Truth Files: Update #2 Autopilot Income & Content Publishing As It Was Meant to Be
Before I get into this, I just want to thank everyone who left comments on the very first Truth Files report I wrote. Because of that, I felt like I HAD to write this second update.
I’m finding out it’s really more my nature to quietly do my own thing so keeping up with the InlineSEO.com blog is a challenge for me.
And that’s why I don’t post very often.
But due to the outpouring of comments and out-right requests (maybe even demands at times) for updates I’m trying to move out of my shell.
So anyway, I’m finally posting the second update to my Truth Files Series.
The first report I wrote (which you can get here if you haven’t seen it yet) covers the network of sites I started building in November. By March I was earning about $1,000 a month from it. I covered a little of what I did to go from about 20 small sites to $1,000 a month in that first Truth Files report.
In this one I take over where I left off, with April’s earnings, which turned out to be right at about $2,000 and go all the way through July, where you’ll see a significant increase.
The main points I’m hoping to cover in this Truth Files update are:
- Autopilot income is possible, but it takes a great deal of work to create it.
- It’s worth the leap to go from creating 1-3 page mini-sites earning a pitiful $1/day to creating something more substantial. There’s virtually no cap on your earnings potential once you break free of the mini-site mindset.
I’ve got screenshots for you and even a few pointers in this report. I really think you’ll get something out of it if you take the time to read it.
I know following earnings has been a fun way to keep myself motivated and I hope it’ll do the same for you.
So that’s it, if you want to see where I’m at now and learn a little of how I got there, read the update. Without anymore rambling … here’s the link to the second installment … Truth Files: Update #2.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for laying out your steps to build a consistent passive flow of income.
I did try to do what you’re doing but i only make pennies with adsense ads. However, your short reports are inspiring me to try harder to promote my network of sites so that i may reach my income goal in the near future..
It would help a lot if you detailed your steps to get more traffic for your sites other than performing SEO which takes time to get them sites ranked.
Thanks again for your reports
Simon — 100% of the traffic is coming from SEO. That’s why it’s taking several months to get this kind of income.
Lisa,
Wow this is so encouraging. Your site and pdf is like a breath of fresh air among the IM community. I love it. Thanks for the candid updates and inspiration. You can go back in your cave now!
Lisa, thank you for the update. This provides a clear view of what’s realistically possible, and how to get there.
Thank you!
Lisa,
Just about everything you’ve written this year has been my exact experience over the past couple of years. Thanks for the honesty. It’s definitely more of an inspiration than the hype out there.
Also, your Inline SEO course is priceless. I would have paid a lot more.
Thanks again.
Justin – Thanks! I just might head back to my hide-out now …
Hi Lisa,
Thanks you for the second report, it will help fill in some blanks and probably steer me in a better direction.
I really enjoy and and get a lot out of your materials, I just need to apply them more. Unfortunately I’ve developed a bad habit, spending my time learning ever more instead of doing more…
Part of me knows it will take a while but the urge to chase the, more or less, get rich schemes is hard to resist. I guess we all want instant results at some level, it is good to read your information and thank you for being honest about it.
It is refreshing to not get bombarded with hype for a change!
Keep the good stuff coming.
Thanks again,
Phil
Lisa,
Thanks again for yet another great report! You are pretty much the only online marketer that I have found that will just tell it like it is and show EXACTLY how it is possible to make money online if you are willing to put in a little hard work and effort. I have had your course for a while now but have not had much time to work on it. After receiving a layoff notice and knowing I only have 3 months of reliable work left, I am working harder now than ever to get my primary authority site up and making me enough money to do this stuff full time.
Hi Lisa,
Very inspiring and like your model of business, it is ethical and less risky compared to others. I would like to get some tips on who to outsource for qulaity content? i have tried odesk and SL etc but not successful yet to find one. Also do you offer any consulting services or you know anyone who does that? Please email me if you have a sec if dont want to mention them here.
Thank you
This is definitely a breath of fresh air among all the B.S. that is out here on internet marketing.
I was turned on to your work from a former student just today. What great timing I got both your reports the same day.
Very interesting indeed.
