Daniel Felice

Record Month for danielfelice.com

// July 31st, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Project Blogger

It has been a record month for danielfelice.com! My hits improved by over 100% and revenue grew by about 361% on last month. Hits have been constantly on the rise over the past month, rising day by day.

Revenue is improving, and although a 361% increase sounds like a lot, it still really doesn’t equate to much in terms of dollars. But that’s not the point – the point is that the blog is growing at a fantastic rate and our users are continuing to return.

Traffic

Looking at the statistics for the month of July, traffic is increasing on a weekly basis. Each week this month was an improvement on the previous one and although there are some dips in the daily traffic, on average each day was an improvement.

Traffic seems to be coming from a number of sources, including a few domainer based websites that are also associated with NameSeek. DNtrade.com.au and AUDomaining.com were the two best performing referrers and Google, StumbleUpon and Entrecard were the best of the rest. Referrers made up about 60% of the months traffic with the remaining 40% from search engines and direct hits through type-ins.

Revenue

A great month in terms of revenue. A massive increase on last month and it is good to see finally. Although dollars were not huge, it was still an increase and very encouraging.

The biggest money maker this month was my affiliate marketing with a massive (!) $13.50 which made up the majority of the total for the month.

Overall it was a good month for danielfelice.com. I still have a lot of work to do if I want start making the big bucks, but after a few months at it the results and encouraging and are giving me the drive to continue.

Hopefully August continues to show signs of improvement and growth. I am not making any predictions, but I would like revenue to improve by at least 100% and hits to keep on doubling.

I am on holidays for the first 5 days in August for my big 25th birthday which is ont he 2nd, so I will try to post as much as I can, but probably won’t be able to every day.

Thanks for your support!

Maybe It’s Time

// July 30th, 2008 // No Comments » // Project Blogger

I have received some positive feedback to my “Time For A Competition?” post a few days ago. It was great to see that a few of you posted some comments to the question I asked and I have taken your feedback on board.

So I guess it is time for a competition. I am currently speaking to a fellow blogger and hopefully plan to launch a competition between the two blogs in the near future.

I won’t give away too many details just yet, but be sure to watch this space!

Time For A Competition?

// July 28th, 2008 // 6 Comments » // Project Blogger

I have been reading a lot lately on creating blog competitions and how they can be good for your blog. Most of the major bloggers run competitions, offering prizes and what not. I have been thinking of running a competition on this blog for the past week or so, but it is too early?

The blog is nearly four months old and while it does have regular traffic, I am worried that only a handful of people will sign up for it, making it a complete failure. The last thing I want to do is to run a competition with 3 prizes, and only three people enter. That would be an embarrassing failure.

But on the flip side, it might be a good way for the blog to increase its traffic. New readers may flock to the site to join the competition, and then realise they like what they see and become a loyal member. It also has the potential to appeal to existing readers and help create more of a community around the blog.

Prizes on offer will also have a big impact as to whether the competition will succeed or not. If I am offering LCD screens, iPhones and Digital Cameras then it will definitely take off. Word would spread and I think it will bring a lot of people to the site making it a success

I don’t have the budget to support such a competition. I am not sure what I would be able to offer my audience without spending ridiculous amounts of money. At the moment the blog is not sponsored by anyone so I cannot even approach them to provide prizes. Whatever the prizes may be it would have to come out of my own pocket.

I could offer some web design services such as a custom WordPress theme. I could buy either Domaining Manifesto or The Blog Adrenaline ebook and offer them as a prize. Maybe even add domain names to the NameSeek showcase.

There are a few things I could do, but I want to make sure it is properly planned and thought out before I jump into it. I will have to sit down and work out the pros and cons, and make sure it isn’t going to be a complete failure.

As well as the prizes, I also have to decide what the competition will be. I have seen a few lately that just require the users to comment on a post and that will enter them into a random draw. Others require users to blog about the competition on their own blog and then provide a link to the competition. Along with the prizes, the method of the competition would also have a big influence as to whether it becomes a success. Users don’t want to have to work too hard to enter, especially if the prizes aren’t too spectacular.

What do you think? Is it time to run a competition? Or do you think it is too early? At this point in time, I am thinking that it is too early. But let me know what you think!

Yaro’s Coaching Program

// July 28th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Making Money

For those of you interested in improving your blogging and money making skills, Yaro Starak’s next coaching program is set to kick off in about 24 hours.

You will have to sign up to his newsletter is order to be notified of the new Blog Mastermind program and Yaro will send you an e-mail as soon as registration begins.

In the meantime you can check out his new video and decide whether you want to join the program or not.

The Inspiration I Needed

// July 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // Making Money

I have posted a few times about the frustrating in trying to make an online living and how every now and then you need a bit of inspiration to keep you going.

I have been visiting an Aussie blog called caradvice.com.au for about a year now. I had no idea who owned the website or anything about it really. It was just a blog that I visited every day to keep me up to date with car news.

