Links and Stuff
- Here’s the post about how to start an online business, that I mentioned in the video.
- Here’s the roundup review that I mentioned in the video.
Thanks for watching! Let me know your thoughts and comments!
Please leave a comment below.
Note that I don’t reply to all comments, but I do read them all. If I don’t reply to your comment, it most likely means that I agree with what you say and don’t have anything meaningful to add, myself. I appreciate and read all comments and your comments play an important part in what I write about, so keep them coming.
Spammy comments are always filtered or removed. No surprise there.
Note that I don’t reply to all comments, but I do read them all. If I don’t reply to your comment, it most likely means that I agree with what you say and don’t have anything meaningful to add, myself. I appreciate and read all comments and your comments play an important part in what I write about, so keep them coming.
Spammy comments are always filtered or removed. No surprise there.
I think you have hit the nail right on the head with this video. Google can seem evil (and sometimes they are) but in the end a lot of the things that they are doing are going to help the Internet as well as their business (many times working in your own self interest helps all).
As far as traffic, I don’t care about total number of visitors, I care about targeted visitors. I believe that is what you are referring to in this video when you talk about a new traffic paradigm.
Great video.
Sam Sinopoli
Sustainable approach to build online real estates. And furthermore, that way you can show your business finally to your grandmother without anything to be ashamed for :-)
hi Shane,
yes I absolutely agree that this is the way to go for any type of website whether adsense, affiliate marketing, or your own products or services. I think he must offer value these days.
Hello Shane,
Well, obviously you are right in all you say. I always feel better about giving value. But, it’s kind of hard sometimes when you’re unfamiliar with a product…say the Schizomatic BR-249 $2000 dollar hair clippers you can’t afford to buy, but you’re trying to sell it anyway. Ah well…
But at the same time, as you may know I have been concentrating lately on the things that I do happen to know a lot about. I can get a lot more done with much less research on something with which I am familiar. And it is more fun generating brand new knowledge instead of re-explaining something someone else has written. I’d way rather make the news than read it.
Now, a question and I’d appreciate any feedback from the dear readers. It’s one of those things that I’m wondering if it is only me…
In previous days I had no problem getting a page not only high up in Google in a week or so, but ranked as well. It was pretty bizarre. Something to do with some kind of new Google algorithm. I was delighted, shocked, and pleased at the same time. Much was written about this, as new stuff would rank high, do the Google dance, and then settle down.
But lately, I build a new site and it just sits there, big fat goose egg zero…and the pages aren’t getting found in Google. It’s sort of like it used to be again… Sit and wait for Google to get around to it.
Videos seem to get indexed and placed quickly though. Strange!
So, is it just me or have you and others noticed this old style hurry up and wait phenom, post Panda.
Been waiting to hear from you, big fella. Good to see you again!
Norm
Norm do you mean the pages are getting indexed but you are not seeing them rank at all?
I absolutely agree with you Shane. I don’t believe that small review websites are a good choice if you want to win in a long run. As you said, providing value means that people will share your content talk about it and they will visit your site even though you are not on the first page of Google.
Moreover, people will remember you. That is not totally true with small reviw websites.
I’m really looking forward to your post when you share the results of the testing you’re doing right now.
Sam
That’s an important point you mention, there. “People will remember you” can also be described as “personal branding” or just branding in general. I’m a big believer in the value of that.
Shane, I also think this is the best way to go. Comparisons of similar products, offering a choice, even if it has a slight bias towards one product over the others, does offer something extra, to warrant your sites existence.
I also think the EMD type of approach should only be used for general products, like linkbuildingtools.com etc etc. The one product sniper site is on its way out as it is really just a bridge page to a single product and we all know what Google thinks about bridge pages…
Hi Shane,
I nice to hear your voice! As always I enjoyed your update and I think you are correct in your thinking and approach. More and more we are moving to more authority sites, where you do more than just promote one product or service and that’s it. Like Penny said, sniper sites are probably in the way out.
Actually since you area talking about comparing products, do you have a suggestion or plung in to do comparative charts/tables inside wordpress?
Thanks!
That’s a good question! I don’t know any plugins like that off the top of my head, but I’ll have a look around.
