I just cannot get there, ...the missing piece

by kathyd

Posted: 12 years ago 37 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

This is the first time I have posted and asked for help becasue I know now that I am moving round in circles and getting nowhere .

let me explain...I am a Health lecturer in a college and have put up 4 blogs on health related issues ..things that people maybe find embarassing .
I have content pulling plugins and other niffty plugins and the 4 blogs I have are getting about 2000 unique visitors,4000 hits and 64,000 hits/visits per month and I am not making one cent. I know that my conversion rate should be at least 2% which means that I should be earning at least 500 per blog for a $10 product which would give me my target of 2000 a month .
I want to pack in my job and become full time and yet at the moment I am stuck .
Its a catch 22 as I know that if I took on a mentor they would probably get me right within 30 days( I have been told) and I would have that 2000 income which would make a massive differane to my life as we currently struggle each month .However there is a catch ...in no way could I pay out the 1000s to get a mentor so I am stuck .
I have read and learnt and spent hundreds of hours working on my sites and now I am thinking that the one ingredient that could make a differance is buidling a list. However I feel that I am getting to the point of feeling that whatever route I go now which will take more and more hours to implement that I will still be in the same position.
In one weeks time I am back at college and then my time is less so I feel that i have to implement something now that will make a differance.

I guess the reason why I am posting on here now is that I am becoming weary of trying new things. I am not looking for someone to work with me for free but just maybe advice as to some simple changes I could make to get sales coming in. Even an offer that if someone helped me make the sites profitable then we could share sales etc . Surely with 2000 visitros each to 4 sites I should be making something????:confused:

#missing #piece

OmarK 12 years ago

Hi, Kathyd.

Are you sure you're getting 2000 visitors a day everyday? Are you checking with google analytics or is it that you've used a keyword research tool that told you you'd be getting 2000 visitors a day? Please tell me how you know that, because if it's the latter then I may know what the issue actually is.

By the way, I've barely ever seen anyone that charged thousands for coaching. Alot of people may disagree with me on this, but I've seen a number of good coaching/mentor programs on the wso section that are pretty affordable. Price ranges are around 197$ or so. Here's a good example, although his coaching isn't available at the moment: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-sold-out.html (not an affiliate link )

Anything I can do to help, just tell me
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  the amount of visitors i am getting from host Gator .eg . these are figures I see from August
  Unique visitorsNumber of visitsPagesHitsBandwidth Viewed traffic *2,064
  3,122
  (1.51 visits/visitor)8,985
  (2.87 Pages/Visit)64,719
  (20.72 Hits/Visit)791.27 MB
  (259.53 KB/Visit) Not viewed traffic *
  39,90741,992
  
  Thanks
  
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imfusa 12 years ago

2000 visitors/month would mean 66 visitors per day, which is a quite very low traffic.
You should check on what keywords are you ranking for, cause if you are ranking for negative keywords or non-related than those 2000 unique per month won't mean anything. Check also the time that the visitor stays on the site, it also may be a problem of the website, it may run very slow or have other problems.
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- Paul Hooper-Kelly 12 years ago
  
  Hi Kathyd,
  
  Sorry to hear of your problems.
  
  It might be a good idea to give us the URLs of the blogs and details of the $10 product.
  
  Is this $10 product the only income generator?
  
  Warmest regards,
  
  Paul
  
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  kathyd 12 years ago
  
  things that people do not like to go to the Doctor about. The 10 was just an example.
  hemorroidfree.com,
  howtostopsnoringrightnow.com...those are 2 of the sites but the other three are written in the same vein..I think I have lost my way somewhere along the line. I know with my knowledge that I should be writing content myself ..it is really just a time issue ....yet I am getting to the stage of realising that just one good article that is may be better than 100 of all the others.....really appreciate all the suggestions ...should have asked a long time ago
  
  Thanks
  
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- professorrosado 12 years ago
  
  I'd like to see your sites to glean all the missing info. you are omitting. And as it was stated, the WSO section has a number of affordable mentor programs from reputable and effective warriors. However, with your time constraints, I doubt that you will be able to make good use of that arrangement.
  
