The Start of Something Extraordinary – Is This Real Life?
My journey in online business started just like many others before me. I always knew I wanted to start a business, but what exactly would it be? And did I have the starting capital to make it happen? So being the detail-oriented person that I am, I began to research.
Google search after Google search ensued. “What’s the best business to start”, “How to start a business for free”, “Best work from home opportunities”, “Legitimate ways to make money online”. My quest went on and on until I finally stumbled upon Wealthy Affiliate, and then it all just clicked.
Lightbulb Moment – Was Google Search the Answer?
I suddenly had a revelation, and it hit me like a ton of bricks – but in a good way. I knew I had discovered something great. And the inspiration came from exactly what I had just done to find a business opportunity for myself: research.
Think about it for a minute. Every single day, millions of people hop on their computers, open up Google, and search for anything and everything. They may be researching a product or service, looking up how to perform a certain task, or seeking knowledge on a particular topic. The bottom line is: there’s a high demand for information.
How Can I Take Advantage of the Demand For Information?
This is where online business became highly appealing in my mind. It was the answer, and it was clear. There was no doubt in my mind that it would work. In all honesty, how could it not? With hard work and dedication, I knew it was the road I wanted to go down. And Wealthy Affiliate offered the tools, training, and support to guide me to the promise land.
Wealthy Affiliate endorsed a simple concept. Build a Website → Publish Content → Get Rankings and Traffic → Earn Revenue. Those four steps were all it takes to be successful. If I took care of the building a website and publishing content aspects, Google would help with the rankings and traffic, and the revenue would follow along with it. It was so simple, but the formula was effective.
I Took a Leap of Faith and Joined Wealthy Affiliate:
I joined the Free Starter Membership at Wealthy Affiliate in mid-2014, and quickly upgraded to Premium Membership. Like I mentioned earlier, I knew online business was an ideal path for income. So much opportunity, limited startup costs, and I had the freedom to choose absolutely any topic to pursue for my website.
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The onus was completely on me. If I just created a website and published quality content, everything else would take care of itself. The only major investment to make was my time, so the risk vs. reward was in my favor. Many of your standard “brick and mortar” business opportunities cost thousands of dollars to start, taking the owners years to break-even, but this wasn’t the case with online business. It can easily be done with $500 or less.
I Created Websites Based on Topics I was Passionate About:
My initial website, The-Path-to-Prosperity.com, was unique in that it pursued two separate niches that I tried to tie together: 1) Online Business and 2) Stock Trading. The idea was that visitors would learn how to earn money online, and multiply that income with a solid trading/investment approach.
I also added EliteSwingTrading.com to the mix when I discovered the potential of the Stock Trading niche. The thought is that a singular niche website makes things more streamlined and a little less confusing for visitors, resulting in higher conversions. These websites are nothing special aesthetically, but they contain valuable content, and most importantly, earn revenue.
Over $13K From One Affiliate Program in 2016:
Let’s finally move on to what everyone likes to hear about – the income-generating potential of an online business. It will vary from person-to-person depending on work ethic and niche choice, but in reality, the potential is unlimited. As long as you follow the process consistently, which mainly revolves around producing quality content, there’s no ceiling to hold you down.
**My Affiliate Income Grew 150% From 2015 to 2016**
2015 Earnings:
2016 Earnings:
For one specific affiliate program, I made over $5,000 in 2015 and then over $13,000 in 2016. My first sale was in January 2015, and the performance slowly built up from one month to the next, which is typical of affiliate earnings. I expect these earnings to continue to grow at a steady pace every week, month, year, etc. As I continue to send clients to this service (who are paying recurring subscriptions) and continue to publish more content that gets my site more exposure, why wouldn’t earnings grow?
My Plea to You – Start Your Own Online Business ASAP:
There’s truly never been a better time to start your own online business. Building your own website no longer requires complicated technical skills, the amount of internet users continues to grow rapidly (currently over 3 billion), you can start it in your free time on the side, and Wealthy Affiliate has all of the tools, training, and support you need to succeed. You can finally pursue your passion, while also enjoying the freedom of earning income while you sleep. And in all honesty, what’s better than that?
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Do you have your own online business success story with or without the help of Wealthy Affiliate? Share it below.
Written by Matthew Thomas
Related Pages:
Wealthy Affiliate Testimonials
Wealthy Affiliate Review – Does it Really Work?
My Wealthy Affiliate Complaints Unleashed
Wealthy Affiliate: Can You Afford Not to Pursue Your Passion?
Hey Matt, I absolutely agree that Wealthy Affiliate is a great platform. I am just getting started and I think I have found the right site to support me. I already learned a tremendous amount in the few weeks that I am a premium member and stories like yours, as you describe it on your website encourage me to keep on going.
Hi Marcel. Stick to the training and keep working hard at attaining your goals! That’s exactly what I did and things worked out nicely. There’s been some rough patches for sure, but if you keep striving to improve yourself and continue helping your site visitors, things will work out in the long-run. I’m glad my story has been encouraging to you and others. To your future success – cheers!
Congrats! This is a story more should take time to read. While not everyone may set goals as high as yours, understanding that there are ways to generate additional income around topics you are truly passionate about is important for the masses. Many individuals hope to follow in your footsteps for sure.
Hey Matthew
Thanks for sharing your inspiring and motivating story. I am also very interested in creating my own online business, and I want to one day be able to never have to work for anyone else again.
It is also refreshing to see a someone who is actually willing to share the information regarding income. In my opinion, too many people are not willing to do this, which in the past has made me question whether they are actually making any money at all.
I totally agree with you on demand for information and your positive view on Wealthy Affiliate.
Nowadays, people are searching for information through internet, no matter you are searching for interview tips or investment advice. So, providing useful information is the way to earn money online.
I have been using Wealthy Affiliate service for over two years. Its online training sessions and lessons are excellent. It helps both beginners and experts to excel in online marketing. Besides, I like the website management section much as it helps me to manage a series of websites at the same time.
You’re exactly right, Nico. People are searching for information on any topic you can imagine these days. There’s opportunity in almost every niche. If people understood the massive societal shift toward online communication and the overall growth of the internet, wouldn’t they want to take advantage of it by pursuing something they truly enjoy and turn it into an income-generating business?
That’s what it’s all about. And luckily, it’s really not all that hard or expensive as people think. I started my online business for under $400, which included my WA membership, a logo, and a domain name – you can’t get away with that with your standard brick & mortar business. Startup costs alone can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Overall, online business has so many advantages and unlimited opportunity. Cheers!
Matt,
I also started with Wealthy Affiliate in 2014. I did not take it too seriously at first as I had a full time job. I did make a website that I did not pursue very well, only 5 post in six months.
I started another website that was a little more my interest latter in 2014. I added some content to this website whenever I had some time, still did not add content on a routine schedule. Did not add any content during the summer months of 2015 or 2016.
January this year someone I know put out a challenge to write three post a week. I thought if I really wanted to take this to a new level and make some money with it, I would do this.
I started to produce and publish three post a week in January, it took until February to make the first sale from this effort. I have made money each month since.
This is to say that Wealthy Affiliate training does work if you follow the lessons and do the work.
John
Hi John – I couldn’t agree with you more. Following the lessons and putting what you learn in the video lessons into action is exactly what results in success. It takes time and effort to publish quality content for your audience on a consistent basis, but it’s clear that it’s a winning strategy. Quality content produces traffic which ultimately results in sales and income. Great to hear your hard work is paying off!
Hi Matthew,
My congratulations on your success so far in online marketing, its good to hear a personal success story at Wealthy Affiliate.
I think you explain very well the opportunities out there, the internet continues to change everything, for the first time in history, ordinary people like us can create our own business with the minimal of expense, and right from our own homes.
I write my blog in Costa Coffee shop every day and use their free WiFi.
Its amazing being able to build a real business from anywhere where there is an Internet connection, I have also built websites for clients and met them in Costa Coffee shop to discuss their design needs.
Being able to work remotely is the greatest part of this industry.
Every time you share your story you inspire others to get out there and beat the rat race and create something that they are interested in and become free financially as well as with time.
Being able to have no boss and work the hours that suit us beats having a normal job anytime.
As a full time member of Wealthy Affiliate, I can vouch for your review of this platform, the benefits of building my online business on Wealthy Affiliate are endless.
Especially all the high quality web building and web development tools, not to mention the high quality and cutting edge training available to me at any time I want it, I certainly do not regret joining and have not yet found anything better, so I will be staying a member that’s for sure.
Its good to connect with you, lets hope we can network in the future.
Hi Barry – outstanding input. Sounds like you’re experiencing quite a bit of success yourself with Wealthy Affiliate’s training and community, so congratulations to you as well. I honestly can’t give WA enough credit for how much they’ve helped me build a solid income-generating online business. At this point in time, I’m not afraid to say that I’ll be a lifelong member.
Taking into account everything they offer, the cost is minimal. Before I started, I remember thinking how expensive $359 per year was and if I should take a shot at it. Now I feel crazy because the value of this platform is easily in the thousands – $359 feels like a steal. And considering the costs associated with any other type of brick & mortar business, this is extremely cheap to get started. It’s no surprise that more and more people are starting up at WA every single day – there’s so many benefits to the lifestyle you can build for yourself over time. Let’s connect in the future – Take care!
It’s always good to hear or read about a success story like this Matt. I congratulate you on the successful approach of the WA training and your desire to present your success to other people. In this way, you help not only those who have not yet found their way to online business, but also to existing WA members who have not yet reached earnings from their site. It gives us the courage to continue with the hard and dedicated work on our site. Because there is nothing without hard and dedicated work, earnings overnight do not exist. It should be clear to everyone. Cheers
You’re exactly right, Dragi. Overnight riches don’t exist. In my case, it took nearly six months to earn my first decent commission with affiliate marketing – and I’ve found that length of time to be somewhat standard amongst newbies. Some will be shorter and some will be longer depending on the particular niche and how much time the individual has to put into their online business (among other factors), but the fact remains that hard work and dedication is required to succeed. And you most likely won’t see immediate results – that’s the toughest part. I hope my story (even with the ups and downs) helps motivate others on their own individual online business journeys. There’s nothing special about me except my desire to stick to the process Wealthy Affiliate laid out in their training. I can’t thank that platform enough for my success thus far. Cheers!
It’s really cool to hear somebody who has had success from the wealthy affiliate programme, and has really inspired me to keep at it and never give up! I myself would like to start an online business associated with music which is my ultimate passion so we’ll see how it goes. Best of luck for the future!
