There has been a rise in authority sites across different niches. This has been complemented with the rise in knowledge providers that help you in attaining that authority status for your respective website.
In order to choose the right service provider for your respective platform, it is essential that you first understand what we mean by an authority site.
An authority site in the simplest terms is the most trusted source for information on a particular industry or niche market segment. It is not only trusted by website visitors rather also by industry experts and search engines.
It is like that friend you would go for advice for the most important matters of your life.
A couple of simple examples of authority sites for news related items are The Guardian and The Huffington Post.
There can also be authority sites for niche topics like Apple product reviews or book reviews. Not every site that posts content about a particular topic can become the authority site for that topic.
They have to undertake certain investments and make considerable effort to become the authority site in their respective niche.
In this Authority Site System review, we will dive into the course, its benefits and flaws, what to expect to gain from it, and all the different subjects covered in the program – so you can have a good understanding of what it offers before potentially buying it.
What is The Authority Site System
The Authority Site System (currently 3.0 [TASS]) is a course designed to help you set up an authority site from scratch. It is claimed that by taking this course you can build an authority site that will help you earn a 6 figure income.
This course can be obtained on its own or as part of the complete Authority Hacker Pro package that includes other courses as well.
The Authority Site System is a course pertaining to online marketing that is designed for individuals who lack prior exposure to this subject matter. It has been tailored to be easily understandable by an absolute beginner who has no background knowledge of online marketing.
Here's a snapshot of how the members area looks like.
The Authority Site System Review: Members Area
The main focus of this course is not to just help you build any website, rather an authority website that can contain content about different topics but directed towards a certain niche like “Apple product reviews”.
However, it is important to note that this course helps you build a stage 1 authority site. This means that the site will generate earnings by means of affiliate marketing and increasing organic traffic by SEO management.
This course follows a step by step approach to helping you set up a stage 1 authority site. This will include helping you finalize your niche, searching for keywords, creating the site on a platform like WordPress, writing the content for your website, building third party links, and marketing your platform via paid advertising.
Once this entire process is complete and you have successfully set up an authority website you will now start earning passive income.
This course has been developed by Gael Breton and Mark Webster to help individuals develop a long term source of stable income from online marketing.
According to the two founders of Authority Site System, this course has stemmed from a combination of their learnings from their failures and successes during their attempt to construct their own authority site.
They found the lack of actual well-structured training pertaining to creating an authority site quite frustrating. Therefore they started to organize their own learnings that eventually turned into training that others wanted to take to develop their own authority site.
They claim that since they have attained success by building many authority sites they do not promote any software or applications to earn commissions. They do it because using them worked for them and they believe it will work for you as well.
The course first talks about what is online marketing, why it is a good sector to enter into, and how to make your mark by successfully setting up an authority website.
The theoretical knowledge in the course is complemented with notes, a walkthrough of the process, and more recommended resources that might help.
In addition to the actual content, you will get access to an exclusive Facebook community where you can post about your website or ask queries pertaining to setting up an authority website.
The social network community element of this course tends to increase the relatability for every student that signs up.
The amazing part about this course is that it contains multiple videos on basic elements like branding, how to create your website, earning money from online content, and building third party links to set that solid base for you prior to entering the realm of authority websites.
You can actually give the training a test run by sitting through the free training video developed by the founders. This free video gives a very good overview of the paid version of the course and can help you decide if you want to sign up for it.
The brains behind The Authority Site System
The legitimacy of any online or physical training is mostly measured on the basis of the credentials of the teacher or trainer. Therefore it is only relevant to review the background of the two founders of The Authority Site System.
The Authority Site System Review: The Creators
Gael Breton
Gael has had an interesting career progression in the area of marketing. He started off as an intern during his college and then went to work for the same company after graduating. He was able to progress to becoming the head of the entire office in just a matter of 6 weeks.
Eventually, he became the editor in chief of Authority Site System pro. As part of this role, he is responsible for creating and refining the content for this training as well as for their blog posts.
He also caters to marketing research and strategic planning of their website. His passion for online marketing is reflected in his researching new SEO tools and strategies even in his free time.
He has spoken on various prestigious platforms including the Oxford University, Harvard Business School, the General Assembly, and Wharton. In addition to this, he has done many conferences including the DMSS and DCBKK.
He has a vast collection of podcasts and webinars that have appeared on Ahrefs and SEMrush.
