Not a desperate newbie thread, not a 'how to make $1,000 in a week' but could really use some advice

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I was in two minds whether to post this or not, but I've decided to go ahead. It's a little long, so please forgive me I would really appreciate it if any of you could read through it and let me know what you think. Without wishing to sound petulant, I see the 'how can I make money online?' and 'desperately need to make $1,000 this week' type threads often get a LOT of replies so I really hope someone like myself with 500+ posts under my belt and who tries to contribute every day can get some advice and guidance. Like I said, I would REALLY appreciate it I'd like to think I'll never post such a selfish thread ever again, and I hope other warriors can learn something from this thread.

On Monday, I turn 30. It should be a happy day, one where I celebrate and forget any stresses or troubles, but quite honestly - I'd be quite happy to cancel/forget it. I've even told my wife not to even buy me a card. Here's why - I set myself a standard back in the summer, that by the end of this year I would be making 4 figures per month. With everything I had available to me(unlimited hours every day, a great resource like this to mention two things), I felt if I didn't reach that 'bar' that I would have failed. Since then, I have made a few hundred dollars, mostly via Clickbank and my main niche site. The majority of the sales came from EZA. I've also made some money via CPA with some other smaller niche sites I have.

I know I have done better than some people that enter the IM arena, some people never make a cent in fact. What I have achieved just isn't enough for me though - I should have done more. I know it's completely and utterly down to me that I am currently failing. In the last 5 weeks I have worked extremely hard......with no return whatsoever. Yes, that's right - not a penny.....not a cent. My last sale was a CPA sale at the end of October

I don't want this post to have a 'woe is me' feel to it, so I'm going to list some things that I have going for me:-

-I've built a site in a very competitive niche from nothing into an authority site in 3 months, and it currently sits at number 14 in Google. I'm really proud of this site, and believe one day it will sit at the top of this niche, both in terms of the SERPS and the quality of the site itself.

-I have a couple of other sites on the brink of the first page of Google, one in particular I think could eventually bring in a LOT of traffic and sales.

-In early 2010 myself and my wife plan on writing and releasing a product that we will promote on our own site, and submit to Clickbank and the other digital vendors.

-I consider myself to be a good writer, I really feel my biggest strength is my writing.

-I'm patient and determined. I know things don't happen overnight.

The last few weeks in particular have taken something out of me, I fear though. I am always prepared to put in the hours, always prepared to learn new things, always prepared to take criticism on the chin etc etc. 5 weeks of putting so much and getting nothing back financially is hard to take though. Before then, I would at least get a sale every now and then. I made $82 in one day back in September, to me that felt incredible - so I thought things would just get better and better. In the last couple of weeks, I have had trouble sleeping, I just can't switch off from IM. I want success so bad that it is affecting my day to day life in a negative way. The feeling that I am failing is not a nice one, to say the least.

OK, so here's perhaps the most important part of this(loooong) post, the part I especially want feedback, opinions, advice and criticism on - what I have been doing, and what I am doing now.

Building my main niche site - adding content regularly, driving traffic, building a list, building backlinks.

Problems:-

1. The more content that has gone on there, the more it has stopped converting. My Google Analytics stats for it are impressive - people stay and read lots of content on there. Perhaps it's too helpful? BTW, I'm promoting 5 or 6 CB products on there, and there are also some CPA offers there too.

2. I am burned out on the SEO aspects of it, in terms of backlinks. I was regularly blog commenting, building profile backlinks, submitting press releases etc etc - now I just can't seem to get motivated any more. Despite this, it has held it's number 14 spot for a couple of weeks now. At it's highest, it was number 11. This term is what I consider THE term for the niche, and get's searched around 500 times per day.

3. Submitting articles to directories now barely brings any traffic, even on EZA. I do have some articles high up in the search engines, but see number 2 on why I don't get more of them up there currently.

4. Although I believe it's a good 'buying' niche, it's a pretty hard one to build a buzz on and make anything to do with it viral.

5. I just don't drive enough traffic consistently.

6. My list is currently small, and people just don't seem to want to opt in.

Creating and building other, smaller sites.