Kind regards,
Beth
Hi Beth – best of luck to you as well! The best part about affiliate marketing, or online business in general, is that you can literally pursue any niche you want. Following your passion of music is exactly what you should do and will result in the most success. I personally chose 2 passions of mine, business and stock trading, and turned them into income-generating online ventures. If I can do it, anyone can. I had absolutely no experience in online business before coming across Wealthy Affiliate roughly three years ago.
I’m just coming off one of my best months with nearly $4,000 in revenue (from the affiliate program with screenshots in the post). Sometimes when I take a step back and think about it, I can’t believe what I’ve accomplished. I don’t like sharing this to brag, but to inspire and motivate others to do the same. I’m far from the best online business owner out there, in fact, there are hundreds or maybe even thousands of individuals doing better than me at Wealthy Affiliate alone.
When you get a chance, I suggest listening to this podcast from the Entrepreneurs-Journey Blog. It’s the story of Graham Cochrane, who was able to turn his passion for music into a $75K/month online business. Your comment reminded me of that podcast. Take care!
Thank you for your great testimonial. Your success story is truly inspirational and I know that I will be able to do the same if I will stick to my plans, act on it through continued learning to enable me to succeed. Hope for your continued success with Wealthy Affiliate.
Great story Matt. It’s so good to see real life stories. You are right it is no get rich quick scheme. You put in work and realize that it takes time and commitment. So cool that much of that time gets spent on something that you are interested in and passionate about. Keep up the good work.
Great testimonial. Thank you for showing some of the websites you have created using the system. I’ve seen a lot of people talk about programs that they say work but few of them seem to be applying the knowledge in the real world. It was nice reading a testimonial that actually showed proof of results. Thank you and good luck with your journey.
Thank you, Cedric. Joining Wealthy Affiliate was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I’m happy to share my story. It certainly wasn’t the “get-rich-quick” rhetoric you typically hear. It took time for me to learn the skills and concepts, build up my websites, and eventually start earning an online income. But it was well worth it in the end. My only hope is that my sites will continue to become more helpful to visitors and ultimately more profitable in the process. Take care!
Your story is truly inspirational. You find a lot of people online these days spouting off about how they earned upwards of 100,000 dollars in their first three months and I find it refreshing that you have kept your earnings success truthful. I hope you continue to meet your goals going forward and I will definitely check out Wealthy Affiliate.
Love this article, I love when people post their success stories and then back them with clear cut evidence. Congratulations on two great years and I hope that you become even more succesful this year! And that was just one affiliate program, you probably have even more!! Thanks to you I will be giving my best efforts to my own site!
I totally agree with this post. I like the Wealthy Affiliate system and I feel like it has all the tools necessary to build a business online. I feel like not as many people know where to begin their business online and Wealthy Affiliate is a great place to build a business, have some support and learn from people who have also been there themselves.
Hi Matt Thomas
Can you tell me how much money are you +/- getting paid from doing your business on-line
Hi Lyndon. At this point in time, I make anywhere from $250 to $3,500 per month (mainly from affiliate marketing) with my online business. A bad month is in the $250-500 range, a typical month is in the $1,000-2,000 range, and a great month is in the $3,000 zone. My total business expenses throughout the course of a year are about $1,000 which includes my WA membership, domain names, and a few other expenses (usually subscriptions to other services I review).
I’ve been at it for roughly 3 years now. It took me six months to make my first substantial sale online and have slowly grown from there. Every single day, I’m working toward providing more quality content for my visitors, generating more traffic, and ultimately making more sales. Best part of all is that I’m pursuing topics I love, even though it certainly is hard work sometimes. If you have any more questions, let me know. Take care!
Hey Matt, as I was reading your post, I was just feeling as if I had written it. I have been pursuing some kind of business on the side (I am in corporate America right now) and it has been disappointment after disappointment. One thing I have not lost is faith that I will eventually find something that does not take too much money to start and sustain and something that I am passionate about.
What you are talking about, the Wealthy Affiliate program, sounds so enticing. My question to you is, how much time did you usually spend from 2015 to 2016 building your sites? I always wrestle with that concept, the time that goes into it. I have a full time job in corporate america so I just have time on the side to put into it. Also, your income skyrocket from 2015 to 2016. Any insights as to what must have driven the increase? any tips as to what to focus on?
Great article. I am definitely going to look into starting my own website. I had been skeptical in the past but I honestly think this is the path for me. Thanks!
Hi Liliana – I know exactly how you feel about trying to stay motivated and avoiding disappointment as you work on a project outside of “normal” employment. I personally still have a job in corporate America and everything I’ve built so far online has been outside of my standard full-time job. It’s certainly not easy to do. It takes a lot of time and hard work. Heck, it took me 6 months to make my first substantial sale (and it wasn’t even that much – probably about a $20-30 commission from what I remember), but I always had the belief that it would work out over time. Since then, I’ve made a handful of $750-1,000 commissions. Those are the types of results I’ve always dreamed about, and if I gave up at any point within the first year, none of them would’ve ever happened.
On average, I probably spend about 30 minutes to an hour each day on my sites. I really wish I had the time and energy to do more. I can only imagine how much my sites could earn if I was pursuing it on a full-time basis, but it’s a large risk to take going from a consistent paycheck, retirement plan, health insurance, etc. to inconsistent profits and having to set up your own retirement and healthcare without the help of employer plans. Many people can probably relate with that. Most people get stuck in the “safe” route and never make the leap on their own. Right now, I’m experiencing the best of both worlds, but the workload is substantial. One day I hope to make the leap to completely working for myself, but I’m just not there yet.
To answer your question, the large increase in profits from 2015 to 2016 had to do with a number of reasons, but there were a few that I think stand out from the rest: the consistent creation of quality content and recurring commissions. The work involved with starting up an online business is obviously front-loaded. It takes some time to work through the Wealthy Affiliate training and start building out your website with quality content. The more quality content you create, the more interaction it will receive, and the more trust search engines like Google will give it. When Google likes your site, you receive higher rankings, more traffic, and more profits. In addition to that, recurring commissions are huge – it’s almost like the power of compound interest when it comes to investing. When you start sending a loyal client-base over to specific companies, you can earn consistent commissions every month, quarter, year, etc. Continuously building on that loyal client base will result in significant profits over time.
In the end, it takes hard work and a solid time commitment to be successful with your own online business. There’s no doubt about it. But there’s nothing else that brings me more fulfillment than sharing my knowledge and experiences within the worlds of online business and stock trading. You really can’t beat making money pursuing topics you enjoy – no matter how much time it takes. A lot of the time, it doesn’t even feel like work to me because I’m just researching topics I enjoy. In my opinion, everybody should give their own e-business a shot – there’s unlimited opportunity and low risk. If you have any more questions at all, never hesitate to ask. I’m here to help anybody with the drive to pursue their passion online. Take care!
That is such a great story! I love hearing about the success other people have found in creating their own online business. It sounds like joining Wealthy Affiliate has really paid off for you!
I love that they provide you tools, training and support to help you on your journey to success. Pursuing your passion while also earning an income is an awesome way to live. It just shows us that you should never give up, right? Thanks for sharing!
~Jen
That’s exactly right, Jen! If I gave up on my online business after just a few months, I would’ve never seen any profits at all. But I continued on, kept to the process of creating quality content for my visitors, and thousands of dollars in profits later I can say that joining Wealthy Affiliate was the best decision I ever made. The WA platform makes it easier than ever for members to access the training and support necessary to create their own thriving internet business. In the end, success simply comes down to hard work and using those resources to your advantage. Cheers!
Hi there.
Thanks for posting your earnings figures. This gives great motivation for those people that may be struggling with the work from home idea. Like myself, they have put in a lot of work and still nothing happening.
Like you suggest, we need to keep at it and don’t quit. It will pay us back some time, when perhaps we don’t expect it.
Thanks again for a great endorsement on the working from home idea.
Best wishes
Cheers…Phil Browne
Awesome story, brother! You are living proof that going into business for yourself with affiliate marketing really works! Those are awesome returns. As you continue to grow with this do you think you’ll be able to add more sites to your portfolio and still be able to maintain them all? I’m sure each one takes work.
Hi Eric – I appreciate your input. To answer your question, I don’t have any plans to add more websites to my portfolio in addition to the two I have now. It’s a lot of work to manage them both, and in all honesty, it only takes 1 solid website in order to generate a full-time income.
It’s a common misconception that it takes a handful of websites to make a lot of money, but just one can get the job done. In fact, I think giving one website all of your attention and becoming an authority within that one particular topic is the best route to take.
Hello,
You have written a very inspiring story and I enjoyed reading it. I have been with Wealthy Affiliate for four years now so I know how perfect it is for those of us wanting a successful online business. Having an online business can have it’s lonely moments don’t you think? So, having a support community is a huge bonus and WA give me that 24/7.
Thank you,
Jackie
Hi Jackie – online business certainly has its moments when it can get lonely. The same thing can be said for stock trading, which is another one of my passions. Both can involve long hours in front of a computer with minimal human interaction, but interactive communities can certainly help fill that void a bit. I completely agree with you that Wealthy Affiliate is the best online business community out there, just like Jason Bond Picks is my favorite stock trading community. It helps to have the support of like-minded individuals on a regular basis. Best of luck with your business!
Matt,
I joined Wealthy Affiliate in 2014 also. I did not follow through on my website and add content very often. I was waiting for something to happen without putting in any work. I was treating this like a hobby, not a job. I took a look at it in Jan of this year, I had made some income, not enough to write home about. I started the training over and started writing on a schedule. My traffic has gone up dramatically in the last two months. If you follow the training step by step and apply each step you cannot fail. The only way to fail is to not work at it.
John
Hi Matt,
I just wanted to add to your success story with Wealthy Affiliate. Before I joined, I only knew how to turn on my computer and search the web like everybody else. Fast forward two years and I’m now making more than a living online. For those of you looking for a change, join Wealthy Affiliate today!
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks for sharing, Jack! I think it’s important for beginners to realize that you don’t have to be some sort of computer wiz in order to find success in online business. With the tools and training at Wealthy Affiliate, it’s really not hard at all. Keep that success rolling!
Hello Matthew,
This is really inspiring, knowing that within a year of getting started you can make money online goes to show that if you know what you are doing by choosing your niche wisely and getting the help you need to succeed in the niche, there is money to be made online.
Your 2015-2016 affiliate income is impressive.Unfortunately, many people get started after reading inspiring testimonies but start without direction and soon give up because they do not follow the tutorials to success.
