Is it too late for indie sites to make a side hustle?

Is it too late to make an independent site?

At least from my experience, most people are not suited for independent sites.

Motivation for doing an independent website

There are several motives for being an independent site:

1, previously done amazon, three-way platform (speedway, ebay, etc.).

In the current environment of more and more volume, there is no profit, the eyes will be expanded to the independent station. Some hope that the independent station can achieve some splendor, become the next shein, the next temu; some hope to ease the profit anxiety, after all, the independent station can be independent policy; some hope to find the second growth curve, such as comparable to amazon, sunrise hundred single.

2, those who see others making money and want to make a side hustle themselves.

Little Red Book, Jitterbug, casually turn, are cross-border e-commerce day out single XXX, monthly income of hundreds of thousands of dollars. See people only itchy teeth: "How can make money so easy! Take me! Take me!"

3, originally doing the independent station. Don't know how to do anything other than an independent site.

Are the above three types of people suitable for independent websites? The third one is definitely suitable. What about the others?

What you need to know before making an independent website

It's OK to be a platform. But the following ones have to think twice.

1, there is no traffic to an independent site.

Traffic must be bought. Nowadays, the traffic fee is really expensive, more expensive than the traffic is expensive, more expensive is the time. There is only one way to verify whether your product is suitable for an independent website in the short term, and that is SEM + Netflix marketing. There is no other way. As for what you said about SEO+Social Media+Short Video, I can only say that it is indeed possible in certain limited categories, such as tobacco, eroticism, Black Friday and other products, but it is only possible, because what you think of, others have already taken up the pitches.

Once to do a site of tobacco, tobacco can not be placed, only Seo, and then over the audit, was displayed, spent 2 months, and also a variety of restrictions, which only show...

You can't do it through normal channels.

The price needed to make a top SEO position is not small, not even cheaper than making a placement.

For example, a good external link, $200, just one oh. For example, you want to do short video, that shooting, choreography, anchor, you have to live in unison. Already domestic anchor mature sellers, there is a whole set of tawdry operation, tawdry script, this kind of liberalization to try, the problem is not big.

If not, then you might as well throw in an ad. As I said before, is money expensive, or is time more expensive? Before the interview with an SEO who does Black Friday look at the opportunity, all kinds of operations, thoughts, ideas, very bullish. Why look at the opportunity of the general cargo? Because the policy wind control led to the site was closed, the boss wants to start over, but the pure SEO site to rebuild, too tired, too long. In view of the majority of sellers who can go to the three-way platform, are mainly general goods, if you yourself do not understand the free flow of this piece, there is no need to go to lie in the free flow of black technology in the muddy water, the delusion of black technology to reduce advertising costs, there are a lot of people, greedy in the end, are cut leeks. A knife a quasi.

Do basic SEO and you'll already have good traffic, then spend money on ads to validate it.

2, the products of the independent station, must have a high premium.

Any three-way platform takes merchants as cattle and horses and customers as God. The platform's products are enough volume, customers will be willing to buy. Low price, is always the platform's guide, full hosting, temu is obvious, Amazon is barely better, but follow the sales channel forever.

Especially if you're making public molds, or don't have much of a threshold, you're just jumping up and down and cursing.

Independent station products, in the environment of high traffic costs, is absolutely absolutely not suitable for low unit price products, the conversion cost of general merchandise in $17 +, some even $30 +, my experience is that the customer unit price of $50 or less, it's basically no way, of course, you have a tawdry operation to say otherwise.

Traffic costs, at least accounted for more than 15%, bullish enterprises can do 10%; start-up site, if a single paid channel, then the probability to go to 40%;

The customer unit price of $50 is a proper mid to high unit price even in a mid to high end market like Amazon US.

Most platform sellers who are used to going for volume and rolling low prices, think about the following three questions:

"Why should I come to you to buy a product when it's so expensive?"

"What is your point of difference with Amazon? Why do you need such a big difference in pricing across platforms?"

"Are there any other services at Independence Station?"

All of these issues are encountered in customer service, with unsatisfactory answers and returns waiting for you.

3. Is it fully staffed?

First of all, I have to admit one thing, whether it is an independent station, or a three-way platform, the product is the real core.

I'm in traffic, I'm in full-stack operations, and now I'm doing tech-related as well. The constraints of the product are clearly felt in many practices.

Sometimes, the product is good, but also need what operation ah, throw it on the direct billing. This is a very common thing for sellers who are used to Amazon, especially in the first few years.

However, independent sites are different, and the product is just the foundation.

One, the LEADER needs to know the product, but also the pricing and marketing plan.

The market price of Product A is roughly $20, and your target group over $30 is completely unacceptable. These are facts and you data verified them.

Okay, here's the problem. You can't do $50 per customer, you're just losing money. How do you do it?

