When do you give up on a keyword/website?

16 replies
  • SEO
  • |
I am wondering when to give up on a keyword. I have a few keywords in about 4 different niches that according to Google get 700 - 1000 exact searches a month. My keywords are on the first page of Google - between search results 5-10 (varies) - for 4 niches!

These keywords are still not making me any money - and they are in competitive niches, with a lot of other affiliates marketing them so I know they SHOULD have opportunities for income.

So if I'm on the first page, with no results (income) showing, do I work harder to get in the Google #3 spot, or trash the campaign as a non-buyer keyword and target something else?

If anyone wants to check out a few of my sites, I can PM you the links.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
#give #keyword or website
  • Profile picture of the author Dan Allard
    Are you getting enough traffic? If you need more traffic then keep trying to rank higher. If you're getting a lot of hits and none of those are converting it's time to review your landing page or consider new keywords.

    Some keywords are general and people are simply looking for free information. Other keywords are 'buyer keywords' and most people typing them in have the intention to purchase something. So think about what your keywords are. If you're getting a lot of traffic don't ditch these sites though, consider other monetization options such as paid advertising or adsense, or like I said keep tweaking your landing page.
    Signature

    Facebook page for inspiration & JV opportunities-

    facebook.com/WantrepreneurToEntrepreneur

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4716659].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author wannabewarrior
    Can't wait to hear thoughts on this very good question. I've got a couple of sites like this also and can't figure out whether to fish or cut bait.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4716660].message }}
    • I can't tell you how many times I've "thrown good money after bad" so-to-speak. The reality is, it can be very hard to 'let go' of a site that you've put time & effort into, especially one that seems like it -should- be making money.

      My own general rule-of-thumb is, if I've reached a goal i.e. Page 1, daily traffic, etc., and don't see adequate revenue 30-60 days afterwards, I'll halt further efforts. In some cases, I'll simply let the site sit, but as for spending time or money, that's where I'll draw the line.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4716717].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author affilorama-portal
    How much traffic are you getting to your site?

    Because without any visitors to your site, you’re most certainly not going to make any sales.

    100 visitors a day is a pretty good number. If you’ve been averaging around 100 visitors a day for about a month, that’s around 3000 visitors per month. At least 10% of your visitors would click on your affiliate links. If not, then that says that not very many people are wanting to click on your affiliate links and that indicates that there’s something wrong. It could mean that your keywords are too general and does not work for your target market.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4716785].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rtailor
    SEO is not a fixed time job. It is a continuous job. You can slow it but not give up because you need this continuous process be continued to maintain your position on first page. Stopping the back linking process will bring down your SEPR.
    Signature
    Keep your environment neat and clean
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4716846].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author evelyng
      Actually, the site gets more like 10-20 visitors a day. I guess I was under the impression that if it was on page 1 of Google organic, that in itself would draw visitors. I do mostly article marketing, but now I'm at a loss as to how to get more traffic if getting to page 1 of Google doesn't do it. Keep writing I guess?
      Signature

      Get Brandable PLR EBooks that You can Brand with YOUR Affiliate Link and Keep ALL the profits!
      http://www.brandableplr.com/

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4717654].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author madzstar
    I want to know. Do you have adsense on these niche websites or are you just doing affiliate marketing with them?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4717658].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author evelyng
    The one I'm questioning right now is ad affiliate marketing site for laptop bags. It does not have Adsense on it, but others do.
    Signature

    Get Brandable PLR EBooks that You can Brand with YOUR Affiliate Link and Keep ALL the profits!
    http://www.brandableplr.com/

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4717702].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    If you are ranking between #5 and #10, you are only going to get a very small slice of the organic traffic. Given your keywords have an exact GMS of 700-1000, then 10-20 visitors a day is actually better than can be expected (you are probably getting some traffic from long tail keywords as well).

    Depending on the type of product you are promoting, then you can typically expect a 1% conversion rate, ie: 1% of people who click on your affiliate link will actually buy the product.

    What you need to do is look at your traffic stats in detail.

    What percentage of visitors are clicking on your affiliate links?

    What is your bounce rate?

    If you are promoting Clickbank products, what is the figure for your "hops per order form impression"?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4718038].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author PatrickC
    I'm pretty new to this area of SEO and have a questions. When you say ranking between #5 to #10 then does that mean it is 5th result on the 1st page of search? Can it be that the keyword doesn't have as much relevance to the landing page?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719273].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ClaireFisher
      Originally Posted by PatrickC View Post

      I'm pretty new to this area of SEO and have a questions. When you say ranking between #5 to #10 then does that mean it is 5th result on the 1st page of search? Can it be that the keyword doesn't have as much relevance to the landing page?
      I don't have the exact breakdown, but although 5-10 on the first page is nice, you really drop down below 12 or 15% of all total searches and down to I think about 2 or 3%.....or less by 10.

      Humans are lazy, we only click the top 2 or 3!
      Signature

      Please do not use affiliate links in signatures

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719483].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Banks
    700-1000 searches a month means it can't be THAT competitive of a niche. If it is forget it, searches around 1000 exact's a month should be EASY to rank for, if you are going after competitive keywords you might as well go after ones that get A LOT of searches
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719452].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author David Ogden
      Another way of looking at how popular a particular keyword phrase is to look at the number of of pages of PPC adverts appear in the results. Your organic search result is good if the keyword is popular, I would suggest keep on promoting until you reach at least number three. but as others have suggested if you are getting visitors but not converting you need to review your web content.

      Perhaps your visitors are disappointed that what you are selling does not match the keyword that brought them your your site for example is they came to your site searching for Kitchen tools and you are selling garden tools they are not going to buy
      Signature

      David Ogden an Entrepreneur at Markethive which uses a suite of free marketing tools to promote his opportunity. Contact:- Telegram @davidogden

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719540].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author evelyng
        You guys are GREAT! Just for the record, my keywords match my site exactly, in fact, the keyword is in the domain name, so there I'm OK -.

        But according to some very informative posts above, I'm not actually failing as bad as I thought I was, I'm doing about "normal" for my placement and traffic stats. So, for a few sites that I think still have promise, I'm going to try to bully out some people and get to that #3 spot (or better) if I can - after all, if I successfully sit in spot 5 or 6, it can't be that hard, can it?

        I do put Adsense on some of my sites if they get traffic and not affiliate sales, but I also test this. At the very least, Adsense lets me know that my banners are being seen (but alternatively, that .03 cent click doesn't get me all excited!).

        Anyway, I think you've answered my question. Position 1-3 is worth going after, and then if there is still no action, I'll give up and move on. .

        Thanks so very much! I think I'll be able to work tomorrow now :-)
        Signature

        Get Brandable PLR EBooks that You can Brand with YOUR Affiliate Link and Keep ALL the profits!
        http://www.brandableplr.com/

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4720162].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JMartin
    Well, if my goal is just Adsense, I give up when I'm #1-#3 and see I made a drinking mistake because 1) traffic is meh at best and more importantly 2) 8-cent clicks aren't exciting ever.

    I guess the other scenario (again drinking mistake) is if I'm #4 or #5 and the traffic/cash just isn't worth the hassle of trying to topple #1-#3. At that point, I'll put it in park and collect.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719517].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ClaireFisher
      I have a better idea, forget Adsense and promote a real product with a real compensation plan. Adsense is for hobby marketing.
      Signature

      Please do not use affiliate links in signatures

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[4719529].message }}

Trending Topics