At Cozy Campus, we see this particular question asked at least once a month:

“Will I make money with a turnkey site?”

"As was said, there is nothing wrong with turnkey websites. What is wrong is when a newbie starts out running before he learns to walk."

In fact, our regular members have seen this question asked so many times that it’s beginning to get irritating. Often times the questioner is told to simply perform a board search for the keyword “turnkey” in order to obtain an answer. It’s not that our board members are rude, it’s just that the discussion of turnkey websites is tiring. We’ve had major flame wars over the subject of turnkeys on Campus. Being that Cozy is a friendly board, a search is just a nicer way to deal with this volatile topic.

First off, what is a turnkey site?

A turnkey is pre-made website. In theory, all one has to do is buy the site and turn the key and voila! Instant profits. But like all things, the devil is in the details.

Before we go any further, let me be perfectly clear:

There is nothing wrong with turnkey websites. Some wonderful companies sell turnkeys and they have many happy customers. A turnkey site can be a massive time and money saver. Webmasters all over the world make money from sites that they purchased from turnkey providers. A turnkey is a legitimate and viable means to a profitable end.

Just the same, there are probably thousands of newbies that have learned about turnkeys the hard way.

If you’re a newbie here’s the ugly truth:

If you start off with a paysite, you will probably fail. Don’t be offended. Don’t be upset. Nobody is trying to keep you down or crush your dream. This isn’t some kind of sabotage. As I stated plainly, this is the ugly truth. You are a newbie. It doesn’t matter how successful you were in the mainstream world. It doesn’t matter if you were a design genius or a traffic guru before you decided to become an adult webmaster. You’ll be able to apply your pre-existing talents to your new venture but you’re still a newb. Online porn is unlike any other business. Even if you came from the print or video porn market, you’re still a newb. There are steps to take and lessons to learn. The smart newbie works from the ground up. A paysite is the top of the mountain. The only way to the top is to start from the bottom.

Never forget that ultimately, very few adult webmasters are actual pornographers. The majority of us make our money by selling someone else’s porn. Technically, we’re advertisers. The providers that sell turnkey websites are advertisers too. They are selling a product ­ pre-made websites. Keep that in mind when you’re considering purchasing a turnkey.

There are other things to keep in mind when considering a turnkey. The most important thing to consider is what comes with your purchase. Is your turnkey provider selling a whole site or merely the front end? Will you also get content and licenses with your purchase? How about your shopping cart? Will your turnkey provider take care of the billing or will you? Will your turnkey provider sell you the whole thing outright or keep ultimate ownership of your domain? Is your turnkey provider selling a complete solution or are they really just a glorified sponsor? Are actually buying a site or simply leasing one? How about the design? Are you positive that you’re paying money for graphics and layout that will convert into signups? Will your turnkey provider be there to assist you as you set up your paysite or are you on your own? These are questions you must ask yourself before you pay.

Say that your chosen turnkey provider offers everything you’re looking for. Say that you buy your pre-made website and get it all set up and put it online. Then what?

How are you going to market your paysite? How are you going to get traffic to it? Will you buy advertising? Will you buy traffic? How will you promote your new investment without spamming? Did your turnkey provider provide any advice on getting your paysite out in front of the masses? Are you paying out money for hosting, storage and transfer without seeing any sales? How long can you keep that up? Are you really ready for a turnkey?

As was said, there is nothing wrong with turnkey websites. There’s nothing wrong with paysites for that matter. What is wrong is when a newbie starts out running before he learns to walk. A turnkey is a pre-made paysite. Running a lucrative paysite is a lot like attaining a master’s degree or doctorate in our industry. Before you graduate, you have to learn the stuff, do the work and pass the tests.

The truth is that turnkeys are for experienced adult webmasters.