In typical fashion I got a little wordy responding to a comment so I thought I’d just make another post. It will save me time from coming up with something to write later.
So the comment was about StoreStacker and whether it creates thin sites or not and how spammy BMD is and how my advice was bad. So here goes: I don’t typically make standalone SS sites. I only created that coffee maker site for illustrative purposes and it was my first that wasn’t attached to a blog or XSP site. I typically hang a store in a directory off a blog or XSP site.
One of the concerns was about whether SS creates thin sites. You bet it can. So can Wordpress and Joomla. Though I dare say a blog with 20-30+ articles with an additional store directory is thick enough. Particularly if the blog gets a post a day from AMA. Anyway, the coffee store I did is already indexed in Google so we’ll see I guess.
SS gives you the opportunity to build a site as thick as you want. You can add static articles just as well with SS as you can with HTML site or blog. You can build a SS site with 10 items and jam 100 articles in it if that is what you want. You can create 10 categories and for each category you can write a 500 word tome describing it to thicken it up. Create your own video and post it up. You don’t have to use SS with a single product if you don’t want to. Add 30 articles and Adsense ads if you want.
The reader figured the StoreStacker site would get banned. Why would a site get banned from the search engines just because it’s an affiliate site with products? Do a search for “golf equipment”. The #1 site listed is golfdiscount.com. I have no idea who owns this site. Is it really any different from a Storestacker site? It’s prettier for sure, but it is just a store. Yet it is ranked #1 for a very substantial keyword.
Do a search for “coffee makers”. #1 in Google is coffeemakers.com. It sure is a pretty site, but offers nothing more than a catalog of coffee makers and espresso machines. How is it different than a SS site?
Yes, I realize these examples are not affiliate sites but real stores with real products. Yes, Google probably knows the difference. Yes, the example SS site is thin. So what? I usually add videos and RSS feeds and post articles and put decent descriptions in the categories listings. I’m not worried about getting banned in the search engines. If I do, so what? I’ll go ride my bike or play with the kids.
As far as it being the worst advice: I think all of my advice is probably the worst advice. I’m just trying things out. I don’t expect anyone to agree, care about or follow what I do. But at least I’m transparent. Am I foolish? Fooling myself? Probably. But I keep moving forward and trying.
I built a thin Blogger site a couple of weeks ago. One post. A page of Ebay ads served via the widget. Took me about 45 minutes, maybe an hour, to build, which included writing an article for AMA. I’ve made two shitty little sales. I know of no one else but Frank at OpTempo doing the same thing. I have quite a lot of these Blogger/widget sites, thanks to Frank’s advice. Some have made money, most have not. And these are free and quick to make. But thin works. I’ve targeted two keyword phrases. The site is ranked top 20 in Google for both. If Google was seriously concerned about thin, then they wouldn’t have even indexed the blog. Maybe it will be banned today. I’ve already sucked out what I need for it to be successful. Next!
As far as BMD, it works. I have SE listings from postings I did with version 3. Not many from scuttle sites but quite a few from the larger bookmark sites. I can do a search for a particular keyword and my profile from, say Faves, is listed there. I hope no one buys version 4 or has quit using version 3 because they are afraid of spamming. Keeps the method working longer for me.
And you know, Storestacker is $97. $1 I think to try it out now. BMD is $97 I think. Pretty cheap if you ask me. Both have money back guarantees. I’ve already made back my “investment”, not from affiliate sales of the product (There are very few buyers of anything that I honestly and positively promote on this blog), but from using the product to make affiliate sales on my sites. All those tools I’ve posted that I use…I use. I paid for. I bet I might have spent $1K for the lot of them over the last 2-3 years. Maybe. To start a business and that is the only monetary outlay is pretty cool. I’ve definitely made back $1K.
You may not want to buy anything I use, but if you want to participate in the game in a large way you might have to get something. Money is going to have to be spent. And you’re going to have to try things. You shouldn’t follow my advice, or anybody’s for that matter. Just get out there and try something. That I think is worthwhile advice. What works for me probably won’t work for you and vice versa. If it did then all those stupid IM ebooks would actually be worth something.
