What do you do when your niche site is “done”? Is it Possible?

Podcast Version

Even marathons end at some point.

I’m not sure how I feel about finite websites. A finite site is one where at some point you’ve exhausted the topic.  Usually they’re sites targeting a very focused niche.

I currently don’t really own such a site.  Or at least I’m nowhere near any site being “finished”.

That’s not to say there aren’t niches where you actually could exhaust all topics. There are many such niches.  Usually smaller niches.

I gravitate toward broader niche sites – they’re really multiple niches.  I like the idea of infinite growth.  Goes to show you I’m both an optimist and naive.

However, maybe you’re in a niche with finite topics or you’re in a big niche but have hit all the topics you care to hit.  Maybe you’ve covered all the good buyer intent keywords and you aren’t interested in wallowing in low rent info content monetized with display ads.

In some ways “finite” sites are great because they pour passive profits into your pockets freeing you up to either play video games all day or work on other projects.

We should all be so lucky to have passive income streams.

If you find yourself struggling to find more topics for your site and you believe you’ve exhausted the topic, here are your options.

Squeeze out more revenue per 1,000 visitors

This is something I enjoy which is tweaking monetization to see if I can squeeze more out of the same traffic.

Any site you own with decent traffic needs a little squeezing now and then.

If you’ve maxed content out, squeeze it until you can’t squeeze any more.

Enjoy it as a cash cow

There’s no shame in putting your feet up 29 days per month.  On day 30 you take your check to the bank.  Actually, these days you get paid digitally so you never have to get up.

Enjoy being a person of leisure.  Milk that cash cow.

Tack on other topics

Unless I chose to sell a site (a real possibility), I’d probably opt for this option.  Most niches have closely related niches that could expand a site.  Fortunately for me I don’t register keyword domains such as “redandblackbasketballsneakers.com”.  There isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room there.  I prefer registering domain names that provide me plenty of topic flexibility.

If I were going into the basketball sneaker niche, I’d go one category up to give myself some breathing space and opt for a domain such as “sneakerspeaker.com”.

Actually, I’d probably go even broader such as “shoedude.com”.  That way I could expand into all footwear.  I’d start with basketball sneakers, corner the market (haha), and then crank it wide open into another line of shoes.

Sell it

I’ve never sold a site.  I’ve explored it, but never pulled the trigger.

Objectively speaking, if you believe a site is at maximum potential, that’s a good time to sell.  Let someone else take a big fat risk on whether it can grow further.

But life is not always objective.

I tend to be naively optimistic.  I’d probably end up hanging onto a site too long just because I believed I could grow it.  Had I taken a step back, I’d realize I hit maximum capacity.

Selling a site, in many instances is a good idea.  You get 3 years’ worth of money all at once.  Oh, the possibilities of a windfall.

The smart move with sale proceeds is to invest in another site or sites.  Or stash the cash into passive investments like stocks, bonds and/or REITs.  You can’t be faulted for that (unless you let it ride on a penny stock, in which case you either hit it big or return to poverty).

Or embrace YOLO and blow it on a Lambo, move into a suite at the 4 Seasons and live on buckets of caviar.

Your call.

Jon D

Jon runs the place around here.  He pontificates about launching and growing online publishing businesses, aka blogs that make a few bucks.  His pride and joy is the email newsletter he publishes that’s “the best blogging email newsletter around.”

Hyperbole?  Maybe, but go check it out to see what some readers say.

In all seriousness, Jon is the founder and owner of a digital media company that publishes a variety of web properties visited and beloved by millions of readers monthly. Fatstacks is where he shares a glimpse into his digital publishing business.