Again in 2014, Rob Atkinson and Taiss Nowrouzi determined to give up their day jobs and go all-in on mastering search engine marketing. They packed their luggage, headed to Chiang Mai, and discovered the ins and outs.
From there, Rob started constructing websites with nice success, after which promoting them. Since 2014, he has constructed and offered 5 websites: 3 with a 5-figure exit, 1 with a 6-figure exit, and 1 with a 7-figure exit.
In the present day he and Taiss run a journey weblog and he’s build up a brand new portfolio of web sites. On this interview, he shares quite a lot of nice perception and actionable ideas.
Preserve studying to search out out:
- Why he transfer to Thailand
- What he discovered there
- What varieties of web sites he constructed and offered
- His most important technique
- How he approaches key phrase analysis
- His content material creation course of
- The assets and instruments he recommends
- His greatest problem
- His most important accomplishment
- His worst mistake
- His recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Rob and Taiss
I’m a part of a digital nomad household of three, 4 when you rely our beloved cat, that enjoys touring the world powered by digital belongings.
Again within the day, it was simply the 2 of us (Taiss & I). We each determined to depart our 9-to-5 jobs in 2014, packed our belongings, and relocated to Chiang Mai, Thailand, aspiring to create a web based enterprise that may assist our distant way of life.
My focus was on search engine marketing, and Chiang Mai proved to be a superb place for networking and studying, with quite a few like-minded people round.
In 2017, we left Thailand and returned to the US. As a Canadian citizen on the time, all of the touring was straining my US everlasting residency, so I wanted a while within the US to safe my citizenship.
Throughout that interval, we welcomed our daughter, Petra, into the world in 2019. Then, the Covid pandemic disrupted most journey plans, compelling us to stay within the US.
We moved to Mexico in December 2022 and plan to keep up a house base outdoors the US, making a number of journeys across the globe annually.
Rob’s Expertise Constructing and Promoting Web sites
I’ve offered a complete of 5 web sites since beginning in 2014. From smallest to largest affiliate website gross sales, the websites have been concerning the following:
- Marijuana accent, offered for five figures
- Biking, offered for five figures
- Trampoline, offered for five figures
- Tactical gear, offered for six figures
- SleepAdvisor.org (co-founded with Nemanja Mirkovic), offered for 7 figures
Alongside the best way, there have been many extra failure websites than successes. My mindset was primarily about launching a number of tasks (planting seeds), watching to see which of them Google appreciated, then placing my foot on the fuel when one was displaying promise.
Within the early days (2014-2017), I often had 2 to three websites going at one time. SleepAdvisor.org launched in 2017 and have become the only real focus till the positioning was offered in March 2022.
For the primary 4 web sites, I used brokers to assist me promote. The primary website I offered was on Flippa and the following 3 on Empire Flippers. We offered Sleep Advisor privately.
His Present Earnings
As for my present revenue as an entrepreneur, I solely have one affiliate website left within the portfolio for the reason that Sleep Advisor exit. This web site brings in round $1,000/mo.
As well as, Taiss (my spouse) runs our journey weblog, Together to Wherever (initially named Collectively in Thailand), which was launched to doc our digital nomad journey way of life.
The web site has picked up steam in latest months and can develop into a serious focus for us within the coming years. It at the moment earns round $200 per thirty days. As well as, the Instagram following has led to quite a lot of free journeys and stays all over the world.
Now we have a small workforce of freelancers that assist out with Collectively To Wherever and the opposite web sites we’re launching. It’s two freelance writers and somebody that helps with WordPress formatting.
I work about 25 hours per week on my enterprise, with 20 of these hours being extremely centered deep work periods (no e mail, distractions, and so forth).
Rob’s Essential Advertising Technique
My primary advertising technique has at all times been search engine marketing. Though I acknowledge the necessity to diversify and protect in opposition to Google’s algorithm updates, search engine marketing has been the technique that will get my websites launched and monetized.
I discovered search engine marketing accidentally.
I began a web site in 2013 about fantasy golf. Every week, I might write about which gamers I assumed folks ought to select for his or her lineups. Then out of nowhere, I noticed a blast of visitors coming in.
I shortly realized that I had unintentionally optimized my content material for the event every week and was rating properly. It opened my eyes and that led me to affix an search engine marketing course named “Deliver The Contemporary.”
After that preliminary course, I stumbled upon Area of interest Pursuits and adopted the case study with Perrin. That case research opened my eyes, and from there I satisfied my girlfriend on the time (now spouse) to give up our jobs and transfer to Thailand!
