Online Business

How can you drive traffic to your website without relying on Google?

The last 12 months haven’t been easy for content creators, especially those hit by Google updates. Some people saw a massive drop in traffic — up to 90-95%!

So is online publishing done for? Is the niche site era over? Not quite.

For those who adapt, new opportunities arise.

Jon Dykstra from Fatstacks Blog was among those affected but has since turned his attention to other strategies — and here are some of his strategies you can adapt.

Last year, I spoke with Tony Lysandrides on episode 565 where we talked about YouTube automation. Back then, the process was much more manual.

The typical workflow was something like this: coming up with viral video ideas, hiring scriptwriters, voice artists, and video editors to create content.

The aim was to hit the viral YouTube lottery by planting a bunch of digital assets and hoping enough would hit big to turn a profit on ad income.

But what a difference a year makes.

Now, we’ve got AI tools to assist in just about every step of that production process, and Tony’s been on the front lines of these changes.

So I wanted to have him back on to find out, first of all, is that a good thing for content creators, YouTubers, and side hustlers? And how much can you make in this new AI-powered YouTube landscape?

You know those endless hours you’ve spent perfecting your Fortnite skills or learning how to defeat a Guardian in Zelda games?

There is a chance those skills aren’t just good for bragging rights or racking up likes on Twitch.

In fact, it is possible to make money out of these games without being an online streamer.

I’m talking about teaching video games online, and the demand for these is exploding.

In this “Where Are They Now?” series, we have once again Devyn Ricks from missdevyn.com share how much her online gaming teaching business has grown over the last years since we talked in Episode 499.

When Devyn and I connected a couple of years ago, she was making around $4,000/month.

Today, her business has more than doubled, earning her the title of “six-figure video game mom.” She has since expanded her team to 14 teachers.

If you’ve ever thought about traveling the world while getting paid (and mingling with the rich and famous on the side), Hugo Ortega’s side hustle story may appeal to you.

After spending 9 years working as a yacht crew member and captain, traveling to over 60 countries, the former engineer decided to turn his niche career experience into a fast-growing online course business—Superyacht Sunday School.

Now, it has grown into a full-time business earning $12K/month.

Liz Wilcox found herself at a crossroads.

With a growing email list of beginners wanting to learn about email marketing, she knew she wanted to find a way to step away from client work within a couple of years.

She had just signed a huge copywriting contract worth $20,000… her biggest one yet. But instead of excitement, all she felt was dread about the massive project she now had to take on.

And as a single parent, she knew the importance of creating a business that would support her lifestyle and allow her to be present for her family.

This is where the idea of “low cost = low responsibility” appealed to her, as it would allow her to serve her audience at LizWilcox.com while maintaining a manageable workload.

So Liz had the idea to create her flagship offer The Email Marketing Membership – a set of done-for-you email newsletter templates that members could access for just $9 per month.