Problems:-

1. A couple of them have completely flopped - both in terms of the SERPS and conversions.

2. Getting them established is currently pretty daunting when I have lost a lot of enthusiasm.

3. See numbers 2 and 3 above.


A couple of weeks ago, I was considering putting all of this on the backburner(or at least cutting down the time spent on it) and starting a 'Warriors For Hire' thread. I was going to write articles, with some very competitive prices. I had everything ready to, the prices, the packages etc etc. I decided against it because I felt I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I like writing content, I love helping people, but it would have been to make some quick cash that I could actually see quickly(unlike waiting months for CB cheques and CPA payments) that would in turn give a boost to my confidence. I decided against it, and decided to spend the time building my own business. I'm wondering if that was a mistake now though. Take this week for example. I submitted 12 articles to EZA and a couple of other directories. Results - poor CTR and no sales. Compare that to 12 articles written for fellow Warriors. Results - helped others out and made a guaranteed $30+.

If I can manage to get myself up again(I'm taking it easy this weekend), here's what I have planned in the next few weeks:-

-Get back into building my sites through SEO, backlinks etc.

-Join a fellow Warriors article directory(I won't mention it by name, but I've heard great things and have been very impressed by what I have seen of it. The guy behind it has actually taught me a lot, just from reading his posts here.)

-Utilize tools I bought last week and have yet to use - Article Bot, GFX Video Writer and Press Bot

-Start working on the niche product I mentioned earlier. I'm very ambitious with this one - I want it to be as good(if not better than) as any similar product on the market, and I will be pricing it cheaper.

-Maybe offer my writing services in the Warriors For Hire Section

If you've managed to read this far(I completely understand if you haven't ) I'd really appreciate your thoughts, advice, feedback, criticism. Pretty much anything you can offer me. If you think I've been doing things wrong - tell me. If you think I lack the tools needed to succeed - tell me. I'm prepared to take everything on board. I'm so determined to succeed that it actually hurts. This is actually what I want for my birthday, no joke. Right now, I just need to get out of this slump. Although myself and my family are not hurting for money or anything, I had really hoped to have a lot of extra cash this Christmas - and the fact that it doesn't look like that is going to happen is a downer I know I only have myself to blame though.

Also, if any trustworthy and experienced warriors would be prepared to take a few mins and look at my sites etc - I'd be extremely grateful. PM me if you're interested, like I said though - trustworthy and experienced warriors only, no offense to anyone else.

OK, thanks for reading, thanks for any feedback and have a great weekend

Liam
#main internet marketing discussion forum #advice #desperate #make #newbie #thread #week
  • Hi Liam,

    If you want to PM me your sites - I'll take a look and give you my feedback.

    Andy
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    • Andy - you were one of the Warriors I hoped would reply Thank you - PM on the way
    • Well man I can understand where you are coming from. I quit my JOB four weeks ago to go full-time in Internet Marketing. The results haven't been as great as I would have hoped, but I also know that it does take some time. From the standpoint of time, it sounds like you have already had the time, but you just aren't seeing results. I've been re-evaluating myself over the last week to see what is working and what is not working.

      I have decided to do some things differently. I am going to start focusing more on what I know works and what I know doesn't work. The bottom line is that I have to make some income no matter what I do. Nothing else matters. Writing 20 articles a day doesn't matter. Even those new FTC guidelines don't really matter if you aren't making money.

      I am now focusing on making money NOW. I have decided to start an article writing service and do a few other things. That won't make me a fortune, but it will help support me as I start to build my business. I think I probably spread myself too thin by trying to get into four CPA niches right away. I'm only going to focus on what I know will make me money and then I will expand on that.

      One last thing that I would do is walk away for two days. Just walk away. Go do something else! I know what you mean about not being able to walk away from the computer. I get that way constantly now that I work from home. I kept getting on my computer during a major holiday last week to check my stats. I should have never done that. I am also going to turn off the computer tomorrow. I have been working seven days a week, but tomorrow, I am going to go the whole day without turning the thing on!
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  • Well, it sounds like you are doing something I was recently doing, which was spreading out too thin.

    You say you have a product you're working on? Do these other sites/niches specifically support that product?

    What exactly does your main niche site offer? Is it just a review site, or do you offer services of some kind?

    Edit: Nevermind on the listbuilding
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    • Why don't you concentrate on couple of things (that brought you sales previously) first and then adding one by one?

      Too many projects at one time dilutes your advertising cost and time.

      Just my thought ...

      .
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    • Hi Jill

      No arguments on that one I really thought some of these other projects would do well, but they haven't - not as yet anyway.