As you said, anyone who do not want office politics, people looking to earn from home using the computers should join programs like Wealthy Affiliate. Very informative and inspiring, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for your sharing on this success story.. Personally I also working towards this goal too and I came across on the Wealthy Affiliate and I found it is very useful. Before that I’m get to know about internet marketing through Clickbank and personally didn’t feel it not so suit for me. Hope I may have a same success as you did soon. All the best to you!
Inspiring story Matthew. I’ve been with Wealthy Affiliate for around six months and only just started making money, mainly because I didn’t want to affiliate my site until I felt happy with it. But the feeling when I saw the first commissions I had made was immense.
If you have modicum of writing ability and can think logically then you have two of the key ingredients for success – the other is perseverance, you need to keep going when others have stopped and then you will be successful!
Im addicted to success stories like yours.. I have made the leap myself into the online world and have loved the learning experience.
Thank you for laying out reasonable expectations. You are right, your success is in your hands, I love that about this system.
WA is really great, I couldn’t agree with you more. Do you just have the one site? or have you ventured into other niches since you began your online journey?
Hi Stephania – great question. I just have 2 sites: this one and EliteSwingTrading.com. I started with this one and after discovering the potential of the “Stock Trading Education” niche, I decided to start a second website focused solely on that. There are still some reviews and posts concerning that topic here, but for the most part, that type of content is now published on Elite Swing Trading.
I have to share that it only takes one niche website to be successful online though. A lot of people think the more websites they have, the more money they can make, but that’s not true – it really just wears you thin if you have too many sites to manage. Specializing in just 1 or 2 areas is the way to go, in my opinion. I hope you have a similar or better success story to share concerning your personal online business journey very soon. Cheers!
WA is a great support platform. But success is largely dependent on your own effort. I own a website in the health niche, started after I joined WA. It’s been almost 2 years but I don’t earn thousands yet maybe because I actually have limited time to work on my site and I don’t use email marketing.
The certification course is a great introduction, but after that you need to put the lessons into practice.
From there you will find that you need to delve deeper to do things like key word research better. Fortunately, you can find most of what you need on WA. More experienced members create useful training outside of the main course and every Friday there’s a live webinar that keeps me updated on what currently works and what doesn’t. The ever growing body of knowledge there is why I’m still around after 2 years.
Hi Regina. You’re exactly right – success at Wealthy Affiliate is largely dependent on your own effort. It’s no “push-button system” or “get-rich-quick scheme”. The lessons teach you the steps to building a legitimate online business. It took me 6 months to earn my first $20 commission online, and that’s when the ball started rolling.
The only strategy I used to produce traffic was search engine optimization (SEO) – no social media marketing, email marketing, paid traffic, etc. So it is possible to make money without it. My main focus is still SEO, so I spend most of my time producing quality content for my visitors. 2-3 years later now, I do a little bit of social media and email marketing, and I’ve dabbled in cost-per-click (CPC) ads, but 99% of my traffic still comes from applying basic SEO concepts.
Overall, there are a lot of success stories at Wealthy Affiliate and they’ve all had to battle through the first few months (or longer) of working hard without any income to show for it yet – that’s normal. What kickstarted my success initially was the Online Entrepreneur Certification and Affiliate Bootcamp courses. From there, the continued education webinars held each week on a new topic always gave me ideas and actions items for improving my site. There’s so much provided by the platform that it’s hard to do it justice, but the abundance of testimonials speak for themselves.
Keep up the great work and happy business building – Cheers!
I so enjoyed your topic. It is my experience too. I wish I was as fortunate as you finding wealthy affiliate before now. Like you I have experienced the support and the mentoring. I really enjoyed reading your experience also. How long was it before you really saw that your decision to work with wealthy affiliate work for you. Six months to a year?
Hi Marjorie. I was hitting a lot of non-financial goals along the way (ranking posts on the 1st page of Google, receiving comments on various pages, getting shares on social media, etc.), but I didn’t make my first substantial sale until six months in. After that, momentum really started building and my online income picked up steam from there. You can’t expect immediate results but the hard work you put in early on will pay off in the long-run if you stick to the process. Cheers!
I’ve been looking for so many months to find a way where I can make extra revenue every month. However, over these past few months I have found so many false places and scams and other things that have only seem to frustrate me. However, this looks like something I could actually do. Is this for real? Could I actually turn a simple website into a full time business?
Hi Caleb. It’s unfortunate but true – the “make money online” space is full of shady services and scams. On the bright side, there are still a few legitimate services, and Wealthy Affiliate is one of the best, in my opinion. I got started over two years ago and have been able to generate a nice online income for myself, but there are many other members of the WA community making much more than I am in various niches.
The one thing we all have in common though is the simple 4-step process we’ve learned and followed through Wealthy Affiliate’s training – 1) Choose a Niche, 2) Build a Website, 3) Get Rankings & Traffic, and 4) Earn Revenue. Those core concepts and everything in-between are covered within the platform. So if you bring hard work and dedication to the table, the income-potential of your website(s) is virtually unlimited. Cheers!
Totally agree on Wealthy Affiliate – I too am a part of the community and have had really great results and success using the platform to build my own music teaching business.
The best thing about WA for me has been the community and support – any questions are answered within a few minutes, I’ve also made a few friends too which is great
Hey Matt
Thanks for the chance to comment on your site. you have one of the most professional looking sites that i have seen so far! I was wondering how long it took you to get ranked in the first page on google? I currently can afford to set aside one hour every day to my online journey. I cant wait to make the first sale! thanks again for your time!
Cheers
Jonathan
Hi JR – great question. I’m not entirely sure when I achieved my first page 1 Google ranking, but my best guess would be about a month in. That particular page, however, wasn’t based on a keyword with very much traffic. It took me 2-3 months or so to get page 1 rankings on some decent keywords because it usually takes time for Google to start trusting your site and rewarding you with good rankings.
Any amount of time you can put toward your online business is progress. Keep at it, continue taking action on what you learn, and good luck with your first sale – Cheers!
Hey there Matt
I was particularly inspired by your post and thought that I could relate 100%. Wealthy Affiliate is a great site that gives you a toolbox that’s easy to use and you stick to it like a plan and you WILL succeed. It’s important that you start now because it takes some time to start making money.
Hi Matt,
Great article. Did you try any other programs or perhaps try doing internet marketing on your own before you signed up for Wealthy Affiliate? Do you earn money online from other sources besides WA commissions?
Thank You for the opportunity to comment on your article. Best of luck to you.
Jim
Hi Jim. I read a few books covering online business concepts like Click Millionaires and Internet Riches before joining Wealthy Affiliate, but no other online business-building community/service seemed to compare when I was researching platforms to join. I definitely made the best choice right from the start.
As far as monetization goes, WA commissions are actually a small percentage of my online sales – the majority comes from private affiliate programs within the stock trading niche. In addition to that, I use the Amazon Associates program, as well as Google Adsense. It’s best to have multiple sources of income, in my opinion. And private affiliate programs typically pay the most (20-30% or higher). I’m constantly adding new affiliate programs each year, as long as their products and/or services are worthy of being promoted. Best of luck to you as well – Cheers!
Wow Matt you have really taken the Wealthy Affiliate experience and done something special. You are a real inspration for someone like me. How long did it take you to earn your first commision?
Hi Kurtis. It took me a couple months before I made my first commission – it was only a few bucks though on a business book one of my visitors bought through an Amazon affiliate link. I didn’t make a large commission (over $50) until six months in, and from there the ball really started rolling. At this point in time, I’ve made a couple $1,000 commissions (on one sale) – that’s the potential that online business has to offer. I’ve come a long way from having no experience just a couple years ago to earning a solid online income.
It all starts with a foundation though. You can’t expect to start earning a huge income right out of the gate with a blank website and no experience. But after six months or so, I had a nice foundation built and my site was quickly gaining authority within my niche. It’s not out of the ordinary for it to take 6-12 months for results like this to happen. Everyone wants immediate income, but the reality is that it takes time and hard work to achieve it. But as long as you’re pursuing topics that you’re passionate about, it’s well worth it in the end. Best of luck to you in your pursuits – Take Care!
As someone who has recently just started on Wealthy Affiliate, I agree with everything you are saying. The formula for making a business online is so simple – we just have a tendency to overthink things!
How long have you been working on your online business? It looks as if it is going great!
Hi Charlotte. I discovered online business a little over two and a half years ago and joined Wealthy Affiliate in May 2014. It was an exciting time for me, but also filled with uncertainty. I had a strong feeling that affiliate marketing would work and that I’d be able to create an online income, but I didn’t know for sure if it would actually ever happen. In any case, I went for it and at this point I’ve been able to earn well into five figures across two websites (although it took me about six months to even achieve my first significant sale). The greatest part of it all is that I’m focusing on topics I enjoy, helping others as best I can, and my sites are growing in authority every single day – there’s nothing better than that.
Combining stock trading and making money online is a good idea! Wonderful to read about your success story. Like you say, creating quality content is key – everything else will take care of itself.
What would have done differently when you look a back at your success? Did you make any glaring mistakes in your journey to become a successful affiliate marketer?
Hi Philip – great question. I really wish I had found online business earlier. Same goes for stock trading. There’s a learning curve for each, but more importantly, it takes time to build an online business the same way it takes time to become consistently profitable in the markets. The other things I wish I had done was create more content in the first year or so, be more active on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., and leverage the expertise of already successful members within Wealthy Affiliate – never be afraid to ask questions.
There’s just so much potential, both online and in the markets, and I wish more people would get involved in order to build financial freedom. There’s no reason to wait or put it off – there are so many options to start learning for free. All it really takes is your time and dedication. Hard workers are rewarded. It doesn’t take a genius to be successful in online business or the stock market – simple concepts have made many individuals a lot of money in both arenas, as long as they’re willing to work hard enough.
The only other thing I can mention is that maybe I made a mistake by creating 2 sites, as opposed to just 1. A lot of people think that the more sites you have, the more income you can generate, but that approach can wear you thin. It only takes 1 site to generate a full-time income. I’ll never really know what would have been a better decision, but as one person, I only have so much time to commit to each. I took a chance with this site (it basically has two niches – online business and stock trading), but the other one solely focuses on stock trading. Who knows how much better my site authority and search engine rankings would be if the content from both sites were combined into 1.
You have an inspiring story. I do look forward to follow that footstep and get the level of success you have. May I know if you have only one advice to those who just started, what would it be? How can one gain the type of success as you have so we can share our personal wealthy affiliate success story one day?
