Are internet marketers building their business on quick sand.

[visit_faraz]

Hi,
Now that I have reached the kind of income that allows me to live a comfortable lifestyle(although I cant say I am filthy rich, at least not yet) without having to work a day job, I am actually feeling a little scared.

I have many websites, ranked in google .
some have adsense ads on them while others sell affiliate products.

I am scared because a few days ago, my adsense account was disabled
and although I wasn't getting much for adsene( most of my income is from affiliate marketing )

But this led me to think, whether other sites of mine were safe.
A few months back, google deindexed one of my sites.
Maybe I had built my links too fast(using the packages sold in the wso forum, or maybe it was a link network that I joined.)
I am really not sure why the site was deindexed, but the thing is that one fine day my site was gone.

I have already built a different site which makes up for the income, but I am still not sure whether this is the way
to build a long term income which can stop with just one google slap or dance or whatever you call it.

Now, I keep thinking how many of you guys have this fear and
what are you doing to build a permanent long term income.

At the moment, I think the only guys having these kinds of income are the one selling services
for example the ones having link building networks,
marketplaces - where people pay to sell their products, their sites or their domain names
so these marketplaces dont depend on google or any other search engine for their income.

Please share your ideas about the solution to this problem.
what can people do to avoid depending on google or the search engines.

Regards,
faraz

[jefferybaxter]

Originally Posted by visit_faraz

Hi,
Now that I have reached the kind of income that allows me to live a comfortable lifestyle(although I cant say I am filthy rich, at least not yet) without having to work a day job, I am actually feeling a little scared.

I have many websites, ranked in google .
some have adsense ads on them while others sell affiliate products.

I am scared because a few days ago, my adsense account was disabled
and although I wasn't getting much for adsene( most of my income is from affiliate marketing )

But this led me to think, whether other sites of mine were safe.
A few months back, google deindexed one of my sites.
Maybe I had built my links too fast(using the packages sold in the wso forum, or maybe it was a link network that I joined.)
I am really not sure why the site was deindexed, but the thing is that one fine day my site was gone.

I have already built a different site which makes up for the income, but I am still not sure whether this is the way
to build a long term income which can stop with just one google slap or dance or whatever you call it.

Now, I keep thinking how many of you guys have this fear and
what are you doing to build a permanent long term income.

At the moment, I think the only guys having these kinds of income are the one selling services
for example the ones having link building networks,
marketplaces - where people pay to sell their products, their sites or their domain names
so these marketplaces dont depend on google or any other search engine for their income.

Please share your ideas about the solution to this problem.
what can people do to avoid depending on google or the search engines.

Regards,
faraz

Well one thing I've learned about Internet Marketing and Google is that you never know what can happen...It's one of those things where a person just can't get comfortable with "one" site. Of course that site might be bringing you good income, but what if? So my strategy is to just have plenty of sites. Quality sites of course.

Jeff

[secretjustin]

If you don't want to rely on search engines, then your going to have to pay for traffic. Other wise your other options would be classifieds, blog commenting, forum posting, etc. And guess how your going to find those? Search Engines; you need them!

Google Google Google. I see this all the time. Yes it is a major search engine and has loads of traffic, adsense, etc etc etc...

If Google disappears it isn't the end of the world. Why not focus your strategies with other search engines? All of them operate similarly, but there are strategies that can be utilized for each.

Or how about starting your own "Market Place"

Diversify your strategy a bit more and you won't have to worry if one search engine slaps you down.

IMHO -Peace

[Brad Gosse]

Don't be scared. This could happen to you in the real world too.

Here is an analogy for you.

You open a store in a busy part of town. Tons of driving traffic passes you daily and you are set. The rent is high because you are in the best "location" in town.

Then the town decides your road needs work. They close it for construction which cripples your business for months. When they re-open traffic is still low because everyone adjusted their driving routes.

You see every business is built on some type of quicksand. You are still better off than having a job IMO

[lakshaybehl]

Faraz,

You should never be in a position where your income can be turned off... and the only way to achieve that is a large number of income streams.

Lets say you have 20 different products and 100's of affiliates promoting them.

Now?

Can you be stopped?

