Becoming disillusioned with IM.

[Deleted member 720373]

 

[2spoons]

Good on you for being honest. When you cut the BS you will find people are often willing to help.

the online world is so much more than just ranking a niche affiliate site. I know that now because I was in your exact shoes 12 months ago. Now I'm having more success than I thought possible. What changed was that I realised I know a lot about seo but I was actually pretty shitty at sitting and doing it day in and day out. So I decided to team up with a decent seo guy and focused only on selling seo to local businesses. The change in my fortunes was almost instant.

maybe you can achieve something similar by partnering with someone?

 

[LostConnection]

I would stick to IM. There are many fresh angles to look at making money from, and you should research them a little. Now I know you've been on this forum for almost a year, and are not the usual new guy coming in and begging for spoon feeding, and that is why I'll help you out.

There are multiple ways to improve your situation. The micro niche site needs some SEO done on it, but with the details here, I can't say anything specific, just to advise building quality links and having Adsense on the site. My two micro niche sites bring in about 100-120$, which is not a lot, but I have only had them for a few months. Quality articles are the key, and when you make it to page one (even top 3) you'll start seeing the money come in.

You'd have to be a bit more specific if you want more help regarding your sites, but to answer your last question again, don't give up now. Working hard does pay off, and there are plenty of great guys on these forums ready to give you a nudge in the right direction. You've just got to be ready to put in the hours and you'll see success sooner or later. Good luck!

 

[sbndnb]

Seems like you did your best to be open about your situation, I think most people will appreciate this.
Now my 2c would be to find something you are willing to stick to. Whether this is adsense, affiliate marketing, ... find something that looks interesting and doable to you, learn as much as you can about it and then apply that knowledge.

Drop anything that scares off visitors for pennies, like ad.fly; drop any projects that you won't be able to scale up if necessary.
Most importantly, start small and keep track of EVERYTHING so that you are able to see what works and what doesn't.
If you find something that gives you a decent ROI, scale up & repeat.

 

[cmghoops32]

There is sooo much you can do. I really think you need to broaden your scope of possibilities.

If I were in your shoes, I would keep chipping away. You are on page 5 for one of your sites? That is great! Now figure out what you did well, and figure out what you need to improve. Look at your competition on page 1. What types of links are they getting? How many links do they have? Understand what you are up against and figure out if it is realistic, provided the resources you have.

Start more sites, try new marketing channels, try new niches

No offense but if you have been doing this for 3 years than you really have not accomplished much. You can pump out a niche site every other day no problem, if not more, if your fully dedicated. Being this active in the process will speed up the learning process tremendously.

 

[Paper-Boy]

You're doing too many things at once.

Stick to one traffic source (google) and one method (rank sites).

Do this for 3 years and allocate at least 3-5 hours per day doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY.

If you're not successful after doing this then that's okay. IM is not for everyone. Just like how not everyone can be millionaires let alone be billionaires.

 

[Trepanated]

If it were me, I would forget for the moment what I preferred to do.

My first focus would be on making sure I had a stable and secure income by whatever means - that has to be my priority.

Once that was done I would then take time to re-evaluate my situation, my skill set and my goals.

If I was still absolutely certain I wanted to make a career out of IM I would carry on with it, but not let my IM efforts impact on my stable income source.

I would try to transition safely from one to the other, secure in the knowledge that I am not in danger of losing my income.

You said at the end though that your offline sector is facing online competition - is there a way for you to be one of the online players in that sector?

Surely your skills would give you an advantage?

 

[Deleted member 720373]

Thanks for the replies guys, unfortunately I am a very proud person and find it difficult to admit that I am struggling. Maybe that's something I do need to work on.

@2spoons: Maybe you are right, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, sometimes it is more difficult to ask for help with something than to admit defeat.

@Lost Connection: It's not the sites I currently have that I'm concerned about, I am open to change and willing to diversify. Regarding putting the hours in, it's currently 23:16 on a Friday night UK time and I've been working since 9am this morning. Working hours do NOT frighten me so long as I can see the rewards.

