Back in 2009, I was obsessed with the idea of building websites on autopilot. I ran a case study using Jon Leger's suite of tools — WebComp Analyst for keyword research, Instant Article Wizard for content creation, 1WayLinks and 3WayLinks for backlink building — all pointed at a fresh AdSense mini-site. My bold prediction? One dollar per day in AdSense revenue within sixty days.
The plan was straightforward: pick a niche, do keyword research, register a domain, create five pages of content, spin an article and blast it to 200 blogs for backlinks, join a three-way link network, add AdSense, and do absolutely nothing else. Then sit back and watch the money roll in.
It was a simpler time.
What Automated Website Building Looked Like in 2009
The tools I used in that case study are all gone now. Jon Leger's products were genuinely innovative for their era, but the entire ecosystem they served — article spinning, automated backlink networks, AdSense mini-sites — was built on practices that Google would eventually crush with algorithm updates like Panda and Penguin.
The idea behind the case study was not bad, though. I was testing whether you could use a systematic, largely automated approach to build a website that earned passive income. That question is still worth asking. The answer in 2026 is dramatically different from what it was in 2009.
How Automated Website Building Works in 2026
The good news is that building a website has never been easier or faster. The bad news is that the low-effort approach I was testing in 2009 does not work anymore, because Google has gotten very good at identifying and penalizing thin, auto-generated content.
Here is what the modern equivalent of my old case study looks like.
Website Builders and Platforms
You no longer need to know HTML or CSS to build a professional website. WordPress still powers over 40 percent of the web and remains the best choice for content sites where you want full control. Wix and Squarespace offer drag-and-drop builders that can have you live in an afternoon. Shopify dominates if you are selling physical products. Carrd and Framer are excellent for simple landing pages.
AI-Assisted Content Creation
The article spinners and content generators of 2009 produced garbage. Today's AI writing tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Jasper can produce genuinely useful first drafts. The key difference: you still need to add your expertise, edit heavily, and ensure accuracy. Google's helpful content system rewards content written for people, not search engines. AI is a tool, not a replacement for having something real to say.
Keyword Research
WebComp Analyst has been replaced by far superior tools. Semrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest provide keyword difficulty scores, competitor analysis, and content gap reports. Google Keyword Planner is still free and still useful for getting started. The fundamental principle I was applying in 2009 — find keywords with decent search volume and low competition — still works. The tools are just worlds better.
Link Building
The automated link networks I used are not just defunct, they are dangerous. Google will penalize you for using them. Modern link building is about creating content worth linking to, building genuine relationships, guest posting on relevant sites, and earning mentions through expertise. It is slower, but it is sustainable.
What I Would Do Differently Today
If I were running this same case study in 2026, here is what it would look like:
- Pick a niche I actually care about — not a random high-CPC topic
- Do proper keyword research using Semrush or Ahrefs to find realistic opportunities
- Build on WordPress with a clean, fast theme
- Write 10 to 20 genuinely helpful articles using AI to assist with research and drafts, but adding real expertise and personal experience
- Monetize with affiliate links to products I actually use, not just AdSense
- Build an email list from day one using Kit or Mailchimp
- Promote through social media and genuine outreach instead of link schemes
The timeline would be longer. Instead of expecting a dollar a day in sixty days, I would set a twelve-month goal. But the site would still be earning five years later instead of getting slapped by the next Google update.
The Lesson That Still Applies
Looking back at this case study, the core instinct was right: build assets that generate passive income using systematic, repeatable processes. The specific tactics were a product of their time. What has not changed is the value of testing ideas methodically, documenting what you learn, and being willing to invest a little money to see if something works.
The internet marketing world moves fast. The tools I used in 2009 are museum pieces. But the entrepreneurial mindset behind the experiment? That is timeless.
If you are thinking about building an automated or semi-automated website business today, start with a real audience, create real value, and use modern tools to do it efficiently. That is the formula that actually works.
That’s quite a challenge ! I’ve got too little time to devote to internet marketing (I’m trying to keep up with it all because I know that it will become important to me, financially) and I would love to know whether you will keep any timings of how long everything takes.
In addition, I would bet that you don’t see the full results of your efforts for quite a little while. I do SEO for other people and for my own sites and am surprised, after having long given up on a site, how well I did !
Thanks, Charles. I agree that results like these take time — especially since all of these backlinks need to be “discovered” by Google. It will be very interesting to see what happens here.
Now this I like! Curious to see how it turns out. In the meantime I am going to scour your site for more information on some of the tools listed.
I am very interested in this kind of stuff. I like the way you have planned this one out.
Thanks Joey — I will keep you posted!
