It was a typical day in Chiang Mai the air thick with the scent of tropical flowers and the sounds of distant temple bells.
Richard my business partner and I were deep in the throes of another project—building a new Amazon affiliate website.
We’d already built and sold several successful sites and we were eager to add another to our portfolio.
This time we were focusing on the home fixtures niche.
We had a hunch it would be a profitable one and the keyword research seemed to support our theory.
Finding Our Niche in the Market
Richard our resident keyword guru spent weeks poring over data fueled by endless cups of coffee.
He was on a mission to find keywords that would drive traffic and ultimately sales.
After what felt like an eternity he emerged with a list of 21 keywords all related to “best ” and ” reviews.” They covered a modest 15700 monthly searches on Google which considering the competitive nature of the niche was promising.
We were ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
But before we started building the site we needed a plan.
We wanted the website to feel different to stand out from the crowd.
After a brainstorming session that involved a lot of laughter and a few creative tangents we settled on a brand that paid homage to a popular site from a few years prior.
It wasn’t an exact copy but it definitely played off the same theme injecting a dose of humor into an otherwise mundane niche.
Building a Website for Profit
With the brand name secured we registered the domain in late June 2014 and got started on building the site.
The Amazon Associates Business Model: A Simple Yet Powerful Strategy
Our chosen keywords all revolved around product reviews so the Amazon Associates program was the obvious choice for monetization.
The concept was simple: visitors click through from our site to Amazon purchase a product within 24 hours and we earn a commission on their entire order.
Richard’s keyword research gave us confidence that we could rank the site high in Google’s search results using links from our private blog network (PBN). This meant driving free traffic to our website through organic search and then monetizing those visitors by recommending products and sending them to Amazon.
The Challenge of a Not-So-Exciting Niche
The only hurdle was the niche itself.
Joe from Empire Flippers described it as “not the most interesting or sexy niche.” But we were determined to make it engaging.
Our talented writer who has a knack for injecting humor and life into anything came to the rescue.
He crafted content that was both informative and entertaining keeping visitors on the site longer and lowering our bounce rate.
From Conception to Launch
With a solid content plan in place we handed the project over to our amazing writer who had been a trusted collaborator for years.
It took some time for him to complete the content as he was working on several other projects simultaneously.
Once the content was finished we meticulously reviewed and proofread it.
Then we sent it to our skilled site builder in India.
He handled the technical aspects building the product comparison tables and formatting the content into WordPress.
We added a logo designed by yours truly and made a few minor tweaks and voila! Our site was ready to launch.
The Fruition of Our Efforts
Two months later the site generated its first earnings—a life-changing $6.85. Yes you read that right! Even after building over 40 sites the thrill of seeing that first dollar always feels magical.
By December 2014 the site was earning a more respectable $442 per month.
We had recouped our initial investment achieving a four-month payback period—a testament to the efficiency of building Amazon affiliate sites.
The Power of Time and Google’s Algorithm
Like a fine wine the site continued to improve with age.
Its rankings traffic and earnings all increased as Google’s algorithm recognized its value and trustworthiness.
By August 2015 the site was making just over $5000 per month—a significant milestone.
Selling Our Site: A Lucrative Decision
After two years of nurturing the site we decided it had reached its full potential.
We had built a solid foundation established excellent rankings and achieved a steady stream of revenue.
It was time to hand the reins over to a new owner.
The Right Buyer for Our Site
We carefully considered the different types of buyers on Empire Flippers the platform we chose for selling the site.
A Portfolio Paul would appreciate the site’s consistent earnings and strong ROI.
A Lifestyle Larry could potentially use the site’s income to replace a traditional job.
Even a DIY David or Flipper Fred might be interested in acquiring the site as a project to further expand and increase its earnings.
The Sale: A Smooth Transition
With excitement and anticipation we listed the site on Empire Flippers in late March 2016. It was my fourth site sale and I was comfortable with the process.
The site passed the vetting process and was featured on the marketplace.
The waiting game began.
While the site was generating consistent revenue—around $6000 per month—it was a relatively quiet period.
We had a few interested parties but no solid offers materialized.
This was similar to our previous experience selling larger sites—patience was key.
Exactly two years after Richard found the initial keywords we received a call from Joe at Empire Flippers facilitating a buyer-seller session.
We walked the buyer through the site answered their questions and built trust.
As the call drew to a close Joe asked the buyer for their offer.
The buyer impressed by the site’s potential surprised us by offering $145000 just below the asking price of $148700. We readily accepted the offer and the deal was sealed.
Two weeks later the funds were deposited into our bank account.
After Empire Flippers’ 15% commission we netted $123500—a multi-million-dollar exit in Thai baht.
The Rewards of Our Work
This successful sale provided us with the financial freedom to pursue new business opportunities.
Richard continued to build niche sites while I launched Bulk Buy Hosting a service designed to make hosting a private blog network easier safer and more affordable.
We learned a lot from this experience and it reinforced our passion for building and selling Amazon affiliate websites.
We were grateful for the opportunity to work with a talented team a dedicated writer and a reliable site builder.
It was a reminder that with hard work perseverance and a little bit of creativity you can achieve anything you set your mind to.