I don't make beef jerky but I sure like to eat it. I mentioned awhile back about my two beef jerky blogs, "Best Beef Jerky" where I review jerky brands, and "Beef Jerky Diet", where I chronicle my weight loss program using jerky.

The two websites share a symbiosis. As I attract a loyal following of readers on my beef jerky review site, companies send me free samples realizing its a cheap way to get some publicity. In turn, the free jerky becomes the basis of my daily meals, a low fat, low carb diet. I lose weight, which I chronicle on the beef jerky diet site. I do make some advertising income on both sites, namely through AdSense, but it's only pennies right now. For the most part, getting free food is my income.

So today, I read this article about the guy who owns "beefjerky.com". He uses that site to sell his own brand of jerky dubbed, "Final Frontier Jerky". The article tells the story of how he managed to create a high-traffic volume site, but is not getting the big sales he thinks he should be getting. He's trying to boost the conversion rates.

One look at the website, and it's clear that the design of this thing makes it look like a content site, not an e-commerce site. E-commerce sites have a certain look and feel that tells the visitor right away that this place is selling something right here. Instead, this site looks like something that publishes information.

His other problem is the domain name. "beefjerky.com" doesn't lend itself to creating brand recognition. If "Final Frontier Jerky" is his brand name, then that's the domain name he needs to use. He can still use "beefjerky.com" as a feeder site, publishing content, perhaps through a blog, to funnel traffic from Google over to the "Final Frontier Jerky" site.

Of course, I'm also trying to compete for traffic with my two jerky sites. I'd like to find them at the top of Google for such searches like "beef jerky". I figure the more keyword focused traffic I can get, then I can justify selling ad space directly to jerky manufacturers.

I'm trying to carve out a niche where I can create value for the jerky brands, by promoting their products through reviews, and helping them sell jerky. All I know right now is that there aren't any content sites devoted to just jerky. It's a very small niche of course, a "micro-niche". But creating the top destination site for this niche could still translate into substantial revenue when it's just my wife and I that have to support. At least anyways, we'll see what I can do with it.