  My best advice to you is to have some warriors look at your site and sales funnel and help you identify your problem areas. Then outsource and bring your sites to profitability.
  
  Thanks
  
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rosetrees 12 years ago

The fact that your sites are getting 2000 unique visitors a month is a good start.

Now you need to look at which keywords those visitors are using to find you. Are they keywords that imply that the visitor is looking to purchase something? Can you expand into targeting related keywords so you get even more visitors?

Do you keep adding content to the sites - content that you have written yourself using your own knowledge and experience. I can't see the benefit of stuffing the site full of content that you have got from somewhere else.

You have knowledge and experience that you should be using to build up a reputation to gain the trust of your readers. Write your own product(s). As a lecturer you must be known fairly widely by staff, ex-students, contacts, etc. Use those connections to build your "brand" on Facebook and Twitter. People know YOU, they trust YOU, use that to YOUR advantage.
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  I have been thinking of personalizing my site more and as you say i could start to write my own articles.. and start building my brand..I am going to focus on one site to get it profitable
  thansk for the advice.
  
  Thanks
  
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John Romaine 12 years ago

Originally Posted by kathyd

...in no way could I pay out the 1000s to get a mentor so I am stuck

Originally Posted by kathyd

I have read and learnt and spent hundreds of hours working on my sites...

Kathy, pay the money and get a mentor. Doing what you're doing now means you value your time at $0.
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Patrick Batty 12 years ago

Hey Kathy,
I think you already hit the nail on the head.

If you are getting all that traffic, why not build a list so the traffic gives you follow up opportunity.

Otherwise it's transient, and people will probably forget the site immediately.

You have to create some form of Lead Magnet.. either create or buy (presonally I like to create) something helpful and worthwhile to give people that visit the site..
Maybe it''s an advanced guide on the health issues you talk about.. something along that line.

Then, offer ongoing helpful posts in your autoresponder sequence.
Don't over monetize them.. just be as helpful as you can.
Soon you will have an ever growing list.

Hope that helps.
Patrick Batty
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  thank you Patrick ..it seems that the most important thing i should have been doing I had left out ...building a list .So by now I could have been making some income and be further up the elavator so to speak .
  I am implementing an opt in now for a fee ebook and moving from there
  
  Thanks
  
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Will Edwards 12 years ago

Firstly, I can tell you with confidence that good quality mentoring need not cost you an arm and a leg

Secondly, if you post your blog url, you are sure to get a shed load of good advice to, at least, get you going.

Will
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  could not put my links here but have mentioned two of the sites below .hemorroidfree.com and how to stopsnoringrightnow.com.
  
  Thanks
  
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retsced 12 years ago

I Have been there and was probably implementing the same strategy. Without links to your website it's difficult to pinpoint where your weaknesses are. I can tell you first hand that $500 for each site getting 2000 visits a month is not going to happen unless your audience is super targeted and motivated. Even then most visitors will not buy off your website if it's the first or second one they arrive on. Peole like to shop around and accumulate information from many different sources before they make any decisions, so, your assumptions of making $500 from each site with that amount of visitors can be way off the mark.

Like the others have said, every day you leave an opt-in off your site is another day that potential future customers are gone forever. If you had been building a list from day one you would have made some sales by now due to following up with these people. Follow up is CRUCIAL my friend. Write that down and never forget it.

You may not need a mentor. Maybe it's just a fresh approach that you need... a new strategy. Again though, there's not enough info here to make any definitive conclusions.
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  yes ...I should have been building a list from day one but I did not . stupid me I know so what I shall do now is do a ebook giveaway.I think you are right that my approach has been wrong.
  some of the sites listed below
  
  Thanks
  
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Alexa Smith Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by kathyd

I am thinking that the one ingredient that could make a differance is buidling a list.

It's certainly terribly difficult to make many sales without doing that.