      This product is completely to do with the main niche site It offers advice in the form of articles, a newsletter and some links to various products available. Although the main keyword isn't what most would call a buying keyword, it's a pretty desperate niche, and with enough traffic I'm confident people will buy.
  • Woah, I just have to reply to this bit to say I'm impressed by how you put this! Now, although I know that I'm more of a newbie than you are, having read this paragraph, I can't go away without responding to the rest of your post...I suppose even that beautiful beginning can have it's downsides

    Quite possibly the case! I suppose if you are giving away too much, visitors don't see the incentive to invest in something - you have likely answered all their questions already :S I know I do this often, as a visitor. For instance, the only thing keeping me from the War Room is that there's so much to dig around outside of it! (Okay, only kidding... am broke!)


    Maybe time to move on to some "advanced" SEO technology? And no, that's not a polite way of saying blackhat - I would never recommend that, but you know, unorthodox means of pushing your website... dunno, off the top of my head - use youtube and forum marketing, and possibly outsource some of the repetitive work with blog commenting and so on to trusted folks if you are too tired of it?

    So yeah, fine-tune the art of leaving out the juicy bits for later, and giving away just enough content for the user to not be frustrated about yet another little-value article.

    Could I see your squeeze page? Or website, more generally? Would love to have a look for whatever it's worth - hard for me to say anything without having more concrete information to analyze. PM?

    Oh, failure builds character. I'm sure you've at least learnt what not to do? Sorry to be trite, but it simply isn't true that winners don't quit. They quit in good time. Or, in the words of Seth Godin,

    The old saying is wrong - winners do quit, and quitters do win. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt - until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons.

    If I read into your style correctly, I am sure this is just a "current" thing - a function of your mood. You will most certainly be back in the business of doing whatever it takes once you pull yourself out of the "low", and I for one, will keep my fingers crossed for ya.

    How far have you progressed on the CB product scheduled for early 2010? You may see more in terms of a payoff if you give that shot in the WSO section, rather than offering services in the Warriors For Hire section.

    Whoops, I realize I requested to be able to look at your sites and I don't even have enough posts to be able to send you a PM :O I have some experience in general design principles and a little bit of marketing principles too from the days that I've lived before joining WF, so will be happy to take a look if you'll let me.


    In any case - may the forces be with yeh. I just wanted to chip in to say good luck, and that I'd be happy to help where I can.

    Cheer up,
    Avani
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    • Avani,

      For a while, I did go with the 'leave the juicy bits out' approach in terms of articles I submit to directories, but EZA don't seem to allow that any more, and the other directories I submit to(mostly Articlesbase and Go Articles) just don't bring traffic in this niche.

      In terms of the product, it's a specific niche product - and is going to be designed to help people in this niche completely with their particular problem. I haven't started work on it yet, but once I get started I don't expect it to take too long - maybe a month at the most

      You're right about forum marketing and Youtube - these are 2 areas I haven't really explored enough with this particular niche. In terms of the former, I signed up and posted a few times on a BIG forum in the niche, but got sidetracked with other things.

      Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts and advice, much appreciated BTW, when you get to 50 posts, PM me if you want to take a look at the site
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  • Hey Liam,

    I don't comment on these types of posts often, but I really wanted to congratulate you on sticking with it. That alone says a lot about the person you are, your character, and your determination to succeed. And yes, you will succeed.

    Rather than going into a bunch of technical stuff and tell you the way you should do things differently (I'm sure you're going to get plenty of that), I'm going to make a couple of broad statements.

    Doing something for love, or out of habit or stubborness, and doing something for financial gain are often very different things. It sounds to me like you've fallen in love with your primary projects and need to take a break from them (longer than a weekend). Your goal was to be making four figures a month by the end of the year, right? And you're far from that, right? I think you answered your own question here, at least partially.

    Making money is not the "wrong reason." Ultimately it would have moved you closer to your goal. I'm not saying you should scrap your primary projects. Without looking at them, I'll say that you should continue to develop them, but you also need to balance that out with something that makes you money now. It will improve both your income and your mindset.

    Mindset is a huge deal. So is listening to those little impulses you get, like posting to Warriors for Hire. I really think you should have followed your gut on that one. You should invest some time every day in improving your mindset. Personally, I'm liking the law of attraction, and over the last month or so since I have become serious about working with it, have produced some very encouraging and tangible results. You can take this or leave it. Right now I'm working with The Science of Getting Rich, which I didn't like six or seven years ago the first time I read it. But now that I've dropped the barriers and am digging full into it, it's working gangbusters for me.

