Two Steps Backwards!
Hi All,
Today I learned a hard lesson so thought I'd share:
This week I nearly took a huge step backwards. I decided that a site that I've had live since I started Affiliate Marketing in 2012 should be made redundant. I wasn't getting any traffic - therefore no sales - therefore no point. I have been losing approx £150 a month on this site because of hosting fees (high Spec to Run Magento). So after losing over £1k I thought I'd call it a day.
Close the site ...
I work very closely to a developer in the US, who knows my site inside out. So I asked him to create a backup of my site just in case I needed it in future. He agreed to do this but asked me to reconsider. Telling me that by taking down the site could undo all the SEO work I had done, literally years of work. He also told me of a friend of his who went through the same thinking as me. A friend who now doesn't need to work because he lives purely off his Affiliate earnings - and because he persisted.
One Last Check ...
These simple comments were enough for me to take a look at my earnings from Q4 in 2015 against Q4 in 2016. Here are the findings from just one of my Affiliate Marketing Networks:
2015 Q4 data:
As you can see I made nearly 5 times the number of sales in 2015 then 2016.
2016 Q4 data:
Who to blame ...
I could say that this was down to competition getting stronger or Google Algorithm updates but it wasn't. It was purely down to the fact that I got complacent and let things slide. I took my eye off the ball and let what could now be a very profitable site almost slip right through my fingers. In Affiliate Marketing you simply cannot let opportunities like this one pass you by.
Potential ...
Even when you have good results, still push on and never get complacent! If you do you'll probably be writing an similar article to me in the next year or so! It's not good thinking what could have been or kicking myself for not working harder - but what's done is done.
The Future ...
Anyway, like I said it's time to try and revive it! Follow me on twitter (@AffiliateGuyUK) or Facebook (AffiliateGuyUK) as I post weekly updates about the progress and see if I can get it back to where it once was!
I'll also post more updates right here on WA! After all, WA is the place that helped me up my game again!
Thanks for reading
Chris
Recent Comments
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I appreciate your honesty with this story. Keep your head up. You got it growing once, you can do it again :).
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Up and down Chris, and you're on your way up again my friend. Best of luck.
Ann