We’re all about some success here.
KC has been a long time customer of BrandBuilders and he has a few things to teach us when it comes to Amazon Associates success.
I’ll preface his story by saying this: KC has a full time job and a family. He isn’t spending multiple hours per day on his site, isn’t spending thousands per month in content and backlinks.
He built his business in his spare time. Here’s his story.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m just your average guy who about five years ago got infatuated with the idea of passive income and making some side hustle money online. Like many before me, I got hooked by gurus like Pat Flynn, Spencer Haws and the guys at Income School.
I don’t consider myself an SEO expert by any means but I like learning. I’m fairly tech savvy and love the idea of building small online businesses.
I enjoy my day job and am not looking to ditch the corporate world so I view my online business as sort of a side passion/hobby and something that can help support my family a little along the way.
When did you get your first site? How long have you had it?
I got my site from Brand Builders in 2016. So, it’s coming up on four years now. I didn’t know anything about building a web site at the time but I did know WordPress was the way to go. So, I hired Brand Builders to craft my site around the niche I chose in order to save me significant “ramp up time” vs. doing it myself. I’m super glad I did!
How much have you earned from your site to date?
My earnings thus far are around $25k in four years. It’s got potential to earn more but, like they always say “you get out of it what you put into it.” As a side passion, my site’s growth has been slower than I’d like and I’d like for it to earn far more than it has. But, it’s been a valuable learning process.
Tell us about your site traffic. What led to any increases or decreases?
Right now, my site gets around 8,000 to 10,000 visitors a month. So, it’s small. In 2018, it was getting around 15,000 visitors a month when I ranked very well for some of my bigger money keywords. So, I’m working on getting it back there and beyond.
I’ve seen a dip in traffic mainly because my niche has become more competitive and I need to level-up my content. Seeing other, newer sites pass you in the SERPs can be a BIG motivator!
How did you grow the site traffic and earnings? What has given you the best ROI on the site?
I’ve grown my site by writing very thorough content. And my best performing articles are the ones I’ve written myself. So, I’ve got the best ROI from content I’ve researched and analyzed thoroughly.
If you cover your topic from front to back, better than the next guy – you’re bound to rank for that keyword. Aside from content, I’ve done some link building and have seen that positively impact my traffic as well. Above all else, good content drives traffic.
How many hours per week do you spend on your site?
That varies depending on what I’ve got going on but I usually shoot for an hour to an hour and a half per day. When I’m dedicated and give it my time and attention, it has usually paid off for me. So, the more serious you are, the more it’ll give back to you in return.
But I’ve learned that it’s not as “passive” as I once thought. It’s work. Plain and simple.
What is your end goal with the site?
The goal for my site is for it to pay my mortgage. I think it’s possible to get the site to around 25k to 50k visitors a month. That kind of traffic would mean significant income. If I can do that, I may think about selling it.
If you had any advice for a new buyer, what would it be?
My advice would be stop doing research and just act. There is passive action and “massive action”. Take massive action and actually start your site.
The other piece of advice I’d give is don’t be scared off or fooled by small niches. Small niches can still be very lucrative if you attack them seriously. There are plenty of smaller, targeted sites that earn very good money. Start there.
Conclusion
Amazon Associates sites are still a powerful way to earn an income online. It doesn’t take full time work or an enormous investment.
But it does require a little time, energy, and patience.
Did you like this success story? What would you like to see KC do or answer for you? Let us know in the comments below!
Have a success story of your own? Email us here 😉