Should You Build a Niche Site or an Authority Site?

Are you wondering whether you should build a niche site or an authority? If that’s the case, at least, you know what a niche site is. A lot of readers might not even know the difference between a niche site and an authority site. I’m excited to share not only the difference between both these types of sites but whatever I know about these websites.

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The key reason why I decided to write this article is that I have an interest in niche site building, and I have been doing my research on niche sites for a while. However, I haven’t started building a niche site as of now, but I’m curious to get into this and learn this stuff.

Once you get into blogging or niche site building, you’d hear this debate quite often. I’ll share what I think about building a niche site versus starting an authority site.

Before I get to the comparison, I must define both types of sites so that you could understand the whole point of this blog post.

The following definitions of a niche site and an authority site are basically mines; you may find slightly different versions of these definitions on the internet.

What’s a Niche Site?

A niche site is a targeted website that focuses on a specific sub-niche and is built to help out a certain segment of the audience, and eventually, to make money off of the content. In addition to this, a niche site is typically a content site that is intended to solve a problem and make money through ads and affiliates.

For instance, you can create a niche site around “DSLR microphones for vloggers.” What it could potentially do is only target vloggers who make vlogs with the DSLR cameras and use or want to use microphones. This niche site goes deep into microphone reviews, audio quality, pricing, and testing of DSLR microphones.

What’s an Authority Site?

An authority site is also a website or a blog that is built around a niche, but the targeting is rather broader than a niche site. It does have a niche, but it doesn’t go deep into a rabbit hole. Instead, it touches on relevant topics under the same umbrella.

Furthermore, the expansion of an authority site is quite different than a niche site. Usually, an authority site has social media existence, branding, personalization, and info products involved.

Roman Zaytsev also discussed whether you should build a niche site or an authority site in his Amazon Affiliate Marketing Course.

Niche Site vs. Authority Site: The Comparison

Niche Site	Authority Site
It may take time to find the best idea to start a niche site, but the right topic could turn things around.	The right niche also makes a difference in an authority site.
It doesn’t require a constant flow of fresh content to dominate and succeed.	You may have to continue publishing fresh content for an authority site to stay relevant.
You don’t necessarily have to be the expert at something to get started. Thorough research before writing content does the job.	An authority site doesn’t essentially focus on a single topic, but instead, it targets multiple relevant topics.
You don’t need a massive influx of traffic to make money from a niche site.	You have a diversity of topics to write about, which brings in more opportunities to dominate a niche.
The monetization options aren’t very broad, but they can still make a lot of money.	The authority sites have more monetization options as compared to niche sites such as CPM ads, contextual ads, direct ads, and affiliate marketing.
Usually, a niche site requires 30 to 100 articles before they start making $10-$100 a month.	It’s difficult to predict when an authority site would start earning money but it always has more ways to make money.
It takes more or less 15 months for a niche site to start getting search engine traffic.	You may need to constantly strive for more traffic to earn money. Therefore, an authority site continuously requires new content and social media sharing.
The search analysis matters a lot in making a niche site successful.	An authority site is a long-term project and normally requires a continuous effort to maintain and grow a business.
Successful niche sites may earn the trust and loyalty of the audience, but they can’t compete with authority sites in this regard.	Most successful authority sites have a deep connection with their audience due to the effectiveness and trustworthiness of the site, which takes time to build.
Niche site owners aren’t usually public. Therefore, some buyers feel skeptical about the purchase decision.	Authority site owners are usually public which helps them connect with their audience and establish a brand.

What Successful Niche Site Owners Say About Niche Sites vs. Authority Sites

I’m writing this blog post because I wanted to spread awareness about niche sites as well as share what I think about these websites types. Plus, this blog post turns out to be a way of sharing what I’m up to these days.

As far as successful niche owners and pro-bloggers are concerned, their behaviors, tips, and ideas are always important for beginners.

I’ve seen dozens of videos on niche sites and authority sites.
I’ll share a few videos with you as well, but the gist of this blog post is to tell you the difference between both types of sites.

Here’s the video of Income School, in which they discussed the pros and cons of the niche sites and authority sites.

I also came across an interesting video of Doug Cunnington about niche sites vs. authority sites. He explained the difference between these types of websites.

Niche Site vs. Authority Sites: My Last Comment

I have been blogging for more than 10 years now, but I haven’t had a chance to properly understand niche blogging until now. I have built and sold an authority site back in 2014. After that, I started building StartedBlogging as an authority site in 2018.

Now, in 2020, I’m all set to venture into niche site-building. I might start a niche site this year and the next few in 2021. I have been studying niche sites for a while, and I liked the niche sites model the best.

Here are the reasons why I like the niche sites model:

You don’t need years to make a niche site profitable
It doesn’t require customer services or virtual assistant or after-sales services
You may not need to continuously create and post articles on niche sites
You can start monetization after two or three months of launching a niche site
All you need is to find the right niche and the suitable products to sell to make the niche site successful

All these advantages seem very convincing to me to get into niche site-building. Furthermore, I haven’t done this before. So I want to try niche site building anyway.

That’s my take on starting a niche site.

You won’t find me talking about how to invest in crypto because I’m not interested in that niche. However, I think niche site-building is the best crypto investment alternative.

Anyway, let’s end this blog post on niche site vs. authority site.

What would you choose between a niche and an authority site?
Let me know in the comments below.

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