To Quit Or Not To Quit That's The Big Question
I've seen the light.It's taken me several weeks of thinking and checking and researching then thinking some more. Not to mention more hours than I'll ever confess to watching Jay's WAbinars - essential newbie fodder by the way.
One of the biggest problems I found is having no experienced knowledgeable sounding board to bounce ideas off. Of course, the biggest problem is myself. I absolutely hate to quit, giving up isn't an option -- truly you should see some of the completely burnt meals I've actually tried to salvage.
It isn't as though I chose all bad keywords, nor in fact was the domain name such a bad idea. The problem was pretty much as the experienced marketers here know, the competition. So after the best parts of year working hard with articles and backlinks I’m gradually climbing the Google mountain, fending off penguins, pandas and voodoo dolls as I go. It will get there, at least onto page one…. eventually.
But it is going to take time and I now have enough expertise (I think) to see where I went wrong in the first crucial steps. Not surprisingly I want to have another go and this time get it right from the first keyword selection and niche through to untold wealth (don’t knock the aspiration, my untold wealth may be a lot less than yours…..)
So the dilemma that has been bitterly fought within myself for weeks now, is whether to partially quit efforts on mistakeone.com and move on – or whether to stick to my guns and get this one to page one first. A good lesson here at WA is to get one site working and ranking first – be focused on it. Now I don’t like giving up and this just reinforced my own ethos – KBO as Winston Churchill used to say.
I'm not looking for instant wealth, or any wealth really, what I'm after is for something to work as it should and get ranked as it should, kind of proof I know enough about what I'm doing. And do you know what? I'm not going to get answers with the current site, not for a good while yet anyway. I've exhausted all the keyword in this niche so can't expand much either.
Rightly or wrongly I’ve decided my current strategy is just plain wrong. What I should have done was a thorough analysis of why the site wasn’t ranking. Now if you are a newbie rowing in the same canoe, stop paddling and go back to the beginning. Check your keywords and url’s against the QSR – therein lies many a mistake.
That job done, you’re in the best position to logically decide where your time and effort is most likely to yield a reward. If the keywords don’t have too much competition, then carry on. If like me you’ve seen the light and it’s definitely an oncoming train, then don’t be afraid to call time and begin over. I have wasted weeks trying to think this one through. but I'll tell you one thing - I've learned more than I can begin to tell you by doing, not just talking about doing. Lesson 2 is take action.
So this is a clean slate for me. I’m quitting mistakeone.com to move on. Not totally quitting it either, I’ll keep on writing and linking, but slowly. As to my new niche? I’ll share it when it’s up and running!
And thanks to Robbie for the hefty shove he didn't know he handing out!
Right now I'm headed to where all newbies should go for help - Chat.
"errr, is there anyone about? I've got this long list of questions and problems......"
Recent Comments
20
I am just starting and this seems like critical information.....mistakes with firstly your initial keyword research, then on your domain name, and you don't really have a clue how important the description is when you set your site up.
So where can a newbie find out this info early in the game.
Please inform me.....us.
Quinn
Hey Quinn - just go to the menu on the left and you should be able to access all the training - way too much to begin with so slow down and take it easy. Try 'Getting Started', the classroom and the bootcamp course. Take your time and watch Jay's WAbinars - all of them if you can over a few weeks. Good luck here at WA.
It takes trial and error. My first website was a total bust. No traffic at all, and I worked very hard on getting content up on it. That was five or six years ago. I kept trying and finally had some success until Google stomped on me with Panda. Sigh. I was so disgusted I walked away for a couple of years, but here I am, back again.
Keep trying. I read something once that said 90% of new businesses fail. That was in reference to offline businesses, but I'm sure it applies to online businesses as well. Perserverance is the key. If you keep at it, sooner or later, you WILL succeed.
