There is an ever-growing number of case studies online from people who have built so-called “niche websites.”

These are typically content sites or blogs monetized with Adsense, the Amazon affiliate program, or CPA ads that aim to draw traffic from the search engines before turning these visitors into profit.

It’s nothing new. Many of us have been building sites like these for years.

However, what has changed is competition in the market. And by competition, I mean not just the ever-growing community of online marketers building niche sites but also the way Google is getting ever better at sorting the “good” websites from the bad.

The days of “easy profits” are getting ever scarcer. Your niche websites need to stand out from the crowd, offer exceptional value, and be unique.

You’ll increase your chances of ranking in Google, and link building becomes simpler when you’ve created a useful website.

So, how do we take the standard “write articles, publish them on your site and build links” formula and “upgrade” it for 2022 – or beyond?

How can we continue to create niche websites but make them so exceptional that out-competing others targeting the same keywords becomes child’s play?

I’ve got seven suggestions for you. They will take a little more work than outsourcing a few articles on Fiverr.

But they have the potential to produce a healthy return on investment. If you’ve got other suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

Proper Branding for Your Niche Websites

Keyword-focused domains are no longer as important as they used to be. What your new priority should be now is branding.

Pick a brand name, and create a logo with a matching color scheme.

Register official social media accounts to represent your niche site. This will take your little niche site at least one level up.

Comparison Tables

A comparison table adds value to your site because it allows visitors to compare and contrast different possible product selections.

It gives them a quick and simple way to differentiate between products they’re considering buying by comparing competing models’ features.

This can even be taken one step further. Once you’ve built your “master table” using a plugin like TablePress, you can then include a smaller table with every product you review.

This will give it a “quick hits” guide to help visitors who are in a hurry gain an instant idea of the main benefits of the product you’re featuring.

There are quite a few data visualization and chart plugins for WordPress you can use to experiment.

Google often features comparison charts, so once you add them to your content, make sure to use a search rankings checker to get alerted if your page ends up in the featured position in Google organic search.

Genuine Customer Reviews

There’s one reason Amazon allows customers to leave reviews on their site – even negative ones. And, of course, the answer is that genuine customer reviews sell.

Adding a review plugin to your niche site allows visitors to leave genuine feedback on the products or services you feature, which can be a powerful way to add value and increase conversions.

Searchable Database

This is one strategy that I’ve been experimenting with over the last few months, and the results have been excellent, though this is arguably the most time-intensive and complicated way to add value.

I’m doing it because the value you add is significant – and natural links, therefore, become easy to come by as a result.

In essence, our database is a comparison table on speed. Rather than visitors having to come through our table looking for the perfect product, I’ve been using Formidable to build custom databases and search forms.

In this way, my visitors can specify all requirements – size, price, color, etc. – and the database then offers only those products that meet their criteria.

Learning how to set these databases up can take a little while initially, but once you’ve done it once they become easier and easier to produce. And the value is exceptional.

Rich Media Tutorials

Text is everywhere. But rich media like videos and images? They’re also perfect for other people on forums, Facebook and YouTube.

So don’t just write articles about how to install a new power shower. Create a Slidedeck or PowerPoint presentation. Film a short video. Or create photos and combine them into a single image.

Product-Based Questionnaire or Flowchart

Last year I bought my first car. What should I look for when visiting a dealership? Which features should I consider? What separates a good car from a bad one? How do you negotiate a better deal?

How about a questionnaire that asks specific questions and suggests several options? I knew none of these things. So, a tool here would be helpful.

Or a flowchart that discusses the key steps to buying a car and what decisions I should make in what order?

These would have been very valuable tools. If you want to add value and convert more visitors into buying customers, figure out how to help them make an informed decision.

This is how you add value. You provide a “framework” for people considering a purchase to feel informed and educated about what they need.

Dynamic FAQ/Forum

Many people have questions about a topic, so why not capitalize on that? Let them ask you the questions by adding an FAQ or a small forum to your site.

Not only will your visitors feel good about connecting to a real person, but they’ll also have a reason to come back later to see the answer.

And, of course, all those questions and answers are a brilliant way to suck in plenty of longtail traffic with minimal effort. These are also great for optimizing your site for voice search.

Text Optimizer offers a handy tool to research related questions you can cover using a FAQ section:

Price Comparisons

To add value to your niche site, allow your visitors to find a product’s best price. It’s likely to be on Amazon, but it won’t always be.

And even if it’s on Amazon, your reviews will be more persuasive if your visitors see how cheaper Amazon is than Target or Sears.

A range of plugins will automatically allow you to add price comparisons to your niche site, so there’s no need to make the process any more complicated than it needs to be.

Just download the plugin, install it on your site and enjoy the value you just added.

December 8, 2022; republished October 18, 2023 to add video.