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Thin Sites = Thin Ice. Google is nothing more than a Slapper!
The demise of the spammy affiliate marketer…
Build site, earn money, get slapped.
The last few weeks have been pretty interesting on the Google front. JC Penney got the “good news” for employing an SEO agency that built a bucket load of spammy links to their pages and earlier this week the Google farmer update came in that apprently affects almost 12% of queries.
So what does this mean for us? Well, we can draw a couple of conclusions about these events:-
- You can get be penalised for building spammy backlinks to your site
- Thin “no-value” sites are on their way out
To my mind, these changes have been a long time coming. And to marketers whose online strategy is to buy an exact match domain, chuck up a few pages of content, get it ranked and move on….Now might be a good time to rethink that strategy…
This is Just the Start…
Let’s take Google Sniper – this product is all about doing exactly what Google is rallying against. And, it still seems to work, in some instances…
For instance, take this page (groomweddingspeech.org) – it’s a crap affiliate marketing site, no real discernable value and it still sits at the top of Google.
This was the flagship site for the recent Google Sniper 2 launch.
People love these type of sites because you can throw them up and make “24 thousand dollars” (sceptical) in two years. But the end user gets no value – and that means you’ll forever be on edge about the next algorithmic update.
A False Economy
Is it just me who thinks that actually providing real value is easier than jumping through hoops trying to game Google?
I mean, how long does it actually take to research a certain subject and create something useful? …Providing something that the end user ACTUALLY wants.
I know – it’s a new concept for most of us…but it’s the safe strategy.
We’re already seeing signs of social interaction becoming more and more of a factor. Facebook releases open graph for personalising the web, Google admits social media is one signal in its ranking factors, SEO Moz recently managed to rank for a head SEO phrase thanks to a tweet from an authoritative twitter account holder…
Then we also have the fact that you can block crappy sites through the Google chrome bar (with the blocklist extension) and Google uses the data to figure out what content is useful and what’s not.
And with all the signals that’s at Google’s disposal (think bounce rates, time on page eand everything else in your Analytics account!) how long is it before Google actively tries to place a metric on user engagement and satisfaction?
It’s Clear as Day…
The longer this game goes on, the better the search engines are going to get at understanding what the user wants…
So, if your business model is to “trick” the search engines by outsourcing 5 pages of content to someone who hardly speaks the language, throw it up on a WordPress blog and spam links back to it, then good luck to you, but you could well be job hunting in the not too distant future.
Flipping a thin Affiliate Site into Something Useful
So, you want to build a site to sell shoes as an affiliate. How do you make that useful to the end user and make money from it?
If you’re focusing on a specific type or brand of shoe then your job is to make the best review on the net about it.
- Unique In-depth informative reviews
- Great visuals of the product
- A video review
- Technical specifications
- Engagement – Allow people to ask questions about the project
- Comparison charts – how does it stack up against the competition?
I’m spitballin’ here, but you get the message.
I have to admit, if I wanted to create a product review site now, I’d consider doing it all under one umbrella. This way the domain builds up authority over time, there’s no need to wrestle with new domains for every product review and there is a potential to build a really great brand.
And as the site becomes more popular, you’d probably be able to get free stuff in return for exposure on your high traffic site.
Yes, it’s more work. But the rewards are potentially far higher.
And, I know it’s hard work because I’ve spent an hour a day for the past couple of months doing something similar in the Watch me Make Money Series for members of leoandpaul.com, but who said making money online was “easy” apart from the guy that was trying to sell you something by telling you a story?
Introducing…The Expert Series!
Very shortly, I’ll be announcing something really cool on this blog. A conglomeration of the internet’s top internet marketing experts will be answering your questions on any IM topic you choose.
I have already rounded up a few big names and top bloggers – so keep your eye out for this because it’s coming real soon 
And, in the comments box below, tell me who you’d like me to contact to be part of the expert series….Who are the top guys and girls you respect and want to hear from?
