The Internet is STILL a Growing Opportunity. (You Just Have to Find It)
The internet is vast, and so is the opportunity. I mean, it continues to grow, and so do the number of people spending money online...and how much money they are spending online.
Imagine every person online as a potential customer. That's not just a couple of million folks. We're talking about 5.5 billion people cruising the internet daily, consuming information, engaging in content, being social, and BUYING stuff.
That's a massive audience waiting for what you've got to offer, regardless of the niche you're in.
Now, combine this with increased spending within the online world. Ecommerce (online spending) is expected to reach $7.9 trillion dollars by 2027, with 23% of ALL retail transactions taking place online.
And it doesn't end there. Combine this with pretty much every major brand, and every smaller brand now having affiliate programs or being sold on a website where the company has an affiliate program, and it represents a massive, growing, and sustainable opportunity for us as affiliate marketers.
But...how do you get a piece of this pie.
Think about it like this: the more you understand your audience, the better you can cater to them. And the more reach you have within your audience, the more opportunity that you have. That is traffic.
Traffic is simply the way in which people navigate. Think of it as there route within their online activities. Where are they hanging out, what sort of platforms are they engaging in, and what is their shopping behavior.
If you can put yourself in front of people WHERE they are hanging out...then you have a thriving business. But this is a revolving door, because there are shifts and evolutions to people's behavior online...
Let's Look at a Little History of Where People "Hang".
The digital scene has changed over the years.
When I started out within the affiliate marketing world back in 2002, the landscape was MUCH different. Catching updates on Facebook or scrolling through Instagram wasn't even a thing. They weren’t even in the picture.
Yahoo at the time was the most popular search. I know, that sounds crazy doesn't it...considering Google has totally taken over search and now owns 90%.
Overture was the top pay-per-click platform at the time, and that was where ALL of the opportunity was within the PPC world for affiliate marketers. Google was the up and comer, but trailed by quite a bit.
And get ready for a laugh. MySpace was the next big thing (remember "Tom" lol).
And affiliate programs at the time were far from the ubiquity they are at today, and a high percentages of companies didn't have affiliate programs (and people didn't even trust purchasing stuff online).
I know I am dating myself now, but what I am trying to say is that things change, and when they do, opportunities shift and move around. But the important thing to understand is that the same amount of opportunity still exists!
Fast-forward to TODAY's Opportunities...
...and Facebook is the largest social media platform with over 3 billion users. That’s a whole lot of eyeballs.
Google is thriving, and owns 90% of the search traffic and is the #1 platform in the world in terms of traffic (see above).
UGC (User Generated Content) sites like Reddit, Quora, and Medium are gaining lots of traction and growth.
Youtube is a MASSIVE opportunity, continues to grow, and it becoming an entertainment and education platform (replacing conventional television).
The Pay-Per-Click (PPC) world is wide open, and you can access ALL of the 5.5 BILLION users through a variety of readily accessible ad platforms.
So, how do you make sense of all these platforms that are changing?
Simple. You stay on top of it. You evolve with it. And you harness the opportunities that exist. It's a lot slower moving than you think as well, these evolutions take many years, but they are happening and they are happening with frequency.
One thing’s for sure, as platforms evolve, so do opportunities. Staying sharp, adaptable, and ahead of the curve will ensure you're always in the game, no matter how the digital world continues to spin. And trust me, it’s always spinning.
Having a game plan that’s flexible and geared for the future will make all the difference in catching the next wave of platform popularity before it hits the mainstream. We will give you that game plan, and we will continue to help you keep ahead of the curve with the technology, training and mentorship you have here at WA.
Now go out there and take advantage of the current opportunity, there is LOTS of it.
Recent Comments
57
Kyle, this post is wonderful.
I agreed perfectly and as world population increases many people turn to internet to do business. so ,we need to adopt a game plan , as you said, to ensure that we stay on top.
Also, with the advent of AI technology which came to revolutionize business on the internet, it is important that WA develop a game plan to be ahead of other competitors.
Patrick
For sure, and we plan on keeping ahead of the competitors, and keep the community here equipped with the latest technology and education.
The internet continues to grow, along with the online spending...and the number of affiliate programs (and affiliate revenue). This is only going to continue to be the case moving forward. ,:)
I started my content creation career many moons ago. My first business was with adverts in newspapers. When the order arrived, I printed the information, bound it and rushed down to the post office to send it to the client.
Oh, how I loved downloads.
