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Seeking Advice on Turning the Tide in My Favor

by article pendragon
11 replies
My SEO Writing/ BPO business is really strugling, any advice (from experience please)?

Hi WarriorForum community,

I find myself at a crossroads and could really use your insights. I own a writing platform and we do some BPO too, with over 1,500 talented writers, a robust automatic Copyscape API, we Yoast-optimize our article submissions, a decent turnaround time, and a decent reputation.

However, this year has brought unexpected challenges. Our long-standing Fiverr account, active for over 8 years, level 2, with over 400 clients was banned without explanation. This led to a decline in orders for writers to pick on our website. I'm seeking your advice on how to navigate this situation and breathe new life into our SEO article business.

Do I need to diversify or switch niches?
How can I attract more clients with high work volume and orders?
What do I do with the many writers eager to contribute to our platform?

Note that I'm after volume of work over high-ticket as feeding my writers and growing the platform is my goal. And I can compete below market price.

Your valuable feedback is greatly appreciated.

---------------------
My OWN little plans are:

1. Email and cold call all old clients we've worked with one after another.

2. Bump our old sales threads on Blackhatforum and WarriorForum

3. Spend money on buying Upwork connect and bid for writing gigs a little below average price.
#advice #favor #seeking #tide #turning
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  • Profile picture of the author Monetize
    Originally Posted by article pendragon View Post

    My SEO Writing/ BPO business is really strugling, any advice (from experience please)?

    Hi WarriorForum community,

    I find myself at a crossroads and could really use your insights. I own a writing platform and we do some BPO too, with over 1,500 talented writers, a robust automatic Copyscape API, we Yoast-optimize our article submissions, a decent turnaround time, and a decent reputation.

    However, this year has brought unexpected challenges. Our long-standing Fiverr account, active for over 8 years, level 2, with over 400 clients was banned without explanation. This led to a decline in orders for writers to pick on our website. I'm seeking your advice on how to navigate this situation and breathe new life into our SEO article business.

    Do I need to diversify or switch niches?
    How can I attract more clients with high work volume and orders?
    What do I do with the many writers eager to contribute to our platform?

    Note that I'm after volume of work over high-ticket as feeding my writers and growing the platform is my goal. And I can compete below market price.

    Your valuable feedback is greatly appreciated.

    ---------------------
    My OWN little plans are:

    1. Email and cold call all old clients we've worked with one after another.

    2. Bump our old sales threads on Blackhatforum and WarriorForum

    3. Spend money on buying Upwork connect and bid for writing gigs a little below average price.


    If you own a writing platform, why were you relying on
    Fiverr so heavily knowing that they could ban you at
    any time?

    You were probably banned from Fiverr because you
    submitted A.I. generated content or they caught you
    cutting side deals. Fiverr had a reason for banning
    your account.

    I wouldn't consider writing/content creation as a niche,
    but if I were you I would get into another line of work
    or figure out how to monetize A.I. like everybody else
    is doing.

    A.I. changed EVERYTHING, and you should already
    have something to fall back on, especially since you
    had to be aware of the impact A.I. would have on the
    writing industry and your business.

    BTW, does anybody know what happened to
    EzineArticles?
    Signature
    Monetization Skool
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    • Profile picture of the author article pendragon
      Thank you so much for your insights!

      1. About Fiverr. Whatever reason they banned me for had nothing to do with the quality of my delivery or issues with my customers. It must have been some house cleaning or shaledown of writers. The said account was 8 years old, with over $13,000 made.

      2. Also, I agree that I became complacent with marketing efforts because I had a news blog client that gave me 40 orders daily and a ranking Fiverr account.

      3. Off the top of your head, what is a substantial niche to pivot a writing platform to? And how would you pull it off in my shoes? (I did a survey on my writers about other skills they have, social media management, digital marketing, and Wordpress development were the most prominent skills. )

      4. About AI, for every valuable prompt I've ever thought of or researched, there's already 100 prompts written to perform that task. Also, the clientele to sell AI related solutions are also aware of its ability to! So how can businesses really come in and be of service?

      5. As for EzineArticles: I've always maintained the opinion that the owner got demotivated around 2010/2011, because even on autopilot, they were largely relevant till 2015 thereabouts.

      Thank you so much once again for your detailed response. I know I'm asking for too much free insight, but I'm about to make a critical next move and it has to be the right one.
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      • Profile picture of the author Monetize
        Originally Posted by article pendragon View Post

        Thank you so much for your insights!

        1. About Fiverr. Whatever reason they banned me for had nothing to do with the quality of my delivery or issues with my customers. It must have been some house cleaning or shaledown of writers. The said account was 8 years old, with over $13,000 made.

        2. Also, I agree that I became complacent with marketing efforts because I had a news blog client that gave me 40 orders daily and a ranking Fiverr account.

        3. Off the top of your head, what is a substantial niche to pivot a writing platform to? And how would you pull it off in my shoes? (I did a survey on my writers about other skills they have, social media management, digital marketing, and Wordpress development were the most prominent skills. )

        4. About AI, for every valuable prompt I've ever thought of or researched, there's already 100 prompts written to perform that task. Also, the clientele to sell AI related solutions are also aware of its ability to! So how can businesses really come in and be of service?