Hi Lisa
Great report / update. As much as I am happy for your success, I am equally upset with my lack of success. I have your InLine SEO product (as well as ten thousand other products) and have built an empire of non earning websites!!
Anyway, I am going back to the drawing board – I know what to do, just need to do it with laser focus and quit following the latest shiny ball.
I should clarify the above comment – I did not use your product as a guide to build bad websites
Going back to the drawing board means building a cluster of related sites using your techniques!!
Hey Lisa
another great report and a breath of fresh air without the breathless claims or shameless plugs that is so common in internet marketing.
The only thing I would like you to have included is how much you spent on outsourcing your content and promotion.
I have a full time career and can only work about 3 hours per day on my content publishing business but I am trying to do everything myself which means my growth is steady but slow..
I have your seo program which is just fantastic and every few weeks I go back to it again and pull out more great stuff (eg the RSS strategy) but the sheer amount of time in implementing it all, promotion and content creation is so bloody time consuming.
But I will keep at it.
I would also love to get a copy of the affiliate code book that you withdrew from sale as I need to diversify from just Adsense and would love to see a post from you along the lines of “The Dummies Guide to CPA”.
Anyway thanks again and if you could see your way to resurrecting that Niche Code book and sending me a copy I would ensure that no discussion of “Gurus” on the WF would go without a mention of you!
Terry
Hi Lisa:
Great set of reports! Love the fact that they are all about the “reality” of what is possible, instead of the load of overhyped BS that is everywhere you look on the net!
What a refreshing concept, actually giving really good content to your readers, rather than the thinly veiled (or not even thinly veiled) constant sales pitches that are supposed to pass for “content”! Totally awesome idea!
I’m thinking that the application of this very theme, along with your very solid SEO practices would produce stunning results in the local search arena. I have a bricks and mortar business that needs a decent website, and using an authority site approach is exactly what makes sense in my particular market.
Thanks so much for documenting your efforts, they offer a wealth of realistic opportunities!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for the update and congratulations on your success!
I bought your InlineSEO system some time back and the material was nothing short of excellent.
I have two questions for you:
1. Are these new sites built using the same methodologies as you teach in the InlineSEO system, or were there things you did differently?
2. When are you going to release the InlineSEO Adsense course ?
Thanks
Jason
Thanks for the inspiring information you are sharing.
i hope and wish you get more time to share your knowledge with the same honesty and sincerity which is so much absent in IM world.
With love
Thanks so much for the update, Lisa! (Like everyone else, I’d been hoping you would publish another Truth File…)
You mention that you do intensive keyword research before handing off article assignments to your outsourcers — just wondering which keyword research tool, or combination of tools, you like to use? Are you still a Wordtracker fan?
Thank you again — I’m already looking forward to the next installment … whenever it may appear!
Hi Lisa,
Thank you very much for such an honest and encouraging guide as to what you do to improve and grow your business. I have found your honesty and suggestions very helpful on what I can do to improve my sites and that by doing things consistently, it will work. You are very much appreciated
Barbara – I still use Wordtracker, but many other tools work just fine as well.
Jason – yes, I use exactly what I’m teaching people. I don’t know about the Adsense Course, it’s pretty much do proper SEO, get traffic, and insert the Adsense code! How’s that?
Terry – 3 hours per day is a lot … you’d be surprised what you can do with that much time. I spent under $200 per site initially (that was with 3 pages and some initial link building). You can easily do it all in a week or two (at most) on your own with 3 hours per day.
Obviously, when you’re making a few thousand a month you can get a lot further along with outsourcing. Last month I spent several thousand on outsourcing, but it came from previous month’s profits. I would never suggest anyone spend that much or anything like that until they see income coming in and can re-invest it back. If you’re willing to do that, you can really see massive increases in income.
The niche guide is up on this blog, you’ll have to search for it. So it’s free right here, but honestly, it all comes down to getting traffic. From there, even if you just stick adsense or related affiliate/CPA offers on your site, you’ll earn money. There’s no rocket science to copying and pasting the code to a banner ad and that’s where you start.
Hi Lisa,
I’m a beginner IM (very green) and thoroughly enjoy reading your emails and reports! Its so refreshing getting honest information without all the BS that comes from most IM info product promoters. Just one question – where do you get your article outsourcing done? Ive tried elance and had very little success. Also, do you use a blogging platform like wordpress to build your sites? or do you prefer to use dreamweaver or some kind of web design software?