    I'm also going to recommend someone who likely won't jump into this thread, or PM you, or try to get you to buy into their particular flavor of making money online. Jeremy Kelsall (along with his partner Don VanFossen) is seriously deep in the trenches developing systems and trying things that other people either won't try or won't share. He doesn't teach theory. He is teaching stuff that is fully tested and works like gangbusters. Depending on what niches your primary projects are in, his current WSO might be something that could give you a serious shot in the arm to get those niches producing some income.

    Here's a link to his WSO. Take a look at it, then PM him about what you're doing before you buy it. He'll tell you straight up if he thinks the two are compatible or not.
    http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...-get-paid.html

    John
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    • Thanks for such a detailed reply John Incansoft's products have really helped me so far, and I'll always be grateful to Big Mike for sponsoring me into the War Room a few months ago.

      I'm going to make sure to read The Science Of Getting Rich, I've heard good things about it - thanks for the recommendation I think the Warriors For Hire thread is something I'm going to do, if not now then definitely in the new year.

      I'm a big Don & Jeremy fan - I'm on their list and have bought a few of their WSO's. I've seen that particular WSO, and although I think it would be great, I've kind of promised myself(and more importantly, my wife ) that I won't buy any more WSO's or products before the new year.

      Thanks again - very much appreciated
  • I saw your post and just wanted to leave my reply - I haven't posted here much, but a little while ago in another forum I posted something similar to yours. I can say that even just reading the replies, the empathy and the support gave me a boost I needed to get out of the slump.

    But I can also say that getting away from what you're currently doing, as someone mentioned above, can also help.

    You've already gotten a lot of great advice, so I thought I'd give you my thoughts on the selling your services aspect since I am in the same position.

    Basically I write for others, and also build websites to sell for profit. This is a great way of getting the cash coming in quick, and it's great for the times when I need to boost my income. But the flip side is that yes it does make me neglect the ongoing work.

    But in your case I think it could be good for you to have a break. Obviously I don't know you but I got a feeling that you're just at a low point - we all get them - and you sound determined enough to bounce back. In the meantime you could do an article writing special - perhaps only for a few weeks. It'd give you the cash, and a break, and then you can get back to the rest with a fresh outlook.
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    • Thanks for your reply Ruth I'm going to take a couple of days off starting tomorrow(staying away from the WF will be the hardest thing ) - hopefully when I resume on Tuesday I'll feel somewhat rejuvenated.
  • Hey Liam,

    It takes a long time for most of us to get where we want to be in IM. Yes, there are the "overnight successes" but they are in the minority. It's taken me several years to reach the $1000/month level and I certainly don't yet feel I have "everything sussed out" so that I can guarantee a new site will make money. And I'm still working on diversifying income sources so that I can't be wiped out if one thing tanks.

    Was your goal simply to be making 4 figures/month? Then I think you should allow yourself more flexibility in how you reach that goal. Regarding yourself as failing when you have placed more constraints on yourself than were in the original goal, is not constructive.

    I hope your time off gives you a breathing space and you can come back re-invigorated.

    Bets of luck

    Kevin (another one)
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  • Liam, I was just about to write something very similar to what Ruth said. There is a kind of burnout factor that slips in -- after the first burst of excitement and then we try to look at another niche in the hopes of getting the same burst of activity. and before we know it, we're spread too thin. I have been sitting here for about a month feeling the same ennui that you are feeling. Should my focus be tighter, narrower, should I just have a squeeze page? should I have more content or less.

    While I don't have any answers beyond the ones offered above, I do agree that the danger of being spread too thin is the biggest destroyer of great plans.

    Also, the dreaded catch is whether the content gives away so much info that the buyer does not need any more. But too little content does not hold people's attention.

    I would like to take a look at your site -- I might have some ideas...
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  • Something else that I have wondered about is the choice of niche. My expertise is in computers but I am almost bored with them after 20-some years and that is because I try to be too much of a generalist. I can rebuild a computer and I can teach most software packages...but -- well really all I want to do is Excel tricks. My entire issue with IM is that is the story of all my efforts -- too broad or too narrow so I keep waffling between the two.
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    • Don't beat yourself up about it. You only "failed" because you set your goal too far beyond what your current skill level is, even though you may not have realized it at the time. As your experience and your skill level (and your resources) increase, you'll be able to set your goals higher and higher and reach them. The irony is that "failure", which is basically just feedback about what NOT to do, is part of the learning process. Anybody who's been successful in business for a long time has some pretty big failure stories to go along with their success stories.
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  • Liam,

    You certainly have a way with words..Like John said earlier, you should have followed your guts regarding "warrior for hire".

