An authority site is one that has earned the trust of the public, particularly users. If an online business has a successful authority site, it will have more visitors and affiliate websites, eventually converting to paying customers. So, how do you create an authority website?
Do you need any affiliate marketing training? Do you need to take affiliate marketing training courses? This and more are some of the questions answered by the Authority Site System training course.
However, if you are anything like us, you’d wonder about the genuineness of this course and if you will get value for your money. To answer this question and help you deal with doubts, we bought the course and decided to review it. So, stick with us as we begin The Authority Site System review until we give a verdict.
Ready? Let’s begin.
About the Authority Site System Course
The Authority Site System is a course created by Gael Breton and Mark Webster, the team behind the website AuthorityHackers.com. The Authority Site System teach marketers everything they need to know about creating authority sites like Authority Hacker. The course covers a wide range of topics, starting with basic niche research and ending with link building.
Is The Authority Site System cost worth the money? Keep reading this review to find out.
About Gael Breton and Mark Webster
The first thing we like to do before reviewing any course is talk briefly about the people behind the course. There’s so much free information on the internet, so if you’re going to pay for an online course, you better have a good reason.
You want to ensure you are getting a course from reputable educators who have achieved what you are trying to achieve. In this case, educators with successful authority websites.
The Authority Site System course was created by internet marketing experts Gael Breton and Mark Webster. Gael and Mark have been working together to build authority sites since 2013 and have generated millions of dollars in revenue. They have highly profitable authority sites, making them the people to teach about the authority site business model.
Here are a few of the screenshots they share on their Authority Hacker website:
Of course, anyone can fabricate a screenshot or use it out of context, so we don’t rely on screenshots alone to determine credibility. However, you can start to understand if someone is legitimate by looking at the free content they provide on their website or social media channels, and Mark and Gael are killing it in this area!
The free training on the Authority Hackers site is some of the best I’ve seen. They provide in-depth, actionable guides on a wide range of topics, including affiliate marketing courses. No fluff, no BS – just high-quality information on how to make money online.
We began to think, “if the free content is THIS good, how good is the premium course?” This leads to our review of The Authority Site System.
Authority Site System Pricing
The Authority Site System course is priced at a flat rate of $997. This is a one-time fee, and there are no recurring payments (or payment plans).
When you pay for this Authority Hacker course, you get access to the course itself as well as a handful of other bonuses, including:
- Access to a video library of over 120 video lessons
- Access to a live case study
- Copy and paste templates
- Access to a members-only FB community
- Free access to all future updates
- Keyword research tool
While the price is steep compared to other successful authority sites course, the value is more important. If you learn nothing from a $99 class and start a successful business after buying a $997 course, which one was the better deal?
So, let’s get to the course review.
Authority Site System Curriculum
The Authority Site System is broken down into five key modules, preceded by one introduction module. The five core modules include:
- The Authority Site Model and IM 101
- Niche Research and Site Planning
- Site Setup
- Content Creation
- Link Building
Let’s take a closer look at each of these modules.
The Authority Site Model
This module is just the beginning of this amazing course and provides the foundation for the rest of the material. Think of this like an “Authority Sites 101” class. Gael and Mark explain what an authority site is in great detail. While I referred to this module as a “101” course, it’s anything but basic.
Many other courses we’ve reviewed start with a lot of fluff. You end up watching over an hour of introductory content before you get to the meat of the course. The Authority Site System gets to the point right away.
I was particularly impressed by the level of detail in each of these videos. Furthermore, I was impressed by the number of “pro tips” included in the course. Mark and Gael don’t simply use textbook explanations.
They explain how they do things which is exactly what you want in a course. For example, the course explains the three stages of authority sites and what site owners can expect at each stage. The “three-stage” model comes directly out of the Authority Hacker team playbook.
This first module provides students a solid foundation to build on as they progress through the upcoming modules.
Niche Research and Site Planning
The Authority Site System takes an entire module to explain the niche selection and how to plan your own authority site. As someone who has built authority sites, I know just how important this is. You’re doomed from the start if you create a site in the wrong niche.