Chiang Mai, Thailand was a pivotal time and helped launch the search engine marketing enterprise. The search engine marketing neighborhood is so sturdy, and it helps to fulfill up with like-minded of us each week in particular person.
His Ideas on search engine marketing
search engine marketing is certainly the cornerstone of my enterprise. The most effective search engine marketing tip I might give was handed alongside to me by my coach on the time, Matt Diggity.
It was 2015 and I had booked a non-public teaching session with him. My websites have been caught. He took a take a look at my content material and located one thing. I pushed again in opposition to his view and he stated one thing to the impact of, “Do you suppose Google cares that you just suppose your content material is nice? Bear in mind, Google is an algorithm.”
That caught with me.
Whereas I’m not suggesting that it is best to attempt to ship unhealthy content material to your readers, simply bear in mind you’re taking part in in opposition to an algorithm. If you wish to win in search engine marketing, you could settle for that reality and never get emotionally tied up in, “However, I had an professional write this content material so why am I getting a penalty.”
It’s a pc algorithm.
Take a look at concepts, obtain suggestions, and feed it what you consider it needs with a view to rank properly.
Key phrase Analysis
My keyword research technique is somewhat easy and hasn’t modified a lot through the years. I search for current web sites doing properly in our area of interest, enter them into Ahrefs, and assemble a listing of key phrases to focus on from there.
As soon as I’ve a listing of key phrases, it’s time to arrange it into correct silos (classes). Typically, you’ll have a number of key phrases {that a} competitor targets with separate pages, nonetheless, the matters are carefully aligned.
I verify every SERP manually and determine when it’s proper to mix related (overlapping) key phrases. When unsure, I like to recommend concentrating on a bigger web page with extra key phrases somewhat than a ton of sniper (smaller) pages for every key phrase variation.
Hyperlink Constructing
Hyperlink constructing has constantly been very important to my success. Whereas I do know many SEOs have great success with out hyperlink constructing, I consider that if it’s accomplished accurately, it could actually considerably increase earnings.
My most important hyperlink constructing technique has been good ole’ content material advertising.
I discover matters the place I feel folks could be glad to hyperlink. Then I create the most effective piece of content material on the subject with the objective of bringing as a lot worth to that group of individuals as doable. Then I carry out our outreach campaigns and have been in a position to land hyperlinks largely with out paying for them.
I’ve tried paying for visitor publish companies and that by no means appears to maneuver the needle, so I finished.
His Content material Creation Course of
My content material creation course of begins slowly when launching a brand new web site.
Initially, I sometimes publish 1 to 2 high-quality articles per week. As soon as the positioning good points momentum, I set up methods round analysis and content material manufacturing to speed up the method.
I outline momentum because the time whenever you’re within the “Google loves me” zone. As talked about beforehand, I ditch websites that stall or have a tough time taking off.
Once I see {that a} web site constantly sees a rise in impressions and visitors early on, I begin to pour extra assets into the venture.
I don’t have a precise blueprint for this because it’s largely primarily based on intestine really feel. When a web site you personal is within the momentum stage you’ll seemingly know. When it does, I might extremely counsel taking stock of the opposite tasks you’ve happening and take into account allocating extra or most of your time to the positioning with momentum.
When the publication schedule picks up it is also time to outsource and automate the method.
When Sleep Advisor began to achieve momentum, we employed writers, builders/designers, and somebody to finish the on-page search engine marketing earlier than it went dwell.
His Prime Assets
For those who’re simply beginning to consider turning into an entrepreneur, then learn the Millionaire Fastlane. It’s just like the Matrix: it provides you an outline of how the world works and the mechanics behind earning profits.
There are in all probability 5 to 10 different books that I’ve learn which have made a big impact on my entrepreneurial progress. A couple of that come to thoughts are:
- The One Factor
- The Magic of Considering Massive
- Getting Issues Carried out
His Go-To Instruments
Trello: My boards are arrange primarily based on the e-book Getting Issues Carried out, by David Allen. I’ve been doing this since 2018, and it’s an absolute game-changer in terms of staying organized.
Slack: A communication instrument that I exploit every day to work together with my workforce. It has a number of channels and threads, which helps get rid of too many messages at one time.
Roost Stand: I’ve had my laptop computer stand since 2016, and as a digital nomad, it’s priceless. I can arrange in any Airbnb or espresso store and never have to fret about neck ache from trying down at my laptop computer from a bizarre angle.
