Gain Expert Status In Your Niche

Step 1.) Stake Your Claim on the Internet

Before you begin your authority adventures….

You need to stake your own personal claim on the Internet.

Why is this important?

The thing about the Internet…. it makes faking stuff real easy.

Anyone can throw up a site and try to work for the short-term cash. When it gets deleted, they simply make another.

This is NOT how you build your name online… (not to mention trust and Authority!).

But did you know all of your online sites/endeavors become archived online?

You can visit the Wayback Machine, plug in any site like eBay, Google, TMZ, etc….

And see just how long it’s been in operation by its current owners.

Here, check out my 2 flagship sites:

As you can see, my sites have been in operation now for 18+ *years*.

You really cannot fake that kind of track record online!

So yep – the first thing you need to do to build up your authority is stake your claim online.

But before you do that, you need to determine:

What do you want visitors to do when seeing your site?

Do you want them to opt in to a list?

Do you want them to peruse your portfolio and hire you as a consultant?

Do you want them to view you as an expert…. so when you create and offer products and services….

They’ll feel comfortable enough to buy from you?

Hmmmm?

Your end goals should be taken into account before you create your site. After all, your can build your authority online and support your family…

So make sure your site works for *you*.

Here’s how to achieve the above goals:

  • Build Your List – Make sure you invest in an Autoresponder like aWeber or GetResponse (that’s where you store your list leads) and use plugins like Aweber Web Form Plugin or GetResponse Integration(that’s how you add people to your list from your website).
  • Grow Your Authority – Make sure you write and share articles that solve questions customers might have in your niche. These can be stored on the “blog” portion of your site (this site, BarbaraLing.com, has over 3,800+ individual tutorials/how-tos and the like, including this gem from 4 years ago (still valid!) – How To Brilliantly Turn Failure Into Money)
  • Showcase Your Porfolio– Here, you’d want all of your prior work easily accessible right from the get-go…. plus include pages like Why Hire Me?, Happy Customer Testimonials and the like.

Now, to create your site… you need to figure out:

  • What type? (share a free site, host your own?)
  • What platform? (WordPress? Blogger? Tumblr?)

Luckily, this isn’t difficult to do.

Here’s how to create your own site for free.

Many times, people interchange the word ‘blog’ with ‘site’. That’s because site-builders like WordPress.org originally were consider ‘blog builders’.

And keep in mind your goals: You definitely want to carve your own spot on the Internet.  Growing your authority makes it ‘way easier to get profitable online as well!

Blogs let you do this for free…. so start your own blog today! Here are some excellent resources to get you on your way:

You can start a free blog as well at

Let’s dive into that a bit more….

Idea 1.) Self Hosted

Self Hosted means you need to invest in a:

Domain name – This is the name of your site. Something like barbaraling.com , facebook.com, askbling.com, etc.

You can get some great domain name ideas over at:

It costs anywhere from a few dollars to $35/year to register a domain. Popular domain registrars are:

Domain hosting – This is where the files that make your Apple Watch site (WordPress, html, etc.) are stored. It generally costs a monthly/yearly fee. I have been using Little Creek Solutions for 14 years.

Some good resources for self-hosting a domain include:

Speaking of which, let’s chat about WordPress.com and Blogger:

Idea 2.) WordPress, Blogger

If you’re not yet ready to have your own self-hosted domain about your niche interest, you can still start blazing your glory online by taking advantage of sites like:

  • WordPress.com – This is the commercial setting for WordPress. It’s free to sign up and can get you started on your way!

One drawback, however, is that you cannot add WordPress plugins to truly customize your site. Still, though, if you’re looking for a quick way to begin, it’s a very valuable resource.

And if you would like more tips on it, check out:

And don’t forget:

Blogger.com – This is Google’s answer to hosting a blogging platform. It also allows you to start creating content right away!

And some ideas for that can be found at:

That takes care of WordPress.com and Blogger.com …. but you know another blogging network that has taken the world by storm? This one is a social network and it’s:

Idea 3.) Tumblr

Tumblr is a social network that makes it soooo easy to blog!

You can basically create one-click posts that are:Video

  • Images
  • Quotes
  • More!

Do not underestimate quite how popular Tumblr is online…. and it’s quite easy to start too.

Click HERE to register for Tumblr.

Next, you can select from 100s of free Tumblr themes over at

Some superb Tumblr Beginners resources can be found at the following (when reading them, think about how you can create a Tumblr blog about Apple Watch and profit from it!):

And once you have your own site online….

Add content!

Some ways to make your blog stand out include:

Good stuff!

Checklist before you move to Step 2:

  • 1.)  Choose a great domain name.
  • 2.)  Lay claim to your own site on the Internet.
  • 3.)  Set up your site.


Next, move to:

Step 2.) Uncover Communities Where Your Future Customers Gather

You now have a landing site  for people to get on your list (need help about that – check out Beef Up Your List By Powering Up Autoresponder Mastery).  Now is the time to start building your authority and letting people know you exist!

Let’s move to:

Where can I find niche forums?

It’s very simple.

Take your niche, go to Google and search for

NICHE forums

ie

Investigate the results…. and once you find a forum you like, sign up, set up your signature link to your site and answer questions.

That’s not the only place thouh, you can also use Social Media!  Let’s move now to:

Where can I find niche Facebook groups and pages?

‘Tis simple indeed!

Facebook lets you search for:

Latest mentions

  • People
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Pages
  • Places
  • Groups
  • Apps
  • Events

For example, here’s search for:

In all of the searches above, you’ll see tabs to zero in on People, Groups, Pages, Apps and the like.

Choose the areas in which  you’d like to network… and make it happen.

You can apply the same idea to all social networks – LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and the like.

Checklist before you move to Step 3:

  • 1.)  Search for niche forums
  • 2.)  Search for FB related groups
  • 3.)  Join the ones that appeal to you most.


And now that you know where to go to find your customer base, move now to:

Step 3.) Answer Niche Questions

It’s really not that difficult at all…. for example, take this marketing post at the Warrior Forum.

Someone posts:

What’s the fastest way to build your list?

And you go to Google and type in

And then you respond like so:

” There are lots and lots of ways to build your list… thing is, unless you use paid traffic, you’re at the mercy of how fast people share your content.

That being said, these resources give you some excellent techniques:

If you’re an established product creator, you can also network with other product creators and ask to get in on the backends of *their* launches (that enables you to build a buyers list without a product of your own).

Hope that helps!…”

Let’s take a step back and examine what we’re really doing.

  • Step 1.)  You’re looking for questions to answer on a forum
  • Step 2.)  You use Google to find resources that will help
  • Step 3.)  Because you share those resources, you appear smart (90% of the world’s population is too lazy to look stuff up themselves).
  • Step 4.)  Because you appear smart, people are more likely to click on your signature and opt into your list
  • Step 5.)  You rinse and repeat.

Like I said… it’s simple stuff.

What You’ve Just Learned

You’ve learned a quick and easy way to grow your niche authority online.  It’s a very newbie-friendly process:

  • Claim your spot on the Internet
  • Find where your future customers gather
  • Answer questions to build your expertise

Good stuff!  But we’re not done yet – move now to:

Your Next Steps

Your next steps are to DO!

Make the knowledge you gained here work for you.  Put it into action!

And if you’d like to get on the waiting list for my latest releases, please feel free to reserve your spot HERE.

Remember….

Fortune Favors the Bold

Go out and make yourself fortunate today!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email