This is a pretty impressive profile and does add considerable legitimacy to the content of the course.
Max Webster
Max is the cofounder of Authority Site System and his area of specialization is in the area of being a systems expert. His passion for online marketing goes back to 2008 when he worked on developing AdSense campaigns and ClickBank products.
Max is all about efficiency and maintaining structure when it comes to their website or the creation of content for their training and blogs. He believes in constantly experimenting and then expanding successful strategies to an enterprise level.
His prime responsibility is the development of high-quality content and white-hat links for the authority sites that are looked after by Authority Hacker. He also caters to hiring the best quality resources for the company, creating podcasts, and customer support services for the Authority Hacker parent company.
The target market for The Authority Site System
This is a course that is tailored for individuals looking to build a lucrative authority site in their niche from scratch. This is not a course for someone looking to make quick money without making the effort.
It is rather targeted towards those who understand that setting up an authority site and establishing a steady revenue stream requires time and effort.
Authority sites have been known to be a source of fairly decent income. However, this can only happen if you follow the process correctly and establish your position firmly as the authority site in your respective niche.
Once you have signed up for the course you will see that the website structure for the members-only section is very user-friendly and easy to understand. It has a clean layout that is easy to navigate and locate the required sections.
The website has the theoretical modules and the action items corresponding to each lesson that will help you construct your authority site. The key is to go through the modules step by step and not take them out of their sequence.
Every video tutorial has been complemented with a written document containing the same information to avoid the loss of focus in students as they struggle to write down important information or keep on rewinding the video to listen to missed content.
While you progress through the course you will be able to see how much you have covered and tasks you have accomplished for developing your authority site. This tends to work as a motivating factor for individuals who have signed up for the course.
Since this course is targeted towards beginners it allows you to revisit any prior modules in case you need to refresh your knowledge pertaining to earlier stages of building an authority site.
The Authority Site System course structure
The Authority Site System has recently launched its 3.0 version spanning across 130+ lessons. Every new version contains improvements and additions to the previous versions. However, if you have the old version you are not losing out.
The Authority System 3.0
This course promises the presence of 4 main elements:
- Periodically improved and updated content
- Full of intensive learning and free of fluff
- All elements of the training have been practically tested
- All trainings follow an over the shoulder approach
For example, anyone who purchased the first version of the training will have received the upgrade to the 2.0 version which was a lot more interactive than the previous version.
The founders of the training combined video tutorials with the action items by linking files like Google sheets in their videos. This helped viewers avoid the hassle of creating their own sheet and using the existing one for tracking their own site’s progress.
It does not matter which version you purchased you will get automatic updates to it without paying extra. Modules 0 and 1 are unchanged in this update but Module 2 has received modification pertaining to finding and choosing your niche.
You will be able to see the list of any changes to the course in the Update log section of Module 0. Let’s have a look at the step by step content layout of this training.
Module 0 – Getting familiar
This module of the Authority Site System training is all about setting the ground for the entire course. It begins by providing guidelines for navigating through the training and a Case study guide to help you understand what kind of site you will be constructing.
The module comes with organization tools like content templates. These act like action items for your training that you can checkmark once you are done with them and they keep you organized. This is called the “New Site Todo System” in the Authority Site System.
You will also understand the link and working of the 1700 plus member Facebook community that is included in your training package. You will be given access and it will provide you much-needed help for building your own authority site.
In case you have any queries pertaining to the training or your own authority site you can inquire in the Ask a Question section. You will receive your response in the form of a video clip that makes it easier to understand.
Module 1 – Understanding the Authority Site Model and Marketing 101
This module works on the basics of building an authority site. Since the training is targeted towards beginners it starts by defining what is an authority site and explaining its structure in detail to the audience.
It also covers the absolute basics of SEO and its link to increasing the traffic to your authority site. They focus on SEO since it is one of the easiest to understand strategies and has shown promising results for authority sites previously.
This section of the training covers the entire model of an Authority Site in considerable detail. While covering this model the training elaborates on the different challenges you might face while setting up your own authority site and how to overcome them.
The Authority Site System Review: Module 1
This module contains 5 subsections and each of them covers a distinct subject matter. These include:
- What is an authority site: As suggested by the title this section caters to defining an authority site and covering its components in detail.