Shane –
I have to agree that a “real” review is best when possible. But simply not owning a product doesn’t prevent a “real” review (I believe you mentioned it that way, that the SENukeX comparison review was real).
This is something where affiliates disagree on, but I’m of the mind that a reader can save tons of time by reading an aggregate review of various products and get an accurate idea of various problems/benefits even if the reviewer doesn’t own the product.
But of the two, it’s always best to own and use the tool (in IM for example) and report on findings.
Other times, the reviewer doesn’t own the product – in which case it behooves the writer/affiliate to do judicious research on behalf of the end buyer – which reviews simply need to be carefully constructed and honestly produced.
Overall, I agree ownership is the best way to go when possible.
Hi Shane, thanks for the post.
I think I am already doing this (sort of) by having a page on doing maintenance and also another one on the difference between 2 types of products. It’s a bit of a juggling act however when you try and get targeted visitors to buying keywords, but then how to dilute the whole thing with general keyword posts.
There is no easy answer!
Wendy
Great stuff Shane,I like your idea of writing reviews in this format,it really will provide a great value to people looking to weigh their options.
Timothy Eller
Hi Shane
I believe it can depend on the business model you are using. If you are targeting a specific physical product for example and you are using product name keywords, then to do comparison review is not the way to go.
If however, you are targeting something like the “Weight Loss Pill” niche then I would agree with you Shane and I would do a review on a number of different types of pills.
Depends on your business model and your choice of keywords.
Good perspective Shane…thanks
Shane,
I am also with you on the power of comparison. These comparisons have a power to attract people. Another possibility here is , once you get big on this, chances are there you get paid too for reviewing the products. There are many people who do reviews and get paid .
Still I feel the main problem with Google would be still there and we may need to think about a process where we no more depend on google , instead we should have a systematic approach to promote stuff thru social media etc. Currently many SEOers or affiliate marketers have a very definite process to trick search engines but still many are beating the bush when it comes to social media.
Great video, Shane! Totally agree with you. In fact, now after being an internet marketer for a while, I almost find it funny that I used to think you can make money doing what people used to do, and are still trying to do – the shallow review site model. You must offer something of value on top of the product or service you are promoting if you are an affiliate marketer and you want to have any hope of succeeding.
In your SENukeX example, something like offering a quick start guide or a set of 10 tutorial videos or an hour of SENukeX coaching if someone buys through your link is a much better way to see success as an affiliate. Again, the key is to really add value. Thanks!
That’s a great example! You can often add value, like that, even for affiliate products and it’s another way to set yourself apart from the rest.
LOL, providing value… business as usual.
Thank you Shane, we often need a reminder about value.
Looking Forward to The Updates,
Victor Pidkowich
It is a little more tricky to provide value with AdSense niche sites instead of the usual 500 word article with some images and ads plastered around. However I do have an authority site in a law related niche which brings in a lot of clicks but I also get legitimate comments from visitors saying how much they appreciate the content so I don’t feel as guilty:)
Hi Shane:
Multiple Info Product Review/Comparisons
Pro:
Multiple Product Comparisons (MPCs) are valuable and clearly build Reviewer Credibility + Trust & Purchase Intention as you say so well in your video.
(would be nice to anchor this assertion with statistical evidence of higher conversion rates from comparison sites versus one product review sites)
Con:
To do this correctly and in good faith the reviewer has to buy or obtain free copies of several products in the same space and then test them out for at least a couple of weeks before writing up the results.
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Seems to me this only makes sense if you (as the reviewer) have intentions of becoming an authority in the product niche in question.
Say, for example, you want to become an Authority in Article Marketing. Then it would make perfect sense (from an outlay of time and money perspective) to purchase UAW (unique Article Wizard and several others and run each of them through the wringer with the objective of then comparing the results because you would be killing two birds with one stone.
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Creating WP Comparison Site(s) Templates
To carry this one step further lets cherry pic some WP themes that are especially well suited to product comparisons (free or paid) and lets suggest which plugins and formatting works best for this kind of site.
Would these sites be good vehicles for Adsense or not? Would they/do they work well for Amazon products? Seems like info products would attract more traffic.
How would be go about choosing domain names? Would including the keyword: comparison in the domain name be a good way to go?
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Content Management Best Practice
Would it best to make a post about each product separately and then link internally with a summary & recommendation page?
