This is a guest post by Brandon Hopkins.
If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
If you’re like me, you have about 10 good ideas for new websites or services every week. Each idea seems valid and profitable, but you don’t have the time, staff, or the resources to make them happen.
This literally happens to me every week.
I used to write them down and save them for later (which I still have a folder in a drawer somewhere), but in reality, I’m never going back to those ideas.
If you’re like me then you might also have trouble sticking with one goal and seeing it through to the end. This has been one of my greatest downfalls in my IM career, but sticking with a project has also been one of the greatest feelings as well.
I recently finished a project in a pretty small niche (500,000 results). I installed WordPress, redesigned the blog, set up affiliate links (mainly Amazon), optimized my Adsense ads and started building links. The problem came after I finished everything except the link building, which was also the most important part.
Here are a few ways that I stay motivated to see a project through all the way to the end.
1. Stats – I’m a total stats junkie.
I check AWStats at least 5 times per day while I’m working on a site. I also check my SERP’s using Market Samurai a few times, that doesn’t include how often I check Adsense earnings. The reason I watch these numbers so closely is because it helps me understand what might be working, and where I can improve.
If I have a great week of link building and see my site move into the top 10 then I’m motivated to continue doing the same thing again.
2. “Run the numbers” – I can’t tell you how sick my wife must be of hearing me say the words “run the numbers”.
Whenever I start to get discouraged or distracted, I go back and run the numbers.
What numbers are these?
Earning potential.
How much do I estimate a #1 ranking will earn.
Those are the exciting numbers. I generally use Market Samurai’s “Keyword Research” module and look at the “SEOV” (SEO Value = earnings for a #1 ranking). Take that number and divide it in half for a better estimate of what you’re site might earn.
3. A PR6 Link!?!?
The third thing I do when trying to force myself to focus on a project is to go back and look at some of the good links I have for this site.
Was I able to get a link from DMOZ (Homepage PR8), BOTW (homepage PR7), Ezilon (Homepage PR6), or Yellow Pages (homepage PR8)?
I keep track of my good links in a spread sheet and will even build links to my links to give them further strength.
There you have it, when I’m ready to move on to a new project I try to evaluate if I have completed the current project and then follow steps 1, 2 and 3, then get back to work!
What about you? What do you do when those other projects and ideas try to steal you away?
Brandon Hopkins is a expert link builder (as well as Fresno web design ) with a full time staff building links 7 days a week. If you want to see your site move up in the search engine results, contact him to discuss link building for your website!
For me, as a blogger, sometimes I write down topics for blog post in a notepad and sometimes I never get to them. And about a month ago I uped my goals some of the tasks that I’m doing to market my blog and I followed through for about a week then I stopped fulfilling each task completely. So this post is good food for thought for me because it’s reminding me to continue to follow through with everything that I set to do.
Jarrod
I read a lot of educational books and when I find something that I’d like to implement, I add a yellow sticker.
But instead of acting on the yellow sticker – I just go on and read the next book!
Terrible really.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Don’t we all wish we had more time to focus on all our projects. I personally could use 3 or 4 assistants and I still don’t think the job would get done.
Ryan,
If I had 3 or 4 assistants, I’d spend all my time finding work for them to do!
LOL!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Hey Brandon, thanks for the guest post here 🙂 I really like your thoughts and suggestions, especially how you break down your link building and keep track of them. I also do this and find it helps when I start new websites, I already have a list of places I can get links from.
.-= Sally @ Oscar the Grouch Costumes´s last blog ..About Us =-.
You sound exactly like me! I constantly am checking my stats (partly to see what works and partly from compulsion!) But I can’t think of all the domains that I have let expire that had a ‘brilliant idea’ attached to them that never got fulfilled.
.-= Thomas@SEO Services´s last blog ..The Do-It-Yourself SEO Blog =-.
Same here – I have many domains that I have never done anything with.
Must get round to selling them one day!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Yup, me too…Last year I took the time to hire writers to get content for all of my sites…I ended up with about 80 pages of content and then use free templates to throw together 80 small one page sites. All of my sites have content and Adsense now 🙂
That’s a good idea Brandon. Least then them are doing something!
.-= Thomas@SEO Services´s last blog ..Cheap SEO: Yes It Is Possible! =-.
Link building is one of the important task for improve search engine ranking. But the quality links are the relevant links. Many people try to get link from .edu and .gov site, but it is not so easy to get link from those sites and if it is possible then you get lots of comment spam on such type of blog.
Well Andrew I have change my blog from blogger to wordpress, please visit my new blog and leave your feedback. Thanks.
.-= chandan´s last blog ..Search freelancing work at home jobs =-.
Chandan
Brilliant news about the move to WP. What was the transfer like?
I like the theme you are using.
Check out my ‘about me’ page video for some advice on your ‘about’ page:
https://www.webuildyourblog.com/2270/blogging-guide-write-page-video/
Might help.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
Thanks Andrew. Well I did not transfer my blog, my previous blog has been deleted. I will see your “about me” pages to get idea how to write that pages.
Let’s us know if / when you make some changes.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
We must be twins, but you have inspired me. I thought of a most amazing expansion project last week and just decided to go ahead with it…not stop until it is done. 🙂
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Updated: Do You USE Aweber? I Want Your Affiliate Link. Part 2 =-.
Dennis,
Make sure you eat and sleep!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest =-.
We’ll see. lol
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Would You Like to Read a TRUE Make Money Online Blog? Part 1 =-.