@sbndnb: adf ly was never part of the plan. The blog I set up was just a spur of the moment decision because I read people were looking for a particular instruction manual. I found a torrent with a whole bunch of instruction manuals including the one people were looking for and created a blog around it. When I started getting visitors I looked for ways to monetize. adf ly was the only decent solution even though I had adsense and amazon on the site. I've had about 30000 visitors in the last 2-3 years but all they are interested in is downloading the instruction manual they are looking for then leaving.

 

[sbndnb]

@sbndnb: adf ly was never part of the plan. ...

I think most of us have been there, I was merely trying to tell you it's best to let things go if you're not getting a return from them. This might help you focus on the things that do matter. If you ever want to have a chat, hit me up on skype.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

OP, we have all probably felt like this at some time or another.
A change can be as good as a rest, try something totally new, something you have not tried, it might ignite the fire again.

 

[Deleted member 720373]

You're doing too many things at once.

Stick to one traffic source (google) and one method (rank sites).

Do this for 3 years and allocate at least 3-5 hours per day doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY.

If you're not successful after doing this then that's okay. IM is not for everyone. Just like how not everyone can be millionaires let alone be billionaires.

No, I'm not doing too many things at once. I have focussed on the MNS for the last 6 months straight. The other ventures were prior to this and are just left to run by themselves.

If it were me, I would forget for the moment what I preferred to do.

My first focus would be on making sure I had a stable and secure income by whatever means - that has to be my priority.

Once that was done I would then take time to re-evaluate my situation, my skill set and my goals.

If I was still absolutely certain I wanted to make a career out of IM I would carry on with it, but not let my IM efforts impact on my stable income source.

I would try to transition safely from one to the other, secure in the knowledge that I am not in danger of losing my income.

You said at the end though that your offline sector is facing online competition - is there a way for you to be one of the online players in that sector?

Surely your skills would give you an advantage?

My offline income won't suffer, it's from a previous business venture that I still hold a small share in. (Big enough to pay my bills) The reason it is diminishing is because of online and foreign competition. The business sector is quite saturated on the internet which is why my income has dwindled over the last few years and why I am looking to emerge from the other side without too many battle scars.

I firmly do not believe that I could even begin to take on the internet players in my current line of business. Think electrical manufacturing UK vs China and you will be somewhere close to what I am facing. I have probably 2 years before I am facing serious difficulties.

Thanks for the awesome responses anyway guys. You have picked my mood up massively.

 

[IMerSince1997]

You are not disillusioned you are being realistic.I'm also sick hearning and reading the permanent bs of people posting that everyone can make good money with IM.Its just a lie of stupid people who have no clue.The fact is people arround the world and expecially in western countries are getting poorer.This means the cake is getting smaller.Another fact is that more and more people are trying IM.People from western countries to make some extra money and people from asia to make some "good" money as their monthly cost is way lower.
This means to hold a good income you need to get better and better just to hold your income.
People telling that everybody can make good money are just lying.Its economicly not possible.The cake is limited and if everyone would make the same amount of money it would be for everyone peanuts.Thats why its getting each year more and more difficult to make good money.Thats simple economic.Of course if you are talented and working hard there is a possibility you will make good money but this possibility is decreasing year by year as the difficulty increases.
I work since 1997 and at the beginning you just had to create a website and add at google and you got instantly traffic on it.Hell if you wanted to have a sponsor you had to prepay him arround $2000 so he would even exept you as affiliate but it was so easy money without much work and most important without much competition since most people had a job.Today over 60.000.000 only in the US are on food stamp.So here is your way bigger competition at the same time where they stopped being customers

 

[CPA Paradise]

If you put that work into CPA you would bank hard. Adsense and microniche sites are BULSHIT, go with CPA/PPD. It's easier, and it really gives u money.

 

[Trepanated]

I have probably 2 years before I am facing serious difficulties.

If that's the case you are in a very good position.

You have 2 years you can fully devote to creating another stable income - and 2 years is a long time if you use that time wisely.

Whether you create that income through IM, something new or a combination of both is entirely up to you - but at least you have a decent time frame to achieve it in.

 

[Total Noob]

Like Paper-Boy said, work on one thing at once.

I agree that IM is harder to breach. But once you breach, it doesn't trickle - it floods to the point where you question why you never did it earlier. (For example, if you can rank even one MNS with a blueprint, you can replicate that blueprint 20x over.)