I was visiting another blog today and stumbled across an interview with caradvice.com.au owner Alborz Fallah. I was interested to find out that Alborz started his blog from nothing and it is recently been valued at over 5 million dollars!

Alborz originally created three blogs to find out which one was the most successful. The car blog received the most hits so he put all of his efforts into developing it. After it started making him a steady income he decided to leave his full time job and work on caradvice.com.au full time.

Alborz has since travelled Europe test driving the most exotic cars in the world and sold part of the blog to investors. He has turned down a million dollar buy-out offer and the blog continues to compete with some of Australia’s biggest media outlets.

Check out the interview -Alborz Fallah Interview – Million Dollar Blogger.

Want to make money blogging? Download the Blog Profits Blueprint.

Entrecard Creates Misleading Hits

// July 24th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // Project Blogger

I originally signed up to Entrecard when I first went live with this blog as I had heard alot about it and it seemed like a good idea to promote my new site. For those of you who don’t know what Entrecard is, check out my earlier post here.

The concept it very good, and it does create some good hits to the blog and every now and then I come across a good blog that I add to my favourites and will revisit every now and then. Every day I would say about 30% of my hits arrive from an Entrecard drop.

While it is good to see the site getting hits, I have noticed that most of the users who drop their Entrecard only visit the blog to do just that. The more drops you make, the more credits you accumulate and therefore can advertise on other blogs.

Going through my statistics, those hits received from Entrecard are only on the blog for a few seconds, they drop their card, and then leave to keep on making quick drops without reading any of the content on the site. I have heard this complaint from many Entrecard users.

I find that my statistics improve dramatically when I have my Entrecard advertised on a popular blog, but barely any of these users remain on the blog for more than 30 seconds.

While this does provide 30% of my hits, I cannot seem to think that I should not be counting these hits as genuine. I rather receive 30% less hits and have my audience read my content, rather than just visit the page in order to drop their card and then leave again – just so they can have enough points to advertise their own blog.

Entrecard creates misleading statistics as you think you are getting solid results, but the hits are only coming from users who want one thing and one thing only – points.

I am not sure whether I will keep Entrecard or not at the moment. From those 30% of users, if only 1 or 2 return then I guess it is worth it. But that doesn’t seem to be happening very often. When the blog was new I relied on those hits and dropping my own Entrecard, but now I have a following I am less reliant on it.

Do you use Entrecard? Are Entrecard users being used?

Conversion Blogging Video

// July 23rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Making Money

Yaro Starak has finally released his latest video – “Conversion Blogging“. According to Yaro, “This video covers a form of Internet marketing that combines the traffic and raw exposure power of a blog, with the direct marketing power of email lists.”

Yaro has based this latest video on the methods he uses to create his six-figure income through his online business.

The video is very informative and taught me some new methods of attempting to make money online, steering away from the standard and traditional methods, but not forgetting them completely.

It is definitely worth viewing!

Check it out here

Patience Is the Key

// July 22nd, 2008 // 8 Comments » // Project Blogger

For the past 3 months I have been working hard at this blog, and more recently Nameseek and it has to be one of the most frustrating things I have ever experienced.

A lot of webmasters will go through the same thing at one point or another. I have been building websites for about 10 years or so and this certainly isn’t the first time I have felt frustrated by a website I have built that isn’t getting the results I know it should be.

Three months ago this blog was barely up and running. Since then it has received a few thousands hits and made about $20. When I look at it in that perspective, it’s not a bad achievement really. I would have hoped for more, but it really is not that bad.

Every day I wake up, check my email and look at my statistics for the previous day. Hits over the past few weeks have been fairly steady, with no low lows and no high highs – it all have been fairly consistent. But I am still left wanting more.

After I check my stats I go to my affiliate networks and check how much I have made. Most days it is nothing, other days it’s a few cents here and there. Sometimes I go weeks without making a single cent. Again, I am left wanting more.

So once I have checked all of my stats and how much money I haven’t made, I go to Nameseek and see how many domains were added over night. And once again – sometimes a handful, sometimes 50, sometimes none. By now the frustration is starting to build and I am about to throw the laptop out the window and scream.

You may have noticed that I have not blogged for a few days. That is because I was about to throw in the towel with both websites. I was annoyed and frustrated and really thinking about the point of these projects and if I really need the hassle. I am giving up 2-3 hours a night, after my 8 hour day at work, working on these websites and getting nothing back. What’s the point?

I have a good job, I am making enough money to survive. I have a house, I am living overseas and travelling the world and I have enough money to throw around every now and then. I don’t really need the extra money from these websites. Why put myself through all of this?

I was on the way into work today thinking about why I started these projects. The original idea was to document my journey as I attempt to make money from the internet.

