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Blogs or Revenue Sites - What's Your Opinion?

Digby_Adams
Posts: 699
Message
on 01/10/2015

You can have a product website with a blog on it. That way you can showcase individual products and really do intense keyword SEO. It also keeps the website fresh in the eyes of Google. 

LindaSmith1
Posts: 123
Message
on 01/10/2015

I use Weebly. You can have one or more blogs on there. I don't see the point of having a blog on a website.  That one is over my head. 


Linda Smith
AbbyFitz
Posts: 374
Message
on 01/10/2015

What kind of websites do you have? I have a blog, but I don't really get much traffic to it, but then again, it's a pretty narrow niche.

LindaSmith1
Posts: 123
Message
on 01/10/2015

I have a blog on disabled.  My sites are for babies and toddlers, and the other is home and garden.


Linda Smith
tirial
Posts: 8
Message
on 02/23/2015

I have a blog on a small site that syndicates to blogger (used to do everything on blogspot, but I can't get used to the new interface). I find article sites work for self-contained pieces and longer articles, but if for an ongoing series, or short opinion piece, I tend to get more traffic on the blog.

sockii
Posts: 21
Message
on 02/25/2015

I have a food blog which I use primarily, these days, for recipes, restaurant reviews, and food-related travelogs. While it doesn't get huge traffic numbers nor sales, I do get some adsense revenue from it - and more than that, it has opened up a lot of opportunities for me within my local community. People tend to take you a bit more seriously as a "blogger" in that niche, these days, than simply writing food articles on a large content site.

For instance, I've gotten invites to special (free) preview dinners at restaurants, presskit info and images I can use, and offers of food products to try out. Of course you have to disclose when you've received such things but it's fun and a nice way to add to my portfolio.

I also have a niche multi-author blog which currently is outperforming any of the larger "anything goes" sites like HP or Wizzley, personally. I've moved a lot of content to it over the past year which is doing quite well, even content which got "unfeatured" by the big content sites for supposedly being "low quality". Yeah, not really.

I still use the big sites for articles on more random topics that I don't feel like creating whole specialty websites for - or if they allow me to more easily earn affiliate sales like via eBay products. So I do think it's good to have a balance between different platforms but not to stretch yourself too thin, either. The earnings don't really start to come in for you, in my experience, until you have at least 50 and preferably 100+ articles on a single platform so they can build some synergy.

LindaSmith1
Posts: 123
Message
on 02/25/2015

Good for you Socki:  Looks like you will get some free meals, and restaurants will get some free publicity through your site.  Not a bad deal!

 

 


Linda Smith
sockii
Posts: 21
Message
on 02/25/2015

 

LindaSmith1: 02/25/2015 - 11:27 AM

Good for you Socki:  Looks like you will get some free meals, and restaurants will get some free publicity through your site.  Not a bad deal!

Yep, I mean...just last night I got an email asking if I'd like to try out some new bread starter kits for the home kitchen. I've been to a bunch of free food (and drink) events at upscale chains like The Capital Grille and Seasons 52 (guest included), plus then getting discount coupons to give out to help promote the brand. The value of all of that has been a lot more than earning a few pennies in adsense or selling a couple cookbooks. But, I don't use my site to just be a pr mouthpiece for other companies, either. You need readers to trust that you're honest; not too long ago a local blogger/reporter got called out pretty badly after she was caught trying to coerce restaurants to "treat" her if they wanted favorable reviews on her site!

 

LindaSmith1
Posts: 123
Message
on 02/25/2015

All I can say is wow!  As for the other reporter, if companies,restaurants expected a positive review from me because they gave me a product, meal to review,  I would be flabbergasted! Who knows where these opportunities will lead you.

I use to bake and cook a lot, but not anymore.  I would  never think a recipe site would do that well since there are tons of them.


Linda Smith
sockii
Posts: 21
Message
on 02/25/2015

 

LindaSmith1: 02/25/2015 - 02:26 PM

All I can say is wow!  As for the other reporter, if companies,restaurants expected a positive review from me because they gave me a product, meal to review,  I would be flabbergasted! Who knows where these opportunities will lead you.

I use to bake and cook a lot, but not anymore.  I would  never think a recipe site would do that well since there are tons of them.

Just like any other site or topic, food sites need a certain specific niche vibe to do well - at least in my experience. While I do post recipes I try to focus more on local-interest topics (farmers markets, local restaurants, seasonal produce, etc) and that's what seems to pull in real response.

It even happened again today - I just got contacted by OpenTable because I mentioned them in a post months ago; no upfront pay but an ask if I'd be interested in invites to local events.

Who can turn down free food? :D

LindaSmith1
Posts: 123
Message
on 02/25/2015

LOL Socki!  You are in a good area.  Jersey, Philly, New York, Delaware.  Hard to find good food in Philly anymore.   There was a restaurant I was taken to 10 years or so ago.  It was out of the way on the way to AC from Philly.  I think it was called Mama Mia's.  Everything homemade.  Food was great.


Linda Smith
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