Posted in SEO
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Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours…
Are you ready for a rant?
Come on, justa little one….
OK. Here goes…
Even though I don’t have a big list (didn’t you know? Size isn’t important…it’s what you do with it that counts…!) I’m noticing a rapid increase in emails that go something like this:-
“Hey Paul, love your site…I have a kick ass product <<insert crap about how I can make a ton of money with 3 upsells >> … We’d love to have you on board…And, of course, I always reciprocate for my joint venture partners.”
An email like this ends up in the same place as the barrage of viagra related emails that I’m getting recently.
The Customer takes the Hit
The model of choosing who to promote based on past favours instead of the value of the product is short sighted and helps no-one. This is a customer oriented business – without customers, we have no business, and in that light the customer comes first.
That’s not to say that if you promote my product, I won’t promote yours, but my decision about whether to promote your product and whether you’ve “scratched my back” in the past are mutually exclusive. That’s to say, neither has any bearing on the other.
If I digress from this mantra then there is an overwhelming possibility (given the nature of a lot of IM products) that the customer will suffer. And I’m more than willing to sacrafice a short term cash windfall for longevity, respect and trust.
How to Improve your Chances of Getting a JV with Me…
Firstly, it has to be said, I’m a product creator and I very rarely promote affiliate products heavily.
That said, if something awesome comes along that matches my audience profile then I will happily promote it.
Here are a few important things to note:
- I won’t promote something unless I’ve reviewed it – so send me a review copy
- The product quality trumps the financials every time
- I’m not a huge fan of multiple upsells.
- If there’s even a whiff of “bait and switch” marketing then I’m out
- Make sure you’ve tested the conversion funnel and have figures
It all comes down to this: make something awesome and I’ll seriously consider it.
Some General JV Attraction Advice
Joint ventures are highly sought after propositions; It’s easier to make a product than grow a list of thousands of targeted prospects.
So the supply demand rule dictates that if you’re seeking a JV for your new product as an unknown then you’re going to find it tough going. To my mind, there are a couple of things you need to think about if you don’t have a name behind you:-
- It’s easier to get 100 small-sized list owners (up to 1k) to promote you than the big guy with a mammoth list
- Joint ventures are all about relationships – give first then ask
Sending an email proposition to someone that has never heard of you is not going to work. They don’t care about you and your email will get lost. It’s the cop out option, the one that everybody takes, which is why the failure rate is high.
A step up from this is to connect on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Get to know them – more importantly get them to know you (at least a little bit). Just to clarify: this process takes a bit of time – don’t add your “target” on Facebook and then instantly message a proposition. That’s a sure fire way to get deleted.
Think Outside the Box…
What better way of getting in contact with a potential JV partner than to have them approach you?
Enter offline mail – this can be extremely powerful. If you’re trying to capture the attention of a JV partner and you know they like a particular author (perhaps they’ve blogged about it, for instance), then lookup their address (try whois.net, enom.com or nic.uk) and Fedex them a book.
What better way of capturing somebody’s attention than that? A simple sticky note inside the front cover telling them that you sent it will usually be enough for the recipient to make contact with you to thank you.
And from there the conversation takes place.
Standing out from the Crowd
As with most things in business – blending in with the crowd is not a good option when you’re looking for partnerships. Do things differently – make it unexpected – and you’ll capture their attention.
But, I’m under no illusion, most people will simply carry on sending emails, because it’s the easy option.
p.s My favourite author is Seth Godin. 
(and my next post is about how to get your blog readers to send you books haha!)
Posted in joint ventures
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EzineArticles.com Tracking Through to Conversion – Part 3
Order Success URL:
^/order/ordersuccess\.html.*$
Order Form URL:
^/order/orderform\.html.*$
Custom Reporting Setup
URL to view Article:
http://ezinearticles.com?id=xxxxxx
Where xxxxx is the article number as reported in Google Analytics.
