This is the first post of a new series I am introducing here at iBlogPlanet. I hope to do a lot of testing to see what works and what doesn’t, and hopefully tracking journey will help you guys as well. This is not exactly my first niche site, but it is the first one I am documenting on my blog, thus the title “Niche Site #1″. Throughout these entries, which I will update regularly, I will go over keyword research, my SEO tactics, and all that good stuff. Let’s get to it.
A quick overview
- iPhone related niche
- Targeting 20 keywords – 1 main keyword, 19 longtail
- Main keyword has 478,000,000 results on Google (without quotes), and 750,000 results on Google (with quotes)
- EMD (Exact Match Domain) domain name
- Total exact search volume, for all 20 keywords (according to Google Keyword Tool) is roughly 18,000
What I’ve done so far
The first day (Day 1) - I bought the domain 6 days ago, and wasted no time getting started. I’m using Thesis on my niche site, not for any particular reason. I’m open to other themes if you guys have any recommendations. As far as On Site SEO, things were set up within less than a day. H1 tags, Categories, all the WordPress Plugins I usually use (which I will list at the end of this post). I posted 1, 800 word, keyword rich article for starters. I left the site, and next morning, I was on page 8. Things were looking good.
Second day through yesterday (Day 2 – Day 6) – I started posting three, keyword rich articles everyday. Two targeting my main keyword, and one targeting a long tail keyword. No backlinking, except for one article posted to eZine. Here is a screenshot of my Market Samurai rank tracker. Also, the 3rd keyword, which is ranking in position 40, is my main keyword. This keyword is getting 9,000 exact searches a month. And I’m on the 4th page with only on page SEO, and a single link from Ezine.
Plan for the next seven days – (Day 7 – Day 14) - I plan to begin the backlinking phase, while still posting two articles a day (700+ words each), one targeting the main keyword, and one targeting a new long tail keyword.
Below is the my backlinking plan:
- 20 social bookmarks to the niche site
- 20 High PR Profile Links to the niche site
- 20 Web 2.0 Properties to the niche Site
- 200 Spun Articles submitted with two links in each. One link to my niche site, one link to a web 2.0 site.
- 700 Social Bookmarks – Three bookmarks to each article and web 2.0 property
I estimate this will take me about a week or so.
That sums up my first Niche Site post guys; I’ll be updating as I see results (or a lack of results).
What do you think of my plan so far? What would YOU do differently? I’d love to hear what you guys have to say!
If you have any questions, go ahead and comment below and I’ll be sure to answer.
PS. Here is the list of plugins that are a must have for niche sites:
- All in One SEO Pack
- Bridge SEO Tag Wrap Keywords
- Broken Link Checker
- Easy Privacy Policy
- Fast Secure Contact Form
- Google XML Sitemaps
- SEO Slugs
- SEO Smart Links
- SexyBookmarks (by Shareaholic)
- W3 Total Cache
Nice project. Don’t forget Subscribe to Comment,Site Stats, and Contact Forms 7
Thanks Nima! Those are definitely important as well; I use them on iBlogPlanet, and will definitely have to add them to my niche sites.
Hi Ben,
It will be interesting to hear the results of your SEO plan.
I think videos are also a good technique for SEO these days
although i don’t claim to be an expert on SEO.
Hi John,
Thanks for dropping by! I agree; videos work fairly well based on what I’ve heard. Good call.
I’ll be making a post in the next few days, with an update on this niche site. Hope to see you around again!