Hi HT – another great question! The one piece of advice I’d give to beginners is to focus on helping people. If you can help people through your content, then you’re providing value. And value is what people will pay for. Choosing a niche or theme for your site that you highly enjoy will benefit you in the long-run as well. If you’re passionate about the topics you’re covering, it oftentimes doesn’t even feel like work. With that in mind, it all comes down to work ethic – publishing content consistently, facilitating interaction within your posts/pages, etc. There’s no “secret” strategy – just a simple process involving quality content that helps people. Take care!
Hi Matt,
As someone who is hoping to make 2017 the year I finally create my own business, it’s great to see how far you progressed. I was just wondering if you have settled on a particular strategy to grow your business, or are you still experimenting even now to see what works?
Hi Simon – great question. My core strategy for growing my online business will always be the same – publishing quality content on a consistent basis. Without that foundation, I don’t think I’d have any success at all. It’s all about providing value to your visitors – simple as that.
As time goes on, I’ll certainly experiment with new monetization strategies, possibly even creating my own products and services, but everything boils down to creating content with the reader in mind. Helping others out is more important than anything else. Hope that helps answer your question – Cheers!
Superb content and site sir! Being a brand new affiliate marketer, I find this very valuable and encouraging. I have paid 200+ monthly subscription just to get useless material. I have learnt so much from WA and find it very valuable.
I am actually very interested in stock marketing and I will pay your site a visit. Do you solely earn a living from online marketing? I will definitely be bookmarking your site Mr!
Thank you!
Hi Gladwell. I still hold a classic “9-5” job, but I have aspirations to become a full-time internet marketer and stock trader one day. It feels great knowing that I’m not too far away from that dream at this point. Two and a half years ago, I didn’t know much about either pursuit, but I’m making strides every day to make them both solid income streams in my life. I still consider myself in the beginning stages of my journey, there’s a long way to go, but the results thus far have been amazing.
I wish you the best with your own online business – I’m always here to help if you have any questions. Without Wealthy Affiliate, I’m not sure I’d be in the position I’m in today with my online business. Take care!
As an Affiliate Marketing Beginner, it is really encouraging to read stories like yours. On my first year, I would be satisfied even if I had just half of your success. Wealthy Affiliate is indeed a great platform. I have been there only for 4 weeks but I can already say it’s a completely different creature from all those misleading programs and e-books you see around.
On WA you can interact constantly with other online entrepreneurs who have been in the field much longer than you and they can give you advice on how to improve you website to get better traffic and rankings. I am really happy I found it and I look forward to continue my journey in the field of online business. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Hi Horatius – you’re very welcome! I hope my experience inspires others to pursue their passions online. There’s just so much opportunity and not much risk, and Wealthy Affiliate is one of the best platforms, if not THE best, in the online space. The community is top-notch, as well as their training and tools. Best part is – anybody can get started for free and go at their own pace. Take care!
Matt,
This is a great story and testimony about Wealthy Affiliate. I have been looking for somewhere like Wealthy Affiliate but everywhere I go just seems to want to my debit card before anything else. Its awesome to see what you have done in the time that you say you have been with Wealthy Affiliate. WA seems phenomenal so far, so thank you so much for this review!
Dear MattThomas,
Thanks for a very informative blog post article on Wealthy Affiliate and how the formula is super easy and most effective to find success online.
I feel so happy for you that you found your calling online with the supportive community inside WA.
I hope many people who read this Article would join WA under you and get the best tips to enter the promised land of finding financial relief online through your teaching.
Wishing you all the best with your online success above and beyond the horizon,
~Angel
HI there Matthew,
Well done you! earning just over $5k in 2015 and on route to doubling it 2016. A real inspiration for many of us, showing that it really can be done.
I see that your two niches are in the make money niche is it obliged that we participate in that niche? or is possible to do what you are currently doing but in another niche?
Hi Derek. The approach I’ve taken in my online business (which is the one being taught at Wealthy Affiliate) can be taken within any niche, not just the “make money” one. In fact, it’s probably much easier to become an authority in other topics since the make money niche is extremely competitive – it’s not easy to break into that space. In all honesty, the best thing to do is narrow it down to 2-3 different passions and then choose the one that you feel has the most profit potential. It’s critical to really care and love the topic you’re pursuing. Take care!
I like your article. It’s very simple to understand. If I were to join Wealthy Affiliate, how much would that cost? I don’t think I can afford the Black Friday deal. Does Wealthy Affiliate have a monthly subscription? And how much is it? How long did it take to see results? Thank you for sharing your success!
Hi Jason. Wealthy Affiliate offers a free trial membership with a ton of value (training, 2 free websites, access to the community, etc.), but when you decide to go premium it costs either $49/month or $359/year. The Black Friday deal is $299/year (which works out to be less than $25/month – about half of the normal monthly cost). Unfortunately, that offer is over for now until next year.
For me personally, it took only a few weeks to start seeing results in terms of SEO and rankings within the search engines, but a few months before I made my first small commission. The 6-month mark was where I started seeing substantial sales and the growth has been on an uptrend ever since.
My focus has consistently been on helping my visitors as opposed to selling to them, and I think having that objective truly benefits my online business. Take care!
The part I like about affiliate marketing is you have no costs involved purchasing stock and the room required to store it. You have no packaging costs and time it takes to package and post. No returns to deal with too which is a huge benefit due to the hassle associated with this chore.
I have been involved with traditional businesses and the costs do spiral and this is before you start making an income. Affiliate marketing however, provides you with the time to concentrate on creating quality content regarding your niche, regularly increasing the amount to accomplish high rankings with the Search Engines.
It does take time achieving high rankings yet you have proved you’re delivering – Well done and congratulations.
All the best and keep up your great work,
Simon.
I really enjoyed your article and am quite tempted to try what you are doing myself. I have had some success in selling products online. I am also quite adept at website design. However, I am not sure that I know enough about internet marketing to do what you are doing. What advice would you give to someone who has the skills to communicate (I used to be an English teacher) but doesn’t know enough about the subject?
Would I be better to focus on the topics I know (but which aren’t perhaps financially as sought after) or would you advise that I work on a “money making” niche which I know less about? Any advice greatly received.
Great question – choosing a niche is something that a lot of hopeful online entrepreneurs tend to get hung up on. But the key, in my opinion, is to choose a topic that you’re highly interested in and passionate about, otherwise it won’t be as enjoyable. Focusing solely on the profit-potential of a particular subject isn’t always the best tactic. And with over 3.5 billion current internet users, every niche can be profitable. In fact, new opportunities are being born every single day – there’s a market in topics you would never imagine. So if I had to give you advice on a niche to choose, I’d say choose your passion and the profits will follow.
I like what you say about the difference in cost in starting a brick and mortar store and an online business. I never thought about it that way. But now that I think of it, you are right. Think about how much money you would need to invest in real estate. You would need at least fifty thousand for something worthwhile.
Hi Ben – that’s exactly right. There’s a huge difference in startup costs between a traditional offline business (about $50,000+ as you mentioned) and an online business (usually under $500 – and some online business owners would even consider that number high). Not to mention you can reach the entire world with your online business (at a mere fraction of the cost), while an offline business is restricted to their geographical location. It’s also extremely simple to set up a website these days – it really only takes a few minutes and zero technical coding knowledge. Overall, the online landscape is more attractive than ever. Take care!
Hi Matthew. I think ‘leap of faith’ is the right term to express what I have done myself. I joined WA one month ago and, although I have my website up and running, of course I have not become an authority in my niche yet, so it is people like you who give me the confidence that, if I keep posting articles to the best of my potential, with time I will reap the benefits
That’s exactly the right mindset, Sergio. I went at my online business head-on when I first started and saw minimal results within the first six months. It would’ve been easy to give up, but I knew the potential that was sitting in front of me – I always believed there was more to come. Now that my sites produce a consistent stream of income, I’m extremely proud of what I’ve accomplished and the trust I had in myself being able to achieve my goals. What an amazing feeling. If you stick to the concepts being taught at Wealthy Affiliate, your hard work will reward you down the road. Cheers!
Congrats on the success!! Definitely a motivator for me to get involved as much as I can. I share a similar passion for investing and I think it’s always extremely important to help people invest their earnings into an appropriate channel that will generate returns. What was the hardest part for you in getting the website set up and what was the best part?
Hi Chris – great questions. The hardest part in getting my website set up was creating enough quality content to become an “authority” in my niche and see consistent rankings in the search engines. In reality, building a website with Wealthy Affiliate’s assistance isn’t difficult at all – the entire process only takes a few minutes. At that point, you have the backbone of your site, but then it’s on you to build up the content and get it in the eyes of targeted visitors. That’s where writing quality content and search engine optimization comes into play. That’s the trickiest part because ranking in Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines isn’t an exact science.
The best part of the entire process for me has been seeing consistent growth in many different aspects. I’ve never pursuit anything with such massive profit potential. I’ve already seen over 100% growth in affiliate marketing revenue from 2015 to 2016 – you simply can’t find that type of growth within your classic corporate job setting. But it’s not all about profits – it’s about providing people with quality information, helping them achieving something they’ve always wanted to do, providing them with the tools to make their dreams come true, etc. There are many non-monetary accomplishments that help me feel good about the value my site is providing to others. Take care!
It is wonderful to see a story of somebody who has been successful building a website. I hope that in a couple of years time mine will also be generating a full time income, And as you say it is just a time investment, and you need to keep building it out with great and valuable content that will help others searching for information online.
Hi Matt,
I really enjoyed reading your article. Sharing your success with others who may be wondering if a person can really generate income from an online business helps to show that affiliate marketing is a real business.
However, what about those people who don’t experience that kind of success, but have been working very hard and many hours to reach their goals and for a long time? I see a lot of comments and complaints on the internet from those people who put their heart and soul into trying an online business, have a decent website, but go no where.
Thanks,
Verna
Hi Verna. It’s hard to say what might be going wrong in situations where individuals aren’t seeing great results from their websites after a long period of time without knowing exactly what niche their pursuing, how often they produce content, how valuable that content is to others, etc. There are so many variables that could be evaluated. Is the site receiving traffic? How is it getting traffic? How long are they staying? Are they enjoying the content? What monetization methods are being implemented? Is the site structure clean and professional? Are affiliate links receiving clicks? The answer isn’t very simple without more information.
What I can tell you is that profits don’t come instantly. It took me a few months to make my first (very small) sale and over six months to make a legitimate-sized one. It’s been a constant learning experience since day one that involves analyzing my writing, calls-to-action, how I go about earning traffic, which affiliate programs I choose to promote (and which ones not to), etc. I’m constantly thinking about how I can make my sites better, more efficient, and more profitable.
