How Anne Moss Earns $200K Per Month From A Portfolio of 25 Sites & 5 Million Monthly Pageviews

Key Concepts

• Portfolio Website Management
• Niche Selection Criteria
• Content Production at Scale (1000 articles/month)
• Keyword Research Strategies
• RPM (Revenue Per Mille) Optimization
• Content Updates and Link Building (Contrarian View)
• Automation in Website Management
• Importance of Testing and Control Groups

Main Topics and Key Points

1. Introduction and Background

• Ann Moss and her husband run a portfolio of 25 websites generating approximately $200,000 per month in revenue.
• The team consists of over 50 full-time employees, including writers, editors, and graphic designers, plus freelance writers.
• Content production reaches around 1,000 articles per month.
• Ann's journey started in 1998 in Israel, coding in HTML and creating websites in Hebrew with virtually no competition.
• In the early 2000s, they transitioned to English websites, starting with a forum site.
• A partnership with a US company in 2011 allowed for passive income until 2016 when they regained full management.
• The rise in RPM rates around 2016-2018 prompted expansion into Niche sites.

2. Current Portfolio and Revenue

• The portfolio consists of 25 websites.
• Revenue is approaching $200,000 per month (around $190,000+ in recent months).
• The sites generate almost 5 million monthly page views.
• Five websites contribute to approximately 70-80% of the total revenue.
• Revenue is primarily from display ads (90-95%), with the remainder from Amazon Affiliates.
• RPMs vary by Niche, ranging from $25 to $65, with some sites reaching $67 in good months like June.

3. Building the Portfolio: Strategy and Process

• All 25 sites were created from scratch; no sites were acquired.
• Ann focuses on strategy, big-picture thinking, and process creation.
• She uses a "multiple bases" approach, inspired by the game Starcraft, focusing on resource growth and content creation rather than getting bogged down in minor details.
• A detailed business plan was created during the COVID-19 lockdowns, with spreadsheets projecting future revenue based on investment and content production.
• The plan included assumptions about content costs and potential revenue per post.
• Ann emphasizes speed and efficiency in initial setup, avoiding perfectionism in areas like domain name selection and logo design.

4. Niche Selection Criteria

• Traffic Volume: Ensuring sufficient search volume in the Niche.
• Competition: Identifying niches with low or zero competition for specific queries.
  • Ann creates a content plan and researches at least 50 topics that could generate a few hundred page views each month.
• Monetization Potential (RPM): Assessing the RPM potential based on how the Niche is monetized.
  • Considers whether people spend money in the Niche, indicating higher advertising spend.
  • Also considers the demographics of the audience and their potential purchasing power.
• Ease of Content Creation: Evaluating how easy it is to find writers and the level of expertise required.

5. Content Production System

• The company is structured into divisions with multiple management layers.
• Writing teams are led by team leaders, who are managed by a supervisor, who reports to Ann.
• A publication team handles graphic design, image optimization, and publishing.
• ClickUp is used to manage workflow, with each article represented as a task.
• The workflow includes steps for writing, editing, logging (payment), adding media, and publication.
• Writers are trained to create their own outlines based on the article title.
• Editors review content, and team leaders spot-check a percentage of each writer's work.
• Ongoing discussions and meetings are held to improve content quality.

6. Strategy and Intangible Aspects

• Ann is involved in strategy, monitoring stats daily to catch issues.
• She and her husband conduct monthly evaluations of the entire portfolio, focusing on "dollar per post" as a key metric.
• Automated spreadsheets pull data from Google Analytics to provide an overview of portfolio performance.
• Smaller sites may not receive as much attention due to the 80/20 rule.

7. Automation

• Automation plays a significant role in handling scale.
• ClickUp is used to automate tasks such as changing due dates and sending notifications.
• Automations are used to import topics from content plans into ClickUp.

8. Observations and Trends in 2022

• Targeting longtail queries is becoming more difficult due to increased competition.
• The Google updates in October/November of the previous year impacted affiliate sites, leading to a shift towards display ads and increased competition.
• Affiliate content (e.g., "best X for Y" lists) can still work within a site if balanced with informational content.
• Domain Authority is no longer a reliable indicator of ranking potential.
• Intuition and experience are crucial in keyword selection.

