₦airaland Forum

UPDATE: JINX BROKEN!!

So far, this month, I've been able to publish 10 articles! What made that easy for me is that I already had the articles written by my writer (since 4 months ago!).

Last weekend, I decided to check how many pages of the blog have been indexed by Google. I was disappointed by what I saw. Just 20 pages! And of those 20 indexed pages, only 12 are blog posts! So, only 12 articles took the blog to where it is presently. Impressive!

With 49 articles published, I had no doubts that I could jerk up the traffic by "forcing" Google to index the yet-to-be-indexed articles. So, I got busy with that for the next 2 days.

nurd:
Yeah, that's true. Interestingly, I started with foreign traffic right away. Maybe because I was writing for people building niche sites then. If you know Dom Wells, I was once part of his team of writers.

I totally encourage newbies to try and do it this way. At least, it'll be easier getting traffic from home than abroad. Then use the experience as a stepping stone.

I've always wanted to try the Nigerian traffic for a while now but always pushed back because of the low earnings.

Yeah, I know Dom Wells of Human Proof Designs. I once sold a niche site to him. I also learned some stuff from him.

@Iamhumble,

I just figured a way to answer your questions without getting banned again by NL's overzealous bots. See the attached...

nurd:
I don't recommend you try Nigerian traffic. You'll need lots of traffic to generate enough. Try and target first world countries. That's where you can really earn well.

Finding a niche is very easy nowadays. If you want a niche that you can target right now, check out sites for sale on flippa.com and motioninvest.com.

Well, it's all mixed fortunes. I sometimes recommend Nigerian traffic to beginners who are still learning the ropes because it's easier to rank and start seeing positive signals unlike what obtains with the foreign audience.

If you can succeed and perfect your blogging art with a Nigerian topic, you can easily replicate that success with a foreign audience afterwards.

I'm not saying it's wrong to start with a foreign audience. But that option is trickier, especially for the newbie. No matter how easy your niche might seem to be, you need to know what you're doing to make headway.

@iamhumble,

I tried replying your last post thrice, but each time I tried, I ended up getting banned for 24 hours. I really don't understand why. I'll see how I can get around it.

skultrick:
Please can you shed more light here?

What plugin do you use for inserting ads?

How do you place your ads?

What ad format works best; square, in-article, vertical or horizontal??

Do you have auto ads enabled

Sorry for the many questions, I get about 11k US traffic but my RPM that was at $12 is now dragging position with the floor at $3-4.

I tried ezoic, my RPM boosted back up and earnings increased but my site became very slow.

I appreciate your answer.

I'm sorry, but I already answered some of these questions earlier in the thread.

The plugin I use for placing ads is "Insert Post Ads". I place one banner under the title, one after each of paragraphs 2, 6, 10, and 14, one at the bottom of the content, and one in the sidebar.

I use responsive ads. Vertical or horizontal doesn't matter. Just set "responsive" and Ad.sense would display what's most appropriate.

Yes, I have auto-ads enabled. And that's because of the vignette ads, which cannot be added manually.

With regards to your RPM, note that it fluctuates and is never constant all year round. It all depends on advertiser activity, the particular articles bringing in the most traffic to your site at any point, and where your visitors are coming from.

Sure, Ezoic would give you better earnings than Adsense, but your site's speed and user experience would suffer. It's sad. You might want to try an alternative such as Monumetric.

Klausgocrazy:
Bro can you suggest us niche to focus on for good audience in Nigeria. I believe most of us are confused on what niche gains traffic more in Nigeria , or maybe i am.

When it comes to the Nigerian audience, here are some ever-lucrative niches to consider:
- Agriculture
- Small business ideas
- Education
- Technology (devices, reviews, and hacks)
- Making money online (legitimately, of course)
- Entertainment

I'm sure there are more, but that's the few I can come up with as I type right now.

PS. If you need a detailed guide on how to choose the right niche as a newbie blogger, I'd recommend that you get a copy of my e-book, where I dedicated a whole chapter to that. Your success or failure or blogging hinges largely on what niche you choose. Check my signature

ibinaboonline:
Thanks for the feedback. I already put in a lot of work in setting up and creating dozens of articles on site123, so it's probably too late to move to WordPress, unless I want to start all over again.

Alright then. I understand. All the best!