Overall, there are a lot of details that can be the difference between success and failure, but the main focus should be on helping people, above all else – create your content with that in mind. Cheers to future success!
Hi Matt, First I want to congratulate you on the success, and also thank you for getting this out there. I’ve had a bit of success online myself, and feel that there are too many people out there working within systems that no longer serve us. As the Internet continues to become more ubiquitous, the opportunities will only grow. Now is the time to seize our slice of Internet real estate, and follow our passions to the path of abundance… leading by example in a world of people starving for freedom. Powerful stuff!
What you said is so true. Everyday, people everywhere on the face of this earth go to Google to search for something. I had the similar experience as yours when I spent hours after hours searching for an online business opportunities and stumbled upon WA. Your real life experience at WA is simply amazing. I have loved every moment at WA and sure, it requires hard work but it will eventually pay off. Your sharing has just proven this!
The internet provides so much potential for everyone willing to pursue their own online business – it’s honestly amazing. And Wealthy Affiliate is a top-notch platform focused on the training and support required to help beginners find success in the fastest way possible. Without that type of hands-on guidance, it can take much longer to figure out the best methods for creating an online income for yourself. There’s no limit on the income that can be achieved online and I hope everyone puts in the hard work to experience it for themselves. Take care!
Great post and well done on your revenue figures. Wealthy Affiliate set you up with the tools and you built upon that to make yourself a nice earner. That’s the same story over and over I’m hearing from guys on there.
How would you recommend as someone new to affiliate marketing is the steps to producing something similar?
Hi Mark. The advice I would give to individuals new to affiliate marketing is remarkably simple – choose a niche you’re passionate about, create a website, and then produce quality content for it on a consistent basis. Always focus on how you can help the reader the most and the sales will follow. The earnings most likely won’t be immediate, so patience is vital. But as long as you work hard and commit to the process, eventually you’ll be rewarded for your efforts. Take care!
Hi, Matt – Your blog is so inspiring, you are one of many that have given a great testimonial about Wealthy affiliate. I want to congrats you for your success. I am a starter and it gives me the motivation to work harder and sure will achieve success as well.
Thank you, Volin – Best of luck on your online journey!
Matthew, you are a source of inspiration. Your first year has been excellent and you are right when you mention how the future looks regarding enrolling new members into Wealthy Affiliate, this can only increase month on month from now on – congratulations.
You mention providing regular quality content, this is WA’s benchmark and they teach how to create quality in fine detail. I too am a member, slowly working my way through their boot camp course looking to match you some way down the line.
I am approaching the end of course 2 now and wondering how far on with the course were you before you started enrolling members into the platform? Looking forward to your reply, well done and keep up your great work.
Simon.
Hi Simon – outstanding input and great question. It took me over 6 months to earn a Wealthy Affiliate commission upon joining, creating my own website, and filling it up with quality content. From then on, my income from online business has been on the rise from month-to-month and year-over-year. I’ve already doubled my 2015 affiliate marketing income this year with over a month and a half still to go in 2016 – that type of profit growth is unbelievable to me and exactly why I recommend online business to others.
To answer your question clearly, I had already completed the two main training courses at Wealthy Affiliate (Online Entrepreneur Certification & Wealthy Affiliate Bootcamp) well before earning a WA commission. But keep in mind, I was still applying all of the concepts I learned from those courses for months afterwards until I started seeing great results. For that reason, it’s important that beginners don’t give up too early on in the process of achieving success online because it is 100% possible to earn a full-time income from it but takes time to develop. I continue to apply the concepts I learned in those trainings over two years and they continue to work for me and every other WA member – creating quality content on a consistent basis is at the core of every successful niche website. Take care!
Your story of online success is refreshing. I also love Wealthy Affiliate and if I can begin to post more I think I will see results faster and faster. Thank you for posting a real and interesting story of how successful anyone can be with a little work and dedication and of course Wealthy Affiliate!
No problem, Cynthia. I hope my personal success story with Wealthy Affiliate helps others get started in the online space. I only began my journey a couple years ago, but I wish I came across it sooner. I can online imagine how much further along I’d be if I knew about the potential of online business 5-10 years earlier, and had the top-notch training and supportive community to help me take advantage of it. The growth-potential and flexibility to pursue any topic you’d like is hard to find anywhere else.
Hi Matt – I think it is great to see real proof of your earnings, and I think what most people don’t realise that it is progress not quick fix that gets us to the steady income – I am on a similar path to you with the goal of being financially independent within 2 years.
Hi Lourie. The income-potential online is extraordinary. The profits I’ve displayed above are only the tip of the iceberg – there’s so much more opportunity out there to capture. That’s the most exciting aspect of online business. I wish you the best of luck in reaching financial independence. Affiliate marketing is a great place to start!
Hi Matt,
In reading your article, really a success story as it turns out, your experiences and previous failures at trying to gain traction financially with an online business mirrors what so many people have gone through.
I would be in that category. With so many scams that are present online so many people get blinded by the lies that one can earn money quickly through these fraud opportunities.
WA indeed is the most legit, honorable opportunity to build a successful business. As you stated it does not happen over night a fact that so many people still cannot accept.
I thank my lucky stars that I have found WA as I feel that I have been provided with the tools, education and community support to allow me to just try to attain the level financially that I am striving to achieve.
Jeff
Hi Matt,
Your page is motivating in the way that it can change the lives of ordinary people to a better-living standard. Being a sole business person makes us independent. I joined WA recently, but I had no idea that one can make that huge amount in a very short period of time. I sure will put more efforts to get where you are.
Thank you for building a positive attitude towards me, it will sure play an impact in my business. Keep up the good work.
Best wishes.
Matthew, you have an amazing success story so far! I’m on a similar path, but don’t think I’ve been able to put in quite as much time as I would’ve liked over the last few years!
I appreciate that you are open about the revenue you are bringing in as it provides me with some motivation to keep pushing on as I work to get my own 100% raise this year!
Now that I’ve found this site I’m going to keep in touch so I can follow your progress!
Peace,
Dustin
Hi Dustin – I look forward to hearing your success story! 100% raises aren’t possible anywhere else like they are with your own online business. The growth potential is truly unbelievable, and the best part of all is that I’m pursuing topics that I’m extremely passionate about in the process. Cheers!
I do like to read others success stories, it makes me feel like I made the right decision in choosing Wealthy Affiliate. And wow, you have done really well! I have only been with WA for about 8 months now, and have not seen really any income yet. I know I need to have patience, but I have come to realize that I might not have chosen the best niche for affiliate marketing.
Hi Leah – that could be the case. The niche could either be too competitive or too limited. It could take some time to figure out exactly what kind of information people are searching for, and how they want that information presented to them. This particular site of mine is unique in that it pursues two separate niches: online business and stock trading. And while that approach was a risk at the time I created it (I didn’t see anybody else pursuing multiple niches within 1 website), I was able to compare the two. I came to realize that online business is a crowded, competitive niche so I was glad to have the stock trading aspect as well. Testing different areas and evaluating the results might be a good option. Keep up the great work!
Hi Matthew,
Thank you so much for this balanced and extremely well written article!
It was very inspiring to read about your success and that you clearly have chosen the “right way” by choosing Wealthy Affiliate to support you in your success.
I have also recently joined Wealthy Affiliate. After researching affiliate marketing for a few years, finding WA was like a breath of fresh air.
There are many options out there, but sifting through all the “noise” and programs that were high on promises but short on delivery was a challenge.
In my opinion, the WA community is a top-notch community of people who help each other to reach their goals. WA is an honest and stellar program. The benefits and training you receive are phenomenal.
Thank you for sharing your story. I know it has helped me and will continue to help countless others as well.
I wish you continued success!
Margy
Hi Margy – I share all of the same thoughts on Wealthy Affiliate. Not only is it a great platform for training, but the community and support is the best you’ll find in the online business building space. I’m not the only one experiencing success with Wealthy Affiliate – thousands of other individuals are as well. All it takes is hard work, passion, and a willingness to learn. It’s a shock more people haven’t taken advantage of the opportunity the internet provides.
Hi Matt, great site and concept! I’m inspired by your work, I recently joined WA too, but have had trouble committing time, am getting there slowly though. Wanted to ask where you discussed with another person here about traffic and getting a decent amount – what I want to know is what would class as a decent amount? How many hits a day are we talking?
Hi Steph – great question. Unfortunately, I can’t really put a number on it. a decent amount of traffic could be anywhere from 10-100+ unique visitors per day. But as mentioned previously, what really matters is your conversion rate. If you only attract 10 visitors to your site per day and have a 10% conversion rate, your results will be the same as if you attracted 100 visitors and have a 1% conversion rate. Overall, the quality of your traffic is much more important than the quantity.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for sharing a great motivational article on Wealthy Affiliate. I recently joined this program after doing a lot of research online about it and think that it is the perfect tool to build my own online business. I know I have a lot of hard work to do, but was wondering how long did it take you to start getting decent traffic to your sites.
Hi Emma – great question. I’d say it took about 3-6 months before I started seeing a decent amount of traffic to my website. But more important than just the number is the fact that it should be “targeted” traffic. If you’re reaching the right people who will receive value from your content then that’s better than random people who aren’t really interested in your niche at all. Thousands of visitors will do you no good if they’re not targeted – it’s essentially the quality over quantity concept. I hope that helps. Cheers!
Hi there Matt! Nice to meet you. This is one of my first visits to your site and I just wanted to drop by and say congratulations on a great job. I’ve been a member of Wealthy Affiliate for quite a while now and like yourself I have started to see some success. Its been almost a year now and my goal was just to make enough in the first year to pay for my costs. I’m pleased to say that I have exceeded that goal by far now.
I think the only people that could possibly complain about WA are those that don’t realize the amount of work that you need to put in to become successful. This is a real opportunity. One that I’m glad I found!
Hi Andrew – thanks for sharing your own personal thoughts and experiences with Wealthy Affiliate. One of my first goals was to earn the cost of membership back in online revenue as well, which took me over six months to achieve. Over two years into it, I’ve now made multiple sales worth more than the cost of a single WA subscription – it still amazes me how far I’ve come with my websites. The income-potential is unlimited, and the freedom to work on what I want (when I want) is extraordinary, but it does take hard work to get there. Signing up for WA was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Cheers!
This success story is captivating. Every time a new person hears about online business he/she has got reservations just like I had. When I was reading your website I asked myself why didn’t I have an opportunity to land on such websites before. The four steps to online business success are the foundational pillars to online business every new person should know.
