It's Been A Year - Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Way back in the day when I was in high school, if you would have told me I'd be doing this, there's NO WAY I would have believed it. I absolutely hated writing, but I am enjoying this.
This morning I got my 1 year badge, and it's hard to believe that it's been a year already. I knew absolutely nothing about building websites or affiliate marketing before I stumbled upon WA. I have learned so much, and I think I even managed to help a few people.
Yes, like others, I thought about giving up many times.
I wish that I could say that I was making money with my websites. When I started out, I had my mind made up that I would give up after 1 year, if I wasn't making money consistently. However, I still believe I can do this, and I'm determined to make it happen.
My plan is to stay focused on ONE site, keep plugging away, and keep creating as much quality content as I can. I keep reminding myself that even slow progress is progress.
Thank you to Kyle, Carson, and everyone in this great community.
P.S. Stay tuned. My success story is yet to come. Maybe, it will be year 2.
Recent Comments
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Indeed, affiliate marketing built on organic traffic requires a long range plan and the tenacity to stick to posting quality content on a regular basis...
There are ways to speed up the process, but they involve money up front and unless you really know what you are doing, may end up costing more than you make...
I think of content as an investment for the future, As many have said here in the thread, over time you will get more and more content that is ranking, pulling in traffic.
Make sure that the other angles are set as well is my advice. Look at the backend and things you are doing or not doing too. There are things you can do that at first blush may seem not so important, but they are...
For instance...Establishing a social network of accounts that support your website, refining the design of your website(s), internal and external links, creating and building a YT video channel that supports the website...
Putting together a lead magnet and effective opt-in page to grab leads and setting up email campaigns to develop those leads into buyers, having products to promote that people want, looking for the pain points in the niche, interacting with FB groups and pages, etc.
This is not an easy cake walk, this affiliate or any online marketing business, but for sure it can be lucrative and over time, provide you an income that is regular and substantial...
My advice: Same as everyone else...
"Go the distance, stick to your guns, but DO evaluate all aspects of what you are doing, take care of the little things, and laugh later when you look back at this post from a bar on a beach in some warm weather country while drinking a cold one..." *
* Or whatever other thing that you may be dreaming of achieving...
Cheers!
Dave : )
I've heard good things about creating videos and I've reached the bootcamp lessons on videos. I just haven't forced myself to do it yet.
I dream of quitting my full time job and working from some exotic location.
Thanks Dave.
Cheers!
You can do it! Both the video and the exotic thingy...This is a case of practicing the art of delaying gratification...
Working hard now will allow you to do more later, things you really want to accomplish/achieve...I truly believe this, and it is based on a book I read long ago as a young lad in Germany...
I am trying so hard to remember the name of that book...I think it was called "The Road Less Traveled" by M Scott Peck...This was published (and I read it) in 1978 (I was 22)!
An excellent read and advice...Even in 2017...
Holy cow, I am getting old...
Of course I would not recommend completely cutting out recreational or fun activities from your life, but maybe add them as "bonuses" to you as you complete an interim goal...
The "big one" (reward) can be held back for reaching that ultimate goal...FYI, I have adjusted my end game as life has moved on, otherwise you get complacent and lazy - no fun. : )
As Grace, ("littlemama") already has indicated in her excellent commments, and something that I found out myself Gary, it takes quite a long time, depending on your particular niche, for you to begin to earn steady income in your online business.
Indeed as is preached quite often here at Wealthy Affiliate, getting involved with a legit opportunity to create an online business is simply not a get-rich-quick scheme unlike what some fraud programs would have people to believe.
Those are the programs to avoid, and sadly people looking to make $$ asap, are the ones who get suckered into forking over money to join those scam ventures.
Keep building out your business, Gary. By the way you wrote your article, it appears that you have more than one site that is live. Are you able to keep up with both? I found out, (the hard way) that I simply could not do justice to two websites when they were both live in my online business. Frustrated with my progress, I instead chose to just focus on the one site that promotes Wealthy Affiliate as a legit online training program for people wishing to start up their own online businesses.
You truly need to keep adding relevant content at minimum 3 - 4 times per week to each website. Over time the search engines will come to trust that the content on your site is one that could truly help people interested in the products that you are promoting. And with that trust, you will see your website climb quite high in the rankings. And, I don't just mean for a handful of keywords either!
Steve R. who owns the "I've Tried It" website and is annually a Super Affiliate here at WA, (attending the Las Vegas conference) published what I now believes is the most educational blog article ever posted on the dashboard about what it takes to build an online business while also remaining hyper focused. When Steve stated, (point #5 in his outstanding article) that his site has over 1,800 published content articles on it I was blown away.
And here, I considered my WA promoting site which has 255 posted articles to be something. I don't come anywhere close to what Steve has accomplished with his business, admittedly one that he has had on the Internet for 10 years.
Here is Steve's article for motivation, Gary: 10 Years Down & 10 Important Things I've Learned. .
I wish you all the best, Gary. Just keep moving forward and through hard work put in by you on your website, steady streams of money will eventually come into your business!
Jeff
I chose my own niche for my first website, which made me a few bucks early on but then nothing at all for a while. Then, I started my WA website in January and my focus has been on it. There's no way I can handle 2 sites since I work full time.
I'm going to keep my focus squarely on my WA site. I usually do 2 posts a week but trying to get up to 3 or 4.
I follow Steve and have tagged some of his posts, but I haven't seen the one you mentioned so thanks for the link.
Thanks for the comments and advice, Jeff.
All the best to you as well,
Gary
Remained focus and if you have been pushing out content through the year, you will likely be sitting on some breakthrough rankings.
A year is a great period of time to attain authority and once you achieve this, you can scale your rankings and traffic with much more speed. :)
Doing my best to stay focused and trying to step up my game to get more posts done each week.
Thanks for everything you do, Kyle.
By the way, how's your finger?
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Great attitude..let's keep our goal in mind and not the time table.
Debbie
Yes, good point.
Thanks Debbie.