9. Keyword Research and Content Construction

• Tools like Ahrefs and Low Fruits are used, but the final decision on topic inclusion is not solely based on these tools.
• Keyword difficulty metrics can be misleading; it's essential to analyze the search results manually.
• The decision to write a standalone article for a longtail query or include it in a larger article depends on the search intent and whether the specific details (e.g., dog breed) are relevant.
• Common sense is used to determine when to cluster variations of a question into one article.

10. RPM Optimization

• Reach out to advertising platform representatives for advice.
• Utilize adhesive units in the sidebar and at the bottom of the site.
• Enable various features offered by the advertising platform, such as video ads and interstitials.
• Avoid overloading the page with ads, as there is a diminishing return.
• Experiment with different features and placements to see what works best.
• Prioritize revenue generation over aesthetic concerns.

11. Content Enhancements

• Stock photos are primarily used.
• Custom graphics and videos are not a priority.
• Focus is on producing more content rather than getting sidetracked by non-essential elements.

12. Content Updates and Link Building

• Content updating has not shown significant positive results when compared to control groups.
• They focus on creating new content rather than updating old content.
• No active link building is done.
• Incoming links are generated organically as a result of high rankings.

13. Future Goals

• Hold onto established sites long-term (potentially five years).
• Create a portion of the portfolio for selling sites, starting by the end of the year or early 2023.
• Focus on ongoing exits rather than a complete exit in the near future.
• Work with experts (legal, accounting, COO) to navigate business complexities.

14. Final Thoughts and Advice

• It's crucial to try things out for yourself and not rely solely on the experiences of others.
• Be mindful of the risks involved in the business.
• Test strategies properly using control groups.
• Be cautious of silver bullets and ensure you know what you're doing before scaling.

Notable Quotes

• "I tend to focus on strategy and big pictures and processes rather than you know specific projects."
• "You don't have to have the perfect domain name, it just needs to be good enough."
• "I think the algorithm is basically just so complex, I have a feeling that even if you were to ask Google Engineers they wouldn't know why."
• "Your mileage may vary."

Technical Terms and Concepts

• RPM (Revenue Per Mille): Revenue per thousand page views.
• Niche Site: A website focused on a specific topic or area of interest.
• Longtail Keywords: Highly specific and less competitive search queries.
• Domain Authority (DA): A metric indicating the strength and authority of a website's domain.
• Search Intent: The purpose or goal behind a user's search query.
• Adhesive Units: Advertising units that remain visible as the user scrolls down the page.
• Interstitials: Full-screen ads that appear between page views.
• GSC: Google Search Console
• SOPs: Standard Operating Procedures

Logical Connections

• The initial discussion of Ann's background leads into the current state of her portfolio, providing context for her strategies.
• The Niche selection criteria directly influence the content production system, as the ease of content creation impacts the scalability of the portfolio.
• The observations on trends in 2022 inform the discussion on keyword research and content construction, highlighting the need for adaptability.
• The RPM optimization strategies are linked to the revenue goals, demonstrating how specific tactics contribute to overall success.
• The final thoughts and advice serve as a synthesis of the key takeaways, emphasizing the importance of experimentation and critical thinking.

Data, Research Findings, or Statistics

• 25 websites in the portfolio.
• Approximately $200,000 per month in revenue.
• Almost 5 million monthly page views.
• Five websites contribute to 70-80% of the revenue.
• RPMs range from $25 to $65, with some sites reaching $67 in good months.
• Content production reaches around 1,000 articles per month.
• 90-95% of revenue comes from display ads, with the remainder from Amazon Affiliates.
• Over 15,000 articles published to date.

Synthesis/Conclusion

Ann Moss has built a successful portfolio of 25 websites generating significant revenue through a combination of strategic Niche selection, efficient content production, and a data-driven approach. Her emphasis on testing, automation, and adaptability, coupled with a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, has enabled her to achieve scale and profitability in a competitive online landscape. The key takeaways include the importance of focusing on strategy, prioritizing content creation, and continuously evaluating the effectiveness of different tactics.