Done for you affiliate sites can be great for both beginners and expert website flippers alike. For beginners, they get you set up with a site created by experts. For experts, they can save you time in building your own sites.
Pre-2016, I purchased a handful of ready made niche websites. While I always had the skillsets to do the site buildouts myself or outsource to specialists, I chose to go the DFY route for the sole reason to save time. Nowadays, if I want to build out a new site, I have a few go-to freelancers that know exactly how I want my sites built out, or I opt to acquire a site.
DFY website agencies are always a part of my “toolset” of strategies for when I need them.
In this write-up, I cover the following:
- What’s a DFY site? What’s included?
- DFY vs building vs buying niche sites
- Recommended DFY agencies
- Common questions
👉 What’s a Done For You (DFY) Affiliate Site?
A done-for-you site, or also known as a readymade site, is a Wordpress website that has been built by an agency as a turn-key solution. These sites usually include the following as a package:
- Domain (with options for aged domains)
- Wordpress installation
- Wordpress plugins (e.g., SEO plugin, Amazon plugin, caching plugins)
- Wordpress theme
- Unique content that is published with on-page SEO
- Images
- Training courses (some agencies provide this)
Some add on packages may include link building, infographics, YouTube videos, among others.
Once you place an order, the agency will work with you to determine your niche (if not already pre-determined), source a domain, research content ideas, get the articles written in-house, design the website, optimize it, and then when all complete, transfer it to your server hosting provider.
👉 Done-For-You vs Building vs Buying Niche Sites: My Thoughts
For any business decision, the “buy vs build” question arises. However, in the website investing world, we have three decisions that need to be weighed against each other.
Do you buy a hands-off ready-made site from an agency, build the site yourself, or acquire a pre-existing site from a seller?
They all have pros and cons. Let’s get into it!
Approach #1: Ready-made Niche Websites
Pros:
- Hands-off; no involvement needed except answering a few emails
- Beginners can understand what goes into building a niche website
Cons:
- High-cost compared to building yourself
- Less control on how the agency sets up the site
- No control on content quality, or keywords
If you find off-market deals for DFY sites (with no revenue), use the following 5-step framework and calculator to dictate a value.
Approach #2: Build Your Own Site
Pros:
- Exact control of the on-page, site structure, and keyword selection
- Strict control on costs
- Much cheaper than DFY sites
Cons:
- Requires understanding of how to set up a proper niche site
- Requires doing it yourself or finding specialists to write content, set up a website, keyword research, etc.
Approach #3: Acquiring Pre-Existing Sites
Pros:
- Can acquire a site with aged content that has pre-existing backlinks
- The site may be earning revenue already
- Content on the site can be acquired at a significant discount since acquisitions are based on multiple of revenue; not how much content is on the site
Cons:
- Minimal understanding of the site’s structure
- Detailed due diligence is required
Which is one is right for me?
Each individual is different and their available capital and time differ.
Personally, I started by building my own sites and after I learned the ins and outs, I started acquiring websites. I’ve used DFY agencies early on to save time; however, it was never used as a primary source of websites.
👉 Best DFY Affiliate Site Agencies for Website Flippers
Being in the industry since 2008, I’ve seen many agencies come and go. There also have been many agencies that have scammed people. The following agencies that I will review/discuss are backed by top-notch individuals that are in it for the long haul.
My Review Process
Note that the DFY sites do not get traffic, nor have any earnings from the get-go. It’s not possible to judge DFY sites based on their traffic or revenues. We have to judge the DFY agencies themselves, their team, service structure, and comparable metrics.
Each DFY agency will provide at a minimum the site build-out. The differentiation metric will be the words of content leading to the effective price per word ($/word).
This is what each review will cover:
- About the team
- About the service
- Comparable metric
- Additional value-adds
For the comparable metric, I will be sharing the price per word for each agency’s 50,000-word package.
Check out my thoughts below on each service provider, in no particular order.
Niche Website Builders Review
About
Niche Website Builders (NWB) has become a prominent provider of done-for-you niche site services from website build-outs, content, backlinks, aged domains, and more.
The team behind NWB is Mark Mars and Adam Smith. They manage a portfolio of websites themselves and implement what they preach. As a bonus, they are active members of the niche website community on Facebook within two Facebook groups, Niche Website Flippers, and Niche Website Builders.
DFY Service Breakdown
Their service is turnkey and includes help with niche selection, keyword research, keyword selection, content creation, site buildout, and ongoing support.
They provide 4 packages depending on the amount of content you require:
- 30,000 words at $2,495
- 50,000 words at $3,495
- 100,000 words at $6,495
- 150,000 words at $9,495
As an add-on, you can tack on an aged domain that the NWB team has sourced from auctions. Read more about aged domains here; they can be an excellent way to have site authority from the get-go.
Value Add
I asked the co-founder, Mark Marks of Niche Website Builders, what sets them apart. Here was the response:
We don’t offer training / SOPs but we do offer an insane amount of free consultancy. So, EVERY CLIENT gets an hour-long onboarding call where we talk about goals, aspirations, and strategy. We also talk to a lot of clients over email and messenger to help them grow their site and also we just have ad-hoc zoom calls for free. That’s what sets us apart and why so many people love us and recommend us through word of mouth. You can also think of it like we’re providing you with all the help and guidance you would get from a management company without the need to pay a commission on earnings.
Mark Mars, co-founder of Niche Website Builders
Comparison Metric
The 50,000 package works out to be 7 cents per word.