- How an authority site obtains traffic: This discusses the various ways an authority site obtains traffic. It discusses their benefits and flaws and explains why SEO is the best way to start with.
- How an authority site makes money: The main goal of this training is to help you earn money by developing an authority site. This section of the training covers that topic and explains the 3 main ways in which your authority site can earn revenue.
- Affiliate Marketing 101: While going through this section you will learn how affiliate marketing works, what are some of the common mistakes you should avoid, how to improve your earnings by maximizing your commissions, and avoid products that could damage the reputation of your site.
- SEO 101: This is an important part of the course if you want to gather an in-depth understanding of the SEO process.
This will include everything from conducting a keyword search, incorporating them in your content to improve search results, and building links on relevant third party platforms.
This is just module 1 and it should give you a fair idea of how learning-intensive this course is. You have to be committed to going through all the videos, the written content, and accomplish the set-out action items if you want it to provide you value for your money.
Module 2 – Niche Research and Site Planning
This is one of the longest and content-rich modules of this training. It spans over 20 videos and their supplementary written material but it takes a couple of days to finish this section.
Every website has a structure and layout. The contents covered in this module are aimed at providing you with the knowledge to fill this structure in the best possible manner for your authority site.
The Authority Site System Review: Module 2
There is a lot of practical implementation of the lessons in this module in the form of extensive research. However, you will require the AHREFS tool for conducting your required keyword and niche segment research.
You can obtain $7 for seven days after which you will be charged $99/month. You can decide which one you wish to purchase based on your usage.
Since you require a lot of research at the earlier stages of building your authority site you can start with the 7-day trial and then switch to the monthly plan if needed.
The prime goal of making you conduct detailed research is to help you finalize the niche in which you want your site to become the authority site. Picking the right niche is one of the toughest tasks in this entire process and also one of the most important ones.
You may be passionate about more than one niche but you cannot choose any one of them for your site based on your hunch. The decision has to be well researched otherwise there are high chances that your authority site will fail to establish its position.
The subsections that are covered in this section include:
- Niches that work well
- Brainstorming niches
- Getting started with market research
- Market Research – small sites
- Market Research – big sites
- Market Research – shortlisting
- Market Research – Physical products
- Market Research – Info products
- Market Research – Advertising
- Market Research – Easy keywords
- Market Research – Seasonality
- Market Research – Easy link building
- Market Research – Making your final niche choice
- Planning your V1 site
- Expanding your commercial keyword list
- Expanding your info content keyword list
- Planning your V1 site structure
This list can seem daunting and slightly overwhelming. However, each of these elements is covered in a manner that even someone completely new to developing an authority site can easily understand it.
As long as you follow the course in its given order and carry out the required action items you should not have a problem.
The main reason why this section is so important is that it can set the ground for whether you will earn a 6 figure income from your authority site or not.
Module 3 – Site Setup
This stage of the training spans across 14 videos with supplementary diagrams and text. It is all about putting together your learnings from the previous modules and starting to construct your own authority site.
If you are getting overwhelmed by now with the information overload it is better to take a step back and resume when you are more receptive to the lessons. This is the best part of this training that you progress at your own pace.
You will be guided step by step on how to set up a site from scratch. This will include the requirements to purchase a domain name (costs approximately $10) and obtain website hosting services from a company (costs around $ 50/ year).
The go-to platforms for registering your domain name are Namecheap and Godaddy. However, there are many other options available as well if you would like to experiment.
Since you will be constructing your website during this phase of the training you will be working with WordPress as your website building and editing tool. In case you have prior experience of working with WordPress this will be easier for you.
So far the modules have been focusing on action items only related to your authority website. However, during this section of the training, there is considerable time dedicated to research about the competitors who already have authority sites in your niche.
This includes looking at the top keywords used by competition in your niche, evaluating their methods of generating revenue (monetizing) from their authority website, and the type of content they post on their platform.
You will gather this knowledge about the competitor and use it to plan your authority site in a better manner by increasing commercial keywords, posting high-quality content, and a well-structured site map.
Some of the important topics covered during this section are:
- Picking a domain name
- WordPress hosting and setup
- WordPress basic settings
- Picking a WordPress theme
- Establishing a basic branding
- Branding your theme
- Analytics and SEO set up
- G Suite email set up
- Miscellaneous plugins
- Core pages
- Live site-building
Once you are through with this section of the training you will be well equipped to be able to construct a working and revenue-generating authority site.
