Yesterday we received an email from a reader asking what we considered to be the main factor for the success we now have today. I initially had trouble answering this question because there was no one main factor…there were actually quite a number of them and each factor helped move us to the next level.
I often think back to the early days and wonder how much quicker we would have made it if we had done things differently, but you can’t dwell on the past…you can only learn from it. And believe me everything we have done has been a learning experience…you might even call it an apprenticeship of sorts, although we were probably the longest serving apprentices in existence. It took us around 5 years to start seeing some real success. But just what does the word ‘success’ actually mean in this business? Well, mostly it relates to money which is understandable but it’s all relative really as one person may see success as making $100 a day and another won’t feel successful until they are making $1000 or more a day.
Either way, I’d like to think we have been successful at this…we worked hard to get here, probably harder than we needed to in retrospect but as I said, you can’t dwell on the past. We know that even our mistakes have helped us get to where we are today so it has all been worthwhile. And though we have had our fair share of ups and downs, at no point do I ever remember either of us saying that it was time to give up. We might have focused on other things for a while like our online wholesale jewellery business (which we have now closed) or our main 9 to 5 jobs but we always came back to this business because we knew that we wanted the lifestyle that it could give us.
And man, is this one fantastic lifestyle. Just imagine going to sleep and waking up to find you have made a few hundred dollars overnight. Or doing a meditation and when you get back to your computer you see that you have made an affiliate sale…or going to see your child perform in a play at school and checking your phone to see that a couple of sales have come through while you have been sitting watching.
Please don’t look at this post as if I am gloating here…I still have to pinch myself on occasion to make sure this is real. What I am trying to do is impress upon you that everything you are doing to move upward in your business is soooo worth the effort although you may not think so now particularly if you are still struggling to get there. If you want the freedom that this business can give you then you have to do the work.
Okay, I can see I am getting sidetracked yet again, so I will get back to the original question which was ‘what was the main factor in our success?’
As I said there wasn’t just one so I have put together the main ones below. Without each one of these I doubt we would be where we are today.
- Never giving up – I mentioned this briefly above but I think it was obviously a critical one because if at any point we had decided to give up, it would have meant that we would both be still back at our regular jobs. Not that there was anything wrong with those jobs. As 9 to 5 jobs go, they were a pretty good organization to work for, the people were great and we both had highly paid jobs, but both of us just wanted more freedom. We didn’t want to continue having to get up at 6am everyday and trudge off to work for someone else, or to have to work around work schedules and other peoples time tables before we could take days off to travel. We knew there was something better and keeping that uppermost in our minds made us determined to succeed.
- Changing to Amazon links – I am pretty certain that if we had continued linking to other merchants and not changed to Amazon that we wouldn’t be making a quarter of what we make now. Linking to Amazon products was a real turning point for us.
- Writing better quality reviews – We’ve mentioned this numerous times on our blog but when we moved over to writing better quality reviews our conversion rates soared. We have written hundreds if not thousands of reviews over time and most are short 300 word articles. One day we decided to change one of those reviews to a lengthy well written review of over 1000 words and the results were phenomenal. We are still reworking the older poor quality reviews to this day.
- Focusing on one site instead of many – This one was absolutely critical. When we were working on all of our sites at once we had no time in the day and nothing really worked. We were spreading ourselves too thin, and we weren’t enjoying what we were doing. When we finally started focusing on only one website things started to happen. It was actually quite hard to leave the other websites alone (Wanda still tends to tinker with them if I don’t keep an eye on her) but we did our best to just focus on the one and it made a massive difference.
- Guest articles – Another critical factor was our method of backlinking. We were originally told about this method by James Martell and it is to this day our main method of backlinking. Why?…because the backlinks that you get using this method are super strong and much better than any other type of backlinking method we have tried and believe me we have tried a lot of them. It basically involves submitting articles (containing links back to your website) to other websites and we don’t mean article directories.
- Reading and listening to self improvement information – This one may not be for everyone but I do believe that this made a major difference to our success. We spend at least an hour a day of our working time listening to people like Harv Eker, Bob Proctor, Paul Scheele, Eckhart Tolle, Tony Robbins and so on. What they do is give us a bit of motivational boost for the beginning of the day. They have also changed our mindsets for the better so that we are focusing on more positive aspects of our lives and our business.
What a fabulous post! There’s no magic formula, but you persisted and proved that it was worth not giving up. I’m really focusing at the moment and I hope that it’ll pay off for me as it did for you!