Thanks for your provocative video. Its especially timely as I am just
now thinking of setting up a few Adsense sites…….I really hope you will follow up with some more info, perhaps even a WP product that would make it
much easier to get sites like this up & running (especially if you think they would be Adsense friendly)
All the best,
PV
Personally, I would not mix review content with AdSense. On a review site, the conversion goal is in my affiliate links and I wouldn’t want to dilute that with ads.
Domain names have never been a big part of my strategy. I don’t care about keywords in domain names, I’d rather have a short, memorable domain name.
In terms of SEO, it makes a lot of sense to have a separate review of each product, as well as comparison pages with multiple products. The separate pages are more likely to attract search traffic, the comparisons are more likely to be shared and attract social traffic.
I do certainly agree but… I wish I could go out and buy all the Nikon and Canon DSLR’s I review. :) Not quite making that much money yet. haha Perhaps soon and I’ll become famous and Canon and Nikon will start sending me free review products. There I go again, live in a dream world. :)
I stayed out of this kind of marketing for a long time because I can’t do that. What I do is research the products completely and the best I can do is talk about the weaknesses of a product. I probably loose a few sales by doing that. Even with that though, I recently had a site slapped. I’m still hoping it will come back up but I’m re-writing the content and placing the re-written content there. Now I have two sites to build backlinks for. :(
I’m hoping though that they wont slap both sites at the same time. :) It started moving back up once, the down again so I’m thinking Google really is going to nail this site but I still have some page one rankings. Maybe not. :)
But yes, what you describe is best.
Financing products can be an obstacle for review sites, that’s true.
One thing to consider, though, is that you could buy a product, review it and then sell it again, at a relatively small loss. Or, you could even buy a product, review it and then give it away in a contest of some kind, to generate some buzz for your site.
You mention “free products,” but actually bloggers (mommy bloggers, and people with traffic like Darren Rowse for example) get review items all day long.
It’s only in the “IM” crowd that we think this is impossible…But honestly you can approach vendors of products (even DSLR cameras) and tell them your traffic stats, ask for review products, etc…
I’m not sure how Darren Rowse does this but he has Digital Photography School (I think?) and on that site he does exactly that: gets expensive lenses and cameras just to review…plenty of other tech blogs do this with tablet PCs as well…
It really depends (I’m guessing) on your overall reach in the market.
Sorry, I’d like to add one more point.
It takes courage & conviction to display a “Don’t Buy” page like you do on IM>>>Impact.
I’d say that Product Comparisons would benefit from the same approach.
When a product does not measure up it just makes sense to come out and say it, although it would be great if experienced marketers could give tips on how to make it better as a courtesy to the product owner/creator.
Best,
PV
There are a number of points I would like to make;
I recently bought a product from a well know IM and asked for a refund. He made a number of comments about serial re funders, that his guarantee was clear etc…
What I said to him is that I both love and hate the internet.
It’s great because of its speed, we can reach audiences all over the world almost at a click of a button.
What I hate about the internet is that it seeks to make everything a commodity. Products, services and people (buyers) become lists and non entities.
There is little scope for real personal interaction. When I pointed out to this particular IM person that I had in fact replied to his emails to me and pointed out a problem with one of his sites some time ago… He then refunded my money.
Google to a large extent drives our behaviour. They are a huge organisation who has the power to index web pages and present us with results based on their algorithm. They are now also a buyer and owner of content.
I think this represents a problem as they are no longer an honest broker (of results) because they have a vested interest with the results they offer.
Personally, I think the world is getting sick and tired of scams and making money at all costs. This includes review sites which appear real to the casual observer but which we know are only interested in pushing one agenda – to make money.
The honest IM broker and I would include real honest reviews has a challenge or two. The time it takes to find out and test products/services can be quite lengthy. Reaching the community, the time it takes and it’s cost can be large.
Ultimately though I think people will warm to an honest broker and word will spread. I suspect part of the key is maintaining momentum and overcoming inertia.
May be the way things are panning out we will all end up with one website where we pour our heart and soul into it rather than multiple websites covering a gazillion niches based on keywords and competition etc…
Food for thought?
Regards to all
Steve
There’s no clear cut “right answer”, unfortunately. If you pour your heart and soul into one single site, that’s no guarantee that it will work out and one of the appeals of having multiple niche sites is that you don’t have all your eggs in one basket.