Many Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
I’m just wondering where you outsource your content from? If you don’t mind sharing that?
Thanks
I’m wondering how you manage coming up with 20-30 pages of content for these niche sites. I struggle to come up with 5-10 for mine. Any tips?
Another question, since these smaller sites were based off your main site, did you link them to it?
Thanks for the honest insight as to what you are doing to improve and grow your business. You have provide some very helpful tips that I can use to improve my sites.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks very much for this update. You probably articulated what lots of people including myself feel about wanting to provide good value and getting paid well for it. And more than that, you show that the money will come with a sound SEO and business approach.
Congratulations with your success, and best with all of your sites!
Sandra
Lisa
Do you think it’s possible to use the same system as you are doing by just promoting affiliate offers and maybe CPA offers, and not doing adsense at all, or is adsense a necessary component.
Joe
Lisa: I have a question; something that was on my mind overnight… It’s to do with what you wrote about “uniqueness” of submitted articles. That’s pretty different to how I do a lot of my stuff.
On page 12, you said you had 10 – 15 articles submitted that way and are getting 10K uniques per month. Are those figures collective, or per site? I mean, you can’t have submitted 10 articles across 3 sites!!? Just wanted to clarify that…
Also does distrbuteyourarticles do drip, or future-dated submissions?
Thanks.
Hi Lisa,
Love the report!!! If we don’t have an authority site to pull the keywords that are getting traffic already, would it still be possible to get to that income level in 6 to 7 months? I know it depends on the niche just thought I get your take on it.
Thank you for the information, I think the next step for us is your inline seo product. My husband and I work on this business together so we can make some good progress however we are missing some pieces and need a step by step guide. We have no problem with slow growth as long as we see some growth every month. You are one of the only people that gives specific information–thank you again.
I do have one question–most of the time it looks like the online marketers that are making money are making it by selling how to make money online products or info, do you think you can be as successful as you have been by promoting something other than “how to make money online”????
Lisa,I already accessed all of your posts re affiliate marketing and have them saved as a pdf in Google docs so thanks for the good info..
I don’t agree with you about the 3 hours per day if you are not outsourcing, and I am not due to a few bad experiences, but I respect your view and take great encouragement from it.(I have 35 sites and 3 hours per day allows me to write 3/4 good, well researched articles. But this leaves no time for site promotion, back linking etc. and you have referred in your reports to the difficulty of managing so many sites and opted to concentrate on 3)
Anyway,
Thanks again,
Terry
For all those asking about content creation, I find great writers through guru.com. You’re going to have to pay the price for a good writer though so keep that in mind … $12 per article is the absolute minimum for anything good unless the person is just starting out which means they’ll likely soon raise the price.
For those asking … I didn’t link any of my sites together.
Joe — You sure don’t need to use adsense at all, you can do this just as well with affiliate programs and CPA offers.
Joseph — I really can’t say how long it will take any particular person to come up with that kind of income. Depends on who’s directions you’re following, how well you follow them, the amount of effort your willing to put in, etc…
Cathy — None of the sites I’m showing screenshots for are in the how to make money online market.
Terry — Give me a break!!!
I started a business with a full-time job, a very long commute, friends and family to spend time with and on and on. I was lucky to have 10 hours a week to work on it. I’ve heard the same story from many other entrepreneurs. 3 hours a day is a lot, that’s 21 hours a week, or very much a part-time job. Time is not your problem, but clearly if you’re starting out by building 35 sites all at once without the money to outsource or a track record of success **your strategy is**.
Lisa,
Where you mentioned mass distributing 10 – 15 articles for your sites – was that per site?
Thanks a lot.
Luke
Lisa I have this innate ability to attract into my life ethical online marketers. Either I’m truly lucky or I have a lot of good karma. In the time that I’ve been marketing online I’ve only met a few and you happen to be one of them. I applaud your transparency and honesty.
Yes, I do own your course and I think its phenomenal. I am getting results and I am learning a lot at the same time. Honestly, I have not implemented everything in your course but the things I have implemented have worked well. SEO takes time and persistence before you see the results. It’s been my experience that people are looking for instant results. I realize that many of them get these ideas from unscrupulous marketers. However, everyone reading this must realize there are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.
