the AI game.

    In the Shiny Object Shenanigans portion of the podcast, Spencer talks about the tool he created, Rank Logic, and its latest addition—a Google Analytics integration, which will be available for current users as early as next week. He talks about the different ways users will be able to analyze data and create custom reports, and how much easier it will be compared with using GA4.

    When it’s Jared’s turn, he talks about recording more videos for the Amazon Influencer Program, most of them seasonal. His goal is to hit 1000 videos by the end of the year. He also talks about celebrating the anniversary of the Photo Course on Weekend Growth and how his side hustles, and the opportunities that come with them, continue to grow and surprise him as well.

    Spencer shares his Weird Niche Site first: Miss Rachel Networth. He gives the backstory about Miss Rachel, a popular teacher on YouTube, and shares stats for the 3-month-old site, which has a DR of 63 and organic monthly traffic of around 30k. Is it a 301 from an older domain? What else does he discover when he digs deeper? What’s his and Jared’s theory behind the website?

    Jared’s find this week is The Measure of Things, a very, very weird niche site that lets you enter a measurement and then compare that measurement to other “things.” For example, 829 square centimeters is about 1/15th as big as a bath towel. Isn’t that great to know? 

    This DR52 site ranks for 17k keywords and has an organic search volume of 24k per month. What’s super unique about this website? Hear Jared and Spencer break down the data they see in Ahrefs.

    And that brings us to the end of another great episode. We hope you’re feeling informed and inspired, as always. See you next week!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    How Aaron Anderson Builds 150+ Free and Relatively Safe Earned Links Per Month

    How Aaron Anderson Builds 150+ Free and Relatively Safe Earned Links Per Month

    Want a masterclass in effective link building strategies?

    Aaron Anderson joins the Niche Pursuits podcast to share all the tricks of the trade he's learned over the years.

    Aaron's journey into marketing came as an offshoot of his time cold calling and doing door-to-door sales.

    He figured link building in particular matched his skillset and he was right.

    His agency focuses on earning links through outreach rather than paid or guest post links. And they have found success with broken link building, resource page link building, and unlinked mentions as their core strategies.

    In fact, Aaron's agency has managed to earn links from top-tier sites like the New York Times and Men's Health through broken link building alone.

    The key challenge in this strategy lies in actually finding the broken links, which can even be best accomplished without tools - Aaron describes how.

    Then comes the process of manually finding the right person to contact. And Aaron also does a great job of explaining how the outreach email template used should be short, straightforward, and avoid fake flattery.

    The focus in broken link building is on finding broken links with intent problems rather than just 404 errors. The goal is to provide a replacement for the broken link that aligns with the original intent. And conversion rates can vary, but campaigns with recent broken links tend to have higher success rates.

    Then when it comes to resource page link building, the value of resource pages varies depending on the number of external links and the credibility of the curator.

    To be successful with this approach, brands need to have something of value to offer. And positioning the brand as altruistic and offering free resources can increase success rates.

    Unlinked mentions can also be an effective strategy, but it requires using multiple tools and search operators to find all opportunities. But Google search operators can help identify unlinked mentions and refine the search for better results.

    These types of earned links don't work for every industry though. And Aaron is honest about where it doesn't.

    Overall, Aaron does a great job of sharing ways you can get powerful and free links with tons of actionable tips to help along the way.

    And as he says, link building is merely one part of the equation. His focus is on finding opportunities where Google already likes the content and using links to accelerate or solidify Google's opinion to maintain a high ranking in the SERPs.

    Hope you take notes!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Who Ruined the Internet? Google Core, Adsense, and Discover Updates & a Weird Niche Video Site

    Who Ruined the Internet? Google Core, Adsense, and Discover Updates & a Weird Niche Video Site

    Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast. This week’s episode is seriously packed with a ton of important and interesting headlines in the SEO, digital marketing, and content creation space. So grab some popcorn, get comfortable, and let’s get started!

    Spencer and Jared kick off the episode by talking about Google’s latest announcement about an impending November core update, which started to roll out on November 2nd. We can expect to see the effects over the weekend. They talk about Google’s explanation for the latest update and how there’s also a review system update coming next week.

    Moving on, they share an article in The Verge accusing SEOs of ruining the internet. Spencer summarizes the 8000-word article and he and Jared discuss whether the author ultimately blames SEOs or Google itself for bringing down the quality of the internet. 

    What does Jared think about the article? Is The Verge hypocritical for publishing an article like this? What happened to Danny Sullivan, the Google employee who responded to Spencer’s tweet? Tune in to find out!

    The conversation then shifts to an article on Detailed, and a tweet, by Glen Allsopp, about product review affiliate keywords. Allsopp shares his findings after analyzing 10,000 search results and he shares some staggering statistics for sites like Reddit and Quora.

    The next news item on the agenda has to do with Google’s efforts to fix a bug from the October 2023 update, which impacted Google Discover traffic. Does that mean people who got massive traffic from Google Discover recently will see it disappear? Will people without much Google Discover traffic see it increase?

