📈 6 sites that benefited from Google updates

Welcome to Niche Site Digest!

Here’s what you should know:

• 🤝 Introducing the new referral program (get 17 successful niche site case studies for just 1 referral)

• 💪 Niche sites that grew after Google updates (breakdown and analysis)

• 🔍 SEO content template (including a live site review)

Let’s dive in!

💪 Analyzing sites that prospered from Google updates

So far we’ve only heard about sites getting crushed by the recent Google updates.

A few lucky ones had their traffic remain stable.

But what about sites that actually grew and prospered?

What are they doing that we can all emulate?

That was the topic of this Twitter (X) space - Jared, Tony, and Thomas sat down and analyzed six sites and explained their ideas on what they were doing right.

(Skip forward to about 3 minutes in to get started)

🔎 SEO Content Audit Template

Did you get hit by a Google update recently?

Welcome to the club.

But before you start panicking and updating everything at random, watch this video.

In it, Nina goes and shows you how she does an SEO audit - on an actual live site. You get to see the entire process, dig deep in analytics and search console, and get actionable tips you can apply to your own sites.

📈 92% more traffic in a @#$! niche [Case Study]

I don’t know about you, but I learn best from case studies.

And while the niche in this video is not PG 13, the tactics used by Matt Diggity are applicable to any niche.

From AI link building to UX optimization, this video is full of useful tips you can take and use to grow your own website’s traffic.

🔍 Site Spotlight

If you’re planning a vacation to Puerto Rico, you’ve probably seen this site in the SERPs. It’s PuertoRico.com and it’s about, you guessed it, Puerto Rico.

At a glance:

• Niche: Local travel

• Traffic: 79,000 monthly visitors

• DR: 45

• Monetization: Mediavine + affiliate.

So what can we learn from this site?

✅ Brandable domain and age.

This site is old.

Like, really old.

Web Archive dates it back to 1997 - which is older than Google (started in ‘98).

Considering its age, it went through multiple redesigns, but it wasn’t until the beginning of this year that the traffic actually started exploding. I’m guessing that’s when someone who knows SEO got a hold of this website and started applying SEO best practices to it.

Because the site is so old, it’s also gotten a lot of great links from top tier sites, including:

• NY Times

• Entrepreneur

• National Parks Service (.gov)

• Atlas Obscura

And a lot more.

💡 Action tip: Try to get an older, brandable domain OR partner up with someone who already has an existing website with good DR and explode their traffic with proper keyword research.

✅ Great UX.

I really like the design of this website. It’s simple, clean, and modern - the way a niche site should look like in 2023.

But it goes further than that.

For example, check out the Explore tab in the header. Hover over it, and it reveals a map of Puerto Rico, with all the locations they covered on their site. Click on the number, and you can get to that article immediately. From the user’s perspective, that’s amazing and definitely useful.

They’ve also added links to Google Maps and even Instagram embeds when it makes sense - great for readability and again, super useful for their readers.

💡 Action tip: Invest in great UX and design. It’s a small investment, but it’ll make your site stand out amongst the sea of other cookie-cutter niche sites out there.

✅ Hire expert writers.

Yes, I know everyone is using AI content these days.

But this site shows that if you invest in expert writers, you’ll do well.

All of their writers are locals, and you can check out their bios in just one click.

💡 Action tip: Hire great writers who know what they are talking about from personal experience. Simple tip but powerful if executed correctly.

🚀 Featured Snippets

• 💀 Is Google killing blogging? Spencer from Niche Pursuits shared his take on Twitter, and a lot of people chimed in (even Google’s own liason).

• 🥊 Semrush vs Ahrefs: There’s an exodus from Ahrefs happening, and the closest direct competitor is Semrush. But how do they compare in 2023? Here’s the full breakdown.

• 🌎 Top countries to hire English writers: AI content is all the rage now, but quality writers are still worth hiring. Here are the countries you should check out.

• 🔗 Creative link building strategies: From sex toy memes to suing the government, here are some unconventional ways people have acquired backlinks.

• ✍️ Improving affiliate reviews: Want to increase trust in your reviews (both for Google and the readers)? Then be sure to add this section.

🛠️ Tool of the week

Let’s face it: Ahrefs is still an awesome tool for niche and keyword research.

But considering their new pricing, they are not that great for beginners anymore.

Enter LowFruits - a super cheap yet reliable keyword research tool.

If you’re looking for a cheaper option that will still provide quality data, give it a try.

✅ What To Do Next

That’s all for today!

When you’re ready, here are more ways to level up your niche site game:

1. Proven Niches Database - struggling to find a niche? Not anymore. Check out our database full of vetted, proven niches in all industries.

2. [FREE TRAINING] - want to learn how to grow niche sites from zero to hero? This video training explains how to go from 0 to a successful site in less than 30 minutes.

P.S. We’re introducing a new referral program. If you refer just one person to this newsletter using the link above, you’ll get a Google Sheets database with 17 successful niche site case studies.