Competition Half Way Analysis
Regular readers will know that I am currently involved in a competition to create a blog from scratch with the view to selling it in one month. I noticed some of the competition have taken the time to do a little analysis for the benefit of others and, as we are half way through already, I’d like to add my two cents. Here is a brief overview of the sites as I see them.
Blogfluff.com
Inbound Links: 398
Alexa: 1,763,399
Estimated Value: $60
After days of hitting up a blank page on this one, I notice that there is something happening. As expected, the site is looking really good and from what I can make out, there is a great idea brewing. This site is really beginning to take shape and, as with the tortoise and the hare, I see a really strong finish coming. Watch this space for something special.
Acthighbrow.com
Inbound Links: 503
Alexa: 3,750,814
Estimated Value: $90
Initial kudos for including all competitors in the blogroll! A great job on link building so far and that is reflected in the estimate value. The site is fairly straightforward but I did struggle to subscribe as the subscription box is not displayed prominently on the homepage. I feel that more content is needed and perhaps better use of space above the fold.
Traveltipsdigest.com
Inbound Links: 78
Alexa: 3,700,640
Estimated Value: $20
Another one that I found a little tricky to subscribe to – that being said, this site has some awesome content and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. My advice is simply to keep doing what you are doing, get some more anchored text links and make it easier to subscribe to! You could backdate a few posts to fill the gap between 3rd and 9th July.
Gogreenlifestyle.net
Inbound Links: 106
Alexa: 3,166,805
Estimated Value: $50
It is hard to find fault with this site as far as I am concerned. A superb job so far! It’s not just the use of a good premium theme either - everything is so easy and clean, the content is fantastic and the site looks great. Get yourself some more links and keep up the good work.
Bloggerssearch.com
Inbound Links: 114
Alexa: 2,081,879
Estimated Value: $50
There is a lot of potential with this site and I cannot knock the theme as it is the same that I use here. There are a few functionality issues which I have pointed out already on the site; namely feedburner subscriptions not being set up. I would look at making better use of the sidebar with this theme and, with all the bloggers out there to profile, I would expect a lot more content to come. We are looking to sell these sites so they must work and they must have plenty of content, so consider backdating a few posts also just to fill the site out.
Professorprosperity.com
Inbound Links: 179
Alexa: 4,462,464
Estimated Value: $50
You got a couple of day’s head start on everyone I notice but we will let that slide. I’m actually starting to like this site more everyday and the sole reason for that is the content! The ‘101 steps’ alone is just brilliant. The site is laid out well but one thing I would say is that it’s almost too busy. Look at the headers and you will see it is hard to differentiate between a post title and a header. I really don’t like the google ads at the bottom but other than that…..Good Job! Thanks also for the blogroll links!
Frugalzeitgeist.com
Inbound Links: 210
Alexa: 2,363,385
Estimated Value: $120
For those of you who have seen this site, I think you will agree that I don’t need to say too much about it; another really impressive site. It works well, looks great, has had outstanding traffic and is making money. I thought that with you being on top of everything else you might have more links too, but that will come I’m sure. My only qualm is that the categories at the top are slightly reminiscent of google ads and my eyes stray away almost immediately. I am keen to see how much this sells for…..if at all!
Reggae-artists.com
Inbound Links: 162
Alexa: 2,819,397
Estimated Value: $50
Ticking away nicely is my own site and I wanted to share feedback that I have received from others, along with a little of what I am thinking. According to PB I am doing reasonably well in the seo stakes and that is reflected by the organic traffic I am getting. This is particularly pleasing as I am actually picking up hits for my main keywords. I have been fairly slack on getting links too and so thanks to everyone who has helped on that front. The site itself is too heavily monetised, as pointed out by Bryan, but I do have one paid ad up there which has paid for this experiment and put me in profit already. I am not sure if I will keep the theme because, as much as I like it, there are more suitable ones out there; it could be much simpler for the end user. Also, for a reggae site……it lacks in COLOUR!
I must admit to finding this an awful lot harder than I had imagined. Trying to keep up with this along with all my other sites has tested me…especially with the 9-5 in between. It has also taught me a great deal though and I am glad that I made the effort – I have learnt new techniques, got some great ideas for a little further down the line and most importantly expanded my network of bloggers which is invaluable.
I mentioned a couple of times above about backdating posts which is something I have found myself doing a lot in keeping up with my site. The reason I advise this is because you should not lose sight of the fact that we are building these sites for sale. It will help if you have a lot of content which has been posted at regular intervals, add to that good looks and functionality and you have something worth buying. At this stage in the competition you should all be looking towards the end goal and so my final thoughts would be this, go away and look at your site from a buyers perspective. Step away from it and really take a look at what are going to be your unique selling points when crunch time comes. Why would someone buy your site? Drop me some comments if it helps!
Let’s hope Bryan gets well soon and we can have some more info from the master himself!
