The changes to the Google Algorithm have really hurt my online earnings. Considering HubPages traffic is still declining (although I think it might be flattening out), eHow will no longer provide me with any residual income, and my new sites are just getting off the ground, there is really little positive news on the earnings report with the exception of Amazon.
Mind you it doesn't take much to make me excited but I have had some orders for each of the first six months of 2011. Some of the orders have even been somewhat large. I have gotten one payment from Amazon so far this year of $22.33 and should be getting another one in the near future. It took me 18 months to receive my first payment of $11.47 in November of last year. Then just 5 months later, I got another. Now I have been selling something every month and will be getting another payment. I could even get a third before the end of the year. Who knows? I might even be getting monthly payments in the next year or two.
This silver lining offers a little bit of encouragement for my new sites. I know that I am starting over, and it will take about 2 years for me to really get some decent traffic and establish these sites. There are days that the effort seems fruitless. I remember those dog days of summer two years ago just hoping that someone would read one of my Hubs. I remember logging on to the AdSense account just hoping but seeing day after day of nothing. It is the same now but I am encouraged. Amazon gives me hope. Just by working daily and publishing a few times each week will mean over 100 new blog posts each year. Little by little the traffic will build, and I will begin to see the results.
I think for the next post, I want to post my writing, traffic, and earning goals for the remainder of the year. I realize that I am having to go back and recalibrate in the light of all the online changes, but I believe I am on the right path and will be in for a big surprise come 2 years from now.
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This is a great editorial on keeping up with the work, putting in the time to write new content. I too am missing the monthly eHow payments but am writing at Squidoo, Wizzley, and Associated Content (and my Web site and blogs) to add to my online articles. I made almost $10 last month in AdSense (my best month so far), and Amazon orders are picking up this month for me. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteJust adding content will help. That is the reason that I am not planning on taking down any of my Hubs because I never know when someone will run across them and order something on Amazon. The work is already done so I might as well let that become passive income and work on other projects.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It's funny sometimes you may not even think you're making progress, then you can look back on where you were x number of months or years ago and you see how much you really have achieved. Congrats on your success with Amazon!
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteThat's why I think it is important to have that information available and record it. It is good to be able to look back and see the progress over time. Day to day can be frustrating because it is difficult to see any movement, but when analyzed from a distance, it becomes quite obvious. Thanks for reading.