Introductions Thread

Hi Ryuzaki. I'm working on my own sites. I have tons of them in a bunch of different niches. I'm not running an agency.
 
Sweet, do you prefer having tons of sites over maybe one or two?

I find myself spread too thin with too many. My most at any one time was 30. I'm currently down to 2. Even with outsourcing everything, I still feel like dumping all of your resources into one main winner is better, as long as you've validated it as a big winner.

Do you find that a handful earn most of your revenue, versus an even spread?
 
My top one earns 70% of my revenue. Site #2 earns me about 20%. Site #3 earns about 5%. The rest don't earn much, comparatively. The top 3 sites I spend an equal amount of time on. The rest I work on a few times a month, sparingly. I'm nowhere near your 30 site number, however. I'm at 10~.

I do wish I could cut down to just one or two, but I'm really risk averse. I don't like putting my eggs all in one basket. ATM, I'm desperately trying to bring site 2 and 3 up to my top site's level.
 
Ryuzaki said:
I still feel like dumping all of your resources into one main winner is better, as long as you've validated it as a big winner.
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This is something I've learned as someone who is running a bunch of sites.

I think every project has its own unique challenges, but there are a common few hurdles that any site needs to overcome. Especially with Search Traffic.

If a site makes it, I'll move it along... Not all sites will get treated equally as it's just impossible. If Google shows some love, they'll get some social media marketing (besides just the automated side of it). Etc.

funlol said:
I do wish I could cut down to just one or two, but I'm really risk averse. I don't like putting my eggs all in one basket. ATM, I'm desperately trying to bring site 2 and 3 up to my top site's level.
Click to expand...

I think this all depends on your business model.

Within affiliate for example;
If you want to flip sites you need inventory, if you simply want to be an authority site builder you need to go all in on 1 or 2 sites. The biggest risk out there is not diversifying your traffic generation for those in the latter case.

For those of us with more sites it's very much a case of being smart as fuck financially as well. If you lose the top earner and it's not been moved into other traffic generation methods, the income that supports your other sites and you is done.

That's how dudes go bankrupt when they're making "good money" but live "the life".

I think being risk-averse is a good thing. It just all depends on what risks you're mitigating and if you're even aware of them all which too many folks aren't because we all get wrapped up in the multi vs few sites debate.

Just depends on your goals.
 
I remember you from back in the funlol.com days. Man, must have been back in 2004-5.

Memory lane, and all...
 
Hi everyone,

TGZ here, and I started my online marketing journey 2 months ago. I have a self-improvement website that I am trying to build traffic and a following before going deep into monetization (just some Amazon links to books at the moment). I am in an open ended vertical so this will ensure I maintain interest for the long-term.

I want to learn high quality web design, SEO, and how to engineer high quality traffic leaks. I want to become an authority in my sphere for the long-term, no shortcuts. I like the idea of creating online assets for the long-term (5, 10, 20 years in the future) that I own. I love the idea of entrepreneurship - controlling my life and owning both the upside and downside of everything I do.

I recently finished university and I'm just starting my "real" offline career as well, and I have no interest in becoming a full-time online marketer in the near future. This is going to be my early morning and weekend project. Once my skills are adequate I want to create a forum related to education.

The world is my oyster.
 
Hi, @TGZ, welcome. You've come to the right place to learn.

I wouldn't hesitate to monetize your work. Otherwise you're just wasting the traffic that you're getting. "Not monetizing" doesn't earn you favors with Google or users. Your monetization should be part of fulfilling the user's desires and helping them find the information/products they need.

I think it's good that you're hunting for a regular day job at this point in time. It takes a long time to get a lay of the land and collect the skills required to do this full time. SEO takes even longer now that "time" is baked into the algorithms so hard to stop spammers.

I'd just make sure you're taking your project seriously too though, because otherwise you won't get anywhere. Don't think of it as a side project, is what I mean. There are people doing this 16+ hours a day for years on end and still haven't had huge successes. You either have to put in the time and effort or pay someone else to put in the time and effort. Your day job can afford you that luxury, hopefully.

Best of luck with it. We're here to bounce ideas and questions off of whenever you want and need! Glad to have you aboard.
 
Thanks @Ryuzaki , I completely agree about taking the project seriously.

I have no problem writing content, but I am spending a good amount of time editing/coding/debugging my Wordpress site to make it look more professional rather than another another Wordpress blog. I like the Dilbert creator Scott Adams's idea, “every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success.” If I can become good (not even extraordinary) at

a) Web Design
b) Writing/Creating Content
c) Promoting Content

+ a few well timed traffic leaks I will be able to make decent money at IM. I feel like it's a good hustle for someone who is a bit of a jack of all trades. Cheers, appreciate the support.
 
- I've been here before. (BuSO)
- I've never turned a profit from a site I've built.
- I'm actually ready to follow through and do it this time.

Two truths and a lie.
To be determined which is which.

"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try "
star-wars-15.jpg


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Hey there, glad to see I’m not the only one starting over...again. Ha.

Here’s to finishing the shit we start this time!
It seems like you’re already knee deep and living it...so congrats! Time to fine tune and keep crushing it.

-----

Ahhh now THIS is the BuSo I remember. Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I’m looking forward to following along.

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I’ve got a strong interest in the self-improvement/personal development niche as well... so I am looking forward to following your journey! Thanks!
 
I can sense you have a very high midichlorian count. May the SEO force be with you!
 
This is probably the oldest member that posted on the introduction thread.

I joined here after BBH went down then forgot about it.

Fast forward to today, seen this place recommended and decided to join for good.
 
I'm not familiar with BBH. Are you talking about BHU?

How long have you been in the game? Any successes worth talking about? What are your current / future goals? What kind of projects are you involved in? SEO, PPC, Authority Sites, Micro Niche Sites, etc.?

Glad to have you aboard.
 
Yea BHU, been a while :smile:)

I own a few authority sites. Some micro sites that I plan expanding into authority.

I have been doing SEO for around 5 years(profitable). Been messing around since I was in high school.

Have a few fresh authority sites planned to launch.
 
Greetings to all.

Let me get right to it. I know how to build a website. I've been paying for hosting & domain names for years. Installing wordpress, editing & posting content and getting a site indexed, are no problem. Hell, I even have a (small) portfolio of sites.

What I don't have is the know how necessary to drive traffic & clicks to my sites. You know, the whole point of doing this sorta thing.

Yes, I know that some folks out there are motivated by the passion for a specific hobby/cause/interest/lifestyle that is dear to them. And that is sincerely appreciated. But c'mon; the rest of us are in this to make money. While that may not be the only reason, it's the one that leads us to forums such as these.

Or perhaps that is just me.

Please don't misunderstand. I am not some shallow money grubber. There are topics that I want to build a site around just for raising awareness, indulge my creativity, all of that. But I need to learn how to build a PROFITABLE website first and foremost.

That is my ever elusive aim.

And that's why I'm here, showing all my cards in an introductory post. I need help y'all.

I need help. Somehow, in my "Webmaster" development, I didn't learn the skills needed to drive traffic and effectively SEO my sites. Truth is, I'm tired of dodging it. I'll never succeed without learning the SEO/traffic side of the biz.

And I'm willing to learn it now.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to be a quality contributor around here.
 
Do you consider any of your sites successful at all? Even a little?
 
That's a tricky one.

A couple of them (1 or 2) have some potential. And one has started to trickle in dough from Adsense.

But I have never gotten an affiliate commission check or deposit. Not yet anyhow.

But I do feel that I'm close...
 
What's up Otis, you found the right place, the Digital Crash Course will help you out, don't cut too many corners and you'll soon see some commission.
 
Thank You Bernard (and Calamari)! It means a lot that you fellas are willing to chime in with help & feedback.

I can tell you that it seems like everyone else knows how to build a $$$ making website except me!

Not only does it make me feel stupid, it has also inhibited me from seeking the answers.
For several years I admit to being scared into the "build it & pray" line of behavior (because that's what other forums were pushing). Now I know better.

Thanks again.
 
If I get this right: you have been doing something for a few years - but you are not happy with the results. So you have been doing something, the question is what you've been doing. I think it would make it easier for people to give their insights/tips when they know what you have been doing.

I have only worked with SEO, I know nothing about buying traffic, social media marketing or any of that stuff.

So if you want organic traffic from Google, then it all comes down to keyword research and on- and offsite optimization. You may have optimized your site both internally and externally, but if you are aiming for keywords that are either:

1.) Too hard
2.) Not profitable

Then you might not get the results you want.

Start thinking like a consumer. If you want to buy a fishing rod, then you will probably google for "Best fishing rod", "top fishing rods" or "Best fishing rod for children". Those are buying keywords.

"How long is a fishing rod" and "Can a fishing rod fit inside a human being" might give you some traffic. But it's not buying keywords and will probably not lead to much revenue. Not to say that those type of keywords are worthless, though.

Another tip is to look at other affiliate sites and see what they are doing. Remember that most of their sites are made for the consumer to click on ads or buy something, so everything matters. Where the ads are, what colours are being used, what the content is saying and so on.

I have no idea what you've been doing previously or what your knowledge is like, so maybe I am telling you things you already know.

I'm new to the site as well. I have been reading on here for a couple of months and I gotta say there are a lot of knowledge on here. Hopefully I can help keeping it alive.

