Round up

Some of my AIS sites are starting to get traffic (and clicks) now that they've been online for a couple months. With the four sites I currently have I've got about $14 in adsense income this month, which is not a lot really, but makes me think that if I were to start outputting even something like 1 site a week over time it could bring in a nice amount of "gravy".

My only problem with this is coming up with new ideas/keywords/designs etc. on a frequent basis. I've been trying to do this without spending any money on "niche products" but am seriously considering trying to get a KWA or similar membership. From what I've heard it's a great resource, although the monthly fee makes me a little hesitant.

On another note I think my burt's challenge entry is doing suprisingly well but I haven't seen anyone reporting on how they're doing so I don't know where I am in the pack. The contest is ending soon so it'll be good to see the results everyone got, although I bet that even with the head start that burt gave us before launching his entry, he'll still come out on top.

Back after vacation

I just got back from a nice sunny (and warm) vacation in Florida. I had very limited internet access down there so I was not able to do much in the way of AIS, other than think about my next one while on the beach.

Although I haven't made much (maybe $10-$15 total), it's getting more clearer now that I've had a couple of sites running for about a month or two on how to best do an AIS site (or at least the benefits and downsides to each of the methods are clearer).

While having the right tools is important (ie Niche Creator or RSSGM), it seems the more important thing is finding the right niche and/or keywords. For the sites that I have setup so far, the most popular ones are geared towards a specific aspect of a certain product or specific information about a topic. The sites that cover a broad range of stuff, while still getting traffic, get nowhere near the amount of clicks that the really specific sites do.

This is probably obvious for most of the AIS'ers out there and I had assumed as much when I originally started out, but sometimes trial and error is the best way to find out what works for you.

With this in mind I believe I have my next AIS idea. Hopefully between my day job, my freelance work, and my friends/girlfriend I'll find some time to set it up by the end of the week.