Amazon review Site Questions

Hello all, I'm thinking I'm going to try my hand at Amazon review sites and had a couple of questions first that I was hoping someone with a bit more IM/Amazon review site experience could help me out with.

1. Is it better to get a relevant, but unranked domain name, or an irrelevant expired name that already has PR, backlinks and all that stuff? For example, lets say I'm pushing gaming PCs (not my real niche), would it be better to buy something like gamingpcreviews (dot) com with no domain name history, or say, unrelatedestablishedsite (dot) com with a PR of 4, etc?

2. Hosting packages! I know I want something with unlimited domain name support so I can eventually make more review sites once I've got my first one figured out. Other than that, I'm not sure what kind of package to get or who the best hosts generally are for WP-based Amazon review sites. I do know I'd prefer to get an all-in-one deal where I buy it all from the same place (domain, ssl, hosting, etc). Are there any companies generally considered good choices for this kind of site?

3. I know enough HTML to edit the basics, but my CSS leaves something to be desired, do I need to be a code monkey to successfully install, say, an Amazon Review WP theme and regularly update the site? I would imagine it's something similar to how Blogger looks behind the scenes, with an easy-to-understand UI, but I've never used WP so I don't know.


I'm open to any other advice and appreciate your time answering any of my questions. Very excited to get started on this, my first real IM endeavor.

As far as my opinion is concerned about your first doubt, I think it pretty much depends on your niche and experience. If you're in a low comp niche and/or not very experienced at SEO, you can consider the "unrelatedestablished domain" or whatever you call it.

However, if you've already ranked a few sites in the past, and targeting a high comp niche now, a relevant domain may be a better pick.

Just my take.

Not very knowledgeable about the other two questions, sorry.

HeadLikeAFnOrange said:

2. Hosting packages! I know I want something with unlimited domain name support so I can eventually make more review sites once I've got my first one figured out. Other than that, I'm not sure what kind of package to get or who the best hosts generally are for WP-based Amazon review sites. I do know I'd prefer to get an all-in-one deal where I buy it all from the same place (domain, ssl, hosting, etc). Are there any companies generally considered good choices for this kind of site?

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When you're starting out, shared hosting is sufficient. It's advisable to not choose an EIG owned host, such as HostGator as they are known for poor reliability and support. To find a good host for your needs, the Web Hosting Talk forum is a good resource.

It's advisable to register your domain with a separate company as your hosting company because if there is a problem with either service then it's easier to change.

HeadLikeAFnOrange said:

3. I know enough HTML to edit the basics, but my CSS leaves something to be desired, do I need to be a code monkey to successfully install, say, an Amazon Review WP theme and regularly update the site? I would imagine it's something similar to how Blogger looks behind the scenes, with an easy-to-understand UI, but I've never used WP so I don't know.

Click to expand...

You don't need to be a code monkey. Installing a WP theme is easy. Most WP themes come with documentation which will tell you how to use the theme features if you want to customize your site. Besides, the theme requirements for an Amazon Review site are basic, so you don't need a complex layout or such.

If you planning to build a big site for the long-run, I would not buy a unrelated expired domain, but on the other hand if you can find a good matured domain with good link profile and a nice domain name in your niche, thats obviously the best. Otherways buy a new domain with a catchy name instead.