Mark,
I’m watching with great interest. I’m working on a case study of my own. I’ll post about it at my blog and let you know when it’s up. It’s similar to yours but using PLR material. I want to see how far I can get with dupe content.
Jonathan
I’m running a test right now on original content vs. syndicated content. Original content is winning hands down, but, boy, I bet there are some variables in there that might render the results moot.
I too will be interested to see how this fares Mark. Out of all the products listed, none of which I own, the most intriguing is Instant Article Wizard Pro. That is one mean machine if it does half of what JL says. Use the Spinner and you’re off to the races with solid content. The linking is just a mystery as to how it really works – which leads me to label it pricey. Thanks!
Ok, wow, I never knew….
“Mr. Lay-shay how do you spell your name?”
“Lay-shay — L,e,g,e,r – Lay-shay”.
I love Louisiana – just love it.
Count me in…right up my ally especially since i just purchased your Niche wp templates.
Paul
PS: Could you point me to the person company that made them ,as i am looking to make some of my own.
Yeah man, I like this stuff. It’s fun.
I’ll be looking to see whatsup, especially with that 1waylinks thing.
Hey Mark, thats an interesting product test. Lots of claims now it’ll be good to see if they stand they stand up in the lab. And of course the the biggest metric will be MONEY
Mark–the one way link thing: is that $47 one time or $47 per month? Also, are the blogs actually indexed well with some PR or are they all PR0?
AL
one more thing: and can you control the niches your articles are sent too?
how long it can alive? I ever use some automation post content but it easily deindex
I have experimented with article producing products and to be honest, the content produced is just horrible. Most of it is just scraped bit by bit from other related keyword sites without regard for syntax or fluency. Paragraphs, to be generous, are Frankensteins of words and largely unrelated phrases.
The spinners’ capabilities are also just about worthless as the output is far from legible, again lacking proper syntax or readability. I would guess that your reader retention will be extremely zilch and the few dollars that you will make will be reliant on a steady stream of unique traffic.
Well, I totally agree that they are not good for producing finished articles. What I use them for is “research”. I run the program (like IAW or AA) and get 3 or 4 ideas for articles (or article points) and the rewrite parts of the text as articles. Saves me a ton of time on topics that I am less familiar with.
Anyone care to tell me where I can find a professional writer for $800 per month?
Mark, I am a sucker for case studies but one thing that comes to mind when reading your expectations is whether it’ll be worth the effort? How much time are you expecting to put into this (in total)?
Secondly I assume that you’re not taking the cost of Leger’s programs into account since you already own them, right?
If however this could be outsourced to someone that will cost you only $4-500 a month and this person could do one site per day that could be a very interesting concept…
Well, I expect to spend about an hour on keyword research and a hour turning up the new site (registering a domain name and installing WP, etc). The latter could be outsourced for about $20, and the domain name costs $10.
There there is the matter of content creation. Let’s say articles take 1 hour each (or can be outsourced for $10/hour).
So it’s about a 1.5 day investment in time plus the cost of the domain name — let’s say we outsourced it and call it $240. It costs me less, but let’s just use that number. That’s $20/month in the first year.
As for the tools, I use them across many sites. But let’s say you only have 10 sites and you are using $100/month in Leger tools. That’s $10/month. My cost is much less because of beta pricing and more sites.
So — if you spend $20/month on setup and $10/month on tool, the site needs to make $30 per month to be profitable.
Of course, you can put in your own numbers, but let’s say $30/month. To break even, I need $1/day.
My plan here is an AdSense site, so let’s say I can get $0.50 per click. I think I can get more, but let’s use $.50. To break even, I need 2 clicks per day.
I plan to use an AdSense optimized theme, so I am expecting a 10% CTR — but lets say I only get 5%. I need 40 visitors per day to get 2 clicks.
So, the question is, doing no other promotion, can I get 40 visitors per day to this site….
I think you’re right that your calculation might be a bit on the negative site 😉 If you were to hire someone to do this for you (like a full time writer) you would surely be able to get the costs for a site down quite a bit.
I would imagine that if you spent the time to do the KW research, the domain registration, the wp install and instructing the writer it would take you about 3 hours or so (again this can even be automated a great deal). The writer could spend 8 hours writing the content as well as post it and you would have a site created per day.
A writer would cost you e.g. $800 per month and in that time they would be able to produce +20 sites. Without tools, domain registrations etc. you would still be in the negatives. But in month 10 you would have 200 sites but still only be paying the writer $800 per month and thereby leave a nice profit for you to enjoy.
But doing this would naturally require that you had some money to invest upfront.
Well, that is the kind of thing that this guy is claiming to teach (how to do that). http://www.masonworld.com/internet-marketing/how-to-outsource/
I have not tried hiring a writer in that range….