Working on Multiple Niche Sites at the Same Time

Photo: David Cousin Jugging. (Credit: PVLD@flickr)

Thinking of replacing your full time income? And maybe a portfolio of sites can do it for you?

If you can manage multiple projects at once, you have a better chance at pulling that off.

Here is an example of someone who has obviously mastered this skill: Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income.  Take a look at the recent monthly income reports at Smart Passive Income (and brace yourself for a shock).  It is clear that Mr. Flynn works very hard and that he successfully manages many projects at once.

Increase Your Earning Potential With Several Niche Sites

We think that we need to create a portfolio of sites earning Amazon Affiliate income to replace the need for our day job. But you can actually make a lot more from one site than you probably realize. For example, when I started in 2013, I thought I should create several sites that make a few hundred dollars per month.

Now I think focusing on fewer sites is a much better way to do things. (read why I’d rather have 1 site than 10)

But Wait. Don’t Get Ahead Of Yourself…

It is very dangerous to start several sites when you are first getting started with niche websites.  You should focus on one website first to ensure you have a solid understanding of the processes and steps. If you have already tried to start several websites, that’s okay. I have a metaphorical shelf full of niche sites that I started but didn’t finish. I realized that I should work on one website until I was proficient in the process.

If you are beginning your journey with niche websites then you should not try to do too much, too soon. Starting a niche website can be overwhelming – take it slow to start so you won’t become frustrated to the point of giving up.

Get Rid of That Overwhelmed Feeling

It can be overwhelming to work on several projects or even more than one project at a time. Why is that? There are so many things to do! Check out how to build an Amazon Affiliate Website.

• Keyword Research
• First Page Competition Analysis
• Link Building
• Writing Content
• More Link Building
• Finding Virtual Assistants
• More Content
• Guest Posting, Promotion, & Outreach
• And, did I mention Link Building…

Each item above has many details, several layers deep, to consider. You may need to do research for one of the tasks before you can start. Simply working on whatever you feel like without any structure is a recipe for not reaching your potential. It is also terribly inefficient.

How to Manage Several Niche Sites (or Other Projects)

To achieve success working on more that one project at a time, you need to have a full understanding of all of your projects. This means you should know:

• What tasks to complete,
• The order of the tasks,
• If any tasks are dependent on other tasks.

Set aside two 1-hour segments of time. The two work periods can be on consecutive days. Go through this process:

• List your projects.
• List the tasks of each project
• Try to break down the tasks into small chunks of work. The rule of thumb is to break down the work into chunks that take 60–90 minutes or less to complete.
• Take a break and review the list later – you will probably think of a few more tasks.
• Review your tasks starting at the beginning and determine if the task is dependent on any other tasks. For example, you cannot install WordPress until you have a hosting account.

Now, you have a generic project plan of how to build a niche website. You created a list of ordered tasks with the dependencies between the tasks noted. This is very powerful. You now should clearly see the amount of intense work required early in the project.  After the intense beginning, the tasks take a shorter amount of time and they are more spread out as the project progress. Why does this matter?

You can work on a few niche websites at one time. It takes about two to three weeks to start a website. Once you move beyond the initial starting tasks, you have downtime that you can use to research your next site.  If you can outsource the content creation and link building, then you can start on other websites even sooner.

Check out the image below from the previous post and notice the addition. You can start new niche site projects and work on them in parallel by staggering the starts.

Once you have the first website in progress, you have the ability to start another site. If you have a list of niches ready to go, then you can start your next site sooner. This assumes that you are outsourcing some or all of the content creation.

This type of structure and organization is necessary if you wish to successfully create multiple websites in parallel.  However, you will not be successful without a structured task list or project plans, daily stand-up meetings, and the ability to stay on task.  Good luck!

Photo Credit: Flickr - Palos Verdes Library District