16 responses so far ↓
Frank C // Nov 19, 2008 at 11:38 am
That’s the problem with showing any demo site. It always seems that some wag comes along and either heaps unwarranted criticism on it out of ignorance or they maliciously report it to Google as a spam site. This has happened to me, to Griz, to Vic and to Court. You’re now a member of this exclusive club.
fargo nd dealer // Nov 19, 2008 at 12:10 pm
But how is BMD working at making backlinks to your site? Can you tell there are more backlinks? Did your site’s ranking improve because of BMD?
Splork // Nov 19, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Hey Frank. That’s why I specifically went out and created a quick SS site on a free web hosting site. It doesn’t tie into any of the sites I have that matter, nor does it give up any “secrets” that I would rather not divulge about my site building activities. It can die it’s little death in the search engine for all I care. It’s why I haven’t shown any of those Widget/Blogger sites on here. They are just too juicy to get a bunch of people using the technique and/or trying to get me banned/flagged at Google/Blogger.
Splork // Nov 19, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Fargo,
It works.
Yes.
Who knows. I do a lot in support of my sites other than BMD runs. All I know is it can’t hurt. At least I don’t let it hurt me. I don’t spam fast. I don’t abuse the tool. I do a few accounts a week with random sites of mine along with others to mask my intent. I use IP addresses from work, home and places like the YMCA and BN. It’s why I recommend getting a little net pc. Load up a few IP sensitive tools on it like BMD and when you are traveling around to friends houses or coffee shops or where ever, just fire it up and deliver some links to the bookmark sites. If you use it smart you can get a ton of bookmarks that look legit. None of my accounts or websites have been banned at any bookmark site.
aaronk // Nov 19, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Ahhh…BMD. I have held off on that thing for so long, always figuring “That cant really do much” Several times I have been “this close” to buying.
I drive around town all day during my “day job” with a laptop that I’m always connecting up to the net with. Maybe the cheap bastard inside will finally have to buy…
Dorian // Nov 20, 2008 at 6:04 am
I guess this post was a response to my comment. I think you kind of took it the wrong way.
First off, I was the biggest fricken spammer a few years ago. I used to make hundreds of scraper sites each month with TE and RSS2blog. I would still be making junk sites if it were worth my time. So I’m not trying to judge you or anyone else for making “thin” sites.
I’m glad you are trying things out. It helps us all out when you share your experiences. I was trying to share my experience with BMD3… and in my experience, the links it built from crappy Scuttle sites (that were already being spammed to hell) were not worth it.
The way Google’s algo is now, with Domain Authority and Trusted Links playing such a big factor in rankings, I could not see spending time on any site that didn’t have staying power.
Personally, I hate the site building treadmill. Based on your past posts, I thought you hated it also.
Splork // Nov 20, 2008 at 9:13 am
Hey Dorian. Nah I just took it as a chance to write something. You mentioned the thinness of the SS sites and I agree that they are, if that’s what you want to build. I was just showing what SS can do with the example site. I don’t just hang thin sites like that out to play. Like I said, they are usually part of a site, not the site itself. But hey if this piece of shit coffee site makes a few sales then I’ll move forward with that as well.
I think the scuttle sites are mostly a waste of time too. I do however feel like the large bookmark sites that it can post to are of value and if you choose to post to bookmark sites it does save a lot of time to use the tool.
I hate the site building treadmill. I would prefer to spend my time with the kids or playing video games or riding my bike or any number of things. But the reality is site building brings in extra money. Since I don’t have one or two specific authoritative interests to build a site, I have to go with the niche PLR, affiliate sales model. And the more you get out there the better your chance of making a sale. It sucks and when/if I find something better I’ll stop this madness. But for now building a site is the easiest money around when you really think about it. That’s why a tool like SS or AMA are things that I use because they automate so much of the work so I can simply grab backlinks which BMD helps automate…and blah, blah, blah.