Once again, this course is incredibly thorough in explaining the considerations behind niche selection. In addition, the course offers actionable insights about what you should look for in a niche and why. Mark and Gael even take the time to walk you through a few examples with pros and cons.
After the comprehensive training program on niche selection, Mark and Gael take students through the process of doing market research. This research process includes quantitative and qualitative research and a live demonstration using the Ahrefs software.
Here are a few things they cover:
- Competitive Research
- Search Engine Optimization Research
- Advertising/Online Marketing Research
- Keyword Research
- Initial Link Building Research
- Other Considerations (i.e., Seasonality)
Once the research lessons are complete, the module begins to focus on the planning stages of the authority site creation process. First, the course explains how to start finding keywords for your articles, writing content, and planning your site’s structure.
Site Setup
Once you’ve planned your project, it’s time to start building your affiliate site. If you’ve never made a site before, the course teaches you everything you need to know about how to create authority sites. Of course, if you’ve made a site before, a lot of this information will be redundant, but there are some beneficial lessons in “best practices” that you can only learn from experience.
Here are some of the topics covered in this part of the course:
- Picking a domain name
- Setting up your hosting
- Setting up Cloudflare
- Installing WordPress
- Choosing a WordPress theme
- Choosing your site colors
- Choosing your site fonts
- Getting your logo designed (without breaking the bank)
- Customizing your site’s design and URL structure
- Site design tips for better conversions
- Setting up Analytics tools
Following suit from the previous modules, these lessons are comprehensive. For example, rushing through a lesson on choosing a domain name would be easy, but Gael and Mark systematically approach this process. They share best practices as well as a few tools you can use to come up with ideas when building affiliate websites.
For a beginner, this section is gold. This is the stuff I wish I had known about building a highly profitable authority site when I started.
Content Creation
After your site is set up, it’s time to start creating content. Advanced marketers with SEO knowledge know you can’t just throw a few articles on your site and hope to rank. You can’t create a private Facebook group and expect to reach many people. You need to be strategic and deliberate if you want to generate organic traffic that will translate into making money online.
The Authority Site System advocates for a systematic approach to commercial content creation. Unlike other affiliate marketing courses, it walks students through every step. Here are the basic steps:
- Planning: Using article templates, creating guidelines, generating ideas, research, etc.
- Writing: How to write for search engines, hire writers, etc.
- Posting: How to format posts, insert affiliate links (the right way), choose titles, add images, SEO optimizations, etc
Once again, this is a module I wish I had seen when I started. The content covered ranges from beginner-intermediate. I also like how Gael and Mark take an efficient approach to content creation. They approach the content as the site’s product. Therefore, they view it as a component of the business. They also preach a healthy blend of “content is king” AND “off-site SEO is necessary.” This leads to the next module.
Link Building
The link building section covers advanced tactics on what marketers need to do after building a site and creating content. Any experienced internet marketer who understands search engine optimization knows that links are essential to any SEO plan. While some “gurus” preach that content is king, the Authority Hacker guys recognize that you need great content and links to other authority websites.
The link building section of the course is primarily focused on building links through outreach. Like they’ve done throughout the entire course, Gael and Mark outline a well-structured system for link building. In addition, they explain their process and the tools they use to facilitate their outreach initiatives.
Topics include:
- Planning your outreach strategy
- Finding outreach targets
- Crafting outreach emails
- Using outreach templates and automation
- Negotiating link placements
- Tracking your outreach efforts
The process is thorough, well-explained, and practical.
My only critique would be that this module primarily focuses on a single link building strategy. Since the Authority Hackers team is a proponent of link building, I would have expected them to cover more link building methods.
Outreach is one of the more powerful link building strategies, but I don’t believe most sites should only use outreach. It would have been nice if the Authority Site System course included other strategies, such as blog commenting, forum posting, directory posting, PBNs, etc.
How Is the Course Quality?
Poor production quality can compromise a great course. There’s nothing more frustrating than coming across killer lessons that are hard to follow due to poor recording quality or lack of organization. Fortunately, that is NOT the case with the Authority Site System course. Instead, this course is well-produced and well-organized.
