When a Harem is Better than a Wife

Only a single man could think that having more than one wife would be a good thing. So what am I talking about with this harem vs wife thing? Obviously a sensational headline designed to draw attention (hey blogging is all about transparency, right?). But now that I’ve got your attention let me talk about being an entrepreneur on the web and either getting married to a single site or developing a collection of sites.

The Monogamous Relationship

photo credit: avlxyzIf you’re starting out on the web it may seem intuitive to start out with a single site that gets all your attention. That’s not a bad idea - specially when your time is limited. If you’re working on a single site you avoid the problem of balancing your time between different sites and you allow yourself to become intimately familiar with your subject area. A single site is great if you’re really passionate about your topic. Of course focusing your energies on one site has drawbacks. It’s difficult for a new site (in any niche) to gain significant traction and which sites are going to succeed and which are going to fail isn’t often readily apparent. Then there’s the added risk that the niche you chose to focus on becomes irrelevant or overtaken by a dominant competitor. If you were focusing all your energy on a banner exchange (gone out of style) or website statistics (Google Analytics moved in for free) you’d be forced to make a complete change of course.

Dating Sisters

An alternative to running a single site is to run multiple sites within the same or closely related niches. This has some advantages over a single site because your properties can cross promote each other. While you may need to increase your knowledge over a broader area than when running a single site you won’t be completely scattered all over the place. You still run the risk of having your niche go away but you should be less vulnerable to a big competitor since each of your sites will (or at least should) take different approaches to your topic. Think of it like you’re dating sisters. You may need to learn each of their likes and dislikes but you only have one set of parents to meet. Of course it could make Thanksgiving dinner an interesting affair.

Playing the Field

As with the relationship analogy, playing the field (building multiple sites focusing on multiple niches) is probably a tactic that’s best for the early stages. There’s really nothing wrong with trying a bunch of ideas and seeing what sticks - and more importantly what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. But unless you’re some superhuman genius you’re not going to be able to become an authority in too many areas. If you find you’re unable to keep up a site or don’t enjoy running it you always have to option of selling it (or simply closing it if it doesn’t have much value) and focusing on what you are good at.

A Long Term Affair

photo credit: funkybug (Atlantic City/ Philly for the weekend)One time when it’s possible and good to run sites in two different niches is when you have a “day job” and a “hobby” site. Perhaps you’re a successful technology pundit who also enjoys digital photography. Or maybe you’re a noted online marketer who enjoys fine dining and writing restaurant reviews. You can roll all your interests into one blog or you might just find that this online entrepreneur thing is so enjoyable that you do it for work and for fun. As long and you occasionally step away from the computer this can be a great way to keep your online activities fresh and exciting.

So What’s for Me?

Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages and no one can tell you what’s the best situation for you. But be aware that all of these are viable options and don’t be afraid to consider your options. Whatever you decide be sure that you go into it with your eyes wide open. And unlike some relationship decisions you can change your mind and switch between approaches as your situation changes