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Newbie to IM. 6 Sales in under 3 weeks. Need Advice.

by jamesh270
14 replies
Hello All,

I spent a few months building a website that collects UK offers (tvs, laptops, tablets) from around the internet and displays them to the user in a nicely designed website. The first week it went 'live' I got two sales which got me really excited. I followed it up the next week with two more sales of which one was a good amount. I honestly thought it would take much longer to get sales so it was really encouraging.

This week (week 3) I got a few sales over the weekend which came through on Monday. But since then I've had no sales (5 days now)...however until yesterday my total clicks per day had been increasing (50+ mon & tues, 90+ on wed etc) I put an email capture on the front page last weekend and got 2 signups in the first 2 days but again nothing after that.

I've been commenting on facebook pages/groups, youtube videos, review sites and am seeing roughly 40-50 unique visitors a day, up from 20 in the first week. I feel like I've hit a bit of a plateau now and was wondering if anyone had any advice? I added a bargain bin and xmas gift section but quickly took it down as no one was clicking on it and I want to stick to the three products.

I'm thinking of adding a review section or a section where people can post their own offers they have seen? In terms of the next steps what would you do? Would like some help from someone who's been in this position!

Thanks in advance!
#advice #newbie #sales #weeks
  • Profile picture of the author clean99
    Start doing SEO on your site. That should bring you additional traffic.

    Create your own social media accounts where you can share offers you found. If you create something unique then people will join your social media accounts and might recommend you to their friends. I think it should be quiet doable considering the niche you are in.

    You can also create a banner and contact website owners to put your banner up on their site.
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    • Profile picture of the author jamesh270
      Originally Posted by Russerg View Post

      Start doing SEO on your site. That should bring you additional traffic.
      This is where I fall down. I'm quite good on the tech side of things but I have no idea about SEO. Can anyone recommend some good resources to learn about it beyond just typing it into google?

      I have a facebook page with 60 likes. I just started an advertising campaign which I'm going to trial for two weeks. Anyone had any experience of that?

      Any other suggestions? Can I expect this to grow 'naturally' or is that a tall ask??

      Also what do people think of having to type in their email before they can view the offers on the site? Is this likely to put people off?

      Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Hi James,

    As for SEO, what keywords or key phrases have you selected?

    Build your page(s) around keywords or key phrases for your niche.

    You are also on the right track commenting on niche FB Groups.....add LI and G Plus groups for some more punch as Deon noted.

    Sometimes you will experience lulls, especially when new to promoting a product, etc.

    Work on your mindset. Locate small victories. Feel good about them. You already are, by noting your spikes in traffic. Focus on that good stuff and you will attract the ideas, people and circumstances to boost your sales.

    If you have any other questions shoot me a message or reach me on twitter.

    All the best!

    Ryan
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    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
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    • Profile picture of the author jamesh270
      Originally Posted by ryanbiddulph View Post

      Hi James,

      As for SEO, what keywords or key phrases have you selected?

      Build your page(s) around keywords or key phrases for your niche.

      You are also on the right track commenting on niche FB Groups.....add LI and G Plus groups for some more punch as Deon noted.

      Sometimes you will experience lulls, especially when new to promoting a product, etc.

      Work on your mindset. Locate small victories. Feel good about them. You already are, by noting your spikes in traffic. Focus on that good stuff and you will attract the ideas, people and circumstances to boost your sales.

      If you have any other questions shoot me a message or reach me on twitter.

      All the best!

      Ryan
      I had a few more signups and another sale which definitely motivated me.

      In terms of SEO the site is completely written with a javascript framework and I've basically taken a snapshot which will be presented to google when they crawl my site.

      I've done some keyword research and there is a load of competition around things like 'tv offers', 'laptop deals' etc. I was thinking about going for more specific terms like 'samsung 32 inch tv deals' which are still high competition but I might have more chance of doing well with SEO?

      Would you recommend incorporating these terms into the pages even though they don't really fit in with the website or add them in a review type blog for example...any ideas would be great.

      One more question - what is a good ave. monthly search volume for keywords. Is say 500 searches too low? What range should I be looking for?

      Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author John J M
    Under 5,000 or under 10,000 is what a lot of people go with as a rule. But do some testing. With really low search volume, you'll easily rank, but as your site gains authority, you can rank for more competitive keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Mensah
    Learn about PPC and what sites to use then build traffic to your website that way. Unlike SEO ppc is more stable.
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  • Profile picture of the author Luke Corden
    First of all congratulations on getting customers. You have already achieved more than a lot of people that try their hand at IM. The advice on this thread is good. Set small goals and achieve them. Then scale up.
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    Check out www.lukecorden.com for 100% free listbuilding course, marketing tips, advice and tomfoolery
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Getting traction in any new business takes some time. Just keep plugging away - testing and tracking - as you have been doing. Your rankings early on can be anything but stable so don't fret over them too much.

      You also need to remember that consumers are being deluged with ads, promotions, and offers right now. It's a great time to be in business but also a difficult time to break into niches so you have to be patient.

      My hat's off to you for what you've accomplished to date - much more than 90% of the folks just starting out (I'm guessing).

      Keep at it - be persistent - test and track and modify. Ramp up when you have a winning profitable formula.

      The best to you,

      Steve
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      Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
      SteveBrowneDirect

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      • Profile picture of the author jamesh270
        Thanks for the replies and encouragement.

        I've had one more sale a few days ago.

        I started a google adwords campaign and bing adwords. I don't think these are going to be cost effective with the competition but using the free vouchers atm to learn and test but so far nearly £20 spent and no sales from it and only a few sign ups.

        I'm going to try get a few articles/interviews with me on some blogs to get the name out there and slowly start incorporating some articles on my site.

        If anyone wants to write about me/my site please get in touch. It's a fairly interesting story, I quit my job in the city and am trying to make it on my own. Send me some questions and I guarantee some thoughtful answers!

        Thanks again!
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        • Profile picture of the author Devilfish168
          Originally Posted by jamesh270 View Post

          Thanks for the replies and encouragement.

          I've had one more sale a few days ago.

          I started a google adwords campaign and bing adwords. I don't think these are going to be cost effective with the competition but using the free vouchers atm to learn and test but so far nearly £20 spent and no sales from it and only a few sign ups.

          I'm going to try get a few articles/interviews with me on some blogs to get the name out there and slowly start incorporating some articles on my site.

          If anyone wants to write about me/my site please get in touch. It's a fairly interesting story, I quit my job in the city and am trying to make it on my own. Send me some questions and I guarantee some thoughtful answers!

          Thanks again!
          you have the courage to quit your job
          that means your present sites able to earn a decently wages for you?
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          Find The Job That Fits Your Life
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          • Profile picture of the author jamesh270
            Originally Posted by Devilfish168 View Post

            you have the courage to quit your job
            that means your present sites able to earn a decently wages for you?
            Not yet. I'm working towards it. I went straight from Uni into work and after 3 years I decided enough was enough and one way or another I'll make this work!
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            • Profile picture of the author Devilfish168
              Originally Posted by jamesh270 View Post

              Not yet. I'm working towards it. I went straight from Uni into work and after 3 years I decided enough was enough and one way or another I'll make this work!

              me too..

              in fact haven't get my first cheque and see that money go into my bank account.

              still working towards and want to proof other IM work is not easy I have say

              after started from june try about of stuffs etc..

              even still now..some time still explore other alternative programs out there...
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              Find The Job That Fits Your Life
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  • Profile picture of the author xpesos
    If i were in your position i will start pushing harder in social sites
    Maybe write some articles like "Top 10 best selling laptops in UK" "Top 10 best and most cheapest tablets in UK" "Top 10 must have electronics under $100" and similar
    These kind of posts get viral attention from social sites like pinterest and stumbleupon
    Also you have to understand that this is shopping season, and big websites are spending a lot in advertisements to secure as many customers as they can, this might be one of the reason of your sales cut of
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesh270
    Any advice about getting a blog to write about you or your site? How do you find blogs to approach?

    Cheers.
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