Rob’s Largest Problem
That must be constructing a distant workforce. At one level, the mattress web site had roughly 25 staff. I’m an entrepreneur at coronary heart and add essentially the most worth once I’m immersed in issues like search engine marketing.
Because the workforce grew, the duties to handle it did as properly. That sucks the time away to thrive on the artistic facets of the enterprise.
We grew our workforce in many alternative methods.
Our first full-time author was somebody Taiss and I met whereas exploring Petra, Jordan. I reached out to her and he or she was within the function.
From there, she related us with our subsequent full-time author. Our content material workforce was constructed primarily by way of connections like this.
Our improvement and design workforce was constructed with a workforce in Serbia. My co-founder ran an company earlier than we joined up and was in a position to carry that workforce collectively to Sleep Advisor.
Outdoors of that, we tried widespread locations like Upwork and Certainly. Everybody that began with us was given a trial interval (often 1 month) the place we’d consider them, they usually had an opportunity to see in the event that they appreciated working with our workforce.
We discovered the trial interval to be an enormous assist as we ended up parting methods with of us early that may not have made a very good match long-term.
His Essential Accomplishment
My biggest accomplishment could be rating #1 for the key phrase “greatest mattress.” We hit this rating in Might 2019.
As you’ll be able to in all probability guess, there are various components that contributed to rating #1 for an insanely aggressive key phrase like “greatest mattress.” I’ll do my greatest to hit on the components I feel have been crucial.
As of August 2023, Sleep Advisor has an Ahrefs DR of 76. And again in 2019, it was in all probability round a DR 60. Greater than something, I feel our sturdy authority carried our rankings for this key phrase (and lots of others).
From the launch in 2017 to 2019, we invested closely in authority backlinks. Mike, our rockstar hyperlink builder, developed a course of in-house and by 2018 it was producing 100+ high quality outreach hyperlinks per thirty days.
That stated, it wasn’t nearly hyperlinks. After our preliminary launch, we realized that we needed to improve our content material high quality. There are quite a lot of specs with mattresses (e.g. materials, dimensions, and so forth.) and we wished to ship one thing top-notch.
We started to rent all-star writers from the US. We developed a complete SOP and made certain each article hit the mark. Once we employed extra writers, many have been let go due to how intense our onboarding course of was for studying mattress lingo.
As well as, I feel we did a reasonably good job with our internal linking. On the time, we had greater than 70 “greatest mattress + [insert long tail]” articles, for instance, “greatest mattress for neck ache.” Our mattress content material silo was essentially the most full out of rivals, and mixed with internal links, might have helped us.
Lastly, we invested early on (round late 2017) into CRO for our round-up posts. We particularly have been making an attempt to extend the clicks we despatched to our affiliate packages from our comparability tables.
Though the objective was to extend clicks and our income, it’s fairly doable we have been sending increased high quality time on web page metrics to Google with all the clicking engagement.
What He Needs He Knew When He Began
It’s extra essential to take imperfect motion every day than it’s to goal for perfection. I spent the primary two years researching find out how to earn cash on-line with search engine marketing earlier than I launched my first website.
That website finally failed however I discovered extra within the first 24 hours of launching it than I did in two years learning search engine marketing.
Get began. Get suggestions and enhance.
His Essential Mistake
Tying my monetary success to my ego. My decision-making fell to items because the mattress web site began to take off in earnings.
I let the success of the positioning make me suppose that I used to be particular. That led to a slew of unhealthy errors throughout the enterprise that ended up costing me some huge cash (and misplaced time).
One of the simplest ways I can describe that is to narrate it to sports activities. Think about a workforce that’s been struggling for years lastly getting its efficiency collectively. They win the world championship.
Oftentimes, the drive that bought them there’s gone the following 12 months. They’ve the expertise however find yourself having a “hangover” the following season. I feel this occurred to us.
We had achieved a serious success (in our eyes) and began to get complacent. A method that confirmed up was in worker administration. We ended up considering we might rent as many individuals as we would have liked with out budgeting correctly (the workforce bought cumbersome).
His Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Immerse your self on this planet. Join with folks on the same journey and minimize out (as a lot as doable) folks that aren’t going after that way of life.
Sit down and visualize success. Perhaps you’ve a quantity in thoughts. Sit down, shut your eyes, and film it occurring intimately. Who’re you with? What does your day appear to be?