Hotwest:
Na who chop this contract I dey smile for...that fence wey long from DSS headquarters to AYA Abuja and fenced round. Na gallons upon gallons of paint be that plus workmanship of painters

See better Contract with big block money

The truth is, it doesn't work like that most of the time. Billions of naira would probably have been allocated for this painting alone. Yet, the "Oga" in charge of executing the project would still look for painters whose quotes are the cheapest, just so they can maximize their profits as much as possible.

So, don't be surprised if the painter isn't paid anything more than he gets for his regular job. The big winner here is the "Oga" whose office is in charge of the renovation.

Iamhumble:
Let me start by saying that you're a blessing to the blogging world. I've silently learnt from you by reading and implementing your blog posts at Web Income Plus and they've been very helpful. I also never regret buying your How To Make Money As A Freelance Writer In Nigeria ebook, for it has helped my freelancing career. Though I tried many times to become one of your writers, but for reasons best known to you, I didn't make it!

Please, I've got a few questions.

1. This niche blog with a Nigerian audience, kindly tell us if you didn't leverage backlinks from your existing big blogs (I know some of your blogs!} to boost it. Is it really possible to build a blog from scratch and scale it within a short time the way you've stated in this thread without using your existing backlinking power from your successful blogs? (Note: I've decided never to buy any blogging course from a Nigerian guru unless he adds free backlink offer from one of his blogs as part of the perks).

2. Please, do you use Google auto ads besides the ads placement using Insert Post Ads plugin or just the ads placement?

3. Please sir, do you offer a backlink service, especially Wikipedia backlink? (cos I've realised without strong backlink portfolio, writing great posts and consistency aren't enough for steady growth.)

4. Please, could you explain your blog post secret? I've always admired your writing style and I wonder how you optimize your posts so well, Google always falls in love with them.

5. Please, in realistic terms, what plugins do you always use for your blog (it sure can't be only the ones mentioned in this thread) and why?

I'd be very grateful sir if you provide adequate responses to these questions of mine.

Thanks,
I am Humbled.

It's soothing to know that you found my ebook on freelance writing quite helpful.

1. No, I didn't create any backlinks to the site at all. And the fact that this site grew steadily despite my lazy and lacklustre approach to building it is enough proof that you can create a blog from scratch and grow it without backlinks. I've built over 80 blogs, and I never leveraged backlinks for a single one of them. I've always banked on low-competition keywords + quality content. So, even if you choose to buy my ebook on blogging, I won't encourage you to bank on backlinks to start with.

2. Yes, I use Google Auto ads besides my manual placement.

3. No, I don't offer a backlink service. (But then, I disagree with you on quality content not being enough for steady growth. Stick with low-comp keywords, and Google would show you love. I'm not saying backlinks aren't important or effective, but you can achieve success without them.)

4. It's just low competition keyword + quality content + on-page SEO.

5. Interestingly, I built this site the same way I built the previous ones. I use the same theme and plugins all through. Only recently did I purchase GeneratePress premium to start using for my new sites.

Let me know if you still have more questions or if any of my answers isn't clear enough.

UPDATE ON FINALIZED APRIL TRAFFIC& EARNINGS

At the end of April 2023, the site earned $73.82. That's a significant increase when compared with last month's $42.10.

In April, the traffic also went up to 4.9K unique visitors from the 3.2K unique visitors recorded in the previous month. Significant growth, too.

Ermmm... Despite my resolution to take the site more seriously this year, I added only 1 post throughout April.

ibinaboonline:
Man, thanks for this post. Very timely for me. I need your advice, though. But I'll offer mine first 😄. You run more than 20 blogs. Isn't it time you outsourced or hired content writers and editors to populate the site with content? That's got to make you far more productive. I wish I were you.
Now, your turn 😉. Please, will it be possible for me to use adsense on a website I set up on site123.me? It won't take you but a few seconds to check out site123.me and give me your response. I don't know anything from Adam about building or designing a website. So, I chose site123.me to set up. I haven't gone live yet but that's only because I'm still figuring out how to pay them (you know the current Mastercard and Visa wahala in Nigeria). So, my question is, after publishing my website, will I be able to sign the site up on adsense to monetize it?

Yes, I run more than 25 blogs at the moment. And just so you know, I have a team of writers who craft content for my sites. Of course, there's no way I can write all those articles on my own. All I do at my own end is keyword research, new site setup, and publishing on some sites. ~I have an editor who publishes on other sites.

