Lewis creates sites around his hobbies including hiking
This is the 5th in the series of interview with successful online marketers and entrepreneurs.
Today we’re hearing from a man who specializes in creating Amazon affiliate and Adsense sites and has built up (and often sold) an empire of profitable niche sites.
His name is Lewis Ogden and he gives a lot of great advice on the mindset you need and how to get started making money online so pay close attention.
Let’s hear more…
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For anyone who doesn’t know you, who are you and what are you all about?
My name is Lewis Ogden and I run a blog over at CloudIncome.com.
I have been involved in SEO and Internet Marketing for a few years now and have numerous web properties that earn an income online.
My bread and butter is building and ranking niche sites, primarily running the Amazon and Adsense affiliate networks.
I also run RankSource.com which is my Private Blog Network service where I help my clients rank their websites.
How did you get started in internet marketing?
My first foray into the online world was seeing a domain name sell for a HUGE amount.
I forget the domain now but it’s the first time I realised that a domain name could be worth more than a house!
I then started to read blogs and forums and bought a few domains with dreams of big offers coming in and making my millions!
Suffice to say I picked up some duds and never made my millions, but I did stumble into micro-niche site building with EMD’s (Exact match Domains) and kind of went from there really!
ATTENTION: INSTANTLY DISCOVER 1781 PROFITABLE NICHE MARKETS HERE
Often friends and family don’t really ‘get’ this whole internet marketing thing or take it seriously, how do yours feel about it and how did they react when you first told them you were going to give it a try?
I’ve been married for just over 2 years now and I was already deeply involved with the whole “make money online world” by that point!
Internet Marketing is not actually my full time job, I do have a day job which I very much enjoy and will continue with both until I no longer enjoy it.
The time it takes to work 2 jobs is tough, however with online marketing…it doesn’t really feel like a job to me and a 12-18 hour day on a weekend is not out of the norm for me.
What is important is that you find time for ‘family time’ and make sure it’s not all about work. Having a work/life balance is key.
What was your first ever website or niche?
My first site was a forum around my hobby of Hiking and Backpacking.
Shortly after starting the site I began to receive offers to write product reviews and place Ad banners onto my site…something that went WAY over my head at the time, but that did serve as my introduction to the fact that you can actually make money on this internet thing!
I have since sold that site and many more since.
If you had to give one piece of advice to a newcomer in the internet marketing world, what would it be?
You do not need to buy Warrior Forum WSO’s (Warrrior Special Offers) that teach you “how to make thousands with just one click”.
It’s all hype and complete BS.
Read the free blogs such as this one and you will learn more from a single post than you will from a $7, $17 or $27 ebook combined.
What does it take to be a success in the internet marketing world in your opinion?
Persistence and a desire to succeed.
You have to know “why” you are doing what you’re doing. If it’s simple to “make money online” then that isn’t good enough.
You need a reason, a cause, a goal. Something where you can say “when I hit my goal of $X per month…I will…”
You also need to be prepared to put the work in, for a long period, often with zero reward.
Reward comes to those who have persistence and a desire to succeed.
When choosing a niche, follow passion or money?
I would say both, but it you are just starting out I would follow your passion, a hobby or just an interest you have.
Doing so will make it that much easier to stick with it and go the distance.
Often people jump into big money niches like finance, health & fitness etc and they wilt away when they don’t get the results they are expecting, or they get bored with a topic that they are not interested in.
Give yourself the best possible chance of succeeding by placing the odds in your favour.
Got a love for Fishing? Write and teach about it.
Love Dogs? How about a luxury dog accessories affiliate store?
Just find your passions, problems or fears and fill the gap in the market. There is always an angle.
One of the most common questions I receive from my audience is “How do I get started?”
What would you advise them?
Simply – “Start Today”
The sooner you get started the sooner you can learn, fail or succeed.
Don’t expect the hit a home run your first time, but treat your first venture as a learning curve, an education that will help you in later projects.
Read other blogs that provide free advice and guides on online marketing, sites such as nichehacks.com or my blog CloudIncome.com.
The information is out there, often the only thing stopping you from getting started…is you.
If you lost everything and had to start all over again with just a $100 budget, what would you plan of action be?
I would start a blog in a niche I had a passion for (which is how Cloud Income started really as just a passion/hobby blog).
Writing costs zero money investment, just time, neither does WordPress or a free theme.
Get yourself set up on a cheap hosting account and start writing about what interests you and answer peoples questions and problems.
Spread your wings and get involved with forums and other blogs, get known in the community and let people know you exist.
Provide the very best information you can for free and you will reap the rewards later.
That’s what I would do if I had to start again, from scratch.
ATTENTION: INSTANTLY DISCOVER 1781 PROFITABLE NICHE MARKETS HERE
What are you working on at the moment, what are your plans for the future, and do you have anything new in the pipeline you’d like to share with us?
My plans for the future are to get back to my roots of building niche sites as they are a great way to earn an income online, often a passive income.
My plan of attack is to build authority niche sites, the ones that can stand the test of time, and survive any Google algorithm updates that hurt so many small niche sites.
Elsewhere in my business, I have launched my Done For You Private Blog Network, where I have my services on offer for anyone looking to boost their site in the SERP’s.
I will build out a 5 site Private Blog Network that will be owned and fully controlled by my clients. PBN’s are huge right now and owning your own backlinks is a must in 2014 and beyond.
NEWEST POST: Building A Private Blog Network [Infographic]
ESSENTIAL READING: Niche Site Making $1,000/Month – My Strategy Revealed
STUARTS THOUGHTS:
Lewis makes some great points…
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- Start now – this is what I tell people all the time. Sure you need a plan before you jump in BUT don’t spend forever ‘planning’ when all you are really doing is procrastinating and putting off getting to work
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- Focus – another thing I’m constantly telling people. You need to focus and stop distracting yourself. No one else is distracting you it’s you allowing yourself to be. No more excuses. Just focus.
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- Get known in your niche – excellent point by Lewis. Networking and being where your target audience is is the key to success. You won’t succeed as the lone wolf.
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- Create sites around your hobbies – this makes it so much easier and less tempting to give up even when things aren’t quite going your way, Lewis is spot on here.
- Stop looking for quick fixes – you can’t buy your way to success with shiny products promising the world. Purchasing products and tools CAN help you but you have to put the work. There are no push button magic solutions.
I really enjoyed this interview with Lewis and I hope you did too.
Please let us know what you think.
Did anything Lewis say hit home with you?
Are you going to follow his advice and just get started already?