Module 4 – Content Creation
It is a very commonly known fact that no website is complete without relevant content. This module is all about conducting research into content that is relevant to the niche of your authority site and consolidating it into coherent articles.
There are already pre-constructed templates available in the training to help you develop the required articles. Once you have written the articles you will move on to optimizing them using SEO and then publishing them on your authority site.
However, you will have to ensure that your website contains at least one article of each type that is mentioned in this section of the training. In case you find this task to be tedious or overwhelming there is always the option of outsourcing this task.
Even though this is not the recommended way of creating content at the initial stages of your authority site, Mark Webster still provides some guidelines for outsourcing your articles and recruiting quality writers.
The biggest mistake you can make while creating your authority site is to not give the required importance to the content creation element. Your website ranking on tools like Google search results or your keyword analysis on AHREFS all depends on the quality of your content.
The content is what sets apart one authority site from another. Fancy animations and attractive themes are not enough on their own to increase the traffic to your site.
The Authority Site System Review: Module 4
Since this section of content creation spans over 8 detailed videos with supplementary text you will have sufficient knowledge to write high-quality content for your site once you have covered all the lessons.
The subsections of this module are:
- Introduction to content creation
- Introduction to content templates
- Round up Review Template
- Single Product Review Template
- Information Content Template
- Writing your first 10 articles
- The Amazon Associates Program
- Uploading and Publishing content
- Outsourcing content creation
Module 5 – Link Building
This is the last module of this training that covers the white hat link building task for your authority site. The founders of this training are focused on building links the right way and ensuring that they are placed on relevant platforms.
This means that links placed on ill-reputed sites or those placed in exchange for placing unrelated links on your authority site are not encouraged. This is because these are damaging to the ranking of your site.
Links tend to be as important as content when it comes to your ranking in different search engines. The greater the number of high-quality relevant links of your website on other platforms the better will the ranking of your authority site.
The lessons cover how to identify the right people to approach for link building and how to approach them in order to successfully have your link placed on their platform.
In order to make this task less tedious, there is a certain level of automation that can be incorporated for link building for your authority site.
The Authority Site System – Should you go for it?
Benefits
This training has been developed by qualified individuals who have been successful in constructing well-performing authority sites. The learnings stem from their accomplishments and failures during their journey.
They are also academically qualified and have served a decent amount of time working in fields (online marketing) relevant to this training. Mark and Gael both have a popular YouTube channel, multiple podcasts, and have spoken on many prestigious platforms.
This reflects that it is legitimate training and not a scam to make you part with your money.
Furthermore, this is a highly detailed training with an impressive structure and supplementary materials (written text and templates) to aid the learning process. This coupled with their revisions (current version 3.0) in incorporating updates in the field of authority sites speaks volumes about the quality of this training.
There are a number of positive testimonials and success stories of individuals online who took this training and it helped them construct a revenue-generating authority site.
The Authority Site System has complemented its learning-intensive lessons with access to an interactive Facebook community that offers support and assistance to individuals like you who are building their authority site from scratch.
The course claims that if you are able to cover the content in its required order and accomplish the action items then you can have an authority site that will be able to replace your job’s income in 6 to 12 months.
If you are still not sold to this training it also offers you a money bank guarantee in case it does not end up being beneficial for you.
Flaws
The main focus of this training is to increase organic traffic to your site by improving content quality and ensuring high-quality link building. It does not provide the required coverage to other proven measures of increasing traffic like paid advertisements on Google or Facebook.
The Authority Site System training is not a cheap investment, it costs approximately $997. In addition to this there are other expenses like the AHREFS subscription, the domain registering, and the payment for hosting services. Therefore, this training may not be affordable for all individuals.
The training does have a free video that gives a flavor of the training but there is no free trial of the actual training. This could be a discouraging factor for some individuals given the high fee of the training.
This is not really a flaw but the training mostly covers the subject matter of beginner level and does not contain any advanced lessons. Therefore if you are someone who already has the basic knowledge of building an authority site this training is not suited for you.
Final Verdict
Like every other training online the Authority Site System has its flaws. However, the benefits of the training outweigh the flaws by a huge margin.
Having gone through the course multiple times myself, I still consider it one of the best affiliate marketing courses out there and that you should go for it if you have the budget and looking to replace your job’s income with a passive income source.