        5. As for EzineArticles: I've always maintained the opinion that the owner got demotivated around 2010/2011, because even on autopilot, they were largely relevant till 2015 thereabouts.

        Thank you so much once again for your detailed response. I know I'm asking for too much free insight, but I'm about to make a critical next move and it has to be the right one.

        Thank you for returning with additional details.

        I try to be positive and optimistic, but sometimes you
        just can't.

        You probably need a professional business consultant,
        not asking these questions of random people on a
        discussion forum.

        Nobody here can advise you on what you should do
        about your flagging business and what you should
        pivot to.

        A.I. is going to replace most writers, because it can
        write content in minutes that would take humanbeings
        hours/days to produce.

        People are also becoming more accepting of content
        generated by A.I. I heard a news report that said 65%
        of people look upon it favorably.

        How are you going to attract 10,000 freelancers when
        you can't support the 1,500 you supposedly have now.

        Social media marketing, WordPress development and
        freelancing are SATURATED, especially if all your
        hundreds of people are going to do the same thing.

        It's kind of like everybody in town becoming a MaryKay
        distributor. Who are they going to sell to?

        You're familiar with Fiverr so you know first-hand that
        it's flooded with people from all over planet earth trying
        to market their redundant services.

        Hopefully you will figure something out for yourself,
        I know this is difficult for you but you need to face
        reality, things are changing and you will need to do
        something different.
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        Monetization Skool
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Originally Posted by article pendragon View Post

    3. Spend money on buying Upwork connect and bid for writing gigs a little below average price.
    Upwork now requires a minimum of 16 connects on most projects you try to pursue. On top of that since the pandemic, the site is overwhelmed with writers. Since earlier this Summer the daily newsletter that is sent out by Upwork. Has been filled with writers who were once profitable now starving for work. Complaints about paying for extra bids to never even having the offers reviewed.

    "I'm after volume of work over high-ticket as feeding my writers and growing the platform is my goal. And I can compete below market price"

    You will be competing with multiple agencies and individuals around the world who will try to beat you in price. Many are in a similar situation as you are. Lower prices are a race to the bottom and may end your business.

    Upwork has changed a lot recently it could be in the process of shaking out a lot of members or it's out for a money grab. Either way, you may want to reevaluate using the platform or your method to compete there.
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    • Profile picture of the author article pendragon
      Thank you for the update on Upwork.

      I guess the reason Upwork was in my plan is because of ignorance of how things work now. The last time I used my account there was about 2018. I was top rated and earned decently. But since your reply, I did a little research and followed up. I now totally agree Upwork is a messy place to be now for writers and programmers. They're out-bidding one another and Upwork is on a profiteering onslaught.

      Do you mind giving me your thoughts on modelling, especially regarding price and structure?
      Right now, my price model is to charge just enough to make the freelancers on my platform happy, so I'm not big on profit yet. I'm hoping to attract 10,000 organic freelancers before restrategizing on price and structure. As for the structure, the freelancers don't interface with clients or have any idea who they're working for. So, there's the burden of quality control on my team; hectic but keeps our quality standardized.

      Also, any thoughts on my most efficient marketing options?
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  • Profile picture of the author pluto nium
    Continuously assess what's working and adapt your strategies accordingly. By focusing on client acquisition, quality, and diversification, you can navigate the challenges you're facing and grow your SEO writing and BPO business.
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    • Profile picture of the author article pendragon
      You're very right about the itinerary, but do you have any ideas to share on how?
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  • Profile picture of the author TobiMDD
    I think your own idea to email your old customers is already very good. This way you can explain the situation and let them know how they can reach out to you in future.

    Switching the niche because of what happened is not advisable in my opinion except you were not happy with it in the first place.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Here is what happened to EZA:

    When Google introduced the Panda update in 2011, EZA lost a whopping 93% of their search visibility. Losing that much exposure is devastating, and EZA's been tumbling ever since. Take a look at their traffic since 2012. It's recovered a bit recently, but don't call it a comeback.
    EZA was popular because articles were quickly indexed and showed up in google searches...prior to 2012.

    One reason for the change in indexing was the quality of EZA articles had declined to the point of pump and dump. By the time EZA tried to improve quality, it was too late.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Originally Posted by article pendragon View Post

    Thank you for the update on Upwork.

    Do you mind giving me your thoughts on modeling, especially regarding price and structure?

    Also, any thoughts on my most efficient marketing options?
    Originally Posted by Monetize View Post


    You probably need a professional business consultant,
    not asking these questions of random people on a
    discussion forum.
    .
    I'm very familiar with what is going on with Upwork, I have been there since the O'Desk days. I would be doing you a big disservice if I offered any other advice. As in the post above you may want to talk to a consultant. They should help you with a path forward.
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    Originally Posted by article pendragon View Post

    My SEO Writing/ BPO business is really strugling, any advice (from experience please)?



    However, this year has brought unexpected challenges. Our long-standing Fiverr account, active for over 8 years, level 2, with over 400 clients was banned without explanation.




    .
    Did you ask them for an explanation

    al
    Signature

    "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

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