Love, Love, Love your clean-cut self analytical(?) honesty. Hate, Hate, Hate my own self - fear of failing based paralysis which has, (is) keeping me frozen to the spot a bit like the rabbit in the head - lights syndrome. Yet I know, the best way to fail is, not to try. I've so wanted to do this whole internet marketing thing for too many years and too many ripped off £ from my wallet. So F--ck it David grow some balls and in the words of the great Nike. JUST F-CKING DO IT!!! And so I shall. Today! NOW!!!... The time here in North London is now 12.54. by 21.00 hrs today, I am going to have chosen a niche. done my keyword research. checked viability of the niche and, and created my web-site. BIG BIG thanks for your motivational kick in my arse honesty (please, don't clean your boot off just yet though as I'm not quite out of the woods yet with my first tentative steps forward).
Steady Eddy - David I've been doing my kw research and getting content ready for a week or two now - it takes time to do things we aren't accustomed to - then more time putting them right :-) If this is your first journey into a site build, hang on to your hollyhocks is all I can say! And take your time with the research and competition. Good luck.
Thanks Meggy. I think on reflection, you're right (he says with a tinge of embarrassment). I've been sitting at my laptop for nearly 11 hours (time here in north London is 23.50) and unbelievably, I'm very little further forward now then I was when I wrote my earlier enthusiastic response to you. but believe me, I shall master this gig. one way or another. Good luck to you too.
Not everything works that you try and sometimes you do have to abandon something. Just see it as a learning curve.
I do slightly disagree with you over one thing. It is quite possible to rank in a competitive area. If you check out a recent blog by @Shawn Martin - he talks about doing so and he has beaten some very famous competitors.
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/shawn-martin/blog/hard-consistent-work-pays-off
The other thing I would mention - is that it's easy to get hung up on data and rankings at the beginning. However, the most important thing is to get really good content on your site. It might be worth you reading Kyle's blog " Why I don't care much about data" - https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/kyle/blog/why-i-don-t-care-much-about-data
Good luck with whatever you decide to do
Beverley
Hey Bev, thanks for stopping by and the help. You make good points. Quite right, I or anyone can rank in a competitive area - and the site will get there, eventually. I'm not giving it up, just working harder and starting stage 2 before stage one has got where it should have!! Funnily enough I used to be a systems analyst - yet only just started looking at the data, I think after watching one of Jay's fantastic Friday night specials. Some of my frustration is not having enough traffic to work with - I actually want to have enough data to manipulate! As to content - don't talk to me about flippin' content! Every word is authored by yours truly but in all honestly I picked too narrow a band to expand it out much - and there must be more than 100 original articles floating around the ether already - how many times can I say the same thing differently - really it's that narrow, because I was that inexperienced. Lesson learned methinks.
It takes time as everyone will tell you. An authority site can take months of adding little bits of info, content, links and interest everyday.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Do you know a funny thing struck me reading this - it was never intended to be an authority site, just a little product niche site. But in trying to rank, it surely has grown -). I am sticking with it - just expanding a little at the same time. Good luck in your new place - it sound as though one door closed and another opened?
When I first began this, I told myself on a regular basis, "YOU ARE NOT QUITTING". I probably said that to myself 3 or 4 times for the first year and a half. Since then, I've scene good progress and I believe my progress will be expedited in the future, due to experience and knowledge gained.
Hello, Goodness me, you have thought this through haven't you. Well done. You must have so much experience now. I hope that whatever steps you take you are successful and stress free. Jackie x
Hy Jackie, thanks for reading and commenting. Another fed up educator? Yes I have thought it through but only had to because of my inexperience! Good luck here at WA, you are in the right place.
Wow you poor thing. You really did some hard thinking there, your brain must hurt.
I think you are saying you are staying...I hope so.
You are light years ahead of me, I don't know what to say except I am routing for you.
Sorry hope it doesn't sound lame ;O)
Best wishes and praying for your success
Kymee
Only quitting or at least lessening the efforts on my first site - not WA for sure! And thanks for reading - actually now I've decided what to do, my brain has stopped hurting.
Why not both? If one site is older and more established, chances are it just needs consistent posts to reach page one, once or twice a week for a few months should be enough. If you can fit in starting another site
around that, go for it. Taking on too much can be detrimental but not more so than indecision
Thanks for commenting - and you're right - that's exactly my thinking. I can and will continue on the old site, as I said it will get there - eventually. But having learned so much, it seems a shame not to put in the effort and go again, this time with the path properly lit!
See more comments
Good blog keep up the hope and push on. I have made the same mistakes.