    Continuing with news about Google, Spencer and Jared share an article that shows how Google is inserting paid ads among organic search results. They talk about the implications of this move and how it may or may not affect publishers.

    Then Spencer shares an article about updates to Google AdSense, as the network is shifting to per-impression payments for publishers. How will this impact their earnings? Why is Google doing this? Since the network has always been pay-per-click, this is a major change to how it functions. Tune in to hear what Spencer and Jared have to say.

    Jared geeks out on the last news item on the agenda, an analysis of Google’s EEAT Knowledge Graph. A recent article took a deep dive into how Google understands what is and isn’t expert content and the importance of getting into the Knowledge Panel and building a brand. Jared shares some good ideas on how to get Google’s stamp of approval, so don’t miss them!

    When it comes to Side Hustle Shenanigans, Spencer provides an update on his second faceless YouTube channel, for which the stats are underwhelming. As he is completely hands-off in this endeavor, his advice for anyone looking to do something like this is to be very involved and detail-oriented. Listen in to find out what he thinks about this business model.

    Jared reports on his Amazon Influencer side hustle, noting that October was his worst month ever. Why was this? What’s driving all the volatility? What does he expect in the coming months?

    There’s just a little bit of time left, and Spencer shares his weird niche site first: Astronaut.io. This fascinating site features videos from YouTube that have zero views. With 105k visitors over the last three months according to SimilarWeb, it seems that some people (mostly in Russia), are enjoying them.

    Jared’s weird site is in the celebrity niche, Who’s Dated Who, which offers the dating history of every celebrity you can think of. He and Spencer discuss the site’s ranking system, how it might be getting its data, its use of a forum, and how it’s monetized. This DR56 site is ranking for over 600k keywords, and monthly estimated organic traffic of 1.2 million.

    And that brings us to the end of another great episode. Thanks for tuning in for another week and getting the latest in SEO news. See you next Friday!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

    Delegate to Dominate: Find the Perfect Website Operator to Skyrocket Your Growth

    Delegate to Dominate: Find the Perfect Website Operator to Skyrocket Your Growth

    Today, we're joined by returning guest Mushfiq - a prolific site owner, operator, and flipper for an all-encompassing look at site operators!

    With his 15+ years of operations experience and someone who hires lots of site operators for his agency, Mushfiq is a wealth of knowledge from both sides of the equation.

    The first half of the discussion is all about site operators:

    • Who is best qualified to become one
    • What the ideal operator avatar looks like
    • Some of the reasons someone would become one

    Mushfiq explains that a website operator is someone who can take a site from zero to a revenue target, focusing on content management, SEO, revenue generation, and finding opportunities.

    And it's also here that Mushfiq and Jared highlight the important skills needed like: project management, strategy, and working well with a team of content creators, link builders, and virtual assistants.

    For the motivations for becoming an operator, there are also lots of interesting insights.

    For instance, operators can mitigate risk by gaining valuable experience working with different types of sites - knowledge that can then be applied to their own websites.

    And since he runs an agency offering these operator services, Mushfiq also shares his two-tier structure for website operations. PLUS, the max number of projects an operator should manage at one time.

    There really are tons of awesome insights here for anyone interested in pursuing this as a service provider.

    But eventually, the discussion moves to the owner's perspective.

    Hiring an operator can be advantageous for those who lack the time or expertise to effectively manage their own sites.

    And Mushfiq lists out the 3 typical options for these owners who lack the time:

    • Let the website sit and eventually die,
    • Sell it (although they discuss some challenges for personal brand sites),
    • Or outsource it to an agency or virtual assistants.

    There are lots of factors to consider - and Mushfiq and Jared do a great job of covering all that's important.

    For instance, the challenges many feel when handing over a website to an operator.

    As they discuss, letting go of control and allowing the operator to take over is essential for a successful operator-owner relationship.

    But of course, trust is a crucial component for this, and it's important to find someone with a trustworthy background and a mix of successes and failures.

    And Mushfiq highlights successful owners as those willing to walk away and let the operator manage the property, have realistic expectations about quality, and understand the complexities of managing a website.

    They also break down the typical financial arrangement of this relationship.

    For both owners and operators, diversification is emphasized as a key strategy. Ideally, this arrangement can afford the owner more time to expand into e-commerce, newsletters, and other areas to build a brand and generate additional income streams.

    There's really too much value here to properly summarize, but if you've ever considered hiring an operator or supplementing your blogging income, this is a must-listen!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative

     

    Google Responds to Controversial SEO Tweet, Reddit Blocking Google, and 2 Weird Niche Sites

    Google Responds to Controversial SEO Tweet, Reddit Blocking Google, and 2 Weird Niche Sites

    Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News podcast! You definitely don’t want to miss this one as it’s packed with interesting insights and thoughts about events over the last week in SEO.

    After Spencer talks briefly about his positive experience promoting Link Whisper at FinCon, he and Jared dive headfirst into the big news of the week: Spencer’s unexpectedly controversial post on X about how Google is slowly killing blogging. 

