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Home » The Famous Blog » How Many Websites Do You Need to Create a Full-time Income?

How Many Websites Do You Need to Create a Full-time Income?

June 27, 2011 - Last Modified: June 28, 2011 by James Martell 3,869

How Many Websites Do You Need

Back in the Wild West days of Internet marketing the best way to get good search engine results, create traffic, and get those conversions you needed to run a profitable business was to have multiple websites up and running. The process was what some early Internet marketers called shotgun marketing. The theory was that by throwing dozens of sites out there you stood a better chance of people stumbling across them.

While that approach did definitely work, it was incredibly difficult to run multiple websites as a one-man (or woman) operation. The amount of work that went into each site meant that you either had to work yourself to the bone and have several “okay” website or you had to spread yourself too thin and have a pile of sub-par websites. (I bet you can remember seeing some of those if you’ve been on the Internet for any length of time).

I’ve been in the Internet marketing business since 1999 and lived through the Wild West era. I’m happy to say that those days are over. The focus has been shifted away from quantity towards quality. So instead of casting multiple nets, successful Internet marketers are now just casting one big net (a net that catches a lot of fish).

Google has become the predominant search engine, eclipsing AltaVista, WebCrawler, Excite and all the rest, it’s algorithms have become more and more sophisticated, and the Internet public from which marketers draw their prospects has become more and more savvy (and wary). That means that those sub-par websites are no longer acceptable and anyone trying to make money using anything but a top-quality website is bound to be disappointed.

So how many websites do you really need to be profitable?

many websites

Just one–one really good one.

And that’s a good thing. With the amount of effort that must go into a modern website you won’t be able to handle more than one—at least not until you build a system and have a team of outsource content creators and such on hand to help with the workload.

For most people just getting started or those trying to make money in their free time while still working part time, that’s not something that’s going to happen right off the bat. That’s why I instruct all of my students to start with just one website, make that website the best it can possibly be, and explore all of the available avenues (social media, list building, multimedia coverage, backlinking) for making that website profitable. Think about it, when you “multitask” something inevitably gets the short end of your attention but when you’re concentrating on just one thing at a time you can make something truly spectacular (and in the case of Internet marketing spectacular means profitable.)

I have to say that I actually regret all those years I spent building multiple websites. My attention was spread between 30, 50, or even 90 websites and I was never able to approach any level of quality with any of them. While I still have more than one website (it’s only 9 or 10 now) the workload is much more manageable and my efforts are not watered down over dozens of sites.

Still, with those 9 or 10 sites I still have to employ outsource content providers to keep up with the amount of effort that goes into making them what they are. YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter, email newsletters, podcasting—it all takes time and when you’re building more than one site at a time you’re inevitably going to find yourself struggling to find enough. And I don’t think any of us got into the Internet marketing business to be more stressed and have less time to enjoy life!

This one-at-a-time method is a practice that will work no matter what you’re selling. If you’re promoting dental services, wicker furniture, sports memorabilia, Joovy Caboose strollers, cruise ship travel or even something as simple as business services and want the most bang for your buck it makes sense to focus all of your effort onto one really good website rather than a dozen watered down ones.

So what do you do if you’ve already got more than one website? Sell the others off. Pick one (okay, maybe two) that you can really sink your teeth into and offload the rest. Many of my students have done just that and watched their profits double, triple, or even better.

12 Strategies You Can Use to Make Your One Website Outperform Multiple Sites

1.) Create a Monthly Press Release

There’s always something newsworthy you can gather up into a good little release—it just takes a little creativity to find it. Send a release out on the Internet, local TV, Radio, and Newspapers outlets—anything you can do to get the word out. My wife, Arlene, did this to great effect with her EpilepsyMoms.com website. Her releases—press packages really—got a lot of local attention and exposure for her site and it just grew from there.

2.) Send All Your Inbound Links to One Site

Inbound links are critical when Google determines the worth of your website. Having all the links you put out there sending folks back to one site maximizes your Google Juice but also strengthens your traffic stream. In short, you’ll see results a whole lot quicker with one site than multiple.

3.) Boost Your Content Creation

Regularly added content is key not only for Google’s ranking system but also in order to attract new traffic and to keep your visitors coming back. If you have a dozen websites creating content for them all can be overwhelming. However, if you have one website you can triple or even quadruple the amount of content on that site with the same effort. (Consider even adding two articles per day!)

4.) Twice Monthly Newsletters

Newsletters are one of the most important tools in getting repeat visitors. The vast majority of your site’s visitors will never come back unless you get them subscribed to your list–but they won’t stay subscribed without regular useful content. Having only one site to search through, harvest content from, and mail out will make your list marketing much easier and much more effective.

5.) Create a Weekly Podcast

Podcasts are easy to create, powerful to use, and will boost your website’s value in its visitors’ eyes. However, trying to create multiple podcasts for multiple websites can turn into a fulltime job—and I can guarantee the quality of each individual podcast will suffer. And if you’re trying to balance multiple sites at once you may not even have time to explore podcasting. However, with one website to worry about, you can easily create a high-quality podcasts which may even become a product by themselves.

6.) Create Video Content

Video is extremely powerful. Humans are a visual race—we love to watch things. Burdened with numerous websites, it may be impossible to carve out time for video. However, when you’ve got just one site to worry about you can experiment. (The best part about video content is that not only can you host it on your website but social media sites like YouTube and Vimeo, creating more inbound traffic!) Don’t think video is worth the effort of consolidating your websites? Keep in mind that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine, second only to Google itself.

7.) Communicate with Your Merchants

Running multiple sites with multiple topics means having to deal with dozens of merchants. However, when you hone your focus down to just a single site the number of merchants you’re dealing with becomes much more manageable. Not only will you be able to more closely monitor your merchant/seller relationship, you’ll be better able to attend to their needs. By doing so you become more valuable to them and they’ll be more likely to start giving you better deals, better creatives, and more support.

8.) Monitor Your Conversions

Monitoring the traffic and conversions from one site alone can be a challenge. Doing so for multiple websites can be impossible. Don’t make more work for yourself. Deeply analyzing who your traffic is comprised of, where they come from, what they do on your site, and what makes them convert in the end will allow you to tailor your content, your inbound links, your site design, and every little aspect of your domain to increase profitability.

9.) Create (and Respond to) a Chat Forum

Chat forums are a great way to create content for your site without having to do it yourself. They also keep your visitors engaged and allow the site to take on a life of its own. By becoming more deeply involved with the forum and the visitors there you situate yourself as an expert and generate trust—key when trying to create conversions.

10.) Social Media Campaigns

Social media can be a very powerful tool which generates tremendous results whether you’re marketing dental services, wicker furniture, sports memorabilia, Bumble Indie twin strollers, cruise ship travel or even something as simple as business services —there’s a target audience out there ready and waiting for your pitch, you just have to know how to reach it. By creating a detailed campaign for just one website you’ll experience much better results from each individual campaign. (However, take the time to learn “the rules” of that social media format so you don’t offend the users.)

11.) Photo Galleries

It may seem like an outdated idea, adding galleries to your site, but like I mentioned before, we are a visual race. We love to look at things—and Google has recognized that. Google Image Search is one of the most powerful components of any search engine around. The links are displayed right on the Google results page just below the highest ranking results. To overlook the power of image search would be like putting blinders on and hoping for the best.

12.) Repurpose Your Content

When you have just one website there’s a good chance that you’ll know and remember most of you content. That’s important because when the content is fresh in your mind you’ll be more able to respond to triggers (such as a report on the local news or an article you read on another website) and repurpose the content you’ve already created—benefiting twice while only putting the effort in once.

These are just a few tips on how you can squeeze all the possible profitability from just one website. By focusing all of your efforts and attention on just one site you can make that site much more lucrative than even a handful of sites that you’re struggling to maintain.

Still don’t believe it? Experiment a little. Take a week or a month and devote all of your attention to just one site and see the results for yourself.

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Filed Under: Affiliates, Email Marketing

About James Martell

Follow @JamesMartell

James Martell is an Internet pioneer who discovered the lucrative world of affiliate marketing in 1999. He is a self-taught Internet entrepreneur and a leading expert in affiliate marketing training, outsourcing and natural search engine optimization. James is also the host of the "Affiliate Buzz", the first and longest running affiliate marketing podcast in the industry (since 2003). Google+ James Martell

