Slow, Steady & Consistent Click Growth Above All
Sometimes, or rather most of the time, slow and consistent growth is the curve to look for.
A Quick Note
Before we get started with this edition of #MarketingOnMondays, I’d like to take the time to explain how it will run going forward.
I read a lot of email newsletters, with my personal favourites being from Sahil Bloom, Justin Welsh and Nicholas Crown. One thing these newsletters all have in common is they follow a similar structure.
I’ve realised that’s what this newsletter has been lacking. Structure.
From now on, each week you will receive one SEO or marketing related tip from me, one thought process or mental model that I’ve been following recently to help you improve your work and possibly some general thoughts too.
With that in mind, let’s jump in to this week’s SEO tip.
Slow, Steady & Sustainable Growth > Hockey-Stick Growth
We’ve all seen it on Twitter, right? Those shiny click growth curves that show sites going from 0 to 1,000,000 clicks (or seems like that anyway) in record time.
I’d like to show you something that, in my opinion, is even more impressive…
Aiming for hockey-stick growth is great, but there are a few fundamental flaws with the approach.
The traffic often isn’t as profitable as you’d like.
The growth is completely unsustainable.
It’s hard to learn a lot from hockey-stick growth.
Generally, this hockey-stick growth has come from a few viral blog posts, some news coverage, a social media post that has landed well. It often doesn’t last and leaves you feeling disappointed when the traffic returns to normal levels.
I prefer graphs like the one shown above.
I know exactly where the click growth has come from.
This method of growth is, often anyway, sustainable.
This traffic accompanies a solid increase in revenue.
I could go on, and on and on about what I’ve done to achieve this growth. But, in truth, it comes down to a few very simple things.
I have been writing and publishing great content consistently for the last three months.
I’ve been building solid backlinks every single month on relevant websites.
We’ve continued to invest in UX testing on our website to improve the experience for all visitors, whether they are visiting at the very top of the funnel or the very bottom.
SEO, well good SEO anyway, comes down to three key pillars.
Giving all users a great experience.
Writing and publishing great content.
Acquiring high-quality and highly-relevant backlinks.
It’s all well and good putting time and money into testing out new things on your website, new SEO tactics that you've read about or seen on Twitter, but if you focus on the three pillars above then you really cannot go wrong.
Become a ‘Time Billionaire’
For those of you that know me well, you know that I spend a lot of time trying to optimise my mental health.
I suffer with anxiety, something that a lot of other people struggle with too. So I spend a lot of time figuring out ways to keep my anxiety at bay, allowing me to be productive at work and attentive with my home life.
One of the things that has worked for me recently is thinking of myself as a ‘time billionaire’.
Money comes and goes.
Influence comes and goes.
Power comes and goes.
Time is the one resource you have that isn’t regenerative.
I spent a lot of my early career learning how to maximise my income, or maximise the influence I have within a company or the power I hold in a certain position.
What a waste of time.
I realise now that’s one of the things that was making me unhappy and anxious in my life.
I now treat time at the most precious thing I have, and life has gotten so much better for it!
Building an Intentional Life
Thanks to Justin Welsh for inspiring me to head in this direction.
Over time, I’ve slowly come to realise that the nine-to-five life isn’t something I want to be working for the rest of my working life. I don’t want to have worked from 16 years old all the way until 67 years old, only to collect a tiny pension and have a short amount of time to enjoy freedom.
The average male in the UK dies at 80. If this is also true to me, it leaves 13 years of really being able to enjoy freedom before I pass away.
I don’t like that thought.
I’m now moving into a new stage of my life, building an intentional life.
A life where I can:
Work on exactly what I want, exactly when I want.
Not feel guilty about taking time off for a holiday.
Not having to ask anyone before taking a holiday.
How I’m going to achieve this, I don’t quite know yet. But I know I’ll have escaped nine-to-five life before I’m 35. I’m setting that goal right now.