    You don't know where it could lead. Who knows, it could open up several opportunities for you to reach that 4 figures per month.

    I don't know what to say except just keep building. You already know what works so just tweek it or give it some twist when the usual stuff ain't working.

    Last thing, I don't know your niche but it's almost Christmas, people are spending more on gifts rather than other things. This could be the reason why you're experiencing some set back in sales. Try promoting physical products for the meantime. People are buying gifts so maybe Amazon will be good for you.

    All the best,

    Omar
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  • Liam,

    I know exactly how you feel. I have been trying to make money online for years. I lost my job back in April so my wife and I moved down here to Florida where we had just bought this house (days before I lost the job) for retirement so we had a decision to make, It was a no brainer, this house was the one we could (barely) afford and we let the one up north go back to the bank, We tried to sell it but it was useless in this market. I'm too old to find any kind of job down here that would pay something and there isn't much out there.

    I am trying everything I read on here to follow other's success and so far since April I received one check from ClickBank for about $124 and one from Google for about the same, that's it.

    Fortunetly we have a small pension coming in for my wife or I don't know what we would do. I spend about fourteen hours a day on this computer trying to find that "one idea" that works.
    All I can say is hang in there buddy and keep reading and trying. That's what I am doing. I figure someday the good luck is bound to fall on me.
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  • Liam,

    I don't want to offer a dissertation on belief and the subconscious here, but stop feeding your mind with repeated statements of failure. You have NOT failed because you have not given up, your timeline simply needs adjustment. If you reach all your goals on time you are not setting your goals high enough. Think about that a moment.

    I recommend you get a copy of The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol and read it. It's an old book and could be hard to find, but it's still relevant and may be available through your local library. If not, you can probably find it for cheap at an online used book store.

    Many online businesses experience a slow down (fewer sales) in November and December, so unless you sell gift items, your recent downturn in sales is not unusual.

    You mentioned your SEO efforts and Google Analytics, but you didn't say if your site traffic is up or down. I question that because my site traffic went down last year because my site was hacked and until I found the hacker's hidden script, it just kept going down. Less traffic = fewer sales.

    I'll have another comment for you in a little bit but first I have to run a couple errands.
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  • It's possible you are giving so much away there is no need to buy from you, or you simply may not be presenting your offers well. In other words, your sales messages to content ratio may be too weak.

    Go through your site site and see how many pages are pure content and how many have a sales message incorporated into the content. I'm not talking about advertisements in the side bar, but sales messages right in the content. Then ask yourself these questions:

    Do you use the content to sell related products?

    Does your content solve all your visitor's problems, or is it what Jimmy Brown calls useful but incomplete? With content that is useful but incomplete, the content demonstrates your expertise and helps the visitor, but then offers the complete solution as a product.

    Compare it to the food demonstrators at grocery stores. You get a sample of food, can determine the quality, but you don't get enough to become full - you have to buy the food item to be completely satisfied.

    Similarly, if you give your visitors a "taste" of your product, letting the taste solve part of their problem, you can more easily sell them the full solution.
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    • Wow - thank you all so much for the detailed and helpful replies I've read through each and every one of them, and taken everything on board. I'm really tired right now, so won't respond to each one individually but I will do when I'm feeling more energetic. Thanks again everyone
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  • USGTMauthor,
    Please let me know when your next ebook is out...that is also a pet peeve of mine that the Science's chapter on action is overlooked. The Secret did help me a great deal but the Science of Getting Rich did too. So did Pelmanism.
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    • Taking time off has been harder than I thought Despite the fact today is my 30th birthday, all I want to do is read, learn, generate new ideas etc etc. I'm taking a break from taking action, but will be back hopefully stronger than ever tomorrow Again, thanks for all the helpful words of advice - if anyone has anything to add then please don't hesitate. I'm taking everything on board and adjusting my plans accordingly.
  • Happy Birthday, Liam! I have that problem with taking time off, too. Do whatever recharges your batteries, and enjoy your day.

    John
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    • Thanks John Right now I'm watching a free video course recommended by a fellow Warrior I just can't drag myself away from IM, it seems :p
  • I'm all for NOT throwing your eggs in one basket... but you need to concentrate on one project at a time.

