Wealthy Affiliate University Review

I rarely resort to the type of hype blog post titles like this one “Perpetual Traffic Formula Rip-Off” but in this case I’m prepared to make an exception.

Now, first of all let me assure you this is not one of those posts that draws you in with a negative title only to turn things around and offer up an affiliate link to the product it suggests is a rip-off.

Far from it!

I have been watching the Ryan Deiss launch for Perpetual Traffic Formula and, as always, it was extremely slick and appealing. My problem is the amount he is charging and the promises he is making.

To anyone watching his videos and reading the blog posts you might think that Ryan has stumbled upon some magical way of getting organic traffic from Google – but there is nothing special about it.

My 7 Gripes with Perpetual Traffic Formula

1. Ryan is a very good marketer and no doubt has a good team behind him, but this is the first time I have ever seen mention of him knowing something about organic traffic. I’m not saying he doesn’t know his stuff, I just want more evidence of his expertise.

2. The suggestion is that he has found a magic bullet for organic traffic, which simply isn’t the case. He is teaching what many others have been teaching for years.

3. He is charging $2000 for information that you can get free or for a lot less elsewhere. He includes a “group coaching” element but only in the same way that many membership sites offer Q&A sessions,  support and encouragement for their members.

4. The usual suspects have all been promoting this to their lists and I am of the firm belief that very few of them even know what they are promoting. But (especially for newcomers to the Internet Marketing world) they make it seem like you can’t be online without knowing this information and, more specifically, buying this product.

5. And next month they’ll be promoting another product that is just as important

7. The software he has given away for free isn’t a patch on other software like Market Samurai – which, although $149, will be an asset for years to come – or the tools supplied within the Wealthy Affiliate University (again it costs money but you can join for a whole year and get way more benefits than Ryan’s whole traffic system for less than $800).

8. “Perpetual” suggests forever or indefinitely. No one can promise you will receive traffic from Google forever.

Let’s Look at the Facts

In his free report Ryan makes a number of claims:

1. “Fact: Google is Broken” – no, Google is not broken. If it was people wouldn’t use it to find things online (72% of all search engine traffic) and marketers wouldn’t stress about ranking well in it. Terrible choice of words.

2. “The biggest mistake most marketers make is giving Google too much credit” – well, people do feel like there is some magic formula to ranking in Google (and Ryan is supposedly selling that formula) but then Google should take some credit for being the biggest search engine in the English speaking world. It obviously does something right. There are many more mistakes I can think of that marketers make above this one.

3. He then makes a lot of statements starting with “Everyone believes...” which are wide generalizations since not everyone believes these things – especially not me, and hopefully not you.

4. There are “3 simple and easily manipulated variables” that determine ranking: content, links and activity. Well, that’s actually been the case for years and no doubt will continue to be the case. This is nothing new and you can learn about these variables for free in many places online.

I could go on but I think you get my point. Ryan isn’t saying anything particularly ‘wrong’, he’s just not saying anything new, what he IS saying is misleading and he’s using his marketing skills to hype it up.

Is this Just Sour Grapes

Meh, maybe!

Seriously, no! Until recently I have had the greatest respect for Ryan Deiss as a marketer. I just happen to know a thing or 2 about getting organic traffic and listening to Ryan I can see he is not offering anything new or unique.

Perpetual Traffic Formula Alternatives

So, what would I recommend you do instead of spending $2000 on Perpetual Traffic Formula.

1. Go and take the Challenge. This is free training that will teach you the basics of search engine optimization, as well as how to research a market and find targeted niches with buying customers. During the Challenge you can use Market Samurai for free to see just how impressive it is. These “secrets” and variables are all covered for free and taught by marketers who have been experts in getting organic traffic from Google for many years.

2. Once you have the basics under your belt (or if you want to follow one program that can take you from newbie to expert) join the Wealthy Affiliate University. For $97 or $797 for the year, you can learn everything Ryan is teaching and more. You will receive all the tools you need, full training, support, advice and a wealth of resources.

