The following is part of an ongoing series, The One Hour Authority Site Project. If you’d like to read more about it then click here!
I tend to get a little itchy when I’m not regularly publishing case study posts here on Leaving Work Behind.
After all, this blog was built upon a foundation of case studies — whether it was my first niche site, my first authority site, my information product, or something else entirely. It’s an area I don’t like to neglect, and yet I have been over the past few months.
Well, that’s about to change. This post represents the resurrection of my One Hour Authority Site Project and will be the first of several upcoming case study posts here on LWB. As always, I will be giving you a front row seat on every aspect of my present and future projects — including both my successes and my failures. Read on to find out more!
My Authority Site Story to Date
I launched the One Hour Authority Site Project with ambitious intentions back in September 2012. From then until February 2013 I published nearly sixty posts optimized for extremely low competition keywords in an attempt to rank in Google without any backlinking. In short, it didn’t work — Google wasn’t interested.
With that first experiment behind me, I decided to build links to the site through a content marketing strategy based around guest posting. I revealed my planned strategy in a post, which was (briefly) as follows:
- Tweak the site’s design
- Publish some “bloggy” content
- Create a list of target posts to guest post for
- Comment on the top ten blogs in my list
- Guest post on each blog in my list
- Create and share an infographic
I got to (and completed) step four on my list before other commitments distracted me. Before long the site was all but abandoned, left in the shadow of other (more profitable) projects. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to give the site a fair chance; it’s just that life has got in the way.
But the fact is this: I still believe in the site. I believe that if more people were to find it, they would find the content genuinely helpful. I believe that it has the potential to generate an income. I just need to give it a proper chance.
Well, this post is my very public way of promising to give it the chance it deserves.
My New (Rough) Plan
The first thing I have done is set myself a deadline — a date upon which I will decide the site’s fate. That deadline is 12th August 2013.
At that time the site must be able to support itself (e.g. pay for a writer to regularly update it with fresh content) or demonstrate the potential to do so. If the site is not in that position by the deadline, I will cut my losses and move on. I believe that setting a deadline will allow me to better appreciate the task at hand and act accordingly.
Until then, I know I have my work cut out. The situation is complicated somewhat by my lack of available time — my freelance work coupled with this blog and the book I am currently working on (incidentally, you can expect a case study on that soon) takes up most of my working hours.
That is why I am turning to you.
I Am Looking for a Writer
Update 11th June 2013: please note that the writing positions have now been filled. Thank you to everyone who submitted a pitch!
While I am not typically in the habit of outsourcing, I am going to make an exception here. I want to give one promising freelance writer the opportunity to work with me in developing my authority site.
To put it simply, I want to find me, circa September 2011 — a hungry freelance writer who has raw talent but little experience. My offer to you is simple: the opportunity to earn some money and improve your blogging skills (and if the site takes off, who knows what else).
My initial plan is take a writer on board to write one article per week for the blog. I expect the job to expand from there but that is the baseline.
In short, I want someone who can take care of the content on the blog so I can take care of building links to the blog. Here’s my offer:
- A free copy of my guide to freelance writing (or a refund if you have already purchased it)
- A 30 minute Skype coaching call regarding your freelance business
- On the job training RE blogging best practice (i.e. headlines, style, structure, etc)
- $20 per post (500+ words)
I’m not just looking for any writer though; I’m looking for someone with very specific experience. Although I have been very keen to hide the identity of my authority site so far, I must now reveal it in the interests of explaining who I am looking for.
My Authority Site Revealed
So without further ado, cue the drum roll…my site is: freeonlinedatingadvice.net.
As someone who has dabbled in their fair share of online dating in the past (I met my girlfriend on Match), I thought the topic was both ideal for me to write about and also underserved in terms of quality content on the web. Furthermore, there are plenty of affiliate marketing opportunities with the commissions offered by the likes of Match and eHarmony.
My choice to reveal the site’s identity at this juncture is to make it clear what I am looking for in an ideal world: someone who has experience in online dating. That is my main consideration.
Of course, if no one comes forward with online dating experience I will have to to adjust my sights accordingly, so don’t feel put off if you are not an online casanova! I will consider all applications. Furthermore, if you do not think you suit the job but know someone that might, let them know or tweet a message out to your followers.
Here’s what I want from each applicant:
- A Pitch: i.e. why should I hire you?
- Samples: examples of your work.
- Headlines: three post ideas relating to topics that I have not already covered on the blog.
If nothing else this is an opportunity to test your pitching skills without fearing an unfriendly response — if you want me to critique your pitch then just mention it in your email; I’ll be happy to.
So what are you waiting for? Contact me now and let’s get the ball rolling!
Looking Forward
I’ve got a lot of work to do in terms of building “organic” links, so it is important that content is sorted out with relatively little involvement from me. I am also excited about the fact that I can help a budding freelancer develop their skills and nudge them in the right direction.
I hope you’ve got plenty to say in the comments section below. Now that the site has finally been revealed, perhaps you have thoughts on the viability of the niche I have chosen. Maybe you want to know more about the writing opportunity. Or perhaps you have a completely unrelated question. Whatever it may be, fire away in the comments section below — I’d love to hear from you!