So here's my first post on arbi results after joining this forum maybe back in May, reading the threads, surfing the tubes, trying a couple of different things.
My background - I have been working with the Internet since 1993/1994 - what I mean by that is I've been part of a couple startups that have seen limited to moderate success, both on the software side and the hardware side. Ran a full service ISP for a couple of years, started another, did consluting (no typo), etc. So I've seen a lot of technology come and go, and have had an avid interest in all things internet - it's how I made/make my living. I'm very interested in getting a business put together that "runs itself" meaning generates money through passive income that doesn't require a) capital b) direct time with customers. Been there done that. Plus I have a day job. I consider myself pretty technical and am not at all afraid/intimidated to get in the weeds with any of the current stable of scripting languages, css, html, etc . . . I have noticed the older I get, the more willing I am to use off the shelf stuff instead of making it myself. Open Source helps greatly with this.
So I had been intrigued about this traffic arbi stuff and wanted to run a trial. Just so I would be totally objective about it, I had one of my friends pick a topic after describing what I was going to be doing. He comes up with something that would be about my 50th pick for a niche. For the sake of objectivity, I moved forward with it.
Step 1 - Get hosting. got some cheap hosting off one of the recommended host platforms listed in one of the threads - very happy with it so far.
Step 2 - Pick niche - (see above)
Step 3 - Get keywords - used a variety of sources for these, but tried to get something that had decent search volume and low competition
Step 4 - Assemble site - Picked up a free template floating around the web - made the modifications - scraped content from a well known authority - single page. Used adsense layout recommended by a few folks on the board.
Step 5 - Sign up for a few affiliates - did that through some of the links found on the board.
Step 6 - Get traffic - Used MSN and 7Search for the traffic sources. Tried 7search exclusively for first couple weeks, wasn't getting much, so went to MSN after that - running both.
Step 7 - Activate campaign, monitor results, tweak . .
Right now, I'm getting about 100 to 150% return on a very limited amount of traffic - so my activity now is focused on boosting traffic without incurring a great deal more expense.
That's about it . . I've not had as much time as I'd like to put on the proof of concept, but am proving that it does work. Am not making a killing, am in the black, but nothing to write home about. That's okay. The goal here was to make it work, and it is.
I think the key is to know when to make a change if you are new to the industry - like one question i had was my initial CTR on my impressions was way low - once they got my site - it was pretty good (which means the template and ad placement are good). Guess what - one or two words in your display ad can make a big difference.
A lot of folks on here have recommended marketing books and things like that to help you get in tune with how to sell. Highly recommend it if you don't have a marketing background. You really have to get in the head of your customer. Also, if something sounds too easy or too stupid to work, try that too. Sometimes the results are very surprising.
So, going forward, I'll keep this campaign going and am getting ready to start a few (hundred) more. Am looking to play upon my strengths to automate pretty much everything, either with custom stuff, or hopefully off the shelf. There are a lot of interesting tools out there these days.
There you go, that's about 2 months worth of work on a very part-time basis. It works, you just need to work hard to find what works for you.
Good luck!
My background - I have been working with the Internet since 1993/1994 - what I mean by that is I've been part of a couple startups that have seen limited to moderate success, both on the software side and the hardware side. Ran a full service ISP for a couple of years, started another, did consluting (no typo), etc. So I've seen a lot of technology come and go, and have had an avid interest in all things internet - it's how I made/make my living. I'm very interested in getting a business put together that "runs itself" meaning generates money through passive income that doesn't require a) capital b) direct time with customers. Been there done that. Plus I have a day job. I consider myself pretty technical and am not at all afraid/intimidated to get in the weeds with any of the current stable of scripting languages, css, html, etc . . . I have noticed the older I get, the more willing I am to use off the shelf stuff instead of making it myself. Open Source helps greatly with this.
So I had been intrigued about this traffic arbi stuff and wanted to run a trial. Just so I would be totally objective about it, I had one of my friends pick a topic after describing what I was going to be doing. He comes up with something that would be about my 50th pick for a niche. For the sake of objectivity, I moved forward with it.
Step 1 - Get hosting. got some cheap hosting off one of the recommended host platforms listed in one of the threads - very happy with it so far.
Step 2 - Pick niche - (see above)
Step 3 - Get keywords - used a variety of sources for these, but tried to get something that had decent search volume and low competition
Step 4 - Assemble site - Picked up a free template floating around the web - made the modifications - scraped content from a well known authority - single page. Used adsense layout recommended by a few folks on the board.
Step 5 - Sign up for a few affiliates - did that through some of the links found on the board.
Step 6 - Get traffic - Used MSN and 7Search for the traffic sources. Tried 7search exclusively for first couple weeks, wasn't getting much, so went to MSN after that - running both.
Step 7 - Activate campaign, monitor results, tweak . .
Right now, I'm getting about 100 to 150% return on a very limited amount of traffic - so my activity now is focused on boosting traffic without incurring a great deal more expense.
That's about it . . I've not had as much time as I'd like to put on the proof of concept, but am proving that it does work. Am not making a killing, am in the black, but nothing to write home about. That's okay. The goal here was to make it work, and it is.
I think the key is to know when to make a change if you are new to the industry - like one question i had was my initial CTR on my impressions was way low - once they got my site - it was pretty good (which means the template and ad placement are good). Guess what - one or two words in your display ad can make a big difference.
A lot of folks on here have recommended marketing books and things like that to help you get in tune with how to sell. Highly recommend it if you don't have a marketing background. You really have to get in the head of your customer. Also, if something sounds too easy or too stupid to work, try that too. Sometimes the results are very surprising.
So, going forward, I'll keep this campaign going and am getting ready to start a few (hundred) more. Am looking to play upon my strengths to automate pretty much everything, either with custom stuff, or hopefully off the shelf. There are a lot of interesting tools out there these days.
There you go, that's about 2 months worth of work on a very part-time basis. It works, you just need to work hard to find what works for you.
Good luck!