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EzineArticles.com Tracking Through to Conversion – Part 2
Please note – if you already have Google Analytics installed, then you simply need to copy the code below, add the UA-XXXXXXX-X code for your account, and replace the tracking code that’s already on your site. Rest assured, you won’t lose any historical data from your account and the new data will be picked up in the future.
Full Modified Example Code
* Please note, the code you see below is an updated (better) version of the code that you see in the video. The process to install the code is the same – you just need to make sure that you replace the XXXXX’s with your Analytics code and place the code in your header file in WordPress! *
<?php
// get the domain on which this page sits
$currentDomain=getenv("HTTP_HOST");
// figure out where the visitor has come from
$ref=$_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER']
?>
<script type="text/javascript">
var _gaq = _gaq || [];
_gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-XXXXXXX-X']);
<?php
// has the visitor landed from an external page?
$pos = strpos($ref,$currentDomain);
// has the visitor come from ezinearticles.com?
$ezineReferral = strpos($ref,"http://ezinearticles.com/?");
// if referrer isn't empty and user has come from external page
if($pos === false && !empty($ref) && ezineReferral !== false) {
// strip out the domain because of 64 character limitation with analytics custom var
$ref = str_replace("http://ezinearticles.com/?", "", $ref);
// Strip out characters that aren't letters from the URL to comply with Googles 64 character limitation
$articleName= ereg_replace("[0-9]", "", $ref);
$articleName= ereg_replace("---", "-", $articleName);
$articleName= ereg_replace("\?", "", $articleName);
// Chop out ID part of article title
$length=strlen($articleName)-4;
$articleName=substr($articleName,0,$length);
// limit to 61 characters
$articleName=substr($articleName, 0, 60);
preg_match('#id=[0-9]+$#', $ref, $match);
$articleID=$match[0];
// Chop out ID part of article title
$length=strlen($articleID);
$articleID=substr($articleID,3,$length);
// send the custom variable article url details to analytics as a session level data capture
echo "_gaq.push(['_setCustomVar',
1,
'eza',
'$articleName',
2
]);";
// send the custom variable article ID to analytics as a session level data capture
echo "_gaq.push(['_setCustomVar',
2,
'articleID',
'$articleID',
2
]);";
}
?>
_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);
(function() {
var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;
ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';
var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);
})();
</script>
Watch this if you use StudioPress:
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EzineArticle Tracking Through to Conversion
Hello and welcome…
Just click on the play button below to start your Ezinearticles tracking video course:
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Thought About Giving Up Recently? Maybe You Should…!
That old saying … “Never give up” … doesn’t it just get annoying sometimes?
Well, thankfully, it’s just plain bad advice.
Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t smart enough to lay down this argument in a 78 page book and make a packet from it. Enter the floor…a stranger to few internet marketers…Seth Godin.
Seth explains in his book the Dip why quitting is an excellent strategy if you do it the right way…
Take Five Minutes to Watch This Interview with Seth – You Won’t Regret it::
So now you know what I mean when I refer to the dip, I want to share how I think this applies to internet marketing and getting ahead of the curve in building an online business…
If it’s Logical, It’s On…
We are emotional beings…Every single last one of us – we can’t help it. Pretty much everything we do in life always stems from an emotion or primal need.
Whilst marketing works best through empathy, and the most effective direct response copy (apart from maybe car insurance) appeals to the emotions of the consumer to provoke some kind of an action….business decisions are best made logically…
It took me about 5 years and bucket loads of half completed projects before my slow brain cottoned onto this properly.
- I felt dejected because results weren’t coming fast enough – I quit
- I felt fearful because my amygdala got the better of me – I quit
- I felt tired because I had been working too many hours – I quit
Here’s my hard earnt lesson:- Whenever you want to make a business decision because you feel something ignore that urge.
Unfortunately, Richard Branson doesn’t seem to agree:-
“Engage your emotions at work. Your instincts and emotions are there to help you. They are there to make things easier. For me, business is a ‘gut feeling’, and if it ever ceased to be so, I think I would give it up tomorrow.”
