February Monthly Update- 45 Referrals, 7 Premium
This has been inspired from other members that have left behind some clues in the past.
But it's also so I can keep myself accountable as I know a lot of things are about to change over the coming months, and when change comes so does my productivity levels!
Here's the stats
SEO traffic- 6164 (up from 3200)
New posts- 25
Total posts- 225
Words written- 64,896
Refs- 45
Upgrade- 7
Recurring- 10
I realised that I hadn't really been tracking things that I could control until recently. So things like how many posts written and how many words written have become a crucial part of my focus.
It's amazing when you change your focus to this how much more you're able to do!
I pretty much doubled (12 to 21) the amount of reviews I wrote in Feb compared to Jan and I tracked the word count for the first time. I think it took me about 10 months to write my first 65,000 words and I did that last month!
(also note my first 50-60 posts on this site were so bad and pretty much useless! I didn't mean them to be but I was dotting all over the place i.e. saving money, investing, book reviews, travel tips etc... there was no focus or writing about one niche)
Some Useful Things to Note
I've tried to do a lot to my site recently...
Too much!
I've added a landing page mainly promoting WA with a video of me explaining it, which I thought was easier for beginners to understand than my review.
However, if anything the amount of referrals I've gained has slowed down.
I also tried to see what it was like to have an "opt in" form for people to put their email address in to come to WA first and then I could send them a 7-day guide on what to expect from WA and how to make the most of it.
I've changed the theme, the whole front page and refined my templates for reviews.
The conversions have still been pretty good but here's what I've found...
As my site is gaining traffic from Google, it's impossible to tell what is and is working when I keep changing things.
Moving forwards- how this can help you too...
I need to leave things and test them for a certain amount of time rather than chopping and changing it as I go.
I changed the page I've been directing people to numerrous times throughout Jan and Feb and changed the way they come to WA (direct link or through an email opt in). It was impossible to see what was or was not working! Lesson learnt...
I need to let things sit and carry on writing content.
This month will be different and I won't get as much done due to some things coming up. But I plan on getting 12 reviews done still.
Things are clearly working (such as almost 100% increase in organic traffic) but I've massively hit a slump this last week. I've heard so many people talk about this either on my podcast or here and I know it's all part of being an "entrepreneur". But when it hits you it's a weird feeling that is very hard to explain or snap out of!
What do you do when you've lost your mojo? Have you lost your mojo before?
P.S. I've also been helping a friend out with some local SEO stuff and it's sparked a real interest in doing lead generation stuff that I could see a lot of potential with in the future.
Has anyone else ever done any local SEO for small businesses or lead generation work? Or know anyone that has? Am I just being led by another shiny object?!
Recent Comments
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I have experience with local SEO and if you need some advice let me know. Also, in my opinion you are very close to deviate from your goal with your site if you decide to start a lead generation for local biz owners.
I suggest you to stick to one goal and one biz model until you have a team behind you to do all the stuff you do now with your current site. Then start your lead generation biz.
Lead generation is very very lucrative if you decide to go that way and I'm not stating is not.
Congrats in your success and keep it coming!
Any questions, let me know.
Thanks Ricardo, I appreciate that. Do stay in touch I'd love to hear more about what you do.
I actually figured that out in th end. I have chosen to stick and really commit to what's already working. Eventually I plan to outsource even more & build that "base" income level.
Hi Mike,
What I see in what you have written here is, yeah you may be over the place a bit... but you are getting stuff done, posts up and moving forward with that, and that is key.
I was like that in regards to just getting posts up and I had great momentum. However, I had a HUGE SPANNER thrown in the works and it lost my mojo big time and unfortunately it really slowed me down and has almost stopped me.
But hey, I am here and I have not lost hope with building my website. I know organisation and regular posting is key. Just keep doing what you are doing Mike, it inspires people like me and you are obviously doing really well so congratulations on all you have achieved!
Thank you for sharing your stats! Even though things may have slowed down, you're still producing results, which is good.
About 2 weeks ago, I got 2 email notifications, 1 from Wealthy Affiliate and 1 from Jaaxy, which completely surprised me, but made me jump for joy. I got a referral to Wealthy Affiliate and to Jaaxy as well, which marks a milestone for me because it is the first time I've had any referral come directly from my website.
It is also the first time I've had any referral to Jaaxy. It doesn't appear anything has come from that referral though, as they have not set up a profile and has never responded to any of my messages.
Nevertheless, it does make me happy as it shows that what's taught here works as long as you put into action what you learn. I'm still pressing forward as I want to get more results like I experienced recently and hopefully one day my first premium sign up.
I have no doubt that you'll get your mojo back and it will be full steam ahead into success land for you! :)
Congratulations!
I think it's quite natural to write "useless" posts in the beginning, especially if it's your first website. Sounds bad, but the only way to learn is by making mistakes.
I admit I have written many "useless" posts on my website that nobody is reading. I have also used keywords wrong. I'm just starting to learn how to do it correctly, and I have 76 published posts on my website.
It's also a good point, that you should not make constant changes on your website; something I have also been guilty of.
Thanks Kristi...
Yeah "useless" is the wrong word. They are never useless as it's all part of the practice and learning curve.
Once you really start thinking... who exactly is this post helping, how and why? Then it becomes much easier.
Writing what you want to write doesn't really help anyone and it took me a while to figure this out
Giving things time to test them out is good. But then assessing how well it's working every month or even every 3 months is needed in my opinion.
Getting consistent traffic is the first task though... and one that many people give up before they reach it!
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Great job with the increase in content creation and thus organic traffic Mike! I can definitely identify with the need to stop changing things so often and just let them be to see how well they do or do not work ... I'm guilty of this too lol!
I have not worked with any local businesses but I've been actively considering doing so. One of my offline business clients has asked me to do just that.
I am hesitant since I have no experience in doing SEO for others but I think it might be a great stepping stone and learning experience (I just don't want to be responsible if something I do is wrong haha). I think I just need to get over my own mind blocks and jump in the water, so to speak.
Best, Shannon
PS. Once you get some data on what is working best for you (opt in or direct link) please give us an update!! I'd be very interested in knowing :)
Just do it Shannon! What's the worst that can happen?
Thanks for the kind words I appreciate it.
P.S. I've found the opt in converts better... but it does reduce the number of referrals I get so it's still not conclusive yet. I'll need to test it more when (or if) my traffic starts plateauing I think