In this session of The Smart Passive Income Podcast, we welcome Spencer Haws, founder of Niche Pursuits and creator of the popular keyword research tool, Long Tail Pro.
This particular episode, along with a few other upcoming episodes and posts, are a part of an ongoing research phase that I’m conducting for the upcoming Niche Site Duel 2.0 challenge.
Before I start building another website from scratch and sharing everything that happens along the way with you (I did this once before here), I want to make sure I’m up to date on everything I need to know before diving in—and of course you’re coming along with me every step of the way.
Today, we have Spencer from Niche Pursuits who recently built a brand new website that is now ranking #1 in Google for his target keyword, and the site is now generating more and more income each month. I wanted to bring him on the show to share exactly how he made that happen with us.
Spencer has a long history with building niche websites. He’s built hundreds and has earned well over 5-figures a month from his sites – that is, until he was banned from Google Adsense last year. We talk a little bit about that in the podcast session as well as what he did to get most of his income back.
Spencer provides us with another account of what seems to be working in SEO and Keyword Research today. Please note that I am still in research mode and some or all of the NSD2.0 related strategies and methods mentioned during this session, or any other podcast session, post or video, may not necessarily align or become the same strategies that I end up using myself. You will hear more about my specific strategies and tactics soon, which will be based off of my own knowledge of building websites and search engine optimization, as well as what I am learning from others.
CLICK HERE to give some love to Spencer on Twitter and let him know you enjoyed the show.
$30.00 Off Long Tail Pro for a Limited Time Only!
After we recorded the episode together, Spencer was kind enough to give the SPI community a massive $30 discount on Long Tail Pro, his keyword research software, to celebrate the start of Niche Site Duel 2.0.
Thank you Spencer!
All you have to do is click on my referral link below and the discount should automatically be applied. Of course, I do earn a commission when you go through my link (at no extra cost to you!) and if you do end up making a purchase, please shoot me a note on Twitter or Facebook so I can thank you personally! 🙂
Get Long Tail Pro for $30.00 Off
I still use and love Market Samurai, another great keyword research tool that I’ve used for years, including during Niche Site Duel 1.0, but there are some things I like about LTP that excite me for the upcoming challenge, especially for beginners who are joining. Both Market Samurai and Long Tail Pro are fantastic, so if you already have Market Samurai please don’t feel like you have to get another keyword research tool, at least for what we’re doing. If you have MS and will be following along during NSD2.0, you’ll be able to do most, if not all of the things I’ll be doing myself with Long Tail Pro during the series.
Please note that there is a platinum version of Long Tail Pro that does include a small monthly fee. The features that the platinum version unlock are mostly quicker (yet, powerful) ways to run the data, so the platinum back isn’t completely necessary, but it can definitely be helpful. I’ll be sharing both “platinum” and “non-platinum” ways in Long Tail Pro to discover keywords and execute competitive analysis during my NSD2.0 tutorial videos.
Here is that special link one more time:
Get Long Tail Pro for $30.00 Off
NEW! A Question from a Listener…
From time to time, I will play a voicemail question from a reader or listener during the episode and then followup with my answer.
This week’s question is from Aarin from Paint Crush Magazine, a beauty magazine and blog. She asks:
“How do you podcast for a niche or market that is primarily visual? Should I consider it, or would it be a waste of time since podcasts are just audio?”
I share my answer to Aarin’s question at the end of the session.
Question or Feedback? Leave Me a Voicemail!
If you have a question you’d potentially like answered on the show, or just feedback in general (constructive criticism and praise is absolutely welcome!), feel free to visit my voicemail page to quickly and easily leave me a message. I may feature you and your question on the show just like Aarin’s!
Thank you!
Thank you all for checking out this session of the SPI podcast. Make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast so you can get updated delivered right to you as they come out, and finally, if you haven’t done so already, I would love if you took a minute to leave a quick (and honest) rating and review of the show on iTunes by clicking on the link below! It would be extremely helpful!
CLICK HERE to leave a review for the show.
Thanks again for spending some time listening to me today, I appreciate you, and look out for a special edition of the SPI Podcast going live this coming Friday, as we continue our Niche Site Duel 2.0 research with an interview with Neil Patel from QuickSprout.com – you don’t want to miss this one.
Cheers! 🙂
Today’s Guest
Spencer Haws
In this session of the SPI Podcast, I continue my niche site research by interviewing Spencer Haws about keyword research and SEO.
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Website:
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Twitter:
You’ll Learn
- How Spencer turned his hobby of building websites into a business.
- The light bulb that went off in Spencer’s head that allowed him to finally start seeing results with his work online.
- Exactly how many websites Spencer had when he quit his job in 2011, and the range of income he was earning from each.
- How Spencer “manages” a large number of websites at the same time.
- How Spencer’s business model has changed since he first started.
- One of the most common mistakes when conducting keyword research.
- Spencer’s exact parameters and exactly what he’s looking for when analyzing keywords.
- Specific strategies for finding ‘seed keywords’ to put into tools like Market Samurai and Long Tail Pro
- What Spencer looks for when it comes to the competition for a particular keyword with search and traffic potential.
- Tools to help you determine how authoritative a competitive site may be.
- The start to finish process that Spencer used to rank a site in the survival industry, including the exact keyword he built a website for.
- What ‘juice page links’ and Page authority are and how to determine if a niche is too competitive to build a site for.
- Spencer’s content plan and what he did to stand out from the rest of the competition.
- How Spencer built links to his site.
- Plus a whole lot more!
Resources
- Niche Pursuits (Spencer’s blog)
- Long Tail Pro ($30.00 discount available for SPI readers & listeners ONLY—this is an affiliate link)
- SEOMoz (you can sign up for a free account)
- Elance.com (Now Upwork)
- Point Blank SEO by Jon Cooper
- The SPI interview with Alex Becker.
- SlideShare
- Spencer’s Niche Site Project