As for site123.me, I don't know anything about them. But after some quick research, I figured that you can ad Adsense to sites created via the platform. Nonetheless, I'll still recommend that you stick with the present gold-standard-platform for blogging, WORDPRESS!

As for payment in Naira, domainking.ng is a good platform that accepts Nigerian cards. That's if you opt for WordPress as I recommended.

AmbFmk:
Hi
How many months does it always take you to start making money from your blogs?

It depends on many factors -- competition, the quality of your content, how consistent you are, how well your posts are optimized, how well you keep things structured, and how specific your niche is.

AmbFmk:
Hi,
People talks a lot about topic clusters and pillar pages in niche site.

What's blogging cluster?
Can you help me with an example please.

Topic clusters simply have to do with grouping closely related topics together, crafting articles on them, and interlinking those articles. For example if you have the following keywords:

how to make money online in Nigeria
how to start affiliate marketing in Nigeria
how to start blogging in Nigeria
how to monetize your blog in Nigeria
best blogging platforms in Nigeria
how to start YouTube blogging in Nigeria

All the keywords related to blogging should be grouped together in a single category titled, "Blogging" or something similar. Then craft solid article on each and ensure that they are interlinked together.

Clustering is just a way to keep things organized, so that the search engine would be convinced that you really know what you're doing. In other words, a topic cluster is a collection of interlinked articles and website pages centered around one umbrella topic.

A pillar page is a website page that provides a comprehensive overview on a topic.

MichioKaku:
Stop disgracing yourself, Google simply show you what you have been searching for with your phone,

It baffles me how people like you spew rubbish with confidence. Do the same search on your phone and post the screenshot here.

And who told you Google shows personalized search results on an individual basis?

fastseo:
I have few questions.
Insert Post Ads vs ads inserter plugin

you said u make use of Insert Post Ads and my question is

1) does it support amp pages
2)how do u places your ads ( any pix if possible from the admin area)
3)why your choice of this plugin. do you see more earnings with it.

1.) I don't know of its compatibility with AMP pages. But if I may ask, AMP pages for what exactly? The blogging world has moved beyond that scam!

2.) I use the plugin to define where I want the ads placed. I place one banner under the topic, another after the 2nd paragraph, another after the 6th paragraph, another after the 10th paragraph, and another at the bottom of the post. I also add a banner in the sidebar.

3.) I love simplicity in everything. The plugin is easy to understand and use.

samuelson06:
Thanks for your response. But what metrics make you to pick and work on a keyword?

I do advise people not to get obsessed with metrics. Once you find a long-tail keyword, enter it in Google to see if you have a good chance of ranking for it. If that's the case, write a solid article on it and publish. Even for zero-search-volume keywords, your article would rank for many other related terms.

samuelson06:
Which tool do you use for your keyword research?

I use various tools. But I particularly like keywordtool.io and Google keyword planner. The Keywords Everywhere paid extension for Chrome is also quite impressive.

Pk01:
boss congratulations.please how were you able to pay for hosting and theme .with the naija card restrictions on international transactions..

I use my GTB dollar mastercard for international transactions. But if you don't have that, domainking is a reliable host that allows you to pay in naira for their hosting and domain name registration.

Carmal90:
Where can I start from?
I saw you are not that consistent with adding articles, and I'm optimistic I can write minimum of 5 articles in a month.
Aside adding post, what other important point should I know sir?

Choosing a good niche and doing keyword research is the starting point. As for my inconsistency with adding articles, that's because I'm busy with my other blogs, I presently have and run about 20 blogs.

A minimum of 5 articles a month is fair enough. Consistency is what matters most, however.

April 18, 2023 == Just a Quick Update (I'm Glad!)

As of today (April 18, 2023) the site has already earned $40.20. With 12 days left in the month, the blog will likely gross at least $60 by the month's end. That's a significant increase if you ask me.

I checked the traffic and the site has already attracted 2.7K unique visits this month. By month's end, I expect the traffic to reach at least 4K unique visits. That would be cool as well.

Errmm...I have managed to publish one article this month. If I have the time, I should be able to add some more.

Let's wait and see how things pan out by month end.

April 1, 2023 == Slight Increase in Earnings, Boost in Traffic!

At the end of March 2023, the site earned $42.10. Another slight increase over the previous month's figures.

But what made me ecstatic was how the site's traffic went up significantly around the middle of March from 50 to 60 daily visits to around 170 daily visits. That's a 200% growth in traffic!

