Should a new blog offer products right away? A friend asked me that question yesterday and I thought it deserved an answer.
My answer is this.
From an SEO standpoint, Google doesn't care.
From a readability standpoint, if you are in a niche market and intend to stay in that niche market your READERS do care.
People who read niche blogs are looking for information, not products.
In those markets that I am in where I have an interest in the niche, I want to make sure I provide my readers with good content.
I want to develop a reputation for putting up what people want to read.
And I want to do that for about 3 - 6 months before I start putting up products because it directly relates to reputation in the niche.
On the other hand, if I'm setting up a blog farm (okay white hatters, give me a break) where I am entering into a niche and I plan to pump out crap content just to pull mass traffic and clicks to an AdSense or affiliate site, then no.
Put those money makers there right away from day one.
Clearly on these sites your not worried about "reputation".
They are completely anonymous.
And when Google figures it out (and they most likely will), they will take your entire network down.
As far as I am concerned, these are both completely legitimate ways to make money.
But they are more related to industry reputation and market leadership than to any other factor.
With method two, you will make more money faster but it won't last as long (although I've had a couple of these blog farm networks up for 4 years and they are still going).
With method one, you will make less money slower but you can attach your name to it, build a reputation and a long term business and keep growing within the same industry.
So I guess the ultimate answer to the question is that it depends on what you're trying to do and what kind of a business you want to run.
Obviously this relates only to monetized blogs and not to websites.
If you're building a business that you want your name attached to in an industry that you want to be in then avoid monetizing your main site for a few months while your reputation builds.
If you're building a "spam content" network as an income stream and you don't have any particular interest in the product or niche then monetize right away.
That's it.
My answer is this.
From an SEO standpoint, Google doesn't care.
From a readability standpoint, if you are in a niche market and intend to stay in that niche market your READERS do care.
People who read niche blogs are looking for information, not products.
In those markets that I am in where I have an interest in the niche, I want to make sure I provide my readers with good content.
I want to develop a reputation for putting up what people want to read.
And I want to do that for about 3 - 6 months before I start putting up products because it directly relates to reputation in the niche.
On the other hand, if I'm setting up a blog farm (okay white hatters, give me a break) where I am entering into a niche and I plan to pump out crap content just to pull mass traffic and clicks to an AdSense or affiliate site, then no.
Put those money makers there right away from day one.
Clearly on these sites your not worried about "reputation".
They are completely anonymous.
And when Google figures it out (and they most likely will), they will take your entire network down.
As far as I am concerned, these are both completely legitimate ways to make money.
But they are more related to industry reputation and market leadership than to any other factor.
With method two, you will make more money faster but it won't last as long (although I've had a couple of these blog farm networks up for 4 years and they are still going).
With method one, you will make less money slower but you can attach your name to it, build a reputation and a long term business and keep growing within the same industry.
So I guess the ultimate answer to the question is that it depends on what you're trying to do and what kind of a business you want to run.
Obviously this relates only to monetized blogs and not to websites.
If you're building a business that you want your name attached to in an industry that you want to be in then avoid monetizing your main site for a few months while your reputation builds.
If you're building a "spam content" network as an income stream and you don't have any particular interest in the product or niche then monetize right away.
That's it.