I guess he has a point….but my gut feelings are proven to suck and make me fail, so I’ll stick to logic for the time being…Jerry Yang, ex Yahoo CEO, is probably with me on this one…!
So, in the context of internet marketing how does this whole logic thing stack up? If quitting is an excellent strategy when done right…What is right?!
The Three Pillars of Internet Marketing Success
You can make internet marketing as complicated as you like. Heck, I’m always complicating the stuffing out of it…
But in reality, it all comes down to three pillars – and if one of these pillars is knackered, the whole thing comes crashing down.
- Pillar 1 – Market. You won’t quit your day job selling ice to eskimos
- Pillar 2 – Product. Sell your own or sell somebody else’s – both work!
- Pillar 3 – Marketing. Connecting the above 2 pillars with the right message.
If you, right now, assessed where you’re at with your internet marketing in those three verticals you’d be completely clear as to what you need to focus on to make your business work.
It’s such a simple, logical concept, but we don’t think logically when we’re pissed off, do we?
Especially not when we’re working all hours under the sun for no return that all beginner internet marketers can relate to….
…A Personal Confession…
I don’t really like marketing – I like internet…but not marketing! And because of that, a lot of my earlier IM projects flunked.
I must be the only idiot to spend 3 months building an XML integrated hotel booking system for my local town and then move onto the next project without marketing the thing!
Result = about $0.75 per hour for every hour I slaved over that site.
The market was there (yes, people do book hotels in Swindon, believe it or not!). I partnered up with one of the biggest hotel booking sites with a proven product – so that was fine.. But the marketing is what killed me.
A bit better SEO, some amendments to the booking process and that site could still make decent bit of money. (Make me an offer!)
So How Does All this Tie in With Quitting?
Firstly, before taking on your project, know what you’re taking on. Expect there to be a “dip”, as Seth puts it, and either commit to working through it or don’t start. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to get to the other side of the dip – or in the words of Will Smith “just decide!”
Secondly – every time you have a result that’s less than what you expected, logically benchmark your project against the three pillars to figure out what’s failing for you….
So, If you’re an article marketer and you’re getting high click throughs but no sales, understand that the reason you’re failing is because your marketing sucks, not that article marketing doesn’t work and you should quit.
Thirdly – Focus on your crap pillar and make logical progressions. In the above example, try split testing the landing pages, offering a different type of product, playing with your sales funnel or working on the landing page copy. If you can’t do it, find somebody who can…Don’t beat your head against a wall, if you can see there’s a market opportunity find an expert and get a diagnosis as to where you’re going wrong.
The bottom line is this…
If you’re damn certain there’s a market for a particular type of product or service then it’s just a question of marketing…
And let it be known that even the best marketers expect campaigns to fail out of the gates…They track, assess, make logical decisions and act upon those decisions.
So don’t quit because you tried something and it didn’t come off straight away. Logically work through the problem you’re facing and get through the dip.
On the other hand….
If you come to believe that you’ve misread the market and you’ve come to realise that there is no market…then you’re screwed.
No market = game over
And that’s when you absolutely should quit.
Edit: I’ve had a lot of success with this approach to decision making in internet marketing that I now live my life by it, so that’s why I thought I’d share it with you – not in any way to preach or dictate to you!
I Have a Favour to Ask…
I’ve spent 9 months building a product (http://www.leoandpaul.com) and have spent 0 months marketing it! Sound familiar?
I’d like to offer you the chance to earn 50% recurring commission as an affiliate – you’ll make monthly residual income for your referrals…
The best part is…You don’t need to do any selling. Simply send your subscribers through your link to my free video series called “Today Money” and you’ll earn money from all sales on the backend and any sales from future products that I bring out.
Would you mind sending a shout out for me to your list? I promise they’ll like the content!
Grab your links and promotion material from Here!
Thank you in advance!!
Posted in Quitting
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