Alpha Investors Review
Update (12/06/2022): Alpha Investors has been sold off to another company. They have shut down operations. We DO NOT recommend using any of Alpha Investors’ current and future services.
About
Alpha Investors is headed by Andrej Ilisin. He is the owner of the website brokerage, Investors Club, Alpha Investors, and the private Flipping Websites Facebook group..
Andrej and his team manage a portfolio of websites and also provide a plethora of services catering to beginners through Alpha Investors, to DIYers via their brokerage and Facebook group, and then for those that want to be hands-off via BuzzLogic. They are a proper vertically integrated niche website business.
DFY Service Breakdown
Their service is turnkey and includes help with niche selection, keyword research, keyword selection, content creation, site buildout, and ongoing support.
They provide 3 primary packages which include the minimum to get started:
- Omega Package ($899): includes site build-out, 8,000 words of content
- Beta Package ($2,299): includes site build-out, 20,000 words of content, and basic off-page SEO
- Alpha Package ($5,299): includes site build-out, 50,000 words of content, full off-page SEO, and advanced on-page SEO
Alpha Investors also has readymade sites they’ve built out, content packages that you can purchase a-la-carte or as a monthly subscription, and they will build out sites on aged domains if that’s what the customer desires.
Value Add
The value add with Alpha Investors is the fact that the team also manages three avenues for website flipping:
- The largest Facebook group for buying/selling sites (without commissions)
- Investors Club brokerage
If you can grow your DFY site to earn revenue, you can utilize their services to sell the site or have it managed for you by the same team that built the site. A win-win!
Comparison Metric
The 50,000 package works out to be 10.6 cents per word.
Example site Metrics
Here are real-life details (without sharing the URL for privacy reasons) of a site that was created:
- Purchased the Alpha package
- Built site on a new domain
- 23 articles total; 50,000 words total
- 7 buying guide articles, 16 informational articles
- Aged domain was included that was 301 redirected (see step-by-step guide here)
What About Other Providers?
Many agencies can build out a site for you. Some of the other well-known ones are Human Proof Designs and Brand Builders.
Human Proof Designs has revamped its systems to build higher-quality sites that cater to various niche website builders.
Both of these providers are worth a look. Make sure to obtain sample sites and compare & contrast between various providers to see which one “works” for you the best.
What’s The Price Breakdown?
The price per word breakdown is as follows between all of these providers for the mid-tier 50,000-word package:
- Niche Website Builders: 7 cents
- Alpha Investors: 10.6 cents
- Human Proof Designs: 10.8 cents
- Brand Builders: 10.5 cents
Note that Human Proof Designs provides access to their detailed training course, Facebook group, and support. Brand Builders also provides lead magnets, 12 monthly coaching calls, and training videos.
Each service has its pros and cons. At the end of the day, you are truly picking the team that will be creating the site.
📊 Alpha Investors vs Niche Website Builders: Who Is Better?
Both are amazing service providers that understand how to build websites with the best content, site structure, and optimizations for growth. The agencies are managed by “website flippers” so they truly understand the ins and outs.
From the comparison metric standpoint (i.e., the price per word), Niche Website Builders is effectively 3 cents cheaper.
However, Alpha Investors in their Alpha Package optimizes content with advanced SEO tools, provides opt-in forms and lead magnets, and designs 3 unique infographics for the site.
🙋♂️ Common Questions About Readymade Affiliate Sites
Who’s the ideal customer for DFY sites?
Done for you sites are ideal for two classes of individuals: beginners, or those who have capital but limited by time or a lack of freelancers
If I’ve already built sites from scratch, should I buy DFY sites?
It depends. If you have successfully built up a few sites (maybe even flipped a few), then you have the knowledge to do it again. It then just comes down to your available time.
Many niche website builders are doing this on the side as a source of income; they have day jobs still. Therefore, in that situation, there is an argument to use DFY agencies due to lack of time.
If I’ve bought and sold sites already, should I buy DFY sites?
If you have bought and sold sites in the past, continue doing so.
With the sheer amount of deal flow available through brokers and marketplaces these days, you can source a good niche site with a bulk amount of pre-existing.
Many niche sites for sale include at least more than 50,000 pre-existing content. You are paying a multiple of the revenue and thus it is likely you will find a niche site that is not optimized for on-page properly and thus generates minimal traffic and revenue. That’s an easy win.
Are DFY sites more likely to be successful?
No, there are no guarantees. However, the DFY providers have been in this affiliate website industry for a long period of time. They manage their own portfolio. They understand what’s needed to put together a foundation for a successful site.
Am I paying a premium for Wordpress plugins, themes, etc?
The costs of plugins and themes are baked into the overall package costs. Most of the providers have agency packages for plugins and themes and thus can place them at no cost on your site.
Do I receive training after purchasing a DFY site?
For the most beginner-friendly service, Human Proof Designs is your best bet. They provide video training and access to a Facebook group to ask questions. The other providers do not have traditional training modules in place.
Can I be hands-off?
Yes. Each provider has a-la-carte and subscription packages for ongoing content and backlinks.
🤝 Wrap Up: Are DFY Sites Part Of Your Strategy?
If you do not have a pool of specialist freelancers or time to do it yourself, DFY providers will be a good choice.
These are the questions I always ask myself in any “buy vs build” decision:
- Do I have the time right now to build this new site myself or manage freelancers to do it?
- Can my time be spent elsewhere where I can get a higher ROI?
As an entrepreneur, the “buy vs build” decision is always a difficult one to tackle.
Use DFY website agencies as part of your arsenal of tools. There is always a use case for using them at some point in your journey.
