Half Year Update: $9K 2018 vs $23.6K 2019
Hello WA Warriors! I've missed you! :)
Thought it would be time for a half year update, even though my results have not increased more than I wanted by this point, it has more than doubled since last year.
2019 Half Year Update:
This year so far has been more growth for me, I've been doing a lot of learning outside of WA to advance my skills.
One thing you know for sure is that you can never stop learning.
Although WA has many resources here to learn from as well as their core training, there are still many aspects that WA does not teach so I have gone elsewhere to learn.
Some of the things I've been learning about are email marketing, paid traffic (still very green in this area and not profitable), and sales funnels.
I've also learned some more things about YouTube videos and how to build my channel, so I've been concentrating on this very much the last 2 months especially.
It's been a tough year for my online business and Google's June update did NOT help one bit. In fact, my traffic is still half of what it used to be from before the update. This is another reason why I have to diversify my traffic with YouTube videos.
I believe blogs and YouTube videos, these two platforms, have the best chance of getting that highly targeted search traffic that we all want.
Organice Search traffic is incredible when you have it and it's well worth your time to build that kind of traffic. This is why most of us quit because most don't know it takes TIME to build this massive traffic machine.
When you have thousands of visitors coming to your site everyday, you can pretty much sell anything.
All online business is the same in this way, you need traffic.
I think that's why people get so confused about what they should do to build an onlline business, whether it be a Shopify store, drop shipping store, affiliate marketing, it really doesn't matter what you do, you need to know how to ddrive traffic.
If you don't know how to drive traffic, then you won't be able to sell online.
This is why I must really learn paid traffic this year so I can make up for my loss in free traffic, which will require a lot of work and money to learn.
I've also been working a lot this year on improving my conversions and I haven't been able to accomplish much in this department despite my testing, testing, and testing different landing pages, different styles, they all still convert at around 5-6%.
I really don't know why this is and not sure what else I need to do to bring this up. I hope once my YouTube traffic gets even better that my conversion rate will go up as that's what I heard will increase my converion rate.
Another BUMP in the road I had this year was my Facebook Pages, I've lost all ability to create new Pages and my Work Anywhere Now Page as well as my new Grace aka Littlemama Page are both gone.
Yes I've disputed and no, I won't get them back or my ability to create new Fan Pages.
Guess FB Ads are out for now.
I didn't think it was a big deal to lose those Pages, but I would be lying if it didn't hurt a bit. I do still have my FB group though so let's see how long that will last.
Gotta keep moving on and pushing forward!
2019 INCOME PROOF
Okay, now let's get you some of the income proof that makes up my $23.6K for 2019:
Affiliate Commissions $18K:
Display Ads on My Site $4,703:
Affiliate Commissions $345:
That's majority of it, and the remaining few hundred mostly comes from people who want to pay me to get their post on my blog.
So there you have it, my 2019 Half Year update.
Am I Half Way to My 2019 Goals?
LOL
Not even close. BUT I'm not giving up on them, I have much to do still this next half of this year and I hope to bring even better news in the months to come.
But, wow, this online business brings a lot of ups and downs that one must endure and work through to keep earning online.
So... I keep on grinding. Partly why I haven't written much here because I just have my head down and building, picking up the pieces that Google bombed on me.
HOW HAS YOUR 2019 BEEN?
I truly miss connecting with you guys so catch me up in the comments below since I just caught you up with mine!
I would love to hear how you have been doing. Has your online business income increased this year? New milestones?
Tell me what's happening in your online business!
I hope you are all doing well!!
Grace
UPDATE: I just hit 1000 subscribers!!! July 3, 2019!! (Really, just a note for myself! Lol)
Recent Comments
385
Grace,
Always good to hear from you. I am working the WA affiliate side very part time but I got a few free members so that is encouraging. We all have to start somewhere! Thank you for sharing you success, it is inspiring and will help in keeping me going forward!
Be blessed!
Chris from Texas 🤠
“Half the battle is just showin’ up!”
Hi Chris, Thanks for your message and wonderful words!
Yes definitely I was there where you were not long ago, so keep up the good work you're doing and you will eventually get earning soon.
Be consistent in your work, even though part time, keep it up consistently and you will see results.
Wish you much success!
Grace
You're still killing it despite the bumps in the road.
The June update wasn't kind to me either. Traffic went from ~1,200 to ~500 per day. Earnings nearly halved as well. I suppose that's why it's so important to diversify and build more than one main income stream.