    Once a certain project is successful and making money then slowly move onto the next.
  • Yo - Liam, a very happy birthday to you! Take a break, cut yourself some cake
    Have a great day and a totally rocking year ahead. Cheers!
  • Banned
    Sounds like you are good at creating content, creating sites and getting traffic and backlinks. You could probably easily flip some of the sites that aren't doing well for you.
  • I had the "make $xxx/month in y time" mindset for awhile, but from my experience, it's self-defeating. You tell yourself, "I want to make four figures a month." That's a great idea - not over-the-top but will allow you to live comfortably until you scale up. Just onnnnne problem.

    It's too abstract. Your subconscious mind isn't going to understand that kind of a goal. There are SO many ways to reach four figures/month that you'll be attracting all sorts of methods to do it... but that's no guarantee you'll get far.

    Four figures a month doesn't tell me much. How much are you hoping for? There's a big difference between $1000 and $9999. (One dollar away from five figures - I know I'm being a smartass but I hope you get my point.)

    Let's say you're shooting for the middle, $5000/mo. How exactly will you make this $5000? Say Clickbank, Adsense, CPA. If your keywords are targeted, you won't need to really babysit the Adsense, but turn attention to Clickbank/CPA... are your offers targeted, and if so, how well do they convert?

    Say you have a Forex blog with an ad for eToro, a CPA offer. This offer pays $105 when someone downloads the software and puts money into their account (even if they're lazy - they have up to 120 days for you to make the $105). You get 10,000 visitors a day, let's say your offer is a whopping 0.001% conversion worst-case scenario.

    10,000 x 0.001 = 10
    10 x $105 = $1050

    $1050 from a single CPA offer, plus Adsense if you have it, and any Clickbank offers.

    Of course, this is oversimplified, but if you have a killer site with quality traffic these figures are doable.

    The moral of the story is, I think you need to rethink exactly what you're going for. "Make $5000/mo" is not a goal, but an idea. "Make 1 sale a day" is far more tangible.
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    • At first I was a little embarrassed when I saw this thread had been revived, but I'm actually glad it has - hopefully it can help anyone that is currently struggling

      I posted this in another thread, but I'll post it again - I had a couple of weeks off over Christmas, and decided I'd come back with a little 'challenge' I decided on $1,000 in 30 days. I'm in the second half of this challenge now, and although it's pretty unlikely I'll reach the financial target - I've made a lot of progress

      During the challenge I've made around $215 so far, and in the last 4 weeks I've made $300+. This may not be very much to some, but the important part for me is that I'm now making money pretty consistently - i.e 80% of days I will make at least a little something, whether it be a Clickbank sale, a CPA sale or a WSO sale(the latter have dried up recently, but I'm still optimistic :p ).

      I've done this by being more focused, organized and putting the visitors to my sites needs before my own needs. I've also learned how to leverage my efforts, which I think is vital. Before, I would do some keyword research, write an article, put it on my site then build some backlinks and forget about it. Now, I'll write an article, spin it(I don't mean with any crappy software that spits out gibberish either), and post all the spun variations at various article directories and web 2.0 properties. This is working really well - I have one article that is number one in Google for it's keywords, and the spun variations dominate most of the rest of the top 10

      Before, I didn't understand the importance of building a list - I hadn't even put a squeeze page up until a couple of weeks ago Now, this is an area I'm really working on. I've still got some way to go, but I think I've made a lot of progress.

      I also have got into PLR quite heavily - I've joined a really good membership site(as well as some free ones) and now am never stuck for content - whether it be free ebooks to give away, articles to rewrite or use in an autoresponder sequence, or complete products to edit and sell. Don't get me wrong - I still write most of my own content, and am still working on my own products, but with so much good PLR out there, it's a great way of adding new possibilities.

      A couple of my sites I mentioned in the OP(the ones I said had 'flopped') I have now stopped putting anything into. They seemed like a good idea when I created them, but they don't offer much to visitors, and the chances of earning money from them is slim so I won't be renewing them later in the year.