I have found so far that WA is superior to anything on the internet. They teach you everything from start to finish. They offer free websites and free trial .This can not be beat . You can contact the owners and they have live chat. The whole community is there to help and I surely will help all I can to help. Incredible outfit here.. Others got to be jealous.
Great idea to start a business that related to what people were searching for. It looks like building websites is the way to go for the future, as people are always searching for something online.
Do you think building lots of websites and putting them on auto blogging would work, or would Google not like this?
Hi Michel – the internet has certainly presented everyone with an outstanding opportunity to build their own online businesses. Individuals, and even classic offline business, are all turning to the online space for increased reach and sales.
Your question is a good one and my honest answer is that I don’t really know – I’ve never even heard of the term “auto-blogging” before you just mentioned it. But I can’t imagine Google would reward websites very much, if at all, for this kind of lazy approach to producing content. I’d be shocked if it worked well and resulted in high rankings, and if it currently does, I don’t see it sustaining itself over time as Google updates their algorithms. It just sounds too “spammy” to actually work – the idea is that auto blogs gather and compile content from other blogs to create its own post, but it seems like duplicate content to me.
On a similar note, I think it’s important for potential online business owners to realize that it only takes one website to potentially make a full-time income. I know that multiple websites sounds good in theory (more websites, more money, right?), but that approach usually results in the owner being stretched too thin. Building up content, interaction, and site authority with your focus on just 1 (maybe 2 sites) is the best way to go, in my opinion. Take care!
I really liked your website. It was very easy to follow and gave great information on the Wealthy Affiliate Program. I liked the info on the stock trading part also. The information was very informative. I have just finished my webpage and really value the training that I got from Wealthy Affiliate.
Thank you, Marie – I appreciate you saying so. I’ve been able to build a nice income for myself through both online business and stock trading, and the best part of it all is that there’s a lot of synergy between the two. Without a plan, commitment, discipline, and support – you will likely fail (in both online business and stock trading). The goal of this site is to aid individuals in their journey to generating an income through online business, and subsequently growing that cash with a solid trading/investment strategy. When that’s achieved, it means financial freedom isn’t too far off. Best of luck in your endeavors!
Great website. I am impressed with your format and all the llinks, etc. I have just started with Wealthy Affiliate myself and am just trying to get the website up and running. You give me hope! how long did it take you to get the website up and ready to run? Great referral to Wealthy Affiliate too. Let me know, if you will, what time frames I am looking at to get ready to run. Thanks
Hi Robert – Welcome to the WA community! After joining Wealthy Affiliate’s free starter membership, it only took me a day or two to get a site up and running. Of course, it didn’t have much content besides an “About Me” and “Privacy Policy” page, but the foundation was set. I started producing 2-3 posts/pages per week and I was seeing rankings in search engines (specifically Google) within weeks by following techniques taught within the WA Bootcamp training videos. It was a cumulative process that paid off months down the line. I wish you the best of luck with your own e-business!
Hey, I never thought much about what goes into Google. I just searched when I needed something. But you are right when you think about it. I always search for information and end up on websites, where I sometimes click on ads and buy stuff. I can make such a website too!
That’s right, Ben. It’s a fairly simple concept – the problem is that individuals looking to start their own online businesses don’t know where to turn for training, tools, and support. For me, that answer was Wealthy Affiliate – and I owe 99% of my e-business success to their platform. Anybody can do it. I’m not special at all – just willing to work hard to achieve a passive income pursuing my passions of business and stock trading.
Thank you for your post. I always really enjoy reading stories about how people have worked at things and succeed. I also love how you have made it clear that this has to be worked at, too many scams out there now days claiming it can all be done in a month. Congratulations and best wishes for your future success.
Hi Jodes. It takes time and hard work to build an online business, so thinking that it will take less than a month to reach full-time status is foolish. I personally don’t think I even made $1 online at the 1-month mark, but that didn’t stop me from hitting non-financial goals and building up my online foundation. Even at the 6-month mark, I had’t really made a substantial sale yet. It wasn’t until a month or two after that where my websites turned a corner, were gaining content and authority in the search engines, and all of my hard work starting paying off. I’ve now made thousands of dollars online through my websites.
Wealthy Affiliate, of course, does not participate in such deceptive marketing practices where they promise some ridiculous income within an unreasonable amount of time – the platform is rooted in honesty. And the truth is that income levels reached through online business are different for everybody depending on the niche, how much time is put into it, dedication to the training, etc. Not many internet marketers can boast full-time status within the first year – it usually takes a few (especially when you already have a day job), and unfortunately, many individuals give up before they reach that point thinking success should happen quicker.
The prevalence of all the scams promising “thousands of dollars within a month” has skewed our perception and now it’s what everyone comes to expect from online business services. If it takes longer than that, even if the process is legitimate, people give up on it. But when you think about it, it’s crazy that people willing to go to school for 15-20+ years just for the opportunity to be able to go out and get a job that they may or may not like, but they won’t even dedicate themselves to building an online business on the side for a few years for the chance to pursue their passion on their own terms, eventually reach full-time status, and ultimately lead a lifestyle of flexibility and fulfillment.
Matt,
Wealthy Affiliate sounds like the best way to start an online business of any kind. I like how you added your own niche of stock trading as well as Wealthy Affiliate. One question… On average, how long does it take to make a sale once you build your site? thank you.
Alan
Hi Alan – great question. I don’t think that there’s any hard data out there that can give you a specific amount of time, but if I were to guess I’d say 2-3 months on average. I even think up to six months is a reasonable amount of time for internet marketers to give themselves when just starting to build their website and attempting to make their first sale.
For me personally, I made a few small sales within the 2-3 month range, but nothing substantial happened until after the 6-month mark. This isn’t unusual because it takes a little bit of time to build up your site with quality content, earn the trust of search engines like Google, start producing your fair share of traffic, and ultimately earning an income from it. From there, you can scale your business through the publishing and promotion of content. It’s all a cumulative process that builds momentum over time.
Wealthy Affiliate really is a great place for beginners in business or even those looking to start and online business, it can be a hobby or supplement a full time income if you implement the right strategies and stay consistent.
I still remember my first sales, it was incredible, I’ve been hooked ever since! So long story short, if you’re looking to start an online business or just earn money online Wealthy Affilate is a great place to be.
I couldn’t agree more, Tyler. The day I made my first sale, I knew I could continue to make more and increase my earnings week-after-week, month-after-month, and year-after-year. I started off with only the theory that I could make money online, but as soon as it became a reality, I was hooked just like you. Anybody can build their own online business with the help of Wealthy Affiliate centering around a topic they’re passionate about – that’s the best part. Keep up the great work!
No matter where you are in knowledge, Wealthy Affiliate is the ideal community to join. The fact that you get in-house training from the founders and the community members and you can host all your websites in one place, makes it ideal for beginner and expert alike. If you need help or have questions, there’s always someone willing to help.
Wealthy Affiliate seems like the real deal. Awesome information. I am in the process of building my one online business with a website with no experience. I am trying to attract visitors and I should say Wealthy Affiliate is helping me get through with all the extensive training provided. It’s a great site overall. Solid and clean. I like how organized it is.
Thanks for sharing!
Vini
No problem! I started over two years ago with no experience and now I’ve made thousands of dollars online. It doesn’t take a “special” person to make money with the training, tools, and support offered at Wealthy Affiliate, just a willingness to work hard and dedicate themselves. Good luck building your online business, Vini! Take care.
An inspiring success story! I found WA by chance less than a month ago, but am now consistently publishing on my website and seeing increases in traffic.
I am not an affiliate site for WA but the commissions are so high I will definitely look into doing that in the future. It truly is a wonderful service and i would recommend it to anyone who is considering online business. Thanks for the great post.
Wealthy Affiliate truly is an amazing service. Celebrating their 11 year anniversary today – you simply don’t see that type of longevity out of shady, deceptive programs. The WA platform has continued to improve over time, is the largest internet marketing community available online, and best of all – teaches effective strategies that can turn absolute beginners into income-generating online business owners. If members can contribute their own bit of hard work and dedication then they have a solid chance of succeeding online with the tools and support WA has to provide. Best of luck increasing traffic and earnings on your site – take care!
Hi Matt, enjoyed reading your article. I am beginning the process of developing my affiliate business and appreciate people like yourself sharing their success stories. There is so much knowledge to absorb but I’m getting sucked in and hope to be in a position to progress from a hobby to a full time business. What types of goals did you set when you started out on your journey?
Hi Manny – great question. Before I even dove into the training videos at Wealthy Affiliate or started building a lick of my first website, I jotted down both monetary and non-monetary goals for my online business. My initial non-financial goals involved simply setting up a live website, writing a few posts, getting 1st page rankings in Google, receiving 10+ comments on certain pages, adding email opt-in forms, designing a logo, etc. My financial goal was to simply make a sale within the first six months – which I was able to achieve.
From the moment of my first sale I was able to prove to myself that it was possible to make money online and the momentum continued to build from there. At this point in time, I make monthly goals (sometimes even weekly and daily) for the number of posts I want to publish, traffic I aim to acquire, social shares I want to receive, and income levels I want to achieve. Without goals, there’s no written down plan or direction for where you want to take your business, and unfortunately, can result in going off course or failing. Goals should be a top priority for any budding and experienced online business owners. Best of luck building a full-time business online – it’s certainly possible!
Hi Matt, what an awesome story, this is something that I have always wanted to do also and believe it or not I stumbled upon Wealthy Affiliate myself 3 years ago now and believe it to be the most rewarding and supportive community I have every been a part of online. I congratulate you on your success and I hope that anyone that comes across your blog takes everything aboard that you have mentioned. I believe that the ultimate achievement is not giving up on yourself.
I appreciate the kind words. You’re right that it’s important for internet entrepreneurs not to give up on themselves too early because when I started I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to make one dollar online – let alone thousands. And even when I started making a few bucks, it took 6+ months before anything really notable started rolling in.
I’m talking under $100 a month until month 7 or 8, but soon after that momentum started picking up. All the hard work I’d put in was finally paying off and I was starting to see the true potential of affiliate marketing. If I’d given up in month one, two, three, four, or five, which easily could’ve happened, I’d never have been able to experience this ride. But I’m sure glad I stuck with it and devoted myself to the process. I can’t wait for what’s to come in the future. Cheers!
Hey Matt, I know all too well the benefits of Affiliate Marketing because I had a similar revelation when it came to making money online. I was struggling to try and find a way to increase my earnings online. I was already making money on eBay but wanted something more that wouldn’t require me to ship any products and pay any eBay fees, those can really add up.
