I Can No Longer Recommend Build A Niche Store aka BANS
I have seen this coming for quite some time as many others have reported, but I can no longer in good conscience recommend Build A Niche Store aka BANS.
You cannot imagine how sad it makes me to say that. Until two days ago, all but one of my BANS sites were still listed in the Google index. All were nearly 3 years old, had good traffic and made excellent money. This is no longer the case as they have now all been de-indexed. They are still getting traffic from Yahoo and MSN as well as earning money, but nothing like they were before.
Many of you know I made the switch to phpBay over a year ago. I like it because it is easier to customize the sites - for me anyway - than BANS was. I also like the fact that there are really no footprints with the software.
I should have known better and realized that this day would come. I had even spent an extraordinary amount of time coming up with a plan to convert all the sites to phpBay in the near future. I guess it was just not meant to be. It sucks because there were several great domain names in the mix.
At this point, I will not renew the ones that were only making pennies and will up the SEO efforts toward Yahoo and MSN for the rest. As long as they are paying for their domain renewals and hosting, I will keep them.
I have been a part of the program ever since it began and again, you really have no idea how it hurts me to say good-bye. The biggest problem with it is that it is a very fast way to get your domain de-indexed with Google. So if you are one of those sitting on the fence about getting BANS, save yourself the money and go for another product to help you build a store/site.
In all honesty, if you have knowledge with WordPress, then I highly recommend phpBay.
Digg This! | Add To Del.icio.us (0) | Stumble It!
About the Author: 
Sunshine (3 comments.) | Mar 22, 2009 | Reply
Hey Melissa,
Thanks for the heads up. By the way, what are your thoughts about Store Stacker and Niche Blueprint?
sasquatch | Mar 23, 2009 | Reply
It’s not only bans that are getting deindexed. A bunch of my phpbay sites also got deindexed.
Ben (1 comments.) | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Hey Melissa
How are you?
I have to agree with you completely, I have stopped talking about BANS and I have no BANS sites left now, they are all taken down for fear they will cause EPN to remove my account. phpBay is doing very well for me now and in all honesty I would never go back.
Speak soon.
Ben
Birmingham Escort (1 comments.) | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for posting such kind of useful information.I found it really good , best in working, your post help me.
Keep Posted in future as well.Thank you!
Spot from wordpress hosts (1 comments.) | Mar 26, 2009 | Reply
Sad about BANS.
You mentioned going with another product instead of BANS. Is there one that works well and that also has websites Google will index??
Spots last blog post..TrafficSwarm vs LinkReferral
Eren from homemaking encouragement (2 comments.) | Mar 27, 2009 | Reply
Hi Melissa,
You’re completely right. Anything that can somehow get us into trouble later is not worth the effort of even beginning to try to do. Even if we are doing things the right way there will be those who do it wrongly and Google ends up penalizing everyone.
It truly is unfair. But their filters are made to protect them and they won’t take the time to see who is using the software correctly and who isn’t.
It’s just best to stay away from any of those kids of softwares like BANS and WordPressDirect, etc.
I missed your blog posts – glad you’re back!
All the best,
Eren
Erens last blog post..Kids Bible Sermon overcoming laziness & a slothful sluggard spirit
Melissa | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
@ Sunshine, you’re welcome! As far as StoreStacker and Niche Blueprint, I feel both products will eventually get people into the same kind of trouble with Google as BANS. I have known others who used StoreStacker but never really had much luck with it. I do not know the inner workings of Niche Blueprint, however there were enough gurus supporting it to make me leary of even taking a second glance at it. All who were promoting it have HUGE lists to market to and with the influx of new members their recommendations would bring into the program, it will render it useless within a short while. In my personal opinion, I would not spend the money for it.
Melissa | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Hmmm…. I have only had one phpBay site de-indexed but it was my own fault. I never developed it with any content other than listings. I also never changed any of the standard WP settings. It was also built solely by users using the Search2Post plugin. Other than that, I’ve never had one single problem with a phpBay site.
Melissa | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
Hi Ben! Doing fine. How about yourself? Yeah, as you can see, I won’t be going back either. I’ll be moving forward with phpBay and others to create totally unique sites. It’s the only way to go.
Hope to talk to you soon!
Melissa
Melissa | Mar 28, 2009 | Reply
@ Eren,
You are so correct! I am a firm believer in using software that helps save time and makes thing easier, but you never want to rely on it 100% to build your sites.
Thanks so much for the kind comment. Yes, I’ve been out of touch for a little while, but am writing some nice posts to bring to you all soon!
All my best,
Melissa
Jay from work at home adventure (1 comments.) | Mar 31, 2009 | Reply
i have noticed my traffic fall on their too…hmmm!
Jays last blog post..The Truth About Work At Home Scams
Brian from Niche Affiliate Marketing (1 comments.) | Apr 2, 2009 | Reply
Although BANS isn’t what it used to be, if your domains aren’t on a .info domain you can try to tweak them a bit and request inclusion from Google. I did that with a few domains and got them re-indexed.