At the moment I am definitely in the thick of this journey, loving it sometimes, hating it other times. This IS the point of what I am doing. I am meant to hate it sometimes, it is meant to drive me to crazy and I am meant to feel great satisfaction when things go right – like when I made my first affiliate sale earlier this month.

Patience is the key. Three months is nothing. I can’t expect results after three months. I need at least 12 months of hard work before I will start seeing the rewards, and hopefully by then I will looking back at this post and thinking how glad I am I didn’t give up.

So the journey continues, good times, bad times….this is why I started the blog in the first place. It isn’t meant to be easy.

Blog Mastermind

// July 19th, 2008 // No Comments » // Making Money

You may have seen a few banners on the site promoting Blog Mastermind that I added to the blog a few weeks ago. I actually didn”t had a chance to review the “Blog Profits Blueprint” earlier as I have just finished reading it.

Blog Profits Blueprint is a report written by an Aussie blogger named Yaro Starak who is based between Brisbane and Canada. He claims that he is making over $30,000 a month from his blogs and other online business.

According to the description of the report, it will teach you the following:

The one vital skill that most bloggers lack, and how YOU can easily acquire it.
My “Pillar Method” for creating killer content that magnetically attracts links and sucks in wave after wave of traffic for months or years to come.
How I build multiple, ongoing streams of blog traffic using “Communication Channels”.
Plus, access to a LIVE VIDEO that let’s you “look over my shoulder” as I give you a guided tour of exactly how I make money from my blog – and how much!

The report is a fairly in-depth guide on everything you need to know about how to make money blogging. From the writing skills needed, to the best ways to increase traffic and how to keep your visitors coming back, Yaro explains how to develop the skills you need in order to create a successful online business.

You will need to sign up to Yaro’s Blog Mastermind tips newsletter which he sends weekly in order to gain access to the download. Once you sign up you will have free access to the Blog Profits Blueprint download and if you have a blog yourself you can even join his affiliate program.

You can also sign up to Yaro’s mentoring program where he will coach you step by step to help you make money from blogging. I am yet to sign up to it, however I will be in the near future so make sure you check it out.

If you are new to blogging and yet to setup a blog, check out the BecomeABlogger.com free video which will tell you everything you need to know.

I wouldn’t review and recommend a product if I didn’t see the benefits it would give all aspiring bloggers, and especially not if it was another internet money making scam. I really believe that this is a must read for anyone serious about making money online. I have definitely learnt some tips and tricks and hopefully you will see an improvement in my blogging, and your readers will see an improvement in your own.

Just out of curiosity – how do you think I am doing? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of this blog and how it can be improved. I try to give a good insight on how my money making journey is going, and am always open and honest about the ups and downs so I would appreciate any comments.

Click here to download the Blog Profits Blueprint or Click here to join the Blog Mastermind Mentoring Program

ClixGalore

// July 19th, 2008 // No Comments » // Making Money

I have spent most of this week trying to find another affiliate marketing network. Results from my current two – MarketLeverage and Commission Monster have not been that great, so I was on the hunt for a network that was more suited to my audience.

My blog audience is currently split about 50/50 between the USA and Australia, and Nameseek’s mostly Australian. With MartketLeverage ads mostly being aimed at an American audience, and Commission Monster ads not really specific enough for my type of websites, I needed to look elsewhere.

I eventually signed up to ClixGalore which I think has the best collection of advertisers I have seen yet. Signing up is a very easy process, just a matter of filling out the form and you should get an e-mail confirmation shortly after.

I actually got denied the first time as I put down my main website as Nameseek.com.au, but my e-mail address was from my danielfelice.com domain. If the domain name is different to your e-mail address you may have some problems, so just make sure that you use the e-mail address from the domain name you are using.

What I like about ClixGalore is that there is a selection of advertisers who pay revenue per click (PPC). Most of them don’t pay anymore than about 10c per click; however there are a few who offer 20c. As well as giving you money for clicking on the ad, those same advertisers will pay either per Lead, Sale or give you a percentage of any sales made.

The Member Home area can be a bit confusing at first. There is an option to switch from a basic menu to an advanced menu, I prefer the advanced as there is plenty more options for searching the right ads for your viewers, and it also makes it easier to customise your reports and statistics.

Searching through the ads is very very easy. You have the ability to search on categories or the type of program you are looking for – such as Leads, Sales, Per Click or % Sale.

I added two ads to Nameseek earlier in the week and results have been fairly good to begin with. I have received more clicks in the past two days than any of my other ads have received in the past month. Still no sales, but it is looking more encouraging than it was a few weeks ago.

I am still using MarketLeverage and Commission Monster ads on this blog, but will most probably replace the 125 x 125 ads over the next few days as they have not been generating enough clicks.

I am impressed with ClixGalore so far, and hopefully the stats continue to improve. So far so good!

Click here to join ClixGalore!

Archive for July, 2008