Then I said, there has got to be a way I could leverage the power of Google and the internet. So I found a way to build my own website. At first I was going to build an ecommerce website and do drop shipping, but while in the process of building my website I discovered Affiliate Marketing and I fell in love with the concept.
Needless to say I never made the ecommerce website and just did Affiliate Marketing instead. It has been really fun and I enjoy the challenge of SEO and getting my content highly ranked in Google. Sometimes I do well and sometimes not, but it is a learning curve and I like learning.
To our continued success.
Robert
Great to hear your journey into affiliate marketing, Robert! It’s an outstanding option for everyone looking to pursue an online income – no need to create your own product or hold inventory – you simply review and promote other people’s products/services and earn commissions on the sales. The internet provides so much opportunity, and if only more people knew about it, they’d probably be trying their hand at ranking in Google and building their own e-businesses as well. To our continued success, indeed. Cheers!
Your perspective on how you went about recognizing how to build a profitable business is refreshing. From searching on Google to using your process to teach others to duplicate what you did is the easiest approach in my opinion. The burden of success as well as the fruits of success are all yours. You can’t blame or give credit to anyone else. You demonstrated a proven method that anyone can do. It just takes starting out with a strong work ethic.
I appreciate that, Glen. But I do feel like I have to give Wealthy Affiliate’s training, tools, and overall supportive community a ton of credit. My work ethic and passion to build a profitable online business certainly helped it all happen, but Wealthy Affiliate streamlined the the entire process for me. Maybe the success would’ve came at some point, but I’m sure it would’ve been a much longer, harder path without the proven methods that WA teaches every single day. Cheers!
Thank you Matthew for such a nice short review. I am wondering what affiliate networks are you using?
Wealthy Affiliate is certainly a program that just works. Why? Because it simply give access to the right education. Education that lets you earn income in online world. This education is vital as today Internet is almost everything and it is virtually missing in schools and institutions and I think for a reason.
Hi Margarita. I actually don’t use affiliate networks all that much. I’ve used Share-a-Sale, Commission Junction, and Amazon Associates for book recommendations and the promotion of a couple other services, but for the most part, I pursue private affiliate programs within my online business and stock trading niches. If a company has their own private affiliate program, then they tend to provide you with better tools and also pay higher commissions (typically 30% or more). It all depends on the niche, but in my personal opinion, private affiliate programs are the way to go. If you come across a product or service that you like and want to promote, Google it with the word “affiliate” at the end and see what comes up – chances are one exists. Affiliate marketing is much more prevalant than most people think.
Speaking specifically on Wealthy Affiliate, the education is outstanding – especially for the cost of about $360 per year. Even the free starter membership offers some amazing video lessons and premium access to the WA platform, although it’s limited. I can only imagine the cost of an online marketing education like this if it was offered through a university or institution – I bet we’re talking thousands of dollars for just a handful of hours. When you look at it that way, Wealthy Affiliate is an absolute steal. For less than $1 per day, you can receive ongoing training on every possible topic in the online business industry, expert tools to make the process as efficient as possible, and a vast community of supportive internet marketers just like you. Even if affiliate marketing programs were available for interested prospects at universities, I can’t imagine it would be as effective and cost-friendly as Wealthy Affiliate. Enjoy your membership and good luck building your online income!
Very nice article. I too knew my future was in online business. And like you, I was trolling the internet looking for something promising. There is so much junk out there that I was starting to get a headache checking them all out and deciding they weren’t for me. Until I came across Wealthy Affiliate. I finally found something that just made sense. Yes Matt, i couldn’t agree with you more.
Hi Doug. It’s truly unfortunate how many scams are out there in the “make money online” arena, but thankfully Wealthy Affiliate is there to bring some integrity to the industry. In my eyes, they’re the authority in the entire space – no other service can match the training, tools, and especially the community. Best part is, you have the freedom to pursue any interest you’d like and turn it into an income-generating online business. All it takes is time and effort. It’s extremely hard to find an individual that has something bad to say about it – and that speaks volumes. Everyone can find a way that Wealthy Affiliate will improve their existing or future online business. I always love to hear other people’s stories – their path to Wealthy Affiliate and how it has changed their lives. It’s an amazing platform.
Hi Matt I real true story you yourself is a testimony that Wealthy Affiliate works. You know I’m in the online business for some 6 months now, I started of with a company that did not meet my needs, I found WA about a month ago and truly speaking it’s an amazing family and all of your content is spot on, I gladly recommend WA to persons interested in becoming an online marketer. Good work Matt and to the WA family thank you for the opportunity you have changed my life.
Hi Matt,
Nice and interesting history. I found Wealthy Affiliate two months ago and I have to tell you, it got me addicted to it. They have so many trainings and videos to learn. The community is so warm and helpful.
The best part is that if you really work hard the effort pays out!
Ruben
Hi Ruben. I hear you. When I first found Wealthy Affiliate, I started running through all of the video lessons and training courses, really excited to get my websites off the ground. To this day, I still get excited for updated training videos, weekly live lessons, and interacting within the community on a daily basis. There’s no better platform to build a profitable online business. As you mentioned, with hard work and dedication, all of your efforts will pay off down the road, and it’s an amazing feeling when it finally happens. Cheers!
Hi Matt,
Yours is a great story that would inspire the reader to take your lead and take action. Wealthy Affiliate is definitely the right place to get started, I wish I had found it sooner but I think it better late than never.
Your website looks very professional too.
Keep up the great work.
Kerry
Hi Kerry. Definitely better late than never! Wealthy Affiliate is an outstanding resource for expert online business training, education, and community. Plain and simple: there’s never been a better time to get started online. There are over three billion current internet users and that number only continues to grow by the thousands every single day. As a result, there are opportunities in almost any niche imaginable.
I started with Wealthy Affiliate about two years ago now and I wish I found it earlier as well. The freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment that an online business can provide in your life is truly outstanding. You’re in complete control of what topics you pursue, the tasks you accomplish, when and where you work, etc. It takes some time to build up, but the reward can be immense with the proper time commitment and dedication. Good luck with your site and take care!
Hi there Matt. Thanks for that inspiring story. It is just what I needed to read. I have been a member of WA for about half a year and I am only starting to get sales on a regular basis. I’ll certainly be as proud as punch if I can make five thousand bucks in my first year. Wishing you continued success for the future and may I ask are there any specific strategies you use to increase sales?
Hi Derek. That’s a great question. The most important strategy I use to increase sales is to publish quality content consistently. The more quality content you have, the more visitor engagement you will see, and the more sales you will make – it’s really that simple. The main focus should be on helping people, providing them with quality products and services, making proper recommendations, and the money will follow. My goal for 2016 is to double my 2015 performance, and I’m pretty much right on track to do so at this point. I’m sure you can hit and exceed your online business goals as well if you set your mind to it. You’ve already achieved sales on a regular basis, so just continue to push yourself and grow your website(s). Cheers!
Thank you for your story. It is quite inspiring. I am working hard to get my first blog going. I have decided that I am going to trust the WA system too. Your story is good as it let’s the rest of us know that the system works.
I agree with JOVO and you that success is not guaranteed. I have been in other systems that claimed you could get rich in a couple of months just by putting out a few blogs. It is nice to have system and community that tells it like it is-it takes a lot of hard work and time to become successful. But the great thing is, they provide the system, the training and the community to help.
You’ve made it and I wish you continued good luck.
Thank you, Melinda. You are 100% correct – success is certainly not guaranteed. Finding a high-quality service like Wealthy Affiliate is only half the battle, but the rest requires taking action. The results won’t come without time and effort, and I’m sure every successful online business owner would attest to that. I personally have a long way to go myself before being where I want to be, and the continuous training and support of Wealthy Affiliate will help get me there. Overall, there’s proof that the platform works, I’ve seen the results (not only for myself, but others as well), and it’s exciting to see individuals pursing their greatest passions in the form of interactive, income-generating online businesses. Good luck to you as well! Take care.
Your story is inspiring, thank you for sharing! I too have always wanted to own a business but never knew how I would make it happen. Wealthy Affiliate seems like the perfect solution. You can get started without needing a lot of capital. Looks like you have had a lot of success with it! Thanks for sharing.
No problem, Rob. Wealthy Affiliate provided me with an outstanding opportunity to build an “internet lifestyle” characterized by flexibility and fulfillment. I get to choose when and where I want to work, what projects I work on, and the people I work with. And most importantly, I enjoy what I’m doing. Everyone has the chance to follow their passion – with a little hard work and dedication, great things can be accomplished online. Here’s to hoping the momentum continues and my websites continue to grow!
Hey Matt, I find your story very inspiring and motivating! Wealthy Affiliate constantly produces success stories, and I highly recommend it to anyone trying to make money by working online! I began making $450 a week just by using the information I learned in Wealthy Affiliate! If you ever wanted to travel the world or work from home but still make large amounts of money, then Wealthy Affiliate is the optimal program for you!
That’s amazing, Jose! Love to hear the success stories of others. I’m sure you’ll continue to grow that income as well because that’s what Wealthy Affiliate is all about – website growth is a cumulative process. $450 per week is no small chunk of change. You’re clear proof that it’s possible to make a solid income online, and live a lifestyle characterized by fulfillment and freedom as well. Take care and happy business building!
Your story is very inspiring. Congrats Matt! I too had a similar revelation when I discovered WA – wayy back in 2012, can you believe it?
Honestly, I don’t remember what I was searching for exactly, but I was unemployed and completely unsure where my life was headed. I knew making money online was possible, I just wasn’t sure how. When I discovered WA I remember having a gut feeling it was something real. I decided to give it a shot and never looked back!
I earned my first $1,000 within the first 6 months, and about $3,000 by the end of my first year. It took me a really long time to get off the ground running, but I’ve been earning a full time income from it for the last few years.
There is definitely A LOT of opportunity for people out there.. I always recommend WA whenever people ask me how to make money online or express interest in what I do!
That’s awesome to hear, Wendy! Seems like our stories are pretty similar. It certainly takes time to build up some momentum with your online business, but once you put enough time and effort into adding content and gaining visitors, it all seems to pay off nicely down the road. Looking back now, I couldn’t be happier that I found Wealthy Affiliate – I only wish I found it earlier (like you did back in 2012!). Keep proving that it’s possible to make a full-time income online, and helping others chase that dream as well. Cheers!
