The JoyofCamping.com is one of the most impressive sites in the Authority Site Center arsenal of over 1500 member sites.
Owned and operated by Myrtha Chang, the site is coming along so well in both design, content, and traffic that you’d think Myrtha has been with us for well over a year.
In fact, she started earlier this year to really bring this site out of “baby authority” status.
Here I delve into what makes this site tick in design, content, traffic, and pure value as a business asset.
Traffic
Myrtha is using the Authority Site Center publishing platform to turn on the engines and the ASC marketing tactics to bring in targeted traffic. Last I heard she was averaging 500 unique visitors per day by the end of her first month!
Design
This is also one of the “prettiest” sites in the ASC network of sites. The design is well done, professional, and looks like a $10,000+ job done by a master web designer.
Myrtha went the extra mile to have a killer logo designed to give a top-tier feel to the site. This is clearly not a weekend-blogger’s blog site. Nor does it feel much like a blog when you are on it. Most people who visit her site have no idea that they are on a blogging platform.
Premium Content
Myrtha is working very hard on content, clearly, and visitors seem to be interacting well in the comments. Notice how her content is well-thought out and hits points that campers in her niche are interested in. It’s also good to note that she holds a good balance of text and graphics. This gives the site a top-tier portal look that, in my opinion, competes with the likes of REI and other major outfitters. Except she has better, real content and isn’t just a shopping cart!
The trick for sites like this is to balance content and advertising so things don’t look too overwhelming. Many sites screw this up when they find hundreds of affiliate programs and PPC advertising – they try to put it all in there all at once without testing what will bring in the most money with the least intrusion on the visitor experience.
List Building
Myrtha has created an incredible list building tool in her 28 page camping cookbook. In exchange for signing up for her list she’s giving away something people would normally expect to purchase. She’s also got the graphic and opt-in form in one of the highest attention-grabbing areas of her site, the upper left corner.
Value
While I didn’t have a chance to check in with Myrtha on how she’s doing lately with traffic and list building, her first month she was able to begin getting 500 unique visitors per day.
That, combined with a dedicated readership and growing web presence with incoming links, search engine positions, and direct traffic, makes what she’s built so far worth more than she’s paid in developing it and the training she’s received on building authority sites. (That includes Elite Coaching which is offered at ASC and costs around $9000.00!)
So while others build sites that depend 100% on advertising for traffic, because the sites cannot rank in the engines and have no platform for building links and getting direct traffic, Myrtha is building a major asset for her authority site business.
And the value of the site, along with the income of a properly monetized and promoted site, just keeps growing month after month.
Content Examples
- Fly-Fishing With Kids
- Ghost Stories and Jokes for Around the Campfire
- Camping Gear Reviews
You can see this is a deep, rich visitor experience in a market where “city folk” need to brush up on their camping skills to take kids on their first camping trips.
I will follow up in a few months with an update on JoyofCamping.com to see how Myrtha is doing!