Focusing will definitely pay off. Also being patient will help too. We all want that money to come in as fast as possible but that doesn’t always happen with this business.
Hi Paula and Wanda,
I hope you two had a great time in Las Vegas. Once again a totally motivating article that just reinforces some of the truths that we must keep in mind to succeed in this business.
It seems like IM is more than just a business sometimes. It’s like life and how it can push us into so many different places before finally rewarding us for not quitting.
I’m sitting here right now thinking of all the reasons to put off writing this article and then I read your post. You girls always seem to give a nice push when it’s needed most. Thanks.
Your right about it being more than just a business. It’s almost like survival of the fittest. Only the strongest will survive…in this case those who keep going no matter how many set backs they might have.
I hear this theme again and again; I think we all have a learning curve. My first site is about Pixar films and the accompanying merchandise. It’s not been the most successful in terms of money but WOW has it taught me a lot about all the other aspects of succeeding online. This was my “learning website” and my second site is going to be far more successful.
I’ve been at this since 2009 and your tips for success couldn’t ring more true. I got the idea about guest blogging from you and it’s a very powerful suggestion. Thanks for your leadership!
Personally if I were you Amy I would stick with the site you have. If you are already making money with it then you can make more. The only thing holding you back is traffic. Work on getting more traffic and you will start making more money…it’s as simple as that.
A most encouraging post, ladies. I was pleased to see changing to amazon links there in your list. I am always surprised at how much “easier” it is to sell the identical product through Amazon than through any other affiliate program. People trust Amazon.
Yes definitely Dawn…changing to Amazon links was a major turning point for us. People love buying from Amazon.
Thank you for this post, ladies! I, too, am struggling to focus on a smaller number of sites…I think I have IM-ADD, since the possibilities are sooo endless in this business. Keep up the fantastic posts. They’re a great motivator.
I think we all suffer from IM ADD – it’s hard not too. There are so many methods of making money and so many different techniques and tools. Even today we really have to focus so as not to be swayed by all.
If you are struggling with focusing on a smaller number of sites then just know that for each extra site you work on, you are doubling the amount of work you have to do and therefore doubling the time it will take you to really hit it big.
I joined a linky party yesterday (I suppose you know what that is?) and I had almost 300 hits to my website yesterday to the article I had written. However, only about 14 clicked on to the page where I had written a review of the product. I’m supposing my being a part of the linky party is really like a guest post. Is that correct?
Now, since only 14 people clicked on to the actual review I’m wondering if I missed something in how I’m supposed to do this guest posting. What do you think?
Back linking is all about getting GOOD QUALITY links to your site. And the reason we want good quality links is that it will increase our ranking in Google and this in turn will lead to more traffic.
So with your linky party I assume your link went onto someones blog…yes? If so, then that is pretty much the goal of guest posting. That will help increase your ranking in Google.
It also looks like you got the benefit of some immediate traffic which is always nice but that will only be short term. Your main goal is to keep getting more links to your blog from other bloggers and website owners so that eventually your site will be ranked on the first page of Google for a variety of different keywords.
Spot on!
Especially the not giving up part. Especially because other people don’t understand what you are trying to do and may even say that you are wasting your time.
99% of people give up with trying to make a living online. Be one of the 1%, keep at it, create value and be useful for your readers and it will come together.
The whole ‘get rich quick’ on the internet is sooooo ironic. Making money on the net is often much SLOWER than other ways of making money initially. Buying and selling offline can happen instantly, cash up front. Same with a building or plumbing business etc.
It is almost like farming, you plant little seeds everywhere and a year later you check and find some have grown into strong plants and are valuable.
Happy planting!
Beautifully said Ian. I don’t think I could add anything to that without spoiling it.
:-)
Hi Paula and Wanda
Had to laugh at this:
“It was actually quite hard to leave the other websites alone (Wanda still tends to tinker with them if I don’t keep an eye on her)”
Its great you have each other to bounce off and you obviously trust each other…to a degree.
Eckhart is great: his belief system makes the dips seem less of a big deal. I need this to keep going in a business where you don’t really have any firm reassurance from outside structures like those you find in a “job” environment.
My partner is a wise soul (http://www.thesouldad.com) so if I get paranoid about a down day he talks me down from the roof :0)
Thanks again for your wonderful contributions.