      My main niche site is still high in the SERPS - number 13 at the time of writing this, and that's without building many baclinks or adding much content in the last few weeks. Next month, I plan on starting writing my own(with the help of my wife) flagship product for it. I seriously plan on making it an excellent product at an accessible price

      I do still have a few weaknesses - I rely too heavily on article traffic and SEO. I really need to tap into more traffic sources, but I'm working on that too. I also have days where I struggle to get going. My 'challenge' blog is in my signature so you're welcome to follow along, and you'll see what I'm talking about :p

      moneysoapbox - you're absolutely right about setting goals. In terms of this challenge I'm doing at the moment, I was perhaps wrong to shoot for $1,000. That's not to say I was never capable of reaching(I might still, you never know), but some smaller, broken down goals would have probably have served me better. Still though, I'm really happy with my progress, and if I can really learn even more to get the best from myself, the future will be bright I sincerely hope this thread has been helpful to others in similar positions, and I'm extremely grateful to everything who contributed and inspired me
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  • Happy bithday liam.

    I would say that you continue on your main project, develop it, tweak it, test it. Everything is learned from trial and error.

    And the sites and projects you feel are duds, just flip for some instant cash. There will be many buyers out there.
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    • Hi Liam,

      I rather think that yours in an excellent post because it brings home to newbies that success does not happen overnight as well as the fact that there are so many people willing to offer advice and a helping hand to those who do and have been taking action.

      Whilst you have had a number of excellent responses, have you considered that your problem may simply (or partially) be related to the time of the year?

      I know that in my own country, business does a complete "go-slow" during the months of December and January, with the exception of Christmas gift sales.

      As someone else mentioned, you have not failed because you have not given up. As long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will continue to get closer to the winning posts.

      Take care and all the best for you future success.

      Sandy
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  • Hey Liam,

    Good to hear about your progress. Will be following you.

    One thing though, you can flip your flopped sites if you can work just a little on it. Just do 8-10 articles, build some backlinks, get some traffic and flip it for around $100+ a piece.

    Just my 2 cents..
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  • Liam,

    I've only been here a month or so, and you've helped me several times. Thank you for being so honest about your situation.

    I'm perhaps too new to offer any real advice, except this.

    Getting too focused on one or two sites can get you down.

    Build multiple sites. Maybe 30 sites in 30 days. Get off of the forums and focus your energy on that. If you did decent keyword research, and just a bit of SEO work, you might be able to get some of those to rank. If you follow the money (go after niches where people are buying) but you go in there with a keyword that allows you to rank, you'll pick up some crumbs.

    Even if the sites only made $1.00 per day, if you had 100 sites that only earned $30 month you'd be better off then you are now.


    Even if the sites only made .50 per day, if you did the same thing next month and had 200 sites, you'd still be better off.

    And having done the action of creating those 30 sites - you'll have developed speed demon skills, and you'll have something you can either keep or flip.

    The fact that you're in here posting and helping people a lot means you are not doing MONEY MAKING tasks as often as you'd like to imagine you are.

    That's my two cents for what it's worth.
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  • Liam I'm following along on your challenge blog, I think monthly challenges are a great idea and some days will be low but ultimately you'll be glad you did it.

    I also agree with some of the comments here about selling off some of the sites that have failed. Of course it depends on the type of niche, and type of website generally, but you can expect a couple of hundred dollars for a new site, no traffic or earnings reported (I say this because I've sold a lot of them just before Christmas on Flippa.com) if you put some effort into providing some unique content and a nice design.

    Of course if any of your sites have traffic and/ or some earnings you can get more interest in them and get some nice cash to tide you over while you're waiting for new products to pay off.
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    • Hi Ruth, I spent an hour or so reading your own blog last night(via the link in your sig), and I was very impressed indeed I really like the way you write, and I picked up some great tips too. I've bookmarked it and will be visiting regularly.

      I have 4 sites that I could flip - 3 of them I'm not really interested in doing anything with, so would be happy to flip them. I'm not sure how much I'd get for them, but anything would be nice. The other one, is a year old and with some dedicated work could bring in some seriously nice money. It has at least a couple of hundred backlinks, is positioned pretty well in the search engines(with a push could be front page) and actually does get traffic every day. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to flipping, but from what I do know, I'd be disappointed to get anything less than a couple of hundred dollars with it. My dilemma is that if I really put some effort into it, I could do really well with it myself so I'm hesitant to sell.

      It's something I'm definitely thinking about though - thanks for the encouragement
  • Are you investing some of that money back into the business? If so you may want to investigate ways to leverage outsourcing or automation for your link building efforts.

    In my experience, being at number 14 in Google is just about as useless as being number 500. Except that you're that much closer to the top 10, which most searchers never get past.

