4 Years With WA: AI, Struggles, & Thoughts of Giving Up?

bytheericseil

3.3K followers

2 years ago

Four years ago this week, I took the leap into Wealthy Affiliate. As I’ve mentioned before, I knew right away this place was the real deal.

And so, I easily upgraded to a premium membership within my first week.

Today, I continue to be a proud premium plus member- getting all of the incredible value that comes to being part of WA.

I may not be super active within our wonderful community, but I do stay in the loop with what’s going on.

Right now, my main focus is my business. I believe that’s the primary focus for any newcomers here; for example, the WA core training.

With that, I want to go over four lessons I’ve learned and reflected on over the last year. A lot of has happened since I wrote my last anniversary post.

1. Content is (STILL) King!

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is that content is, and will ALWAYS, be king.

Writing content is still the main focus, and no business can exist without content on its website.

-Forget about website aesthetics (i.e. How should my website look?)

-Forget about being glued to your Google Analytics stats- and making it the first thing you do after you wake up.

And definitely forget about the latest shiny object that's portrayed to be the ultimate “one-click away” solution to your problems.

Now website design and reviewing stats matter, but all of them are secondary to your website content.

As a new member, content creation should be your top priority before anything else.

If you can get into the habit of writing regularly (and stay consistent)- you will thank yourself later on.

I believe it’s crucial for anyone starting a new niche website. Trust me- it comes a long way!

Improved Keyword Research on Blog Post Rankings

Over the years, I have found that my blog posts are ranking better, thanks in part to improved keyword research.

Using Google autosuggest and looking for user-generated content has helped, and Partha's potions have proven to be the best tool for keyword research.

If you’re not familiar with Partha’s approach to keyword research, I highly recommend checking out his posts.

It’s filled with golden nuggets in there (Thanks, Partha!).

I’m seeing more of my recent blog posts now ranking on page 1 of Google, and many more are on page 2.

Dam it, I’m so close to reaching page 1! But, that’s not something to be ashamed of.

It gives me a good reason to get better at writing content that WILL RANK on page 1 of Google!

2. Video Content Is Hot- We’re All Visual!

Video content is hot right now, and we are all visual creatures. Video is a must, and I have been using YouTube and going all in on it.

YouTube is the best platform for video streaming, and everyone should be making videos, regardless of which platform they are on.

Video Content

I encourage everyone to create video content. Whether that's on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Pinterest- it's hot these days.

My preference is YouTube because it's the second largest source of organic traffic behind Google.

So there's greater potential for reaching your target audience.

3. All in On AI: It’s Time To Embrace It!

AI is the hot thing right now inside WA- and all around the world.

Going from skeptical to being fascinated in the last couple of months, I’m all in on AI, and Wealthy Affiliate is all on it as well.

AI is a game-changer, but the main point is that it will make us more efficient and free up our time to do things that matter most.

Another thing to note is we need to use it effectively; in other words, there’s no simple copy and paste whatever text is generated, and then publish instantly.

We have to edit and review anything if we want to make it our own and remain original with our writing.

Even Sam Altman, the man in charge over at OpenAI, once said earlier this year that AI is meant to help you, not replace you.

We are still in the early stages of AI, so there is a long way to go.

There are lots of unknowns, but it is well worth seeing what advancements will come in the months and years ahead.

AI tools, like ChatGPT, are just the beginning of even better developments to come.

As a user myself, I’ve learned so much using ChatGPT for brainstorming, researching, and drafting articles/video scripts.

I’ll say it’s helped me out a lot in drafting this post I put together.

What would take me 4 hours in total (from outlining to finally publish this post), this post took me less than 2 hours using the power of AI.

At this point, there’s so much more to learn ahead!

At the time of this posting, I highly recommend checking out Jay's current series on ChatGPT- it is a must-watch.

4. The Temptation to Quit and Its Implications

For my primary niche website, I am getting traffic and earning commissions, but I am still not where I want to be.

Staying committed to this niche website for over two years is a long time, but I have still not seen the results I expected.

I want to see massive results, so I find it questionable.

With that, I’ve put a lot of thoughts about quitting the past few weeks, and possibly starting another niche website from scratch.

But after reflecting on it, the best path is to keep it going at it. Thinking about the long-term implications, it’s well-worth to stick to it.

I can't think of all the time and effort I put in so far. I hate to waste it all for nothing.

Everyone has different points of success breakthroughs. It can be at the 1-year mark, 3-year mark, or even as long as 5 years to see a breaking point in business.

My point is this: Your success is a result of the actions and effort you put in early on.

If you put in little effort into building a business (For example: Write one blog post and hope that’s the one it will make you millions of dollars), you’re in for major disappointments.

I can tell you right now: That’s very common thinking for newbies in online business, and that’s the wrong mindset to have when starting a business.

But,

If you’re going to commit to building a business every day for the next 1-2 years, the better chances you might see a breakthrough.

If you stick to a slower path to business growth, it can take 3-5 years until you see a turning point in your business.

For me, I’m currently on a slower path. So that’s why it’s taking a little longer to see that big breakthrough I ultimately want in my business.

The Chinese Bamboo

The story of the Chinese Bamboo reminds me a lot of living a successful life.

It teaches us the importance of having a solid foundation, taking small actions every day, having persistence, and remain patience.

Success happens at different stages for everyone, and it is important to be patient and not quit prematurely.

You might be that close to seeing a breakthrough in your business.

If you’re not familiar with the Chinese bamboo metaphor, I highly recommend you check out a post Partha wrote on it.

It’s well worth reading, and it gave me a better perspective on what long-term success looks like.

Wrap-Up

It's important to go over your "why" for joining Wealthy Affiliate or starting an online business.

If you're struggling or feeling like you want to give up, go back to your first day when you signed up.

Or if you just started recently, what was your "why" to joining Wealthy Affiliate?

What got you excited about starting your journey here?

It's something that Jay brings up a lot- because that can help keep you going when things are not going well.

Make a note of it and set a reminder to review it every day.

Whether you want to create more income streams, have more time on your hand, or desire to travel the world, I believe all of us are here to achieve some level of freedom.

I joined Wealthy Affiliate not only to learn new skills and strengthen my skillset, but to seek freedom in three ways:

1. Financial freedom (Controlling your income streams)

2. Time freedom (Work whenever you want- on your own terms)

3. Mobility freedom (Work anywhere around the world)

Those components are what real freedom means to me. That's something well worth toward achieving maximum success.

I won’t dive too much into it now, but it’s something to think about as you navigate your journey into online business.

A big thanks to Kyle, Carson, and Jay for creating a wonderful platform with Wealthy Affiliate.

Also, kudos to the rest of the instructors for offering expert classes exclusively available to premium plus members.

As Wealthy Affiliate approaches its 18th year, it's a remarkable time to be a part of this community, and I'm excited for the times ahead.

Here’s to continued success ahead for everyone.

Until next time,

Eric