Cheers
Inger
I really like reading Eckharts books and listening to his cds. As you say, he does make the dips seem less of a big deal. That’s why we listen to this stuff on a daily basis…(well almost daily) because it keeps us centered.
I can’t seem to listen to his CDs.
There is something about his voice that just sends me to sleep! It is good for totally calming me down if I am anxious though.
I also listen to the dramatization of Winnie the Pooh with Stephen Fry-its the most beautiful story…
(You can tell I am an Audible customer)
Cheers
Inger
I love Audible as well. I’ve been a member for years now.
I’ve only found your blog in the last year, and really enjoy your posts. I’ve heard you talk about focusing on one site before and that is still really hard for me, because I set up so many of all different kinds over the years (including Squidoo lenses) that I’ve been trying to figure this stuff out. I cannot believe it, but it’s been just about 10 years. I have also mixed business models, such as affiliate marketing and Adsense, with forays into network marketing (MLM) and back again, plus I have a web design service specializing in lead capture sites, plus I offer a transcription typing service, and in the last few months I’ve starting offering services on a micro jobs site. I admit I waste ton of time in overwhelm on any given day on a continuing basis, trying to figure out where to spend my energy that will bring some cash in the fastest.
I know exactly what you are going through Laurie. It seems to be a common practice to take on too much with this business. Most of us keep thinking that the next thing we try will be the one that makes us all the money.
What you need to realize is that if you are already making money with one method whether it be Adsense, affiliate marketing or whatever then there is the potential to make more with it. However what happens is we usually don’t see the money pour in rapidly and we think it will never increase so we move on to the next thing before the first thing has really had a chance to work.
If you are making money already from affiliate marketing then you can make more. If you are already making money from Adsense then you can make more. What is actually holding you back more than anything are two things:
1. Lack of focus
2. Traffic
These are the two things that really stall most people. They love building sites and trying new techniques because that is where the fun is but when it comes to focusing on just one thing and working on backlinking and traffic generating that’s where they fall in a heap because it’s not as much fun. It gets boring and the results don’t happen straight away so they think it’s not working.
If you want to make this work then you have to sit down and see where most of the money is coming from already and focus on only that. That could mean finding one site that you have and looking to see if you have a few pages on that site that are already making money. If you can find them then these are the pages you should focus on for the next few months. Even focusing on just a few Squidoo lenses could make a massive difference if that was all you did for a few months.
Sure it’s not as exciting as building sites and trying new affiliate tools and methods, but it is what will turn your business around.
Just focus on one thing for three months and you will see the difference.
I assume by focusing on one thing for 3 months that also includes getting back links. Right?
Yep although backlinking can take longer than 3 months to see real success…(it depends on your niche/product of course). Most people don’t even spend a couple of weeks on backlinking and give up thinking that it won’t work.
I’m glad to see that your apprenticeship paid off. There’s no substitute for hard work.
There are far too many tales of “how I made a million in a fortnight”. If you said that you had worked hard for five years to become a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer or a plumber it would be regarded as normal and you would be congratulated for your effort. Why should internet marketing be any different?
OK – every now and again we all have some short term gains, and that’s a great bonus when it happens. But if you want to build a long term business then you have to take the time and put in the work to lay the foundations.
Thanks for the great post – and success for the future to you.
I agree 100% with what you said there. Nobody really wants to go through the apprenticeship…they just want it all to happen overnight.
I think the difficulty is the expectation people have about seeing money come in sooner than later. Not knowing when produces anxiety and stress.
James Martel has said to just get 20 guest blog posts out there and you will see a big difference in traffic. Recently ha has said get 200 articles out there to be really successful.
So it seems like it is a long road and it is easy to get impatient.
It’s difficult to set an amount when talking about guest blogging. If you have an easy to rank for keyword then 20 guest posts will probably do the job nicely and maybe even less than that. Two hundred should definitely see some major action but again it depends on how difficult the keywords are that you want to rank for.
Also it depends on where those articles go. If you have 20 guest articles all on pagerank 6 pages you are going to do a lot better than 200 guest articles on pagerank 1 pages.
Not giving up is the crucial one for me. I suffer from lack of motivation quite a lot.
Blogs like this one do actually help me regain my motivation. Especially if I read a post on a certain subject, or a comment to one. :0
It’s hard not to have a lack of motivation in this business. None of us have a boss telling us what to do so it’s all up to us really. It’s easy to feel a little down every now and then especially if you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel so reading other motivational posts can definitely help.