Anyway, it was great to hear an update from you. Your work ethic is inspiring!
Hi Ian! Thanks for letting me know about your June as well... Yup, those numbers look familiar. lol
What have you been doing to make up for this loss?
You were doing really well too Ian, I hope you still are despite this June BS. Lol
I hope Google will smarten up and change the algorithm back.
I've been trying a few things... updated all my articles to reflect any changes with the sites/apps I review (no traffic boost though). I have more plans for the site which I haven't gotten to yet. I plan to add a bunch of new content (most likely outsourced), work on CRO, on and off-page SEO, featured snippet optimization, and will probably tweak the design a bit.
I've also been trying to diversify a bit and have started several new niche sites. Spent nearly $2k on content so far. I've also been planning the launch of an authority site...the business plan is all in my head for now though. I probably won't be able to launch it for a while yet, but we'll see.... I've taken on some major work and leadership roles at college so those will be top priority once the semester starts in August.
Honestly, besides major disappointment and a little stress, I'm not actually hurting too bad from the June update. As a student (with lots of loans...) it doesn't take that much to get by.
I'm very hopeful Google will make some adjustments soon that will reverse much of the damage, but if I know them right that won't happen. I think EAT will become more and more important with each update, hence my plans for an authority site (with real topic experts writing most of the content).
Affiliate marketing is still very much alive. Lots of sites were hit big in June, but all that traffic had to go somewhere...many sites are doing better than ever since the update.
Have you seen Spencer Haws' niche site case study? I've been following along from the start and he just revealed the domain name. His niche site does not seem to be hurting any from the update. It's like 9 months old and made $1200 in June.
Sorry for such a long reply. I should probably get back to work!
I so enjoyed your response Ian, thanks for taking the time!
Wow, you do have a lot of plans and a lot going on!
I have two writers but they are not expensive. I find that I’m having a hard time getting this written content reviewed and put on my site. This summer with family things going on has been tough getting a good schedule going, so I’m hoping in august when things get back to normal, I can get a better schedule going and start putting content back on my blog on a schedule.
Spencer Haws, no I haven’t, I will have to look him up. But that sounds amazing! Would love to follow him, thanks for the tip!
Where'd you find your writers (and how is the quality)? I've looked into UpWork and OnlineJobs.ph but have yet to hire specific writers, besides someone for a one-off job from iWriter. I get my content from a service called ContentPit and for the most part have been very happy with the quality.
Another guy to keep an eye on is Adam Enfroy. I only found him recently, but he's seen insane growth in traffic recently so I think he's worth following.
Wow, I have heard your name mentioned so many times! You are truly an inspiration! I will probably read again, when I don't have children pulling at me! Thank you for sharing : )
Hi Sara, thanks very much and I'm always happy to share with WA's community, they have helped me so much here.
I wish you the best here!
Grace
Congratulations!, Grace. You may not have reached your goals to this point but you still have the second half to reach for the stars.
As usuall, your posts are so very inspiring, thanks for sharing your progress. Best wishes to you on your continued journey to success.
Randy
Thanks so much Randy! I have put a lot on my plate for 2019, I know I won't reach all my goals, but if I can each $10K this year, it will be golden!
Yes there is much work still for this second half of the year. I hope to do much better.
I'm happy to inspire and glad I can still do that! Lol I hope I can continue to do so.
Wish you much success Randy!
Grace
Hi Grace,
Congratulations on all that you have accomplished so far for 2019. Keep doing what you are doing! You are an inspiration to all of us. Thanks for sharing your update with us.
I am just building out my website with content and completing my tasks for SAC.
Continued success to you! Onwards and upwards!
Kind regards,
Nichola
Hi Nichola, glad you have joined SAC!
Thanks for your kind and sweet words! I'm glad I can inspire you guys!
Building this business takes a lot of work, those that can keep up with it, WILL see results!
I wish you the best, reach out to me if you need help in your journey!
Grace
Thank you! You are welcome. Indeed, it does take work! I appreciate you offer. Thank you! Keep at it!
Hi Grace...I've been keeping an eye on your updates here and thanks for sharing all this info. It is inspirational for those of us still in the baby steps phase. I didn't realize that you could lose so much traffic from a Google update. Do you have any advice on things to avoid doing to prevent that or is it just something that happens? Either way that's really unfortunate because you've worked so hard. I hope things pick up for you but I'm super impressed on your earnings. That's really exciting news! Keep up the good work :-)
-Susan
Hi Susan, Nice to see you here and thanks for your kind comment!
