In the second update of my Niche Site Duel alongside Pat Flynn and Tyrone Shum, I moved from the planning phase into full site construction. My approach was different from both of theirs: I was outsourcing everything I possibly could.
Four Phases of Niche Site Creation
When I build a niche site, I think of it in four phases. Phase one is strategy: identifying the niche, the domain, the target keywords, and the affiliate offers. We completed that in Update #1. Phase two is site construction and infrastructure, which is what this update covers. Phase three is kick-off promotion — article marketing, link building, and initial traffic strategies. Phase four is ongoing promotion and optimization until the site either runs itself or you decide it is not worth further investment.
Keyword Strategy: Five Pages, Five Terms
My plan was straightforward. I identified ten keywords total: five that I wanted the site to rank for organically, and five long-tail keywords for article marketing on external sites. The primary keyword was “learn guitar basics” — it was in the domain name and would be the homepage focus. I also targeted “Guitar Tricks review” and “Guitar Tricks coupon” because those were the terms people used when researching the affiliate product I was promoting.
Each of the five on-site keywords got its own dedicated landing page with original content written specifically to rank for that term and convert visitors to the affiliate offer.
Early Rankings and Realistic Expectations
The site was already ranking seventeenth on Google for “learn guitar basics” before I had done any real promotion. I was transparent about this being likely temporary — new sites sometimes get a brief ranking boost that disappears before stabilizing. The lesson there is important: do not celebrate early rankings. They need to be earned through sustained effort.
Building a Complete Site Experience
Beyond the core content pages, I had my virtual assistants add several elements to make the site more complete: an email opt-in connected to an autoresponder with a free lesson sequence, Amazon and eBay product pages relevant to guitar buyers, social media accounts for the niche, proper privacy and disclosure pages, and dedicated email addresses for the domain.
The philosophy behind all of this was something I borrowed from Nicole Dean: build sites that make the internet a better place. Even if your primary goal is affiliate revenue, you owe it to your visitors to provide genuine value. Sites that only exist to funnel traffic to affiliate links without adding anything useful do not survive long-term — and they should not.
What Still Applies in 2026
The specific tactics from 2010 — exact match domains, article directory marketing, PLR content — are largely obsolete in 2026. Google's algorithm has evolved dramatically, and what worked for SEO sixteen years ago can actually hurt you today. But the strategic framework remains sound. Pick a niche with real buyer intent. Create content targeted at specific search terms. Build an email list from day one. Provide genuine value. Test affiliate offers against real traffic. Those principles are timeless.
The biggest change is that content quality standards are far higher now. You cannot get away with rewritten PLR articles anymore. Readers and search engines both expect original, expert-level content. If you are going to outsource content creation, invest in quality writers who understand the subject matter.
Wow this niche site duel has really been a crash course. Thanks for the tips on PHPzon and PHPbay. Never heard of these before.
There’s nothing like healthy competition to kick a butt in gear. Sounds like a fun challenge, will follow along to see the progress.
But how long is the duel for?
Cheers,
Missy
Great question. I am not sure — but I would suspect we will follow the progress of this thing at least until the end of the year. I am sure that at some point Pat and Tyrone will declare a “winner” between the two of them, and I will see how I stack up.
Until Pat declares a winner I suppose.
Great Stuff Mason,
I seems like your just in the promotional stages of this new guitar site. I personally think the site looks good and will add value to the people who are looking for that content.
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
Wow, great to know you’re also participating in that duel. I am actually following it but not really participating. There’s just lots of valuable information to learn from it and it’s such a great idea. Well, all the best to you!
Thanks! Pat is too cool — so I am enjoying participating.
Thanks for revealing your step by step process for creating a niche site. I’ve always wondered how the experts did it, and am really learning alot from what you’re describing.
Can’t wait to read about how you promote the site. Maybe I’ll try my hand at creating a niche site and participate on the side too!
Thanks. Promotion is coming soon. I plan to use a mix of automated and fully outsourced techniques.
Hey Mark,
Interesting post. I have several little niche sites like this and I am currently trying to give them face lifts so that they are easier to flip (Sell). I had an issue with ebay though, I got rejected out of hand and my sites are pretty much the type of site you document here. Whats the secret with them? I have been scratching my head wondering if its even worth it to get an affiliate account with them or just move on. What do you think?
You definately need an established site to get approved with EPN these days. They are a real pain.
Since they change their model to PPC, I am not totally crazy about eBay. What I tell people is that they should have a very good reason for using eBay. For example, you will not find many used antique Elvis Bobbleheads on amazon.com, but you may find them on eBay.
Otherwise, I am not terribly impress with the payouts lately.
However, phpbay makes it really easy to slap something up there. So, sometimes I will test eBay pages and replace them later if the payouts are low.