We used to listen to the Brownywn Bamber interview with James Martell quite often because it kept us motivated:
http://jamesmartell.com/coffee-talk/bronwyn-bamber-turns-business-around-with-james-martells-8-step-approach/
Your post was perfect timing for me. You see I had purchased your Amazonian Profit Plan, read it, devoured it, (even loaded it on my Kindle so I could brush up when on a plane and such), but, sadly had never actually DONE anything yet.
#4 – Focusing on one site instead of many has been difficult for me, but I do see the merit in it, however it’s the polar opposite to what I had been attempting to do with my last “business model”.
I must say I’m struggling to find an Amazon product that meets all your criteria, which I think has stalled me. I likely will start with one that is a little off perfect, as I think getting something out there and learning the ropes will be better than what I’ve achieved now (pretty much nothing!)
Bruce
Definitely go with one that is a ‘little off perfect’. If you don’t then you won’t move forward.
What you will find too is that finding the products becomes easier and easier but you have to get started even if it isn’t quite perfect to begin with.
I can really relate to LaurieKristensen’s post above. The advice you give her is great too. It’s funny I said I’m going to focus only on two things, but that has turned out to be hard as well. So now I need to focus on ONE thing for the next 3 months. It’s weird how it’s such a mind game. I keep thinking I don’t want to miss out on something with other stuff I have going on…ugh! I still have yet to learn the art of focus! But I am determined to get there!
We started with working on 20 sites then decided that was too many, then thought 5 would be better, then realized that was too many, then got down to 2 or 3 and even that was too many. One site definitely was it but even then focusing on the whole website was too much which is when we started to focus on only a few pages at a time.
Focusing really is one of the hardest things to do in this business. Even today, we still have too much on the go and we keep having to step back and take a look at what we are doing and decide what we should really be working on.
I have a question, not on topic to this post but would be interesting to see your take on this.. When you analyse your competitors backlinks to see what you have to overcome, do you count the backlinks that your competitor has from their own website too? For example you see they have 10 backlinks, 5 of those backlinks are PR 7 but are linked internally from their own website.. This must have some impact on their rankings no? Would you try to get 5 PR7 backlinks to your own website to beat the competitor?
Thanks in advance, and like a lot of people I am always motivated to get to work when reading your posts:-)
We don’t look at their internal links mostly because we have never really thought to do that. But I personally wouldn’t bother only because the more criteria you start using for determining the competition the less likely you will find things that work.
Yeah I guess you´re right, this would just be another criteria that could stop you before even getting started:-) It´s just when you´re a noob, it can be very hard to know if it´s even realistic to take on and beat competition with a couple of PR 6 and 7 backlinks..
Great Post! you guys never fail to motivate me. I love you Amazon Profit Plan. Your teaching are very practical and clearly show what I need to do to succeed. Many so called IM Gurus makes things more complicated and confusing.Thank you.
Thanks Joel. We really appreciate your comments.
Paula
I when to forum and I click your link, your site is great, I am 1 of then 99% fail online, can not make money, i read all of your post to improve my site.
Thank you i will keep back check your new post
It’s tough work making money online – at least initially. Just don’t give it – it is worth all the time and effort.
Oh ladies I absolutely love your blog. I’m actually surprised & impressed by a 50% CTR on one of your blogs. Incredible.
Thanks for visiting. Our CTR isn’t always that good. It depends on the individual page.
I can totally relate with your sentence about “when we look back, we would have done things differently”. We (3 of us) started these super in demands websites, some 4 years ago. We are starting to see some success now. It takes long to get the gist of what you are actually trying to accomplish. Now, it has all become so clear and we laugh at what we used to do when we started. It used to get frustrating sometimes, but being persistent is the key. You two are doing wonderful job. Good Luck!
Persistence is definitely the key. This is a tough business and it is so easy to give up. If you’ve lasted 4 years without much success until now, then you’ve got what it takes.
Thank you for sharing your advice with us. For me, the hardest part of this all is the time when we work out butts off and not seeing any results, that is absolutely the most frustrating part of an online business. No wonder many quit. But I also learned to just hang in there, because they always say that things will always get worse before they got better. It’s true.
You are so right Jerry. So many people expect to see instant success and as those of us who have been around a while know, it’s not instant, it’s not easy and it takes drive and perseverance to stick at it. But what a pleasure it is when all your efforts start to bear fruit. Every little win is a step closer to success.