So here are some guidelines for when to use each type of site.

When to Build an AdSense site

If you already have an AdSense account, and want to make money from a niche that pays well on AdSense clicks. You can outsource the article writing, making this a quick and easy way to increase AdSense earnings with very little work.

If you know enough about some of those high-paying AdSense niches to easily and quickly write 10–20 articles. Build a site by adding an article or two a day for a month. Make sure it has everything Google wants, then apply for AdSense, get approved, and drive traffic by submitting articles to directories.

If you already own some solid PLR content in high-paying AdSense niches. Just rewrite that content and build it into a site. Then submit the rewritten articles to article directories to drive traffic. If you want to make some “extra” money from a comparison site, like the example I showed you earlier. Every new article that I submit to an article directory that sends traffic to that site makes an average of $2.50 in clicks within 24 hours.

If you want to make some money from “exit traffic” on your opt-in or direct sales site. Warning! Make sure the AdSense ads don't distract visitors from doing what you REALLY want them to do, like opt-in or buy. Test to see if adding AdSense reduces your conversions on those sites. If it does, remove it.

When to Build an Opt-In Site

ALWAYS! Or almost always. By that I mean you should always try to find a place to include an opt-in box, no matter what type of site you are building. By building a list, you have multiple opportunities to make money over and over again. It's all about continuous money.

If you have easy access to content you can use for your newsletter. This is a great way to use that PLR content you've got sitting around on your hard drive!

If there's a decent variety of products to promote to your list. Remember that a list doesn't have to be large to make money. I have very small lists that consistently generate income. But you need to have something to sell them.

If the product merchant is collecting opt-ins on his sales page! You want your chance to grab the visitor's email address BEFORE they get to the sales page. It's not bad if the merchant is collecting opt-ins, because many merchants will cookie that subscriber with your affiliate link, so if they buy later, you'll make a commission. But it's always a good idea for YOU to get that subscriber, too!

When to Build a Direct Sales Site

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When you find a strong product in your niche, it's always worth testing a Direct Sales site especially if the product has an excellent sales page that would obviously convert very well!

When you don't feel you can develop unlimited articles on a topic, but CAN do about 10–20 content pages. That's enough to build a decent direct sales site.

When to Build a Blog

When your research reveals that a niche has a big audience of people who are really passionate about the topic. Niches related to things like hobbies, sports, celebrities, technology, news, and fashion are great for blogs, since people are always hungry for updates, new products, new trends and fads, and new information on these topics.

When YOU are passionate about a topic and would enjoy writing about it regularly.

When you want to get some really quick search engine indexing to boost your traffic.

When you want to take advantage of the instant traffic possibilities that come with the Web 2.0 social networking aspects of blogging.

When to Build an SEO Site

When you really love the topic and would like to make a long-term commitment to the niche. SEO takes time to build up. If you can make a commitment to growing your SEO site, even if it's just a little bit every month, it can develop longevity and good search engine presence.

When you want to build an “authority site” over time. An authority site is one that develops a higher and higher Google PageRank, lots of good incoming links from other important sites, and a strong presence in natural search results. The benefit of building an authority site is you can link from it to your new sites in that niche giving them a little bit of instant “Google love!”