But many business owners were hating the new technology. They didn't want to change.
The same is happening today with Google.
Google's domination is declining rapidly hence all the HCU updates. They are in panic mode and making a mess of things. Maybe, it's Bing's time to shine. Who knows?
The more we are prepared to look at other traffic generators the better our businesses will be able to adapt and remain profitable.
Amazing how business models can evolve, and they always evolve to where the opportunity is. Although print is not completely dead, there is way more volume within the online world, and you can target people with more specificity than ever (which means you can track results better, and convert better).
Google's domination is not declining rapidly, they still own 90% of search and they will adjust to retain domination. I still use it, and until there is something better to come along, that will be the case.
We are more distributed than ever though with our online activities, we are social animals online, we are also constantly chasing education, infotainment, entertainment, and discussions online. Those are happening within many platforms now, all of which have a lot of opportunity within them. Google is just one of many of these platforms.
Hey Kyle, I remember my first experience with trying to build an online business. It was a disaster. It was around 2005 or 6. Some guy sold me a course on how he made 6 figures selling some car part online and I could to. Turns out he sent me a zip file with banners and other things that I had no idea what to do with and I never heard from him again.
Back then, from the perspective of someone trying to figure out how the make money online thing worked, it seemed like the "experts" would only give you a part of the puzzle. This led me from program-to-program spending money and not really getting any real results.
I was caught in this cycle until 2018 when I ran across this article about making money online by Nathaniell, a member here, I really felt the trust building as a checked out his website. He would say things like, " It takes hard work" and " It takes time to build a successful business online." These are things I wasn't hearing from anywhere else. The he recommended me to check out Wealthy Affiliate where he learned the skills to do the things he was writing about.
I saw right away that this was different than anything else I had looked at. I joined was on a month to month then I had some things going on and I let my membership lapse. But the quality of education and support never left me. When I came back at the end of 2023, I just went for the savings, and I am doing a year-by-year membership now.
I said all that to say in the five years I was gone the internet still grew and WA grew and evolved.
All the opportunity to make money online does not amount to a hill of beans unless you put in the time, do the work, and have the proper education and support.
It is awesome and comforting to know that as the marketplace grows and evolves so does WA. You guys make taking advantage of the opportunities accessible, the rest is up to me.
Rod
Haha, there have been lots of those over the years...guys selling courses and dreams from their ferrari, driving along the boardwalk in some beautiful location. Sell the sizzle, not the steak...in this case, sell the dream, without having a useful product. Those guys still existing, and they are onto their next way to scheme people out of something, some keep it online, some move elsewhere.
We are really glad you did find WA back in 2023, as you said, many hide the puzzle and only give you their version of the puzzle if you spend $1,000's. We build WA on the basis of helping people, help them accomplish things quicker, with a higher rate of success, and to provide a safe environment where people can communicate, get expert training/support, without the egos and without the flame wars that are taking place within other social platforms.
And yes, time and energy are part of the success formula in business. We can only speed up so many things with technology, there needs to be a commitment to success and working at it until it does (then working towards the next success).
With the evolution of the opportunities around us, there will be peeks and valleys, times that you want to quit, times where you are so excited about your progress and achievements. It's all part of the process, and we can help you with everything from the education side of things, to the technology. We just can't do the work for folks, or ensure they are giving themselves adequate time.
This is an excellent article, Kyle. It is true that things have drastically changed and are constantly changing. I try to keep up with everything happening, and keeping updated with places like Google and eBay is a great way to stay on top of things. These dynamic movers are the ones to watch to stay informed.
Nancy
eBay, haven't heard about them in awhile, though I know they are still kicking around, there usership has gone down quite a bit over the years and the fact they are so tied to paypal, has been a problem for them as well (as they are in free fall).
Time change, technology changes, company popularities change...all part of the fun of running a business. ;)
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Hi Kyle!
Change is the only thing that is constant. If we want to be in the game, we have to stay ahead of the curve and be adaptable to whatever changes occur. Thanks for the motivation!
Have a fantastic weekend and a productive week ahead! Wishing you the very best!
Kind regards,
Nichola
Absolutely the case Nichola, it is all about staying on top of things and doing what works now, not what may have worked for you many years ago...or for others.
That is our mission here at WA, to keep you ahead of the curve with the technology, tools, platforms, education and people that KNOW what they are talking about and are willing to help you out every step of the way.
Exciting times ahead, always! :)
Simply awesome! Looking for to the future here at WA!