    Doing all that backlinking on your own can be demoralizing (I know), but there are people that will do it for you for a decent price if you know where to look (the WSO section for example).

    Like you said it's all about leverage. Time = money and your time is better spent focusing on your strengths. But that doesn't mean SEO needs to be or should be ignored. It's a great way to get traffic.
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  • well, thank you for taking the time to share all of your thoughts...I get where you are at, not desperate but perhaps very frustrated having all this knowledge and yet still so many directions, have some assets and unsure what to do with them all coupled with a strong desire to succeed. I've been there. You've tasted some success and want to multiply that success.

    Well, following is merely opinion of some hard advice, based on opinion from what I've read.

    You have time, but use it inappropriatly. Spending time learning, testing, trying new methods and tools. Focus your time with some quality time management and focus your time only on 20% of the activities that actually move you closer to success.

    While many have made money with the methods you are chasing, you are chasing non sustainable business models. You stop working, you stop making money. You offer writting services and stop, the cash stops. There are several discussions that you have fallen to this.

    You are trying to do this yourself. Learn how and when to outsource. Reinvest your couple of hundred into outsourcing and get those mundane, remedial tasks off of your plate.

    The biggest challenge I believe you face is likely the biggest most of us face. You are chasing the money. Chase your passion and the money will follow. If you love to write, then write. Forget about the details of Internet Marketing, the keyword research, the keyword density, placement, anchor text. The foundation of anything online is content, period. Text, audio and video. The more content you're create that is unique, hopefully original and you capture an audience, naturally you'll build a following. The money is in the list they say. In reality, the money is in the followers. Any business that has followers, online, offline or anywhere, can be profitable. Since we are in the information business, this is absolutly key to building a long term, sustainable real business online.

    Abraham Lincoln said "If I have 8 hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend 6 hours sharpening my axe". Just make sure you're using the correct sharpening tool for that axe if you spend 6 hours on it.

    Good Luck!
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    • Banned
      [DELETED]
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  • Dude I havent read over every post in here - but if you want to PM me your sites Ill provide my thoughts.
  • Liam, the best advice I ever received was to get a MENTOR. Until you do that, you will most likely continue on this never ending circle of frustration.

    Stop what you are doing, because its not working, and start investing into your education.
  • Liam - you are a good writer, that's comes through in your posts. I have a bit of an authority site myself (about 300 pages, PageRank = 6). I would strongly encourage you to create your own product like you mentioned. My own products outsell any affiliate stuff I do every time - by a huge margin. If you'd like to PM your site to me I'll take a look at it for you. I assure you I won't invade your niche, I have more than enough stuff going on.
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  • Lot going on here, but I don't see the one thing that's personally
    consistently put money in my pockets, two words:

    List Building.

    Try it. it works, and stop trying so many things at once. That's
    insane. lol, take care man.
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  • Liam,





























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    • I'm surprised to see this thread appear again but I'm actually glad it has I had a very good month by my standards last month, but I really need to keep the progress up. I'm taking on board everything here, so thanks for all the feedback

      Dennis - thank you for the kind offer, I'm going to send you a PM now
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  • I hope I'm not teaching my grandmother to suck eggs in telling you this:

    Get a Mentor

    Ed
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  • 75

    Not a desperate newbie thread, not a 'how to make $1,000 in a week' but could really use some advice

    I was in two minds whether to post this or not, but I've decided to go ahead. It's a little long, so please forgive me I would really appreciate it if any of you could read through it and let me know what you think. Without wishing to sound petulant, I see the 'how can I make money online?' and 'desperately need to make $1,000 this week' type threads often get a LOT of replies so I really hope someone like myself with 500+ posts under my belt and who tries to contribute every day can get some advice and guidance. Like I said, I would REALLY appreciate it I'd like to think I'll never post such a selfish thread ever again, and I hope other warriors can learn something from this thread. On Monday, I turn 30. It should be a happy day, one where I celebrate and forget any stresses or troubles, but quite honestly - I'd be quite happy to cancel/forget it. I've even told my wife not to even buy me a card. Here's why - I set myself a standard back in the summer, that by the end of this year I would be making 4 figures per month. With everything I had available to me(unlimited hours every day, a great resource like this to mention two things), I felt if I didn't reach that 'bar' that I would have failed. Since then, I have made a few hundred dollars, mostly via Clickbank and my main niche site. The majority of the sales came from EZA. I've also made some money via CPA with some other smaller niche sites I have.