So, the traffic went up from 1.5K unique visitors in February to 3.2K unique visitors in March.

I still didn't add any new articles throughout the month of March.

March 1, 2023 == Slight Increase in Earnings, Slight Decline in Traffic

At the end of February 2023, the site earned $36.32. Just a slight increase over the previous month's figures.

On the other hand, the traffic went down a bit from 2K unique visitors in January to 1.5K unique visitors in February.

Despite the drop in traffic, the site still managed to earn a bit more because Adsense CPC (cost per click) has started going up in the new year.

I didn't add a single new article in February. While it was majorly due to lack of time, I was still waiting to see the impact of the 13 articles I added in January.

February 1, 2023 == Slight Increase in Earnings, Traffic Unchanged

At the end of January 2023, the site earned $33.38. That's about $9 more than what it earned in the previous month. That's still some growth.

However, the traffic remained stable throughout January. No increase, and no decline.

Meanwhile, in early January, one of my writers submitted the 46 articles that I have hired him to write for the site since last December. I was excited. I just couldn't wait to see the effect of adding those articles to the site.

Lazy me, though! I only managed to publish 14 of the articles. That took the total number of published articles to 38.

fastseo:
I had terrible experience with Nigerian writers honestly most especially those I got from nairaland here.
I have considered paying 4000 per 800 words still yet I am not getting a sound research.


your theme mythemshop is it the free one. if yes is there any teachings about the set ups

Sorry about the bad experience. I can relate well. I agree that most Nigerian writers offer crap in terms of quality. But there are still a handful of good ones.

As for the theme I use, it's the premium (paid) version. I particularly love it for its simple design, ease of setup, and its several customization options.

fastseo:
please bro check the attachment of the adsense earnings n remove the site name. thanks


my problem is with the com.ng. I would have preferred com to target larger audience beyond Nigeria in few years to come.


in your other blogs. do u hire writers or you work everything your self?

and if yes where do you hire?

I believe u must have hired from nairaland in the past, please did the blog performed well or only did few months n crashed?

Thanks for pointing my attention to the oversight. I've removed the site name from the screenshot.

You see, these days, you have higher chances of ranking better when you geotarget your blog. When it comes to using a generic TLD vs. a .com.ng domain name, you'll quickly rise through the ranks for keywords relating to Nigerians (if you're sure your content is for or about Nigerians).

Most times, it will take longer to achieve the same with a generic TLD unless your content sends strong signals to Google that it's tailored for Nigerians. Since the domain extension is one of Google's strongest indicators of your target audience, it's always better to take advantage of it.

I understand that geotargeting can limit your opportunities for expansion, but it speeds up your blog's growth in your target locale. And because this was more like an experimental project, I decided to keep it local, since that's what I usually advise newbies to do. If you start small and start seeing encouraging signs early enough, you'd be motivated to work even harder.

In addition, my choice of a Nigerian niche was deliberate. I wanted to prove to newbies that they don't even have to target a foreign audience to earn from their blogs.

As for my content, I have a team of Nigerian writers that write my blog posts. I only handle publishing and keyword research on my own. And, of course, I set up my blogs myself.

As for the blog I'm talking about here, it's still waxing strong. By tomorrow, I'll add the rest of the update.

AmbFmk:
Nice job man. Well done.

I'm fan of niche site.

I don't know, is it possible to build a niche site on .?

Blog.sp.ot is far outdated. No serious blogger uses it these days. Wordpress remains your best bet.

I'll be back later to post the remaining updates on the blog, so you can know its present state.

The site earned $24.33! Converting that to Naira, that’s N17,520 (using the present black market rate of N730/$). I know that’s quite small, but not bad at all for a 10-month-old blog with just 24 articles.

Having published only 24 articles in 10 months means I did just 2.4 articles per month on average. That’s quite poor. But it’s not due to laziness on my part. The truth is, I didn’t have much time to spare because I run over 20 blogs at the moment, with each begging for my attention at all times.

I could only imagine how much traffic and income the blog would be generating by now if I’d given it more time and published a lot more articles.

This was enough proof that this blog is a promising project. I only needed to put more time and effort into growing it. And I promised myself to do just that...

January 1, 2023: Adsense Earnings — Not So Much, But Not Bad

I checked the site’s total earnings from Adsense for the month of December 2022. Remember that I added the ad codes on December 5, so the earnings were gathered over about 25 days.

Here’s what I saw: