a guest post by Gabrielle Greene
Life is a funny thing; you never know where it’s going to take you. When I got pregnant with my third child I made the decision to quit working outside the home, which at the time, was for a company that organized trade shows for big companies.
I’ve heard countless people say they want to stay home and not work. I tried, I couldn’t do it. In fact, it was making me downright insane. So I did what most people do and I started looking online for work. Deciphering the spam from the real opportunities is a daunting and tedious task but I have worked for some big, well-known companies over the years. Which slowly but surely morphed into building my own affiliate sites so I’d have more control.
As the years passed I went from several sites to just a few sites. But then, when I had turmoil in my personal life I made the decision to put affiliate marketing on hold and to work solely as a contractor so that I knew how much money I was making each month. This plan has served me well, and I plan to continue doing more of the same, but I am ready to revisit my affiliate, niche sites.
With change; comes new perspective.
I’ve lived in my home since 2006. On August 1st I will be leaving here after a bad divorce and complete upheaval of my life. I’m thrilled beyond words that I am moving to a new space and that that new space includes an office. A change in the wall paint and the rest is mine to design. Up until now I’ve been floating around the house with my laptop trying to work and it’s not conducive to keeping my A.D.D. brain engaged, focused or motivated.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, upon getting ready to move I found a huge, heaping box full of notebooks and printouts that outlined new site ideas and designs. It was in that very moment I decided it’s never too late to breathe new life into those old ideas. Many of those niches are topics I still care deeply about or that I want to learn more about.
My main niche has always been pets and while I wouldn’t really say that is any longer a focus, this box contained so many ideas – from aromatherapy to wine to gadgets – that I have forgotten about. I think when I boxed it all up, there was a creative part of my brain that shut down and started working robotically on projects for others and none for my own sites.
A friend recently asked me why I had abandoned all my sites and I don’t think I had an answer other than; it was what I had to do for myself at that time. I’m feeling more alive and creative than I have in years!
My To-Do List Looks Something Like This:
Research – if the niche isn’t something I already own a site on, is it still a viable option? Are people still interested in said topic? Generally speaking, I’ve always stuck to popular topics so they are most likely still applicable. But checking current keyword searches is a must.
To Keep or Sell – which of my sites do I want to keep and which would I be better off selling? Some of the sites I currently have just do not interest me anymore. Writing can be difficult on any given day but if you have zero passion about a topic, even more so.
Site Audit – after gathering a list of sites to keep, an audit is needed to go over what the site needs. All of them need a redesign and some marketing. But most importantly they will need new links, it’s been that long.
Have you ever stepped away from your sites for an extended period and found yourself gravitating back to where you left off? I’d love to hear about it! For better, or for worse, here we go again!
Gabrielle Greene co-blogs on TipsOnHowToSaveMoney. Her friends often refer to her as “Gaby Gabs A lot,” especially if it has anything to do with freebies and saving money! As the mom of two teenage girls, being frugal is an absolute must. It tends to drive her husband crazy, but oddly he doesn’t complain when the coupons are for golfing.