See if this post helps you Kathy: it's written from the specific perspective of promoting ClickBank products as an affiliate, which I realise may not be your exact situation, but I think much/most/all of what it says applies equally to many other situations, too, including quite possibly yours? http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6737670

Originally Posted by kathyd

Surely with 2000 visitros each to 4 sites I should be making something????

If you're doing the three fundamental things outlined in the post linked to above, yes. Probably not otherwise.
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Thomas W 12 years ago

Kathy i sent you a message. I felt your pain and disappointment so I wanted to reach out to you.

I offer a group mentoring program that doesn't cost any money. Already having some good success already

http://www.warriorforum.com/local-me...irections.html

Hopefully you will check it out
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  sent you a message on your site . I am very interested in joining your group
  
  Thanks
  
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sarlat 12 years ago

I think the first thing you have to ask yourself is are you targetting a group of people that are really suffering from a problem where they are DESPERATE for a solution and is your website and copy addressing these problems and offering solutions? Are you actually speaking to your ideal customer.

Given what you have said I suspect the disconnect is somewhere here. Either poor niche choice or you are not providing them with the solution they require
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  the niches are very specific and offer information and advice and adds for products .for example on the hemorroidfree.com site the main search keyword phrase has the word hemorroid in it so they are specifically looking for information .however when they get there they do not buy .
  I am thinging of offering free ebooks on health to start collecting email addresses .....thats where i am at now
  
  Thanks
  
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  Chris Silvey 12 years ago
  
  Ok, the first thing I would do is
  
  Kill the Covert action bar. It is just annoying. In my browser it takes a good hunk of the top fold.
  
  I would place an opt in form with offer on the top right sidebar.
  
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  kathyd 12 years ago
  
  so remove the add and replace with opt in form ..on to it .Have killed the covert action bar..
  thank you
  
  Thanks
  
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CurtisSWN 12 years ago

Running four sites, and doing it well, is a full time occupation already. Maybe focus on one site and devote your full attention and energy to it, realize it's monetization. Then you can focus on the other three. I know we want it all at once, but real success comes from intense focus on one venue. It is very rare that a person can run multiple sites effectively, certainly at the beginning of the curve.

Building that list is important to, eliciting feedback will be very important as to what your follower want and need, which you can then give to them.
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  thank you i am going to work on the one site to get it working as you say .I had already been advised to run deep rather than wide.
  
  Thanks
  
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iwizard 12 years ago

Here's how you can start monetizing:
1. Create a simple ebook related to your niche. This could be a 7-10 pages only. If you're confused about the content, just search Google or forum related to your niche and find out the most viewed thread or the biggest question your crowd have on that niche. Give it for free if they opt-in to your list.. Use your USP --> Benefits.

2. Give them value and make them trust you for being in your list.

3. Create a compelling offer. Tips: Use a personalized story. I find this resulting better conversion. People buy things because of the emotion, don't sell them with logic. Sell emotions.

4. When you have a list, you can sell them multiple offers. Start finding good products where you can be an affiliate or maybe you can start creating your own product and sell it to your crowd.

I just gave you a $10 WSO for free..
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  Have already started looking into a book and will get going on that
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  JohnMcCabe 12 years ago
  
  Kathy, I took a quick scan of the home pages for both blogs you mentioned. Nothing really stood out as compelling. They look and read like every other affiliate autoblog I've seen - heavy on keywords, many of the articles (at least the snippets I read on the home pages) were written for search engines rather than people, etc.
  
  If you truly have expertise in these areas, you should be adding a heavy dose of your own original content and using the auto stuff to fill in the gaps.
  
  FYI, I'm using Chrome to view the sites, and in the 'roid blog the images came up broken - not good for building credibility.
  
