For people who are not aware of what a niche site is: It is a basic (sometimes very basic) site with a specified niche – eg. Fishing, and the the main monetizing option is pay per click (ppc) advertising, be it Adsense, Yahoo Publisher, Bidvertiser, Adbrite or Adengage etc. The ads that are shown will be related to the niche, since the content that is displayed will be related to your niche.

Today, one of the bloggers that I read regularly, Caroline Middlebrook has released a free ebook explaining how to build a free niche site using Wordpress. That ebook is really great for a newbie to building sites, since Wordpress pretty much builds the whole site with a single click. You don’t need to know much html, and this ebook walks you through each step of building the site, along with screenshots. Caroline has done an amazing job of explaining everything from setting up your domain to installing Wordpress, to adding themes, plugins and even adding widgets etc. Granted, most seasoned WP users will not use this ebook, but it is really informative for a newbie.  She is trying to get people to use Wordpress as a Content Management System (CMS) rather than just as a blogging platform.  She points you to the sites that will help you with getting free adsense ready themes, cheap webhosting etc.  This is a great way to get started if you are strapped for cash.

The 2nd option that popped up just yesterday – Instant Adsense GoogleTime (IAGT), is a bit more advanced. This one was launched by our good friend John Cow, which is another blog which I read regularly. This one is not free but will not kill your bank account either. It costs just $29 but it offers full fledged niche websites. This again is Adsense ready, and you can build multiple sites using keywords in the admin panel. Below is a screenshot for a keyword Satellites:

You will notice that the adsense integration in the middle using the 336×280 block and the 160×600 block on the right hand column.  The other good feature about this site maker is that you can also use your Amazon affiliate id and it will display books in the left column related to your niche, and in return you will also get paid on your Amazon aff.

IAGT actually adds content on each site via rss in the form of news.  Which is great because your content is regularly updated without you lifting a finger.

I have to admit, the free option that Caroline has shown, I have been using that for quite sometime on my niche sites – Cheap Bluetooths, Ipod Stuff, Cellular Wholesale, etc.   I have been using ebay rss feeds along with Elliot Back’s rss feed plugin and something that you have to be aware with either one of the above niche building options is that it is not a get rich quick way out.  You still have to work on promoting the sites, using seo techniques, or ppc etc.  Your sites will not survive, and will not be successful just because you have built them.  You will have to put some effort into it.