Been looking for a place I could use as a soundboard for my blog for quite some time now – after reading this I could well be in luck! How long have you been a member for now and did they aid you when you built this site? Did you find the lessons hard or were they pretty simple overall?
Hi Chris – great questions. I joined Wealthy Affiliate in mid-2014, so just about two years now. The step-by-step training most definitely helped me build this site. Overall, I found the lessons to be pretty simple, even when the concepts being covered were ones I had no experience with up until that point in time. They are provided in such a way that makes them very easy to understand and then implement. For the most part, they’re task-based, which allows you to take action and see results for yourself. Reading and/or listening to “theory” will only take you so far – you have to get out there and do it, and WA facilitates that approach.
Good information here, and something I can identify with. Sifting though tons of Google searches can be time consuming, and it’s just something I knew I would have to deal with in order continue the learning process of building on online business.
It’s nice when someone finds the online ‘gems’ like this one, which make life a lot easier! I’ve already pulled enough hair out of my head in the learning process, so it’s good to find these types of resources!
It was certainly nice to find a gem like Wealthy Affiliate in an industry that tends to be overflowing with scams. It’s an outstanding resource for the training, tools, and support necessary to build a thriving online business, and I’m not sure where I’d be without it. I can only speculate that I would’ve been scammed multiple times and given up at this point. I’m extremely grateful it didn’t happen that way and WA provided the high-quality guidance I was looking for.
Hi Matt, you really had the story to tell and you told it nicely. Obviously you are one of Wealthy Affiliate success stories. I am a member myself and know that many fail as well, or have more slow path. Everybody’s story is different and nobody can repeat it exactly, so nothing can be guaranteed. But it is good to hear such first-hand experiences which show that it is possible. You found your way. Congratulations.
Thank you, Jovo. Still a lot more room for improvement on my websites – and that’s the most inspiring thing. The potential is almost unlimited in online business, and the fact that things don’t need to be perfect is quite a relief. A couple years ago, I had no idea if it would be possible to make money online pursuing topics I’m interested in, and it’s thrilling for me to now say with confidence that it is.
Everyone has their own path and no two success stories are exactly the same, as you mentioned. And unfortunately, people do fail. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s inevitable. There are so many factors at play and there’s never any “guarantee” of success. I can tell you that it’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point, which can’t be achieved overnight. I hope you and everyone else at WA achieves success as well – some already have and many others will down the line. Cheers!
Hey Matt! Thanks for sharing such an honest review! It’s nice to see that people actually really do make money with affiliate marketing. I agree with you 100% now is the time to start your business, and what better way than with no overhead on the web. Best of luck to you and keep grindin man! ~ Mike
Hi Mike. It’s certainly possible to make money online and Wealthy Affiliate has helped create many examples of that. The internet has provided ample opportunity for anybody to create a “lifestyle business” online centered around their passion(s). With over 3 billion current users, there’s a market for absolutely anything you can imagine. It truly boils down to following the 4-step process of choosing a niche, creating a website, getting rankings & visitors, and then earning revenue.
Hey Matthew! I loved your article because 5 days ago I joined WA too! It’s been amazing there and the community is absolutely wonderful. I finished building my site and adding contents already. Hopefully at the end of the year I’ll be as successful as you people. I’m really excited for what about to come, Cheers!
Welcome to WA, Bruce! Don’t expect success “overnight”, but after a few months of hard work, I’m sure you’ll be hitting your goals and seeing some promising results. Keep creating quality content and the visitors, engagement, and income will follow. Keep up the great work! Take care.
I appreciated your honesty in sharing about your journey Matt. I think too it’s really important that people do understand that they won’t (in most cases) make money within a month or two. It takes absolute dedication to learn and to apply what you learn.
The main point is, none of the above is boring if you love what you do. You obviously love it. I love what I do too. Couldn’t imagine spending the time if it wasn’t a passion.
Well put. Thanks for sharing it.
Marilyn
What’s up, Matt? I’m a fellow WA’er, and I cannot wait to achieve the level of success you have. I’ve been at it for about 4 months now, and I couldn’t be happier with the training, the community, and the support. It’s all unparalleled, and I’m truly thankful for finding it when I did.
Very well-written review – You hit all the key points, I feel. I encourage everyone to at least give it a shot – As Matt mentioned, it’s completely free to try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
If I may be so bold as to ask, did you find that your affiliate commissions began to sort of snowball once they started out? That seems to be a pretty common trend over on WA, and it’s definitely an exciting one. Thanks for the awesome write-up.
Hi Cohen. Wealthy Affiliate is truthfully in a league of its own as an online business building service – I appreciate your input.
To answer your question, affiliate commissions “snowballing” is definitely a theme amongst affiliate marketers, and it holds true in my experience as well. It took me a couple of months to build out content on my first website and start earning a few commissions here and there (very small – under $5 each). About 6 months in is when I made my first $20 commission, then I followed it up the next month with a $100 commission, and then the next month with a $200 commission, and the commissions have been trending upward ever since.
There are the “outlier” months where commissions will be much lower or higher than expected, but the overall trend is rising. It takes time to build up a site with quality content, earn the trust of search engines, get higher rankings, and convert visitors into sales. There’s a threshold that you must work toward before seeing promising results, and unfortunately some people give up before making it to that point. But once you prove to yourself that you can make 1 or 2 sales, then you can make 10, 20, 50, 100, etc…it’s just a matter of scaling at that point. More content, more visitor engagement, more rankings, more traffic, and more sales.
It’s important for people to realize that building an online business is not a “get-rich-quick” strategy – it takes hard work. But if you’re committed long-term, the work you put in now will pay off nicely in the future. I wish you the best of luck building your business, and I know firsthand that your chances of success have skyrocketed thanks to the training and support Wealthy Affiliate provides. Take care!
Hello Matt. That`s a really great post about WA, I am in it myself and I have learned so much in the 9 months I have been involved. The community is really brilliant in the help you receive, this was exactly what I had been looking for, for 2 years where I could learn all about the intricacies of online marketing.
Anybody reading this stuff you really want to seriously check this WA out ASAP, you won’t be sorry. Cheers, Lou.
Hi Lou. Great to hear you’ve found the supportive online business community you’ve been looking for with Wealthy Affiliate. A lot of people tend to worry so much about the training they’ll receive, when in reality, that’s only half the battle. The helpful community is what turns prospective entrepreneurs into success stories. Everyone hits walls, bumps, roadblocks – whatever you want to call it, and the access to thousands of like-minded individuals (both beginners and experts) are there to assist you at a moment’s notice.
Members always say that it’s a “pay-it-forward” environment within the platform, and that type of mentality lifts the entire group. Thanks again for sharing your own personal experiences with WA. Take care!
Hey good job man, It is nice to know that you actually made money of starting your own online business. I just started mine about 6 months ago and I am waiting on my first sale. I enjoyed reading your success story and I hope to be successful pursuing a business online.
I appreciate it, Afees. The 6-month mark was about how long it took me to make my first substantial commission, but once you make that first one, the momentum will build. Some online business owners give up before they make it to that point, but if you’re committed and stick to the process, I’m positive it will happen for you. If you can make 1 sale, you can make 100, or 1,000, etc. It’s just a matter of scaling at that point.
I’m still a good distance away from reaching “full-time” income status with my online business, but the recipe for success is simple: keep creating quality content on a consistent basis that helps people. That’s all a successful internet business really boils down to. If you can do that with your business, you will eventually achieve your first sale and many more after that. I look forward to hearing back from you in the future.
HI Matt. Wow, over 5,000 in a year, that’s 5,000 more than what I’ve made in my last 6 years of trying to build a business online. Your reasoning of keeping a website focused on one thing makes sense, my only problem is, I don’t know what “one thing” i could build a site about.
Wealthy Affiliate sounds great, but does it offer any training for my problem, can it help me get my business off the ground? I look forward to your reply. Thanks in advance.
Hi Lee. Wealthy Affiliate can certainly help you choose a niche to pursue online, and frankly, the most important aspect is that you’re passionate about it. If you have an online business, or any business for that matter, things tend to work out better when you’re “invested” in the topic. That’s why I chose to pursue online business and stock trading – because I’m highly passionate about both and the information I share can ultimately help people in a big way.
There are so many options when it comes to choosing a niche, and there’s a market for products and services that you’ve probably never even imagined. That’s what makes the task of deciding so overwhelming. It really just takes some time to think about what you like: hobbies, passions, or talents/knowledge you’ve acquired over time. You may not think you’re an authority in any one topic, but believe me, you are. Everyone has their own unique experiences that can help others. You just have to leverage those experiences and passions, and continue to master them over time.
Specific to Wealthy Affiliate, the training it provides can help you every step of the way. From choosing a topic to pursue to building a website to gaining traffic to earning revenue, the support is unmatched. In all honesty, Wealthy Affiliate is 100% responsible for my current and future success online, and I’m sure many other members would say the same thing. Stay focused, work hard, and the results will follow.
Hi there Matt. Thanks for sharing your success story and to show that you can really make money in what you are passionate about. I am no where earning as much as you. Still at the ‘Getting Ranking’ part which seems to take like forever.
Question – how often do you publish your content? What advice do you have for getting rankings on Google? Thank you.
Hi Cathy – great questions. I try to publish content on a consistent basis, which usually ends up being 1-2 posts/pages per week (per site). Sometimes it ends up being more, and sometimes less – it depends on the length of the articles, how in-depth I’m trying to go with them, and the free time I have available to me.
In terms of getting ranked in Google and other search engines, having a conistent publishing schedule is ideal. If you can publish a few high-quality posts per week focused on solid keywords, it will pay off immensely in the long run. It takes time for Google to fully trust your site and rank it higher – brand new websites will not rank as high as ones that have been around a while for the most part. That trust comes through none other than quality content and visitor engagement (comments).
When you’re publishing quality content and getting engagement amongst visitors, you will also make your site more “socially” appealing, meaning your readers will share your content via social media. When your content is posted, shared, pinned, tweeted, or +1’d, that gives Google more confidence that your site is of high quality, and as a result, rankings will increase. Other sites may also link to your content as a reference – this is commonly known as backlinks, which can also boost site authority and rankings.
In my eyes, there are 2 key factors to getting rankings: 1) Publishing quality content consistently, and 2) High visitor engagement (both on your site via comments and off your site via social media). In addition to that, you can attempt to target high traffic, low competition keywords with each post, but that’s not always necessary. And another extra boost can be added if you submit your new pages/posts on Google Webmaster Tools once published using the “Fetch as Google Tool”. This basically alerts Google that you’ve created a fresh piece of content and will rank it faster. Hope this helps!