Is Affiliate marketing too time-intense?

Hey guys,

I'd love to hear your opinion on something. I've been working on my niche site for a while now (making it look pretty, adding articles, using keyword tools, researching ideas etc.), while also working on the IG profile of the site (adding videos, photos, follow/unfollow, commenting and liking other peoples pics etc) and it's a full-time job. While I do enjoy it most of the time, I have no idea if I will ever even make any money off this. Right now I'm just trying to build a follower base and get visits to my site and it's going VERY slow.

So I've been thinking. Why invest all this time in tons of content etc., hoping that one day I'll get enough visitors to my website, when I can just invest my time in building a Shopify store and get the sales going quickly? I know I know, of course Shopify isn't easy either, BUT at least I'd get straight to the point of trying to make money, trying to sell products. I do realize I would have to invest more money in the beginning, like for Facebook ads etc, but that's ok. I don't mind investing some money to see results.

What's your take on this?

THX

Niche sites are hard work at the beginning, but over time become more and more passive. Your building something that should make money for years hands free, compared to Shopify and ads where you could spend a huge amount of money and have zero to show for it.

Most businesses are slow to begin with so there is nothing abnormal there. While PPC might be tempting, it can be some time before you are able to make a positive ROI on ads. Split testing etc, you can burn through cash quickly.

The biggest obvious upside is scalability.

We're on the same route.
I created a niche website a month ago, and an Instagram page to gain followers.
Treat it like a business. Create multiple recources of income. Grow your audience. Try to catch people who are interested on that specific niche.
In my opinion you can't make a fair comparison between a niche website and a shopify store. They are two different types of income.
If you don't mind investing, open a shopify store too. Work on both of them. And after some time you will see what works best for you.
I will stick to the niche site at the moment. Later, who knows...

Like any business, the beginning is the most time consuming to get off the ground. Done right affiliate marketing can be very profitable.