My Simple Affiliate Website That Made Me $10,000

Hey guys and gals,

Last week, I shared a strategy on BHW about building and ranking small affiliate sites: https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/c...seo-sites-easy-way-to-start-with-seo.1012278/

Today, I want to share with you one of the websites that I built using this strategy - fcsnetworker.org. It’s a review site of FCS Networker. Over time, I made about $10,000 in passive income with the site.

NOTE 1: I removed all affiliate links from the site. I’m NOT promoting or endorsing any of the software found on the website.

NOTE 2: Don’t buy FCS Networker! The software doesn’t get updated anymore, and many pages on the official website are 404. I tried contacting the seller on JVZoo but got no response.

Here is the proof of earnings (minus refunds):



(+ 70 EUR from GSA SER & 55 USD from Magic Web Finder which I promoted on the website)

Here is the best month of earnings:



Right now the site is still making about $60/month. The only reason I’m still making money is because of recurring commissions.

NOTE 3: I will be removing all PBN links that are pointing to the website, so the rankings are likely to drop in the near future.

March 3, 2018 - Google.com - Keyword “fcs networker”



March 3, 2018 - Google.com - Keyword “fcs networker review”



For the most of its life, the website ranked #1 for “FCS Networker Review” keyword, and #2 for “FCS Networker” keyword (right under the official website). It also had many first page rankings for various low-search keyphrases.

Research
I found out about FCS Networker by accident. I was browsing through SEO forums, looking for information about latest link building techniques, when I came across a thread discussing different link building tools. This was the time when I first saw the name.

Although at that point it has been already 2 months since the official launch, according to Google, combined monthly searches hovered just around 300 for the main keywords (FCS Networker & FCS Networker Review).

Needless to say, the competition was nearly non-existent with forum threads and small affiliate websites dominating the first page. I knew that it would be easy to rank, so with nothing to lose, I registered the domain in the middle of September 2013.

Website Setup
I designed the website and created content with visitors in mind. My primary focus was on conversions rather than on on-page SEO. I only followed some essential on-page optimization tactics such as the main keyword in the title, the first paragraph, and few times throughout the text. I wrote all content myself, spreading the posting time over 5-6 weeks.

To create a valuable review, I took time to learn everything about FCS Networker. Instead of writing down a thousand-words review, that no one would read, I opted-in for using videos.

Initially, I created tutorial videos myself, but after a facelift of the interface sometime in 2015, I switched to using videos from the official website.

I have made several changes over the years to the front page to increase conversions. For example, see that balding guy with a baby in the sidebar? Well, that certainly ain’t me and that certainly ain’t my life story! It’s just one of the tricks I used to boost conversions (people like faces).

You can track most of the changes to the website through Wayback Machine:

• https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://fcsnetworker.org/

I wrote four articles about SEO for bulking up the site. You can find them under "SEO Discussion" in the top menu. At one point, I was going to promote other software that one could use in combination with FCS Networker. The plan was to write reviews for each of them, but I eventually dumped that idea half way through. Instead, I created five quick overview pages. You can find them under “SEO Tools” in the top menu.

The only other software I wrote more about is GSA Search Engine Ranker. I never actually owned GSA SER, so I wrote my review based on information on the sales page and other websites.

Link Building
I built most of the links in the first 3 months, and I haven't done much link building in the last two years (except few diversification backlinks now and then).

I started with creating diversification backlinks first just after few weeks of registering the domain name. I used a manually spun article for content, and built about 10-15 backlinks per week for the first month or so. I did all link building myself - no outsourcing. All together I created about 50-60 of these links. After few month, I bought a cheaper PBN service to use for Tier 2.

But all of these links were not nearly as important as my PBN links. It was only after I built the first PBN link, in the middle of November 2013, that the website got to the top of Google. I still remember that time, it was a great feeling!

In the past 2 years, I only had 2 PBN backlinks pointing to the home page. I bought both domains through auctions with the help of Register Compass.

I’m not going to reveal the domains here, but here are some stats.

• According to MAJESTIC, Domain 1 has TF/CF 17/15, and Domain 2 has TF/CF 14/15
• According to AHREFS, Domain 1 has UR/DR 20/44, and Domain 2 has UR/DR 36/46
• According to MOZ, Domain 1 has DA/PA 30/41, and Domain 2 has DA/PA 36/46

While these metrics might not seem too impressive, keep in mind that both domains have most backlinks coming from websites in computer/internet niche and include a few contextual links.

It’s likely that I won’t be renewing the domain when it becomes due in the middle of the coming September.

Recap:

• Creating one-product-review affiliate sites can still be profitable
• Read through blogs and forums to see what’s up and coming in your niche
• Look for products with recurring commission structure (this is the main reason I made so much money, and still making money although the software is not updated)
• Take time to learn about the product to create better reviews to improve conversions
• Invest time into designing your website to make it look presentable
• Test out different layouts and tweak website content to get a better conversion rate
• Don’t waste money on building too many garbage links, instead invest into Tier 2
• Web 2.0 links and such will not rank your website, PBN links will
• Buy PBN domains that are related to your niche

I think that’s all! Feel free to browse around the website to see how I set it up and let me know if you have any questions.

If you are interested in the strategy, then read my other thread where I shared the guide: https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/c...seo-sites-easy-way-to-start-with-seo.1012278/

Cheers!