3. Unsubscribe from any marketer’s email list who doesn’t offer you something of value in between the launches. This one is totally your choice. I do like to watch the launches happen and learn what works and what doesn’t, but I get frustrated by marketers who only seem to want to make an affiliate commission out of me. There are plenty of other marketers who offer good advice to their lists and I recommend you find a few you respect and dump the rest.

Phew! Got that off my chest! I hope this has been helpful to you if you have been wondering whether to buy or not. Always remember, marketers are very good at selling. Try to look beyond the hype to determine whether a product is the right one for you and whether they are really teaching anything different.

What is the secret of affiliate marketing? Is there really such a thing and can it be learned?

Actually, the secret is very simple. It can be summed up as follows:

1. Find a niche (or audience) that has a specific need or want online

2. Connect those people with the right product or service (that you become an affiliate for)

3. Attract your audience to your web page, articles or blog (get traffic)

4. Promote action i.e. encourage them to buy the product or service that you are an affiliate for.

Simple!

OK, maybe that doesn’t sound simple to you, but the overall concept is very basic, the rest is about good research, the right tools, optimization and building a strong business.

The secret to affiliate marketing is really that there is no secret (or certainly no magic bullet that can do it all for you). It simply requires grasping those basic concepts and then learning how to use the Internet to put those concepts into action.

The first part of Lesson 3 of the Wealthy Affiliate University concentrates again on having the right mindset.

This can’t be stressed enough. One of the main reasons you’ll hear people say that a particular training program doesn’t work is because they give up too soon.

You WILL fail at times. Some niches you choose will work and some won’t. But failure is not a bad thing as long as you learn from it and don’t make the mistake again. As long as you stay motivated and driven you will eventually create your own success formula and can start ramping it up and repeating it.

All good stuff so far…

The second part of this lesson is focused on finding niches and research.

It has been my experience in affiliate marketing that if you skimp on research you’re most likely to face problems further along in the process so make sure you work through this part of the Wealthy Affiliate University carefully.

This section also takes you off to a more detailed report called Research: Getting Started – again, vital stuff.

I took this opportunity to familiarize myself with the Keyword Tool that comes as part of your membership. As a long time user of Market Samurai it’s hard (try impossible!) to convince me to use anything else, and I certainly wouldn’t give up Market Samurai for this tool, but the functionality of it is still good and adequate for the task. I would recommend Market Samurai in the long run because it does so much more than keyword research, but as the tool that comes with your Wealthy Affiliate membership the Keyword Tool will enable you to do your research perfectly well.

If you have been following along with me so far you’ll probably be thinking that I am going to spend my whole time praising the program.

Honestly, overall I am very impressed with Wealthy Affiliate University. I have spent a lot more money to be a member of membership sites (or to buy training) that have delivered much much less. The only issues I have found so far are:

• When I went to the Keyword Tool tutorial some of the information was out of date. It was easy to work out the differences but it would still be prudent for them to update it as the tool evolves.
• Not enough video. This is a personal preference and one that I know I share with others. I tend to learn better through video and audio. So far, most of the training has been written, and while I CAN learn this way I find it harder and I become distracted quicker. So, I would like to see the training presented in different formats to suit everyone.

So, pretty small things so far….

If you are enjoying my review and would like to join the Wealthy Affiliate University, I’d love to have your company on this journey. Just click here.

We have never seen some fail at this that didn’t quit

Lesson 2 of the Wealthy Affiliate University program (but the first proper lesson) is entitled “What the heck is Internet Marketing“  so naturally you learn the basics of Internet Marketing. The emphasis is on explaining your role in that process and a general overview of your role as affiliate marketer (and merchant).

This is an important lesson for those of you who are totally new to online marketing (or who haven’t really got to grips with how affiliate marketing works).

But, maybe more importantly, the training goes to great pains to explain – and try to fix in your brain – that this process requires action, and as long as you follow the process and don’t give up, you will succeed.

Only 2 things stand in your way: negative emotion and inaction.