Product matching, how?

Why would people want to match?

Doing repurchases?

How to Increase Repurchase Rates?Edm, Brand Marketing? Community? You 0 to 1, where do you get users? How to retain the users after they come? How to develop service?

These questions, is LEADER to think about, think clearly, this site is not a loss, think not clearly, just wait to see the bill to worry about it.

Two, independent stations require technology.

If you are using wordpress, it's a lot of trouble. You need to have a front-end, back-end developer, and even a UI designer. (That's 3 people here, it can be outsourced.)

If you use Shopify, that one good looking, appropriate theme can really help you quite a bit ($400-$500 pay once for lifetime access), but that doesn't mean you don't need the skills.

Modifying code, doing ad attribution deployment, and basic front-end work like UI, page load speed, etc., still need to know.

You can hire a tech savvy drop in to do it, but at a price, you know.

Third, the independent station needs to promote + content

SEM + Reddit Marketing:

High-paying channels; (at least two)

SNS + SEO + EDM:

Low-paying channels; (can be one person)

SEM, advertising, is a technical job, whether it is multi-channel testing, or ROI enhancement, budget control, expansion, are directly related to the site of life and death, the money can not be saved, the advertising budget can not be saved.

Reddit marketing, if you're not in the group with funding (and have a lot of reddit resources of your own), it's an absolute cowhorse job to go from 0 to da. It has to take up a person's resources.

Why?

Look for redditors with good looking stats, content that fits with you, the right offer, and who are still willing to work with you, probably less than 8% (seems a bit inflated).

Men want to be gentle and virtuous and know how to do things and also love their own big breasts and long legs beauty; women like handsome, clean and considerate to make money and also dedicated to have a house and car without debt and have a deposit of the teenager;

The more determiners and prefixes you have, the harder it will be to realize, so take your time and you can still find it.

As for SNS + SEO + EDM, are doing content-based, only the distribution of channels, distribution efficiency, distribution purposes have a gap, SEO more outreach this drudgery, these are concentrated in a person is achievable, especially now with AI support.

If none of the above seems like a problem to you, then you can do it.

Okay, one last splash of cold water.

If you get the right people, or if the owner himself goes down and learns, both are extremely probable to get up.

However, it's volume, ultimately, makes it difficult to top the three-way platforms (at least for most sellers)

Go to look at the financial report of the Seville Times, although the proportion of independent stations has been growing, but compared to the three-way platform, it is still a big thing. This is still a public company's financial report.

Can a few men turn over a city that is difficult to capture with the strength of a division?

To arrive at the income like shein, or some familiar big station, there are still very, very many things to do, such as product line, supply chain, logistics, overseas warehouse, traffic optimization, private domain traffic, multi-channel expansion ...... a whole lot of things, and all of them are extremely difficult.

If you listen to the above objective reality of the problem, still want to do independent station, still have confidence in the independent station, and agree, then I will follow up with some paid articles, welcome to pay to taste. Because they are all real-world data, I will basically mosaic, but the core essence, is to persuade you:

"Where's the business in that?"

Are indie sites good for side projects?

I was also going to talk about independent sites as a side hustle, so if anyone reading this is still in the mindset of being a side hustle, then you can start by answering the following questions:

1, know the business?

How much do you know about the terms mentioned above? Are you aware of the impact on independent websites? This impact of your data to verify? Have you researched clearly which categories of sources, and the risks involved?

2, can you do the math?

The sum of the labor, material and financial resources mentioned above, how much do you estimate the following to cost? If you think it is expensive, where do you think you can save? If you think it is okay, where will the money come from?

3. Dare to take charge?

What would you do if the project didn't make money?

What would you do with no help up front?

Everyone's pulling out. Do you want to pull out?

What do you do when your wife's parents advise you to work part-time instead of a so-called career?

Stick around, do you believe in miracles, or are you blind?

Where does that leave us if we give up and don't do it?

One thought to become benevolent, one thought to become a Buddha.

Why? Because you're in charge of the independent station, and there's no one behind you, so even if you dump it, who can you dump it on? No one can help you solve the problem, no one can help you fill the hole. You only have yourself.

Your money is working to earn, are hard money, independent station investment so big, pit and so many. Still hold the attitude of try, the big deal is to go back to work, not a side business attitude.

I'm sorry, but that's not going to do it.

"Where's the business in that?"

What's the next line?

"Business is so lucrative, why should it be your turn?"

If you don't know anything about it, and I say it's not good money, and he says it's a million dollars a month, who do you believe?

It's a gamble to trust anyone, because you don't know anything, and in the end you'll only choose what you like, what sounds good, and what you want to believe.

Will what you like, what sounds good, what you want to believe, make you money?

Really?