    Much to his (and everyone’s) surprise, Danny Sullivan, from Google, responded to his post and offered a few helpful tips and takeaways from the HCU. This exchange generated a lot of debate about the topic—over 130 threads on Spencer’s original post. 

    Spencer and Jared talk about the general confusion among site owners and content creators over the HCU and their efforts to understand what Google wants, and although Danny references this document to help people, people remain very confused and frustrated.

    They also talk about the difference between the HCU and previous updates like Panda and Penguin, and encourage everyone to check out the original post on X.

    Moving on, Spencer and Jared talk about the latest news about Reddit, as the platform is threatening to block Google. This decision hinges on Reddit’s ability to reach deals with generative AI companies to pay for its data.

    What might happen to Reddit if it goes through with it? What would be the ripple effect? And what about the other 500+ companies that have already blocked their content from being scraped by AI? What would Spencer and Jared do if they ran Reddit? Tune in to hear them discuss the possibilities.

    The next big news is that the DALL-E 3 image generator is available in ChatGPT and it’s free. With the right prompts, you can create whatever images you want. 

    Spencer shares a few images he created using the tool, Jared talks about using it to successfully create YouTube thumbnails, and they discuss the quality of the images it creates.

    As for Shiny Object Shenanigans, Spencer starts by talking about his most recent results with the Amazon Influencer Program. He shares that his videos are back in the carousel and his earnings are around $2k for the month. 

    Although he’s finally cash flow positive with this side hustle, with 767 videos currently, what will the coming months hold in terms of earnings? Also, who’s making more at the moment, Spencer or Jared? Listen to the podcast to find out which host is in the lead.

    Jared then talks about growing his Weekender Growth email list, which is now at 3k subscribers. 

    He shares his challenges growing the YouTube channel, which has about 12 videos, +1k subscribers, and 2000 watch hours. He hopes to monetize it in the coming months, so stay tuned to see how that evolves!

    As for weird niche sites, Spencer’s find of the week is the very colorful Sound Buttons World, which receives 575k visitors per month from organic search and has tons of sounds that users can download or link to. 

    He and Jared look at the site’s exponential growth and discuss why that may be, and they look at the types of keywords the site is ranking for.

    Jared shares his weird niche site, Day of the Week, which provides a lot of information about the days of the week, everything from the zodiac, birthstones, historical events, and more. 

    This DR26 site ranks for 60k keywords, and Jared and Spencer are very surprised when they take a closer look at those keywords and at the type of ads running on the site. Listen to find out why!

    And that brings us to the end of the latest episode of Niche Pursuits News! Hopefully, you’re feeling informed and inspired. Tune in next week when Spencer and Jared take on more SEO, digital marketing, and niche site creation news.

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative 

    How Jesse Cunningham Uses AI to Create High-Quality Content At Scale

    How Jesse Cunningham Uses AI to Create High-Quality Content At Scale

    In this episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, SEO expert Jesse Cunningham joins us to give us a masterclass in AI content creation (at scale).

    Jesse runs a successful SEO agency and shares helpful experiments regarding AI and SEO on his YouTube channel.

    In his interview, we're lucky to hear him summarize some of his most important findings.

    For one, he's all about topical authority. And shares how AI has helped make this easier than ever.

    To do this with AI in a way that ranks, Jesse emphasizes the need for a comprehensive content map and well-organized page structure.

    And he gives some pretty interesting insights into what he does for this which may surprise you.

    Besides ChatGPT and Claude.ai, he shares two AI tools that he trusts: WordGalaxy.ai and especially SEOWriting.ai, the last of which, he even uses to automate image creation and alt text.

    These tools can help streamline the content creation process and make it more efficient and scalable for both agencies and individual website builders.

    But of course, Jesse also highlights the importance of editing to publish concise and relevant content, as well as fact-checking, especially in YMYL niches where accuracy is of utmost importance.

    He then gets into how to create beautiful, data-based content with AI to attract links.

    And how he believes the priority for content creators should be on dominating topical authority and providing valuable content.

    By increasing their output through implementing a process that leverages virtual assistants, content creators can scale better and cheaper than ever before.

    The talk then winds down with a high-level look at The Helpful Content Update (HCU).

    This has changed the landscape of website creation, requiring websites to present themselves as businesses within Google's ecosystem. And Jesse suggests adding services, consultation options, or even emulating real companies in the footer to align with the HCU.

    In short, Jesse shows how with the help of AI tools, optimizing content structure, and focusing on topical authority, content creators can not only survive but flourish in today's SEO landscape.

    Please enjoy!

    Be sure to get more content like this in the Niche Pursuits Newsletter Right Here: https://www.nichepursuits.com/newsletter

    Want a Faster and Easier Way to Build Internal Links? Get $15 off Link Whisper with Discount Code "Podcast" on the Checkout Screen: https://www.nichepursuits.com/linkwhisper

    Get SEO Consulting from the Niche Pursuits Podcast Host, Jared Bauman: https://www.nichepursuits.com/201creative