Each section follows a logical progression and high-quality screen recordings and slides back the lessons. Even custom graphics are used to explain better some of the processes discussed.
Does the Authority Site System Deliver?
This is one of the best courses we’ve reviewed on this subject matter. There are a lot of different ways to approach the content covered in these types of courses. Since authority sites technically fall under the category of passive income, many educators water down the content to attract a broader audience.
As someone who has built Authority Sites that generate substantial revenues, I was very impressed by this course. It is extensive, and, more importantly, the videos teach real lessons that are accurate and actionable.
The Authority Hacker team avoids bold promises. You won’t find any claims that this course can help you “generate $5,123/month on autopilot.” Nevertheless, it was refreshing to see a team that created a course designed for real internet entrepreneurs instead of the get-rich-quick crowd.
Overall, don’t be scared to spend money on this course as it delivers value and what is promised in the marketing materials.
Who Is the Course Best For?
The Authority Site System caters to marketers of all skill levels. If hypothetically, you were to remove the price tag, I think everyone interested in authority sites and affiliate monetization setup would rate this course highly. That said, the course is $997, which isn’t cheap, so there are a few other considerations.
Everyone’s situation is different, and our opinions are somewhat subjective. Ultimately, you need to decide if this course is right for you, but here are some considerations:
If you are entirely new to building authority sites, you should start by studying free resources on the internet (the Authority Hacker website is a good starting point). Then, take some time to familiarize yourself with the industry and start playing around with building sites. Once you have some essential experience, you may consider purchasing the course. If you buy any course, this should be the one.
If you have some experience with authority sites but do not make a full-time living from them, this course is a great resource to help take your income to the next level. If you are already making some money from authority sites, it’s easier to justify paying the $997. The course will help you correct your mistakes and learn new strategies to expand your existing marketing efforts.
If you are an experienced authority site builder and already have profitable sites (i.e., $2,000+ profit/month), this course offers a unique benefit. It can help you become more organized and purposeful with your strategy, particularly if you want to start building new sites. Some information may be redundant, but the “system” will help you approach authority site building as a business model instead of a hobby.
Is the Authority Site System Course Worth the Money?
Once again, this answer is somewhat subjective. For example, $997 holds different values for different people.
Let me lead by saying that, about the quality of the education, the course is worth the money. However, deciding whether or not to purchase it comes down to opportunity costs.
If you are just getting started and only have a few grand to your name, $997 is a lot to spend on a course. The course will provide some invaluable lessons, but you may be better off using your budget to learn and make mistakes of your own. With $997, you can buy hosting, domains, content, links, graphics, etc. If you are comfortable doing research on forums, social media sites, and blogs, don’t rush into an expensive purchase at the beginning of your journey.
If you can afford the $997, the course is a no-brainer. This truly is a proven system created by credible professionals in the space.
Comparison to Alternatives
The Authority Site System deserves a “best in class” award. This is one of the best courses on building authority sites. The only other course that compares is The Authority Lab by Matt Diggity.
The Authority Site System is built on the most effective methodology and provides the most comprehensive curriculum.
There is no better course on building authority sites.
If you are more interested in learning about specific topics related to the authority site creation process, you may prefer a more focused course. For example, Brian Dean provides a far more comprehensive course on link building. Still, it is pricey and does not cover niche research, monetization strategies, and site setup.
The Final Verdict
The Authority Site System is an excellent course for building authority sites like the pros. While the price tag may be steep, professionals in the space know the value of a sound system. A good authority site can cover the cost of the course in perpetuity. Furthermore, building sites using a proven method can maximize your efforts and get the most bang for your buck.
Authority Site System Pros
- The course is created by credible professionals
- The content is well-planned and well-recorded
- This is the most comprehensive authority site course on the market
- The modules provide professional, step-by-step instructions
- The course material ranges from beginner-level to advanced
- The system is proven to work and has generated millions of dollars for the owners
Authority Site System Cons
- The price is somewhat high ($997)
- The link building module isn’t as thorough as it could be