Not enough online training programs mention this, or emphasize it enough, when it is the crux of anything you try to achieve (online and offline).They also encourage you to use your time wisely and focus on building a business – not be seduced by the next big thing.

The final part of this lesson was an introduction to the various areas of the membership site and you are encouraged to use them (in fact, to move on to the next lesson you have to tick the boxes to say you have completed a number of tasks):

• Wealth Affiliate’s own affiliate program
• Forum (with many success stories to encourage you)
• Wealthy Affiliate Spaces (where you have your own space and can blog and make friends)
• Tasks and Goals Calendar (this was HUGE for me as processes are what keep you on track and you can do this all in the member area)
• Sitemap incase you need extra help in any area of the training.

Holy Moly! Be careful before you check out the sitemap…the member area is MASSIVE and can seem quite daunting if you are just starting out. So, let it be a reassurance that if you ever need help or coaching in a particular area, you are almost certain to find it! [click here to see a small jpg of the sitemap page - it was just too long to actually include in the post, even when miniaturized]

So, all in all, more of an orientation than an actual lesson, to get your head and brain in the right place, but a valuable one.

Incidentally, the quote at the beginning is from the Wealthy Affiliate University training and one I thought was highly appropriate.

Don’t forget: If you’d like to work through the Wealthy Affiliate University with me, then click here to become a member

Yesterday I introduced you to the Wealthy Affiliate University dashboard and discovered how easy it is to find where to get started with the program.

The initial introduction to the Action Plan lays out what to expect from the program.

The main points are that the course is “action” based, which is always a good sign. Theory is all well and good but if you never put it into practice you’re going to be the most clued-up poor person online.

The second major point is that the course is time-released, which means you have to follow the training and complete the tasks before you can move onto the next step.

I have mixed feelings about this.

For beginners, this is a great idea. And even for those with more experience it never hurts to have to complete every step of the course, otherwise the temptation is to think you already know something and jump ahead – potentially missing something new and important. Having stuff you already know re-iterated will simply help reinforce that information (we learn best through repetition).

The downside for me is that I like to have a total blitz – pick a free weekend and immerse myself in a course and do as much as I can in the time available. It’s not necessarily the best way to do things but it works well for me. So, I will be interested to see whether I start to feel frustrated that things aren’t moving as fast as I’d like them to.

At least options are given as to what to do if you do find yourself ready to move on before the next part of the course is released:

• Do more of the tasks than recommended e.g. if they ask you to write 5 articles, then write another 5
• Get more training. Apparently within the training area there are hundreds of tutorials and additional courses on each topic. I haven’t checked these out yet, but the idea is that you can expand your knowledge on a topic beyond the basic training
• Research
• Browse the forum

In the next post I’ll let you know how I got on with Lesson 2: What the Heck is Internet Marketing?

If you’d like to work through the Wealthy Affiliate University with me, then click here to become a member

If you’ve read my About page you’ll know this is not going to be one single review of the Wealthy Affiliate program but an ongoing MAMMOTH review as I work my way through the course and everything else being a member has to offer.

The first thing I was interested in finding out was how easy it is for a beginner to get started with the program?

Now, I’m not a newbie to Internet Marketing, or indeed Affiliate Marketing, but I am fully aware of how overwhelming it can be to start a new and well-established marketing program. If the program has been doing its job properly then you can expect a lot of training modules and an extensive membership area to navigate around.

The Wealthy Affiliate University is no different in this respect…it’s HUGE, and there’s lots to look at including a forum and members’ blogs.

I will tackle the extras later but firstly I want to start, as many of you will, with the training.

Wealthy Affiliate Action Plan

Getting started is relatively easy thanks to the emails you will receive from the team as soon as you become a member, and to back this up, when you log in you will be taken to your Home Dashboard which has a big Action Plan icon taking prominence.

There are also little helpful pointers that pop up occasionally to help you understand what you are looking at.

And, since I’m told to “click here to get started” that’s exactly what I’m going to do…

If you’d like to work through the Wealthy Affiliate University with me, then click here to become a member.