Hey Dennis, I get like that at times as well. For me, the hardest part is the second week…Good luck!
I don’t understand what that means?
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..Would You Like to Read a TRUE Make Money Online Blog? Part 1 =-.
You said you’re going to work on a project until you finish it. For me, I can keep that momentum for the first week of a project. After that, the motivation is hard to come by.
Ah yes gotcha Brandon; I’m largely the same way. lol
This project however is my entire being online…I’m expanding and tying everything together in a neat little bow. 🙂
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..I Need MORE Aweber USER Affiliates! =-.
Dennis, that makes total sense. When I take on a client for what I call my “SEO Elite” package, I stop everything else I’m doing and fully immerse myself into that project. I do literally everything from linkbuilding to linkbait and work on nothing else.
Brandon – How come your name isn’t linked to anything? I’d like to see what ya got. 🙂
.-= Dennis Edell @ Direct Sales Marketing´s last blog ..I Need MORE Aweber USER Affiliates! =-.
This post is exactly about me. I wrote yesterday onto my calendar: am I doing to many projects at once?
Currently I am working on 4 different sites that need my attention. Fresh content, more links, more optimization.
Stats are a big issue for me cause I love checking them but that eats up my time so now I only check them after the day is over and write down my total earning and such.
Great post and just what I needed to hear. Focus on one project finish it and then start another. Thanks!
.-= Alex@Briefkasten Edelstahl´s last blog ..Edelstahl Briefkasten “Flaschenpost” =-.
Hey Alex, do you keep a log of total earnings? I used to keep a binder that I updated monthly. It helped me recognize small sites that might have earned $2 one month then $20 the next month. While $20 isn’t much, something changed and it might be worth looking in to.
Hi Brandon,
It seems that we all have a similar problem with too many ideas, too much to do and not enough time and help to do it.
I’m still struggling with sticking with projects until they are finished without being pulled away by new ideas.
Writing things down is always a good thing to retain the new ideas and to list things that need to be done.
If the new ideas will never get to be used at least they are recorded which somewhat frees the mind from dwelling on them.
I wish I had a complete solution to this but I don’t think that will ever happen.
The best thing one can do is just keep going and once in a while the right things will get done.
.-= Vance@Make Money Online Now´s last blog ..Make Money Online NOW! 5 Steps To Your First Online Dollar =-.
Hey Vance, I often imagine that having a few employees would help, I could delegate ideas and then get back to work. Then I realize how much work it would be to manage them and make sure that I was communicating my ideas clearly.
As I always said only implementation of your knowledge and experience makes getting it worth the effort!
.-= Edward´s last blog ..Jennifer Lopez – Dream Cocktail =-.
Edward, for me, there is nothing better than working on a project for an extended period of time and then really see results. That itself is enough to keep me focused on the next project.
I can totally relate. it’s even harder now for me as money is no longer much of a motivation… Worst is when you buy the domain for the brilliant idea project and stop there …
.-= Anne´s last blog ..My Precious Little Sites and Blogs =-.
That’s how I ended up with 200 niche domains 🙂
Brandon (first, i like the name ;))
I find that if I stick to my most profitable stuff and try to optimize that, I’m better off. Really trying to get more into the whole split testing end of things and better understand how that all works.
Bottom Line: Focus on what is producing Results is my motto. Yes, don’t be afraid of pursuing something you feel has great potential, but don’t lose sight of what is making money.
BrandonBurgh
.-= BrandonBurgh´s last blog ..1Million Visitors, Or 1000 Visitors – Which is Greater? =-.
Hey Brandon,
Split testing, ad format testing, A/B testing and all of that really bores me to death! A couple years ago I optimized my adsense ads for about a month, found the best layout, colors, etc and have been using that ever since.
btw, I like you “Why BB” page.
I always try to return to an idea and add in as much detail as I can. This prevents me from totally forgetting about the idea since I’ve already put some work into it.
.-= Julius´s last blog ..Rosa Parks Is Not Done Teaching Us =-.
Julius, I do the same thing when recording down an idea for later. I make flow charts, graphs, contact info for partners, etc.
That really helps me be able to forget about that idea, knowing that everything I had in my mind is now written somewhere.
I think it is great to have many good ideas. This way you can pick the best one and stick to it.
Right now I have only one large project, but this is my full time business. Where I got lost was the individual ideas I wanted to accomplish, all in my head. Ideas for posts, people to contact, groups to join, etc.
What worked for me is a single excel sheet where I list the different ideas and assign a date to each of those. Then all I have to do is to check the daily list every morning.
One thing that proved to be very useful is to look at the larger promotions, or time consuming activities, and reevaluate them once in a while to make sure that they produce the results they are supposed to. Then I either modify them, or get rid of them, but each option has to be justified.
.-= Tom´s last blog ..Rosa Parks Is Not Done Teaching Us =-.
Hey Tom, I’m envious of your one project! I’ve often thought about selling off my sites and domains and sticking with just one project.
This is a great thing in a way, but you also have to realize that you have all eggs in one basket with one company. One way to diversify is to offer an increasing number of services, currently I have 13 areas, they are centered around one concept. So, this way I have mini projects, but they feel more like one big one.
.-= Tom´s last blog ..Rosa Parks Is Not Done Teaching Us =-.
I have a project like that as well…I bought 21 niche domains all focused on one larger market. I think I’m addicted to buying domains 🙂