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  kathyd 12 years ago
  
  Somewhere along the way I seem to have got carried away with autoblogging and as you say bring in the same old content that everyone esle has .Today has been a good day for me because I am really starting to see that my sites are too clinical .I have another site I built for my husband that is about his tennis holidays and it is more personal and surpris surpris it is getting the most hits of all.When I first started blogging I wrote alot of my own stuff but got side tracked onto the latest plug in etc . I hear what you say it is just like any other affiliate website..nothing differant. lots of things are becoming clear now
  
  Thanks
  
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sarlat 12 years ago

Kathy - I checked the stop snoring blog. There is no compelling headline. You are not speaking to anyone.

You need to create your ideal customer and imagine what they see, think, feel and hear.

Somebody who is snoring is in pain. They are probably upsetting their partner and being kicked out of bed. It's not them they are bothering but others they love. You need to show empathy to this problem then offer a solution.

You are doing nothing like that at the moment hence why nobody is listening to you. You have no message.
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  i hear what you say and what you have said reiterates what others are saying i had a differant theme and layout before redirecting the subdomain and i think it was more personal .I am going to start relating more to what people feel
  
  Thanks
  
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Martin Avis 12 years ago

I just took a look at the Cure Your Hemorrhoids site.

First, and most obvious, is that on IE9 and FF the images are broken. In fact, on IE9 the broken images mess up the layout of the page as well.

Second, the headlines for each post are dull. They are way too matter of fact when they need to suck in the reader and make them desperate to learn more.

Third, what's the point of the huge picture with the speech bubble at the top of the page. It is eating up your prime real estate and isn't even clickable - so it is a massive waste of above-the-fold space.

Fourth, I see that you have added an optin-in form. Well done for that, but please try to make it more compelling! "FREE ebooks on Health - Recieve a free Book each week!" isn't going to grab anyone. What's in it for them?

Fifth, I am not surprised that you are not making sales - there is nothing to make anyone want to click on the ads.

Successful web pages that make sales combine useful, well-written information with compelling calls to action. Rehashed articles, broken graphics and 'by the way' advertising don't cut it.

Martin
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- kathyd 12 years ago
  
  I am taking on board everything that is being said I can assure you I can handle it all!! .Basically I was living in a bubble thinking that I could throw up a site plaster it with articles and a few adds and expect it to work. I have got some opt ins since I put the optin form up and I have set up a download of a free ebook and I have personalised the sales letter. I also know that I have to put calls to action on the articles. When I first started this journey I wrote lots of articles on dog training as that is my hobby and those articles still get hits. soewhere along the line I changed direction but stoped making it personal.
  I am going to take on board the advice to move back from these sites and am going to start writing articles from my own experience.
  I lecture on health and also personal development so I am going to start doing my own "stuff" so to speak. Its irionic but I also enjoy writing so I am going to take a fresh approach..thank you for all the advice ..it is exactly what I have been looking for I also have to look at why the site is not loading in the browser ...not sure how to fix that
  
  Thanks
  
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therichb 12 years ago

Can you please work on the layout & images please, as soon you can fix them, it will become a great point of touch for your readers & you can find the figures growing up...

I am sure you can do this soon with that site & even fix for browsers...
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tooAlive 12 years ago

You say they're all autoblogged articles?

There's your main problem.

I skimmed through a few of them, and noticed there's no call to action.

If you want to sell stuff, not only do your articles have to sell the product themselves, but you also have to make a compelling call to action.

"If you're tired of hemorrhoids, then THIS is what you need.."

Tell them where to go. You can't expect them to know. Sometimes you'll even need to include big buttons with a "Click Here for More Info" or "Buy Now."

But the article is the one that needs to start pulling all those emotional triggers of the reader, getting them in buy mode.

And I'm surprised you're even getting organic traffic with autoblogs.. Google usually penalizes duplicate content pretty hard.
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- rosetrees 12 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by tooAlive
  
  And I'm surprised you're even getting organic traffic with autoblogs.. Google usually penalizes duplicate content pretty hard.
  
  Here we go again. I presume Alexa is having her lunch. That is NOT duplicate content and IS NOT penalised by Google.
  
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handymoney2 12 years ago

Go to the war room you could probably find warriors on there who will be willing to help you for free or check out the mastermind forum.
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