Introduction (videos and written guide)

You are first confronted with steps to take to download everything, which includes the written core eBook guide and then to watch the introduction video.

The intro video and intro in the written guide gives a great outlook on the potential of Ben's system and how to approach the guide logically and systematically. I always enjoy a good introduction that is not too long and hyped up but allows the user to lay out his or her plan of attack.

Buying Websites

Ben gets into more detail about actually buying sites here and he aims to explain how and what to look for when buying sites for maximum profit potential. Alongside the written guide, there is also a good accompanying video on buying vs. building your website which brings up some really valid points worth knowing before you start.

After listening to the advantage of buying a site in conjunction with this system, I already knew that buying would always be the better option for me personally, but you have to weigh things up depending on your own interests, time and money available. This is really sensible and balanced advice from Ben and makes the whole decision easier to make for you.

What I also noticed at this point is that there are some good "timeout" intersections throughout the written guide which point you towards the video instructions after you've learned the theory so far, although he doesn't continue this style as much later on.

The advice Ben gives on buying sites is solid and as he talks about valuing a site, he also begins to delve into niche selection.

Confusing order

At this point, you're already learning how to find and buy good sites that will work well with this entire system. However, if you're only following the written guide then you'll notice that the niche selection chapter is about half way through the guide, whereas if you work your way through the videos step by step, you'll notice that there's a niche selection guide called "High Paying Niches" right after the buying vs. building video.

At this point, it seems a bit jumbled up. I mean, do I read the written guide and learn how to find sites worth buying and not worry about the niches they are in? Or do I just learn everything and then pick a niche and go and find a website in that niche?

Personally, I found that it makes more sense to actually read the manual all the way through once (doesn't actually take that long) and then go and watch the videos step by step. This will give you a more rounded and logical approach to the system that I think Ben might have jumbled slightly in that respect.

Creating Websites

The other side of the coin of course, is choosing to create your own websites from scratch instead of buying established or prebuilt websites. This is where I think a lot of the value of the course really comes out.

Ben first of explains the advantages of building a site from scratch depending on your skill level and inclinations, which I thought was really well put together advice. It may seem like the obvious things to consider are how much time and money you have but Ben actually goes more in depth with other considerations to think about such as flexibility etc.

But where this guide really starts to shine is when you start to unravel the sheer amount of content that Ben has put into this section of the guide. Without sounding hyped up, this section on building your own website with the intention to make money selling it is really a guide in its' own right and certainly a great resource for a brand new marketer to get started with.

What I particularly likes about the site building process that Ben explains is that not only does he have great in depth niche research from all the best angles start to finish, but also makes it perfect step by step approaches with diagrams and supporting videos (ideal for newbies or technophobes!)

I can honestly say that there are guides selling for the same price which ONLY cover this section alone and certainly not the other aspects of this guide.

In fact, there is no doubt that the niche research section combined with the actual site building mechanics, plus the ultimate selling of the site is as solid a system as you can get.

Ben has pretty much covered off every angle and whilst there are a number of things I do not like about this guide (see below), I would definitely say that the principles do work. If you're able to use a little common sense and have a little patience in finding the right investment as laid out in the guide, then you should expect to make a nice secondary (or full) income from using this guide.

Don't expect it to be hands free though, as this system is a work intensive business model and until you can afford to outsource the heavier workload parts with the profits you are generating, I would actually go in prepared for a little elbow grease!

Ben makes no hiding of this work required but he does lay it out in logical steps for you. He also does clearly state that any investment comes with risk and you might not always come out smelling of roses with green pockets, so be prepared for the downs as well as the ups.

This is true of all worthwhile businesses, so try not let that put you off too much.

Easy to digest

The first thing that struck me about this entire guide and what really helped me learn from it was the way everything was so well written and flowed seamlessly from section to section. Whilst there were a few inconsistencies with the start of the written guide vs. the videos (such as finding a good niche being to late on in the written guide but almost straight away in the videos), the overall payout and execution of this material is great for all skill levels. This is important in a guide of this magnitude, as otherwise you'd struggle to get started at all, which tends to happen with people when they buy other online marketing products.