Dan Cruz // Nov 20, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Those thin affiliate sites make money and that’s the bottom line. It’s all about the links that are pointing to them and it’s hard to build links to any store no matter how thin.
Personally I gave up on SS and BANS but I replaced all of those sites with WP, widgets and plugins. I should really try that Blogger thing you and Frank are working because I seem to be building a lot of Blogger Blogs lately…
Splork // Nov 20, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I guess what I’ve been after recently is building affiliate sites. I just finished updating a new XSP site, fresh domain, with a few pages of content. On each page is a big ass advertisement. It’s simple. If the site is on, say, turtle friers, I’ll write a couple general pages on the joys of frying up a turtle. Then I’ll write a couple of pages on a few of the best turtle friers. I’ll grab a photo of the object in question, go to Amazon or wherever and get an affiliate link and slam it right above the fold, right in the middle.
And of course hanging off in a folder will be my SS store with all kinds of turtle friers being auctioned off and sold at Overstock, Amazon and Ebay. StoreStacker is simply a piece of the site. Not the whole.
Would using WP been a better option? Maybe. But I like to mix it up.
Shaun Taylor // Nov 23, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I’ve pretty much abandoned my BANS — half pull and half don’t. Though admittedly, I haven’t yet tried the new approach of incorporating them with Wordpress. They’re such a heavyweight solution, and for whatever reason, LunarPages and BANS do not get along. I’ve known several folks (including me) to get an account closed down thanks to BANs.
I haven’t done much with SS after the first few sites I put up, but I might try to integrate them more. I’m having fun with the phpBay plugin right now. Really easy to incorporate a few listing in a post, page, or even in a sidebar widget.
My first experience with BMD is BMD4, but I haven’t noticed much in the way of results. Then again, I’m pretty cautious. Like you, Splork, I only ever submit about 5 sites at a time, and it’s usually 3:2 other sites to my sites ratio. No bans as of yet.
lissie // Nov 26, 2008 at 7:31 am
I have google alerts for a number of my money sites and you no pretty much every day or so at the moment they go ping as Google indexes yet another spammy scuttle site which I used in a BMD run 3 or 4 months ago …
Submit Jedi // Nov 26, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Interesting, if you have to choose where will you invest the money in SS or BANS?
Which script has provide you more return $ for your money?
Splork // Nov 27, 2008 at 7:38 am
StoreStacker. But there are a lot of folks who really dig BANS. I crashed and burned with BANS because I was trying that .info/BANS/BMD thing back in the spring that everybody jumped into on the advice of BloggerUnleashed. Google banned a whole lot of .info domains. None of mine have yet to recover and that’s with moving a few to niche article sites with no marketing for months. Nothing.
Anyway I stuck with SS and found success and never had a reason to go back to BANS. I probably should just to diversify.
Submit Jedi // Nov 27, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Thanks Chris
I just purchased SS with RSS plugin using your link.
Cheers for the advice mate.
Gabriel
Marc // Dec 1, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Chris have you had a chance to test the social bookmarking submitter in PGB yet?
I’d be interested to get your opinion on it compared to BMD
Talk Soon
Splork // Dec 2, 2008 at 8:24 am
Hey Marc. Yea that is a good point. I need to say more about PGB. I also need to use it more as well. But to answer your question, yes I have used it and like it a lot. But I keep coming back to BMD. Why? Because of its “advanced” features. In BMD there are two tabs: one for beginners, and one for experts. PGB stacks up extremely well with the beginner setting for BMD. The only difference is you can bookmark multiple sites with BMD. Which is where the demon part comes in.
But BMD advanced gives you some options that are just not in PGB like adding RSS feeds to your submission to “mask” your sites when bookmarking. It can rotate through various descriptions, tags, titles. It can ping your profile which honestly I’m not certain what that gives you yet. It has a nice database to remember what sites with what accounts with what websites you submitted.
But you know, if I didn’t already have BMD, I’m not certain I’d purchase it, if I already had access to PGB. PGB does a nice job of doing what amounts to a simple job. Bookmarking a URL.
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