I can’t say this is a tried and true method because some of my domains are still in the Google doghouse. There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason why some get re-included and some not.
Like you, I had some that somehow managed to stay in the index. I’d have to agree and say its not worth it to build new sites though.
Brians last blog post..New Internet Marketing iPhone Game
Tony Lee (3 comments.) | Apr 9, 2009 | Reply
Hi Mellisa,
I have also switched my sites over to wordpress and phpbay. I think the biggest plus are the templates that so many WP authors make available. In addition to the themes, the plugins are also a big advantage to us and offer much more flexibility to these types of sites.
Tony Lees last blog post..Wright McGill Granger Aristocrat 7 Ft. Bamboo Fly Rod
Organic Infant Formula (2 comments.) | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Hi Melissa,
Have you heard of this program? http://minisiteprofitsexposed.com
I recently bought it and its abvout setting up these minisites with phpbay among other things. You can look at my site as an example. I am getting mixed signals from people about phpbay. Some say Google is de-indexing them while you say you have no problem.
Will a minisite solution work if you have unique content (blog posts) with phpbay ads inserted in the post?
I can’t imagine Google de-indexing it just because I am running phpbay, but you never know… actually Google hasn’t indexed it since it’s so new, but that’s another matter. We’ll see in a few days.
I look forward to reading more of your phpbay posts.
Organic Infant Formulas last blog post..Where To Find The Best Prices On Infant Formula Products?
Hub from best acoustic guitar (1 comments.) | Apr 20, 2009 | Reply
I don’t buy it!
Google is not after BANS in particular, Google is after thin affiliate sites, I don’t care what you build them with
Hubs last blog post..Guild Acoustic Guitars – Best Acoustic Guitar
Tracy from massage chair (1 comments.) | Apr 30, 2009 | Reply
I have never been into sites like that which help you make a site to make money. They always end up getting into trouble with search engines or going out of business or something that makes you lose all the work you have put in.
I try and handle everything myself. It does have a learning curve but well worth it.
Tracys last blog post..Using Massage Chairs For Hip Pain & Mobility As You Age
Property websites Australia (1 comments.) | May 4, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the info, Its a nice brush up on a skill i haven’t used for a while! Thanks!
Sara (1 comments.) | May 9, 2009 | Reply
I never actually created a BANS site. I purchased the kit last September and I started reading up on the BANS forum right away as I was waiting to get approved. During my wait, many members on the forum were getting their accounts closed for not enough traffic to their sites etc so it made me worry.
I just purchased phpBay Pro a week ago and started using it on a couple of sites where i had some content but I wasn’t monetizing them. I haven’t made any sales but I am getting clicks.
I am going to be looking into some eBooks on successfully building sites with phpBay. Any suggestions?
Saras last blog post..Use Feedjit For Free Backlinks With 0 Effort
Lyn from Helmet Cam (2 comments.) | May 10, 2009 | Reply
Just curious what do you mean when you say it “…there are really no footprints with the software.”? Also, why would BANS sites get de-indexed from Google?
mark from ugg boots (1 comments.) | May 10, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for this nice information.
steve from ugg boots on sale (1 comments.) | May 14, 2009 | Reply
Pretty significant info…thanks for sharing
Jenny from cheap ugg boots (2 comments.) | May 14, 2009 | Reply
Great post, very informative. I think a lot of people will find this very useful.Keep post in coming future as well!!!
Jenny from cheap ugg boots (2 comments.) | May 14, 2009 | Reply
great tool for the seo point of view might help in increasing PR.
thanks for the ideas.
Jonk from Limo (1 comments.) | May 19, 2009 | Reply
This is a good post. I used to run a BANS website and was doing well but Google started beating it up. I have now bought PHPbay after resisting for a long time… this was only a week ago but I feel so much more confident with it than I did with BANS.
I feel like many people aren’t using PHPbay to its full potential after seeing their sites. They try to build BANS replicas…! Why not try and take advantage of the power of blogging?
Steve from Purina Dog Food Coupons (1 comments.) | May 20, 2009 | Reply
BANS are one area of business that I never really got into. I guess that is a good thing now.
Why are they being de-indexed?
Steve
Tom from Herbal Fiberblend (2 comments.) | Jun 12, 2009 | Reply
I was actually thinking about looking into BANS, but since reading your post i’ve had a look around and seen some similar stories – when google dominates the search world its such an important factor to be indexed correctly. Hadnt heard of phpbay until now so will look in to and do some research – cheers!
Toms last blog post..Do you need a parasite cleanse?
Jodie | Jul 12, 2009 | Reply
hi everyone, i’m just starting to learn to build sites using phpbay pro, but would also like to bring amazon and overstock.com in as well and utilize the search 2 post plugin. from what i’ve seen so far, most people only seem to be using one or the other, not all combined. can anyone point me to a site that uses a couple of these together? i’ve also seen popshops used, but again, being completely new at this, i don’t know how to bring them all together to get a cohesive look. any tips would be great, thanks!