Buying vs. building video is well thought out

If you decide to watch the videos, the first one you see after the intro is one called buying vs. building. I actually thought this was really well thought out and contains some very insightful (although largely common sense) thought patterns for deciding whether to simply buy an existing website or simply build one from scratch. Ben presents a solid argument for both and perhaps makes it harder to decide at first! But what he explains is more to do with your own personal situation and how to look at things from a practical sense, based on your goals, timeframe and skills.

Great in depth niche research

One of the most content packed sections of the guide, as I mentioned earlier is the niche research section. This is really more useful when building your own site from scratch, but can also be applied to building out a specific site that has already been started.

There is tons of diagrams, step by step approaches and keyword research guidance on offer here, that I think that much of the value of this guide is found here. Having said that, this entire niche research section might be useless to a more experienced marketer, but still a worthwhile read to refresh the old memory.

Technophobes welcome

Project Archimedes sounds and appears to be a complicated, technical battlefield that only the expert marketers with a degree in IT should go near, at least that's what I thought. But in reality, the entire guide is really beginner friendly and with the level of detail and accompanying diagrams and videos, there is no reason a relative beginner could not get up and running with this system immediately.

Admittedly, a complete beginner may take much longer to grasp everything as there is so much being taught, but this is literally a step by step approach and everything from actually buying a website or picking a topic to build a website around is covered. Sure, there is still room for mistakes, but that's the same with all programs...always will be.

Which monetization methods will really sell...

Another aspect of buying a site and monetizing it which I would easily have overlooked is the type of money making model you add to your site can affect how much you make from the sale of the site. Ben does cover the most common ways to make your site earn more money by switching out old monetizing systems for new ones, but he also explains why certain money making models for sites add more value...very useful insights indeed.

Over the shoulder tuition

Particularly with the buying videos and the case studies, you get to watch in real time as Ben scours certain marketplaces and picks out the types of websites that he would personally invest in. I think this is a great touch and adds even more value to a solid product, as you begin to see how a proven "site flipper" thinks. He explains why he would run a mile from certain offers and would jump at other offers in a flash.

This style of learning is something which I feel has been neglected for a little while now in these types of products. This style is more like it used to be a few years ago, where the entire product would be a video guide of a guy's screen, showing you how he writes a sales letter or makes something cool happen on his website etc.

How to sell on the market

Although this entire guide is all about buying and selling websites, I particularly liked the example section of how to actually list your site on certain marketplaces on order to get maximum bids. I can assure you, after previously selling one of my own sites at the very same website as Ben talks about, I was kicking myself when I saw his techniques for BIN (Buy It Now) pricing, along with his other little tips and tricks for squeezing more from each site you are trying to sell.

Inspiring case studies

The added case studies show that this entire concept is for real and big money really can be made. For example, one video shows how Ben found this smaller, seemingly worthless site that most of us would simply step right over blindly, and why he thinks this particular site would be a good candidate (good learning material). However, he then opted out to buy the site because he was a little sceptical of something. That particular site was put on sale for $297 at 3pm in the afternoon and Ben came back (on video) an hour or so later and it was sold for just under $600...need I say more?

Sensible and hype free

Another aspect I enjoyed about this guide was that Ben's advice is very sensible and hype free. He offers precautionary advice about the reality of flipping sites before actually telling you what to do, plus he summarizes his entire guide by further advising of the pros and cons of such a system.

Whilst it's not exactly selling you on the idea, he is also not saying anything that would put you off having a go for yourself and if anything, you end up having more belief and trust in his words as a result.

The thing to keep in mind is that the beauty of this system allows you to pick your budget and unlike the stock market or real estate market, you will always find a huge crowd of vulture's willing to buy your assets, providing you've put the work in to make them worth more than you paid.

It sounds simple and it really is. There's no pressure to sell at a certain point, but only when you feel and know that your site is worth what you would like to sell it for. Again, Ben shows exactly how to tell what a site is worth and how to know what to charge for a site...all of which gives you a better chance of making more from each deal as a result.