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{ 33 Responses }

  1. Eric Gahagan says:
    James thanks for the good advice. I am new to blogging and have read alot lately about the "old ways" of creating tons of sites that make a couple bucks a day. This strategy did not make sense to me. Why not have one site and have content on it that generates enough without having to scramble around on sub par projects.
  2. Trung Nguyen says:
    Did you think one website has quality is better than many websites that didn't have value? I thought so, and if we have just one website that has big traffic, I think we can earn so much from it and it's better than many website that didn't have traffic.
  3. Edwin says:
    I have plans to add one or two more sites in the future but for now I still have to focus on just one because I admit I’m still struggling in maintaining my site and I have a long way to go to reach my goal.
  4. klaus says:
    Great article im from denmark and are new in the affiliatte bussines and im start whit 2 pages. i hope int the future i could earn som money from my website.
  5. sarah says:
    Thanks! This article is really reassuring. This is my first and I am already having a hard time maintaining good content. Good thing I can focus on this since it is what I am interested in. I'll probably make this huge in a couple of years.
  6. courtney stodden says:
    I agree with having one website that makes a lot of money. I’d rather focus on one website myself and build it up to make money while also becoming an authority in its niche.
  7. Jim says:
    I think they are both sides to the coin in this issue. There are pros and cons of each but I am a great believer in focus. If you get distracted too easily then it is much better to stick with one and work your butt to get that site working otherwise if you have the right skill set to manage multiple sites while able to focus on what works for all of them, then yeah go ahead with it.
  8. Morgan says:
    I am SOOOO glad the shift has changed from multiple websites to single, quality website. I, too, lived, breathed and experienced in what you call the 'wild west era' and am loving the changes I see everyday to focus more on quality instead of quantity. Great blog!!
  9. Faissal Alhaithami says:
    wow! you have such a big experience love to read posts like this! the video contents strategies is such a great way! thanks a lot for the post.
  10. Mary says:
    Ahhhh!!!!! So glad to have come across your site and especially this post! Researching ways to make a living on the web can churn your stomach after a while. I started thinking that I was going to have to sell my soul to the devil if I wanted to follow any of the plans I've been seeing! QUALITY was never mentioned. Thanks for bringing me back to my center and reassuring me that it can still be done with ethics and quality leading the way. Great list of tips as well. As you mention adding fresh content regularly, would you suggest a blog platform like wordpress that also allows for static pages?
  11. Gina Jennings says:
    Wow. Thanks for the advice. I've seen people ask this question in forums several times, but usually the answer was, "Do whatever you want" or people either advocated one over the other. At least you gave solid reasons why it's better to focus on one. I think that's wise. It's hard for me to concentrate on information going every which way. Focus on one blog, one site and send links to it. Makes sense.
  12. Ileane says:
    Hi James, great info you have here! I'd be interested and knowing what specific strategy you're using to promote your podcast. I have mine on iTunes but I have no idea how to promote it effectively over there. Thanks!
  13. Ryan Biddulph says:
    I like the quote I once read: "Put all of your eggs in one basket, and guard it closely." Dividing up your efforts to 20 or 30 websites dilutes your power. Concentrating on a few helps you concentrate your energies, which helps you do what it takes to drive traffic to the site. Think of a focused laser beam; it produces serious heat when concentrated into one stream but when split up the power dissipates a great deal. I run only a few websites. When I go above a set number I seem to run of time in promoting, upgrading or editing each site. Which means instead of having 1 or 2 sites which generate a good deal of traffic, I have a handful of sites which generate little traffic. Which makes so sense, when you think about it. Thanks for sharing your insight with us James. Ryan
  14. Haru says:
    i think 2-3 is better so i can manage and spending some times to updates and customize it... but at first, i setup one blog..i gave all my focus and that blog..then after it is succeed then i go with 2 more blogs :)
  15. Ming Jong Tey says:
    Go after quality is definitely better than quantity. As you said, the good old days of of having tons of crap sites are over. Google continue to upgrade their search algorithm and PR ranking system which endeavor to "provide quality experience for the visitors"! So, I'll it is hard to dominate those "loopholes" forever as Google need to be in the business! The best way still concentrate on 1 at a time on quality. Once you see the results, you can always scale up. The important thing is to diverse the traffic strategy so that you are protected. Cheers, Ming
  16. Wasim Ismail says:
    Overall one site is easier to manage than a bunch of sites, + you can devote your focus time, and energy in relay making that site perfect.
  17. Mark says:
    WHEW! I was hoping you were only going to say one. Keeping up with more than one is simply exhausting. James, I am the sole owner of my website and I must say that it has grown out of control in terms of site and manageability. Still, it is slowly becoming more profitable. For the longest time I was thinking that I was going to have to follow the multi-site Google-sniper route, but your post has given me hope otherwise. Much appreciated...;) Mark
  18. Amanda Gordon says:
    Ah ... I simply couldn't agree with you more. Having had to manage multiple sites, I can vouch for what you are saying. It is so much better and wiser to focus on ONE site, get it up and running, optimize it and reach profitability. I think the only drawback of having a single site is that it could cause a single point of failure - for whatever reason. I think it is also wise to diversify and create multiple sites AFTER one site has become a big bread winner.