*EDIT*

I see now that you have been on this thing for several years. Which probably is several years longer than me, haha! Sorry if I just explained to a grown man how to tie his shoes. :D
 
Hey Olov. I appreciate your insights.

I am also new to the site - but I have built websites for a few years though.

Thing is, I get them built, develop my content, 'try a couple things' & boom! The sites go nowhere, because I haven't driven traffic to them. Because I don't really know how. Not to mention not knowing SEO...

So I have dedicated myself to learning SEO & traffic generation techniques. And believe me, any & all advice is GREATLY appreciated.
 
Are any of the sites that you consider even a mild success in industries that people actually spend money on?

Using a previous example: fishing gear (where people buy stuff) versus celebrity news (where people are just reading content)
 
Calamari said:
Are any of the sites that you consider even a mild success in industries that people actually spend money on?

Using a previous example: fishing gear (where people buy stuff) versus celebrity news (where people are just reading content)
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Well, yes. An (old) site that I have that has plenty of 100% original content on is in the BBQ Grilling niche.

These days, I'm trying to build up a bedrock of Adsense income, & the site I have in mind is the only site of mine that's generating clicks. I would like to start driving traffic to it.

As you have asked me before, that's the site I would consider a "success".

But I need to infuse it with traffic!
 
Diehard Otis said:
Well, yes. An (old) site that I have that has plenty of 100% original content on is in the BBQ Grilling niche.

These days, I'm trying to build up a bedrock of Adsense income, & the site I have in mind is the only site of mine that's generating clicks. I would like to start driving traffic to it.

As you have asked me before, that's the site I would consider a "success".

But I need to infuse it with traffic!
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have your mind made up, and that's defintely a good thing.

You're not stupid for not knowing how to monetize or drive traffic. Most people reading this can't do both. Sounds like monetization is in place at least on a rudimentary level. Devote the next 90 days to practicing driving traffic and there's no way you won't get better at it.

Learning to get people to click and engage will make you a better seo too.
 
Diehard Otis said:
I can tell you that it seems like everyone else knows how to build a $$$ making website except me!
Click to expand...

I"d say that at least 50% if not higher of people trying to earn money online never get a revenue of more than $10. I'd say 90% of people never turn a penny of profit. It's not just you, you're in the majority.

As @Olov pointed out, when it comes to SEO, someone in your position needs to learn three things:
1) Stop going after keywords you have no chance of ranking,​
2) Learn how to do on-page optimization, and​
3) Learn how to create and acquire backlinks to your site.​

You've said you're concerned with Adsense for the time being. Adsense generally goes one of two ways. You either have very high CPC clicks in competitive niches and lower traffic, or you have a ton of traffic in less competitive niches. If you pull off the first option, you're generally leaving money on the table. People who can bid high CPC on Adsense have a much higher paying offer, product, or service behind it, one that you can get access to as an affiliate usually.

I've done both sides of the coin on Adsense. Around $2000 a month at 5% CTR on 20k pageviews a month in a highly competitive niche with Gov and Edu sites. I wised up and got some Pay Per Call offers on there and added another $1500 without hurting the Adsense income. I've also done $300 a month with Adsense on 30k views a month. If I only stuck with Adsense, I wouldn't be getting these fat Amazon checks right now. And Amazon isn't hurting the Adsense at all (nor is the extra Media.net).

Something that doesn't get said enough is to start at the money and work backwards. Choose the monetization method and then build around it, and create user intent where they need to click the ads. It's not just "get traffic and hope they click ads." You can drive them towards the ads. An example would be talking about some college degree. You can tell them everything about the degree: the course work, what jobs come after, etc. But the one thing you never tell them is which colleges offer the degree. Guess what shows up in the ads?

Another thing to think about is that if you're starting an SEO project and hoping to make money on it, especially in your position, you're going to be waiting around a year before Google lets the throttle off of your site. There's a long period of time where they simply don't give you many rankings, in order to combat spammers and make them give up.

So instead of waiting that time period out (which is worth it) while you grind out content and links, you need to be out promoting your site with real marketing. We call it "traffic leaking" around here. You go to forums, blogs, Reddit, Facebook, Pinterest, whatever... and you drain their traffic to your site. And in the mean time you're creating very valuable backlinks, ones that send traffic.

At the end of the day, there's no excuse for not earning money online. If you wait on SEO alone, you screwed up by being too passive. If you don't know how to do SEO, then that's your fault. If you didn't do real marketing, you didn't earn any money actively. If you can't ____, it's your fault.

Especially when there's a completely free guide to every single aspect of the game here on BuSo called the Digital Strategy Crash Course. There are plenty of users here who struggled to make a dime who followed the course to the letter without being lazy or ignoring "boring" parts, who now earn good money online.

As with anything, it's all about who's willing to learn and then do the work.
 
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