Jared

 

[Paper-Boy]

No, I'm not doing too many things at once. I have focussed on the MNS for the last 6 months straight. The other ventures were prior to this and are just left to run by themselves.

One of the things that helped me in regards to taking it to the next level with IM, is by trying to "imitate" the person that I look up to. (it could be a mentor). Whatever he did or tested, I always made sure to implement it on my own campaigns. Any advice he gave, I took to heart even if I had to change my lifestyle.

I suggest going through basstrackerboats' posts. He has a lot of experience with SEO and has made countless niche websites. From my understanding, he has quite a few authority sites right now. You can learn a thing or two from him but be sure to implement it on your campaigns as well.

 

[bolloxtou]

switch to paid traffic, much easier and quicker to find out what works and what doesn't, just copy what's working and go

 

[Deleted member 720373]

OP, we have all probably felt like this at some time or another.
A change can be as good as a rest, try something totally new, something you have not tried, it might ignite the fire again.

Maybe that's where I'm going wrong, focussing on the wrong area of marketing. I'll have a read through other methods tomorrow and see if I can find something else that I may be good at.

You are not disillusioned you are being realistic.I'm also sick hearning and reading the permanent bs of people posting that everyone can make good money with IM.Its just a lie of stupid people who have no clue.The fact is people arround the world and expecially in western countries are getting poorer.This means the cake is getting smaller.Another fact is that more and more people are trying IM.People from western countries to make some extra money and people from asia to make some "good" money as their monthly cost is way lower.
This means to hold a good income you need to get better and better just to hold your income.
People telling that everybody can make good money are just lying.Its economicly not possible.The cake is limited and if everyone would make the same amount of money it would be for everyone peanuts.Thats why its getting each year more and more difficult to make good money.Thats simple economic.Of course if you are talented and working hard there is a possibility you will make good money but this possibility is decreasing year by year as the difficulty increases.
I work since 1997 and at the beginning you just had to create a website and add at google and you got instantly traffic on it.Hell if you wanted to have a sponsor you had to prepay him arround $2000 so he would even exept you as affiliate but it was so easy money without much work and most important without much competition since most people had a job.Today over 60.000.000 only in the US are on food stamp.So here is your way bigger competition at the same time where they stopped being customers

WTF have I just read??? If you think the internet is saturated then you have serious issues buddy. You can't compare what you did in 1997 to todays marketing methods, the internet and technology in general has moved on. Move with it.

I have to say, this post alone has motivated me more. I will NOT end up as bitter as this guy.

If you put that work into CPA you would bank hard. Adsense and microniche sites are BULSHIT, go with CPA/PPD. It's easier, and it really gives u money.

I've touched on CPA & PPD but never really got into it. I was looking for long term income online and most of the methods shared just give a short term return.

 

[Deleted member 720373]

One of the things that helped me in regards to taking it to the next level with IM, is by trying to "imitate" the person that I look up to. (it could be a mentor). Whatever he did or tested, I always made sure to implement it on my own campaigns. Any advice he gave, I took to heart even if I had to change my lifestyle.

I suggest going through basstrackerboats' posts. He has a lot of experience with SEO and has made countless niche websites. From my understanding, he has quite a few authority sites right now. You can learn a thing or two from him but be sure to implement it on your campaigns as well.

I read and follow basstrackerboats threads with a passion. He is one of the guys I do truly respect on this site, not just because he knows his stuff but he is willing to share most of it openly.

switch to paid traffic, much easier and quicker to find out what works and what doesn't, just copy what's working and go

Paid traffic is not something I would consider until I have mastered organic traffic because it can be nothing more than a money pit if you get it wrong. Any money I have made over the years is my kids inheritance and I won't gamble wildly with it.

Got a pizza on the way now guys, it is friday night after all! I'll catch up with your replies tomorrow.

Thanks for the "Virtual kick up the ass"

 

[IMerSince1997]

Bitter ?Dude maybe you should be first aware that 70% of bhw members have to be unsucessfull so the other 30% can be successfull.
Why do you think pro's stopped posting serious good methods ?The answer is that the cake isnt big enough