(btw, thanks for a great site: have been a reader for a while now, considering BANS stores, so your honest information has been fantastic!)
Danni from bird houses (1 comments.) | Jul 20, 2009 | Reply
I used to use BANS but moved away from these kind of affiliate sites in general a while ago and found it more profitable to operate ‘dropshipping’ type sites. Its a bit more of a hassle but allows me more flexibility and I don’t have to stress about an affiliate droping me on a whim.
Will look at phpbay though as I like wordpress
Charles from Real Estate Las Vegas (1 comments.) | Jul 22, 2009 | Reply
Relying on software for content generation is never a good idea. Some automation is certainly helpful, but hand written original content is always the way to go.
Mike from Best Workouts Reviews (2 comments.) | Jul 24, 2009 | Reply
Now quality seems much more of an issue with the big G churning out loads of thin sites doesn’t seem to last long. In the long term quality seems to have more “staying power”
regards,
Mike
Skippy (1 comments.) | Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
Melissa…very helpful site you have. I’ve been using phpBay for about 6 months and have had good success with it. I have about 8 sites running and haven’t had any of them de-listed. Some of them haven’t been touched, since I put them up. They haven’t been de-listed, yet.
Anyhow…I keep thinking that if I had 50 sites, then I could be making a nice little income. Do you think this is something that I should go after? I appreciate your opinion.
The ebay affiliate program is the only affiliate program that I have been able to make decent money with, so far.
Cheers,
Skippy
Michael from HowToTreatHemorrhoids (1 comments.) | Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
Thats interesting. I had a few BANS sites but never promoted them much. I just tried it out. I have 2 BANS sites that are still listed but they are very much way down into the listings – lucky to be indexed at all. And I was going to try out WordPressDirect but now I wont if they will go the same way as BANS– though BANS still claims to be kicking with their version 3.0. I dont know about that one. But the best way to keep your sites from being de-listed is to cloak your affiliate links.
Ruri from Free article directory (8 comments.) | Aug 12, 2009 | Reply
What wrong actually? is you site being de-indexed or banned from google? If only de-indexed, it is find, your store could be re-indexed. My site also like that. My suggestion, add more links to your BANS and watch our for duplicate content within your site.
Paul | Aug 25, 2009 | Reply
‘G’ de-indexing bans? If you were a cynical marketer Melissa, which obviously you are not, you would now write an info product promoting the BANS system, using your past sales as ‘evidence’ and stick it for sale on Clickbank at $67 a pop
James from spyzooka review (1 comments.) | Sep 17, 2009 | Reply
The last comment was a while ago, I just wondered if anyone had got any recent experience of BANS and if they are now performing better or not? I am thinking of buying a friends store and would like to know
Felisha Wheeler (1 comments.) | Oct 1, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the advice but I would like to inquire, if you dont mind me asking, why was your site deindexed?
Luke from Earn Extra Money (1 comments.) | Oct 19, 2009 | Reply
Melissa, before you fully decided on not renewing the domains, consider selling them (you said some were great). If you’re unfamiliar with this, there are plenty of resources online that describe how to go about selling domain names, as well as a pretty active aftermarket. I’d list resources here, but I’m not sure if that violates your commenting policy. Either way, I’m sorry to hear about your deindexing, but all of the value is not lost — sell the domains.
shane from Thermofocus Thermometer (1 comments.) | Oct 30, 2009 | Reply
Its always better to spreak your sites around. I have my domains all split up, so I have different domain registrars/hosting/adwords/amazon accounts for my domains so if any hosting goes down, I only lose a couple of sites, if adwords gets blocked, I lose a couple of sites etc etc.
Terry from Charlotte NC (2 comments.) | Oct 31, 2009 | Reply
Melissa,
burning question- maybe I missed it- But Why did Google de-index them? do you know, or did they just disappear…
Petra from Mens Wrist Watches (1 comments.) | Dec 6, 2009 | Reply
Melissa, why do you think BANS sites have been de-indexed? I have been thinking about phpBay for a while, but I am still sitting on the fence. At the moment I just have a widget from the ebay partnernetwork on my site(s) and they still go fine. Do you think I have to be very careful here?
BANS seemed to be such a good software, it’s a shame!
chakkravarthi from wordpress seo (1 comments.) | Dec 27, 2009 | Reply
Seems BANS is the right name for it! lol.. but really you did not specify why do Google have to de-index you? what is the reason? because if you are innocent about it you can apply for reconsideration from Google and ask them to index your pages again.
Sharon from Corporate Chair Massage (1 comments.) | Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
That is terrible to hear. I do hope your other sites keep on doing well.
Melissa | Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
Thank you! So far, they are still doing very well.