So far during my internet exploits I really haven’t known what I’ve been doing most of the time. I just go with my gut, produce sites I enjoy making and hope for the best. Things like link building and keyword research have always sucked the life out of me a bit too much for me to actually spend much time doing them.
Link Build Like a Mo-Fo
I have five completed websites that are doing absolutely nothing for me. They range from about 20 to 60 pages each, they are stacked with keywords, the on-site SEO is pretty good, the topics are potentially lucrative and once I get these babies into Google and ranking well for my terms I think I will see a big jump in my earnings. Unfortunately for me, I will need to build a lot of links to do this. The old days of sticking a link to my new site from my oldest site and seeing instant results are gone and I will need to put a lot more effort into this area. Darn.
Write an Absolute Crapload of Boring Stuff
I have managed to come up with a few keywords by accident that I think will turn into good Google Adsense earners but I need to actually write some articles or websites if I hope to capitalise on this. This part makes my brain hurt.
Stop Talking About It and Do It: Affiliates Marketing
I always say that I need to work at finding affiliates that fit with my sites. I have added a few programs here and there but sort of half-heartedly. Affiliate marketing is where the money is folks and I need to get this in gear. I will need to spend a lot of time not only on finding programs but also on finding ways to make the sales. I also have a travel insurance site that ranks really well and sees some very targeted traffic but it doesn’t do much in the way of affiliate sales. I think with a bit of tweaking I will be able to improve its performance.
Find a Way to Franchise My ‘Stuck In’ Sites
I wrote a post ages ago about starting a network of city guides aimed at backpackers and expat types who are planning to move to a new city for a few months or longer. So far I have four sites on the go (London, Sydney, Beijing, New York) in various levels of completion and with varying levels of traffic and income. I think the sites are useful, but only if there is someone writing for them who really knows their stuff. So far I have been paying writers to pull together content but this isn’t something I can afford to do for much longer. I prefer the idea of a profit-sharing model or even a monthly rental/franchise type fee. I will be working on comin gup with some sort of master plan to move forward with more guides. I have a couple who are interested in writing for my Rio site and will throw a few ideas at them to see what they think.
Position Myself as an Expert on Working Holidays
I know a lot about working holiday visas and have worked abroad in a few countries. I also run the site Working Holiday Info so I think I’m well equipped to take control of the niche and market myself as an expert on the subject. Part of this will involve a massive update of the site as visa rules are changing all the time. The other part will involve a lot of writing, guest posts, research, staying on top of things, making contact with others in this industry and generally pimping myself on social media sites. I’m not sure what will come out of it but the gap year/working holiday sector is huge so it can’t hurt. This will be a huge undertaking but the site needs to be updated anyways so I will start making blog posts as I update and see how things go.
I’m sort of veering away a bit from the ‘do what you love’ mentality I have had for years. I think I have had my eyes opened a lot by Lissie. Seeing how much she is earning now and how she has gone about it has really made me rethink my approach. I’m not going to stop writing about the things I love, but I will add a few profitable but painful-to-write sites into the mix and see how things go.
All of this is going to take a lot of time. I have put a lot of effort into building sites over the past month or so and now I need to do the behind-the-scenes type stuff. I plan on being home in Canada for close to two months (although this week I am off the grid and floating around on a houseboat) and I expect to make some pretty significant strides forward in that time. I’ve put off the hard work long enough and it’s time to get down to business.
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