A lot of valuable information, thanks for this awesome thread OP. It sucks that the seller has abandoned this software.
I've been in the incentive CPA all my life and I've made quite a lot. After all these recent updates in seo and other social media though, it's getting that much harder to even stay above water. I believe these kind of threads motivate me and others to start taking action.

this looks good, I may try this in the future, thanks for sharing

korni said:

A lot of valuable information, thanks for this awesome thread OP. It sucks that the seller has abandoned this software.
I've been in the incentive CPA all my life and I've made quite a lot. After all these recent updates in seo and other social media though, it's getting that much harder to even stay above water. I believe these kind of threads motivate me and others to start taking action.

Click to expand...

h

I'm getting out of SEO game. You are right, it's becoming harder and harder. I had good luck with building these small affiliate sites and ranking them, but I feel like it's time to focus on something more serious.

I'm starting a website in the financial niche and I'm not going to rely on Google for traffic at all. Instead, I drive traffic through social media, outreach, guest blogging and other methods that don't involve Google.

clean99 said:

h

I'm getting out of SEO game. You are right, it's becoming harder and harder. I had good luck with building these small affiliate sites and ranking them, but I feel like it's time to focus on something more serious.

I'm starting a website in the financial niche and I'm not going to rely on Google for traffic at all. Instead, I drive traffic through social media, outreach, guest blogging and other methods that don't involve Google.

Click to expand...

Read your thread with interest, I also don't bother with Google. So many people spend all their time trying to please the G they forget about other methods. Way too stressful

blogzandstuff said:

Read your thread with interest, I also don't bother with Google. So many people spend all their time trying to please the G they forget about other methods. Way too stressful

Click to expand...

For me if you just make money using adsense its still worth it focusing seo. But if you sell something, go for paid marketing.

If you use paid marketing to drive traffic for adsense site, one day you’ll regret it haha.

Total spend for ads vs income is the same. Sometime negative lol

I like these type of shares as I do not like complicated methods. One question: were you able to repeat this success with other websites ?

blogzandstuff said:

Read your thread with interest, I also don't bother with Google. So many people spend all their time trying to please the G they forget about other methods. Way too stressful

Click to expand...

I think it's a good source of side income, but that's about it. I don't bother building big websites using PBN and other black hat strategies.

escobart said:

For me if you just make money using adsense its still worth it focusing seo. But if you sell something, go for paid marketing.

If you use paid marketing to drive traffic for adsense site, one day you’ll regret it haha.

Total spend for ads vs income is the same. Sometime negative lol

Click to expand...

Affiliate model worked better for me than Adsense, but to each their own!

krishnaverma said:

I like these type of shares as I do not like complicated methods. One question: were you able to repeat this success with other websites ?

Click to expand...

Yes I was able to quite a few times!

clean99 said:

Look for products with recurring commission structure (this is the main reason I made so much money, and still making money although the software is not updated)

Click to expand...

Great share thanks for posting OP! Btw what is a recurring commission structure ? Also how many pages / posts does such a product related affiliate site have ?

Wow awesome read, how many times have you repeated this process?

This is awesome and most people just build site normally but what i see is a proper structure of SILO method which google easy to read back-end. Nice tutorial mate am going to follow this step for sure

korni said:

A lot of valuable information, thanks for this awesome thread OP. It sucks that the seller has abandoned this software.
I've been in the incentive CPA all my life and I've made quite a lot. After all these recent updates in seo and other social media though, it's getting that much harder to even stay above water. I believe these kind of threads motivate me and others to start taking action.

Click to expand...

There is always going to be someone searching something on G and always someone ranking well. It is getting harder but it's a great way to make money. Just do the things the way G wants it and you'll be fine in my opinion.

YoungArt said:

Great share thanks for posting OP! Btw what is a recurring commission structure ? Also how many pages / posts does such a product related affiliate site have ?

Click to expand...

Recurring commission structure is when someone signs up through your affiliate link, and you get the commission from that sign up every month. For example, FCS Networker was $17 per month, and my commission was 30%. As long as the person who signed up through my affiliate link was still subscribed to FCS Networker, I would get 30% commission every month.

Fresh Money said:

Wow awesome read, how many times have you repeated this process?

Click to expand...

I don't know the exact number, but quite a few times. It's relatively easy to set these sites up. Back in 2013, when I started with this strategy, I could start ranking within 2-3 month. Now it takes 6-8 month or longer to rank. You need patience these days. That's why I think this strategy is great as a side project, so you can set up a website, forget about it for some time, build some links, forget about it again, and do that until it ranks.

This is good and simple method. Just need to search what people need and someone who supply it.
Like be a middle man.

This is absolutely a great way to promote a program and earn money from affiliate link. You did a great job. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

userandom said:

This is good and simple method. Just need to search what people need and someone who supply it.
Like be a middle man.

Click to expand...

That's what being an affiliate is all about! Cheers

That is so awesome sir. How many searches per month for the keyword?

clean99 said:

I used a manually spun article for content, and built about 10-15 backlinks per week for the first month or so.

Click to expand...

I did not get this part. You took a spun content and did what? How did you build the links with the spun article?

hasan7707 said:

I did not get this part. You took a spun content and did what? How did you build the links with the spun article?

Click to expand...

I inserted a link back to my website in the spun article and posted spun versions of the article on different web properties.

clean99 said:

That's what being an affiliate is all about! Cheers

Click to expand...

yep, and need to learn how to "hypnotize" your reader.