But I do think that if you have service-based sites and focus on being actually helpful to actual people (rather than just pumping traffic and conversions), that’s the sustainable way of doing things. The thing is that everything you know about SEO and keywords and so on still applies, even to a single site, because you can always create more content to attract traffic from new search terms, optimize your pages, etc.
It’s just going to last longer if there’s an actual business behind the SEO instead of SEO being the business itself.
Epic QOTD, Shane:
“It’s just going to last longer if there’s an actual business behind the SEO instead of SEO being the business itself.”
Can I say “Amen” to that? I just did.
Anyway, going back to your idea overall, FWIW, your honest approach to this business is fantastic. Makes me feel a bit less lonely that there’s honesty in the IM niche…and it’s also why I’ve bought products from you without reservation, and have yet to refund.
Keep up the solid work, taking a stand on quality.
Hi Shane – you always give out interesting and challenging content!
That makes complete sense of course, providing your visitors a valuable service like genuine multi-comparison reviews, rather than the deceptive single/review-page approach.
That in ‘theory’ sounds like the best thing to be doing, but I just wonder the effort it would require and whether it would provide the the best ROI?
I am just thinking of the efforts that for example tech-sites need to go to, to provide similar services… like reviewing the latest cameras and Laptops for example. Then if you’re not a good copywriter, there is that expense as well?
But there is also the potential dreaded scenario that if you put your eggs in the one-be-all-best review-site basket… Google could still pull the plug on you!?
John
That’s true, there’s no guarantee that this approach will work and Google might still just go ahead and slap you, even if you run the most legitimate site on the entire internet.
But one of the advantages of the approach I propose is that you are building a real asset, with real customers, real followers, real fans. Look at im impact. If Google deindexes this site tomorrow, I’ll lose a lot of traffic, sure, but it won’t be the end of my business. Not nearly. People will find the site through other means, because they like the site. Google is only a middle-man and one small part on a larger overall picture, for a site like this.
I think part of the problem is the way Internet Marketing is presented. What is perceived to be “normal” practice. One concept is not congruent with another.
For example, I agree wholeheartedly with your “legitimate reviewer” approach. This requires dedication to giving value. A personalized, unique approach, and not just “unique content.” I do not see outsourced writing as being congruent with the “legitimate reviewer” model. Yet outsourcing articles is constantly pushed. (Yes, I know they work well for backlinks, but are people making that distinction?)
Another example would be all the niche finding software. Let’s face it, finding a couple niches manually is not really a problem, so the only message an aspiring IMer can take from all the niche finding software is that you better get out there and find a slew of niches. Now contrast that with the instruction to go out and build your brand on all the social media sites. The aspiring IMer now sees the path to success as being overwhelming, since they need to be in multiple niches AND build their brand/authority/legitimacy in each of those niches.
There are a lot of conflicting approaches out there, and if you add in the “created” complexity a lot of the IM gurus use to continue selling more of their products, it’s hard for people to see the forest for the trees.
It’s one of the reasons I’m here paying attention to what you have to say Shane. You have a grounded, no BS approach. There are a few others as well, but it’s a rare commodity in IM these days.
Hi Shane,
I agree with your assessment. You have re-enforced my desire to create authority sites instead of mini sites.
Regards,
Chris
Hey Shane,
I agree totally. Not offering a service – in other words offering value – to our customers is not really running a business at all!
I feel very naive because it is only now that I am realising why affiliate marketing has such a bad name – people are just trying to get, get, get, without first considering how they can give.
Coming from the offline world and having been self-employed for 25 years – and finding my way in this new, for me, virtual world of internet marketing – I am quite shocked that this even has to be said.
Well done again for being a voice of sanity and authenticity.
with kindness,
Leo
Hi Shane,
Just watched your video (How to start an online business) and want to say thanks so much for working out what is wrong with me! I knew I was being targetted left right and centre for WSO’s but now I understand WHY and I can’t tell you how helpful that was.
It’s really given me a clear head so that I can finally pay attention to work out what really matters.
Really appreciate it.
Thanks Shane – adding a service component to a promotional review is right on. I love your Straight forward and honest approach to Internet Marketing.