Can your income stop?

They're doing all sorts of things- creating articles, posting them on directories, creating their own landing pages, doing PPC, content network, banner ads, email ads, website promos, review sites... You name it- they're doing it.

And if one of the affiliates stops promoting, big deal?

And if the mighty EZA were to go down one day... you'd still shrugg off your shoulders and say..."Big Deal?"

And if review sites were to be banned by FTC... you'd still say... "Big Deal?"

What if Googly Google went down... and all your PPC affiliates could no longer promote it... Big deal?

This is the key to success... You either build a business or you don't.

Foundations for large solid Structures aren't laid on sands... let alone quick sands. They are piled on rocks... embedded in strong clays... And a wave or an earthquake isn't going to affect the inhibitants.

Who do YOU want to be?

-Lakshay

[Kevin Marshall]

I think you are okay as long as you are diversified. The face that your Adsense was disabled and you are still doing okay is a perfect example of why this business is not built on quicksand. If you put your eggs in many different baskets, you don't really have to worry about one source of income being eliminated.

[visit_faraz]

hmm, thanks for your input guys.

so it seems that the solution is to have:
1. lots of quality sites - so if one is deindexed the others are still there
2. build products and have lots of affiliates promoting it.
3. use different sources such as ebay, adsense, clickbank, etc.

One more thing, do you guys feel this way sometimes. as if your whole business could go down suddenly
leaving you with nothing?
And are most of you guys doing the same things such as affiliate marketing, adsense , etc?

[lakshaybehl]

Originally Posted by visit_faraz

hmm, thanks for your input guys.

so it seems that the solution is to have:
1. lots of quality sites - so if one is deindexed the others are still there
2. build products and have lots of affiliates promoting it.
3. use different sources such as ebay, adsense, clickbank, etc.

One more thing, do you guys feel this way sometimes. as if your whole business could go down suddenly
leaving you with nothing?
And are most of you guys doing the same things such as affiliate marketing, adsense , etc?

1. Not lots of them... Focus on being an expert in just 2-3 niches... maybe even 1, and have one authority site in each niche. Focus on building multiple landing pages for your affiliates... Think about how the big dogs are doing it...
2. Yes
3. Use multiple payment processors with multiple companies so if one screws up- to hell with that, let them guys take as long as they will to revoke it back.

I don't do affiliate marketing except my own lists and promotions. And I never did Adsense... its way to slow and way too low for me. I can not possibly work that hard, and if you can, more power to you.

And I do not feel like my business could go down suddenly. All my business is based on the cornerstones of stability, maximizing profitability for affiliates and partners, maximizing exposure for experts, maximizing value delivered to customers.

Worry not about thyself... worry for others that worry about thou.

-Lakshay

[whateverpedia]

Originally Posted by Brad Gosse

You open a store in a busy part of town. Tons of driving traffic passes you daily and you are set. The rent is high because you are in the best "location" in town.

Then the town decides your road needs work. They close it for construction which cripples your business for months. When they re-open traffic is still low because everyone adjusted their driving routes.

That is a brilliant analogy.

As the old saying goes, "don't put all your eggs in one basket".

A "diversified portfolio strategy" is always the best bet.

[Okane]

Instead of collecting websites you should collect emails.

It's the buyers that generate money.
Get their emails, build lists, provide value, promote from time to time...

...and the only thing that could stop your business is the end of email.
I don't think that will happen, soon.


Marc

[opportunites]

Yes, it is true: your are never sure what can happened, you need to be careful. try several methods. For sure some affiliate marketing methods will bring you good money but in the other hand they not allow you gain knowledge and experience to face problems and difficulties like the ones you have described in this thread.

[Matt Jutras]

Without depending on Google?

Well if you're a service business, you should provide an excellent experience for your client and provide great value at a fair price, and oh...provide it faster than anyone else, too.

I don't even have my own website and I stay busy enough to turn down work now and then.

Word of mouth is a wonderful wave to catch a ride on.

And like others have said, build up that e-mail list. Offer content, and value. People will come.

[Debbie_L]

Multiple streams of income. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. And get a list. You'll be in it for the long term

-Debbie