    • James Martell says:
      Hi Amanda, well said "...so much better and wiser to focus on ONE site, get it up and running, optimize it and reach profitability." In the past I would have agreed That "having a single site is that it could cause a single point of failure." I changed mu position on this because the cause for failure we're usually referring to is with Google - a PR0 and so on. In the past that would be the kiss of death. Today though Google treats things much differently. If we do make a mistake or over step the Google Guidelines we can simply make the corrections and Google will forgive (at least that's been my experience - see video on link below). Google SEO Tip #109 – When Are Site Penalties Lifted? http://jamesmartell.com/matt-cutts/google-seo-tip-109-when-are-site-penalties-lifted/ I also know that it's real easy for me to say build one site when I do still have a number of them -- but if I was starting all over again I would do my best to stick to the one site. ;) James
  19. Tikyd says:
    Thank you for all of these tips. In point #7, you mentionnned the fact that with multiple websites came multiple merchants to deal with, I would like to ask you if you primarily monetize your websites with physical products?
    • James Martell says:
      Hi Tikyd, you're very welcome. I am glad you enjoyed the tips. And yes I do monetize my affiliate sites with physical products, typically consumer goods (such as you would find at Amazon.com).
  20. Meka says:
    This is an outstanding article. I agree with having one website that makes a lot of money. I'd rather focus on one website myself and build it up to make money while also becoming an authority in its niche. However, smaller niche sites are fun to create and can help to diverse the income streams.
  21. Jitendra Singh says:
    100% agreed with you. Its best to focus on one thing not only in blogging world but at every place of life and same rule applied to the site as well until and unless if you have a big team to support multiple sites.
    • James Martell says:
      Hi Jitendra, if someone has "a team in place" -- I would highly recommend focusing the entire team on the ONE website. If I had extra team members I would have them all focus on guest blogging on other sites -- with all the backlinks linking to the ONE site. It is the way to make BIG money. As soon as you introduce a second site you just split your efforts in half. A simple scenario: If you have 500 quality backlinks -- it would be far more powerful (and with exponential returns) to point all 500 links back to the pages of one site. James
      • Ned Carey says:
        >it would be far more powerful (and with exponential returns) to point all 500 links back to the pages of one site. Ah, thank you for that. I thought you were saying that all links should go to a single page like the home page. You are saying all links go somewhere in the site, deep links are good.
  22. Jane says:
    It's good to know that the focus has shifted to quality rather than quanitity. There are still many websites out there that aren't even being updated anymore. By focusing on one, you're more likely to build a most lasting impression. I agree that it would take up too much work to apply all those steps to multiple websites. It would be especially hard when you're working a full-time job and are just starting out with your online venture. The newsletter definitely do help and staying in touch with those who frequent your site is absolutely necessary. It shows your readers you care and that you're paying attention. It boosts your credibility and the likelihood that your readers will recommend the site to others.
  23. Samantha says:
    I agree totally with what you are saying.
  24. jeff says:
    As I reviewed the 12 tips I realized that I was only really putting effort into about half of them. The central theme of your article hit home as well. I spent most of this past weekend thinking of how to divide my time between my various web properties. I came to the conclusion I needed to simply focus on one at a time until they reached a point of critical mass. Interesting article thank you.
  25. Karen Young says:
    This is extremely helpful James thank you. Although I am concentrating on two websites right now, my results are not yet what I had hoped for, but they are competitive niches and they are young. I was sitting here wondering (again) if to build some small niche websites promoting specific products, but I think you have pushed that idea over the edge. As an article writer my days are inconsistent anyway. Some days I have an avalanche of articles, other days little, so I can concentrate on writing for my own sites. I also really hate the idea of promoting something that I don't really know much about, just for the money - I don't think it's a great idea - well, it's not for me anyway. I have now nixed the niche idea thanks to you, I think I will start a PLR site, which means my writing can earn me significantly more money, doing something I like to do. You've probably saved me a fortune in aspirin - thanks again!
  26. Brankica says:
    I was going to answer ONE as soon as I saw the title :) If everything done right, one site can make you a living. that is how I left my day job ;)
  27. Riya says:
    Hi James, I understand all your points except #2 Send All Your Inbound Links to One Site. Could you please elaborate more as I think inbound links are those which are created withing the same site so obviously all links are pointing within that site only. What you really want to convey here??
  28. Daniel Richard says:
    I now run 8 websites (3 more to be completed today) with one main blog (as linked in this comment name). Kinda like running side sites to supplement immediate (additional) income to fund my time writing for the main site. :) Yeah it was uber tough at first, however practice (managing many sites from start to end takes up a huge part of one's energy!) makes permanent. Hence the multi-site model also works too.

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