I like being on your list and I do open every email from Lisa Parmley because I know you always provide value and every time I look up you’re not promoting someone’s product.
Internet Marketing Information overload is a big problem. I would suggest if people truly believe in and embrace your SEO strategies that they buy your course and implement it to the fullest. They need to follow it to the letter and see what results they get before going down another rabbit hole buying more products and information. The problem is that every new info product will contradict the last one you purchased on some level. This is unavoidable.
Thanks for all the great information that you provide. Thanks for being truthful and congratulations on your awesome results. I know you will hit your $15k/mo passive income goal, its just a matter of time.
P.S. I think your Inline SEO course is a prime candidate for what Robert Pagliarini is doing to try and lower the unemployment problem. You may choose to participate or not I just thought I’d pass along the information.
You can read about it here.
http://bit.ly/c4TxdY
I’ve been following you for a couple months (I’ve been hooked ever since I watched your video post from back in Feb). I need to find the time to follow your steps. Please keep up the good work and I will keep on reading.
Luke — yes that’s per site as mentioned in the report.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for all you do to help us out. It is so inspiring to be in touch with someone who is doing this the right way with no black hat stuff that will get us banned by adsense. Congratulations on your latest results too.
Hi Lisa,
I just read your second update. It is very helpful and inspiring, as well as everything else that you wrote (I’ve been following you for several months now).
Congratulations on your success! It already looks like a dream come true to me.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for giving in to our demands and keeping the series up and running.
Another great report, glad you did an email notification because I never saw the first one. some of my sites are finally earning a few 100 a month after 5 months of starting IM with a setup similar to yours ( I did get inline SEO around month 3-4 because it seemed like the only proper “long term” non 1-5 page mini website course out there).
Anyway thanks for your analysis on the backlink services that worked for you. If you din’t try I would suggest http://www.buildmyrank.com/ too because they seem very similar to linkvana but a lot less expensive ($60-70 /month I think). Linkvana is too expensive for me but BMR had a trial which made me try out the service and once I cross the $500/month mark with my 4 websites I’ll probably try it out and test it.
Oh and its appreciated how you don’t spam your affiliate link all over the place as soon as you mention a service
.
I’ll give distributeyourarticles.com a try probably, never heard of i before.
Thank you Lisa. It’s rare to get practical information based on someone’s actual testing. (Especially in linking!) That distribution site is only my list along with your affiliate link.
Hi Lisa,
When selecting a niche for these types of sites, do you try and pick one with very high paying Adsense keywords?
I have never heard of DYA.com and found there website was not the clearest to really get a feel of what they are up to. Overall it seems to be just distribution to article directories with a limited number of niche directories with no distribution to a network of sites such as in AMA/SYA etc – or am I misjudging them?
This is a great site and I am glad that I came across this today..SEO is so crucial to online selling in any niche and any business model that it just simply cannot be talked about enough..There is always more to learn.
Lisa. I have a good question. After looking at the Google Adsense stats, what is the difference between the site making the lowest amount vs the site making the highest amount each month?
PS: I own your program and find it helpful.
Lisa, I’ve read both your PDF reports and most of your blog’s content and I’m really impressed by your straight, hype-free talk and honesty.
The business model you’ve chosen for this project seems to be very viable even for a newbie, as long as he can get rid of the “earn-thousands-in-a-minute-doing-nothing” mindset.
What I’like to know from you is what kind of website are you using: normal websites or blogs?
very nice tips here… I’m going to view those reports very shortly.
thanks.. You have given so much…
Great info as always. In the update you mention “…my main market is one people are spending money in.” Any tips on picking a market where people are spending money in or is it common sense? Am I reading too deep into that statement? Thanks.
Hey Lisa, I think you are doing a great job by sharing your reports. It is really inspiring as well as quite helpful
Thanks a lot
I have your seo program which is just fantastic and every few weeks I go back to it again and pull out more great stuff (eg the RSS strategy) but the sheer amount of time in implementing it all, promotion and content creation is so bloody time consuming.
You are really doing a wonderful job keep it up.