Yeah, I've survived many Google Updates. This last one though, it was really hitting sites like mine so I couldn't avoid it.
To prevent something like this and losing so much traffic, you will need to build several traffic sources. I didn't have that and so that's why I'm building my YouTube channel.
Things will bounce back, they always do, but it will take some time that's all.
That's why I need to do other things to ensure my income does not dip too much lower in the coming months.
These times are there to test you, I'm going to pass it.
Best to you Susan and wish you much success!
Grace
Thanks for your note Grace. Much appreciated! I guess it's important to diversify in terms of traffic sources for sure. Yes, life always is throwing us curveballs but if we keep going forward, we will succeed. If I can achieve half of what you've done in terms of income with this, I'll be happy.
Best wishes to you going forward, Grace!
-Susan
Your achievements are a motivation factor for we struggling ones. You need to celebrate, Littlemama. I'm very proud of you.
"You need to celebrate, Littlemama." Thanks for this sentence. I think the past couple of months have led me into a darker time in my business and it's been hard to celebrate. However, you are RIGHT, I still need to see what I've achieved thus far and celebrate.
I'm still earning and, with more learning, I hope to increase those earnings in the 2nd half.
Thanks for the reminder!
I wish you much success Akoli!
Grace
Grace,
Superb! Congratulations on your well-deserved and hard-earned achievement! You are an inspiration for us all!
Would you be able to walk us through your typical daily / weekly schedule?
How would you recommend someone structure their day / week in terms of effort / time / goals / milestones in order to achieve the same level of success that you have?
Or if you already have a blog post that speaks to this, could you please share?
Please help those of us who are on a lower rung of the ladder to climb up to the summit, as you have! :)
Hi Hyder,
Thanks for your kind comment and I'm happy to inspire you!
I pretty much work Monday - Friday full time on my business, probably more than full time but it's flexible of course, I work when I can, but my work is consistent.
If I don't work as much during the week, I put in more work on the weekends.
That's probably one of the biggest thing I can advise is to be consistent in everything you do for your business.
Don't do spurts of work, whether it be blogs or YouTube channel or some other social media platform you want to build for free traffic, it takes consistent long term work to see results.
The ones I feel is best worth your time is your blog and YouTube channel. I've also heard great things about Pinterest but this must be used with Tailwind or else it's not going to work as well.
I hope this helps you,
Grace
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Wow, Grace! Those are amazing results. Congrats. It's always inspiring to hear your results. I was at an all time low last month but I kept going because I just knew giving up won't do a thing.
Your update is so timely because it lifted me up.
Yes, I was part of your audience for the pages you're talking about and I was so sad to see that they have been taken off. But at least your group is still going and is very much active.
I have made it a must to contribute more this month.
My theme was bringing me down in May, got next to no referrals and absolutely no conversions in June, the month that I was aiming to make $1000 in, but no matter! Nobody could predict the trouble the theme gave me.
Now after a month using the new theme, I'm still getting less traffic (and I'm sure that the Google update was part of the problem) but I think I must be doing something right since my referrals have been up for the past 2 weeks.
So I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and keep testing.
Wishing you the best and thanks for sharing. You're really an inspiration to me!
Reyhana
Hi,
You was taking about your theme. does premium or customize theme could have high impact on site and make it generate low traffic!? cause it makes site speed very low!?
why im asking cause i have Yoast theme, and i feel it affect my site being slowness, and honesty i want to make bold decision either changed it or keep it, depends on your answer!?
Thanks a lot,
You are incredible Reyhana!!
YOU WILL MAKE IT!
Your attitude about the June update is exactly the type of attitude that will get you success in the long term.
I really felt the same way. I want to quit.
But quitting is not the answer, is it?
The only way out of this is to keep moving forward like you're doing, you will WIN in the end, I know it.
Your new theme, I have heard changing themes can sometimes get you a hit in traffic because Google needs to learn your site again. Maybe submit a new sitemap?
But yes, from what your referrals are doing, it seems like you're converting them to get sign ups here so that's great.
You are doing all the right things girl and it's only a matter of time you will break through to that $1K mark!
Let me know if you need help,
Grace