He survived all recent Google updates

Birdzilla was an outdated Joomla site with over 4,000 URLs, mostly of
low quality with less than 300 words each. Understanding what was
happening over the years required dozens of spreadsheet tabs and
thousands of rows.

We meticulously reviewed all pages and devised a plan for these URLs.
Additionally, due to the unique nature of each URL (ending in .html with
many levels of subURLs), we had to create numerous custom 301 rules.

The content is another aspect entirely, as it has always been written by
birders since the site's inception. While costly, this approach leaves
no room for shortcuts. We attempted to bridge some gaps with AI, but its
accuracy in our niche was insufficient, so we discontinued its use.

In summary, it took four months of intensive work before the new version
launch (It was basically go home or go big). However, one year later, it
still hasn't yielded a positive ROI, amounting to figures in the five to
six digits, yet it has been a rewarding journey nonetheless!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

I think because it has credibility. Known names in the birding industry have been writing for Birdzilla for years, not only SEO-wise but topical cluster-wise. Our content plan includes writings under 15 different categories that make sense to cover topics as a whole. We strongly aim for quality, not quantity.

Today, it's getting ~260k / mo and growing. But to be honest, having seen big superb sites drop with low-value sites, I think it's just that the lifespan of content sites is getting shorter and shorter. Google prefers bigger players who bring in money through Adwords.

We have way too much replying on Google but should share to other sources that are in our short-term plan. However, I've seen strong brands with strong social presence fail, so it's not a golden key.

Nope, 0 link-building. It has naturally gained links over the years. We believe in content. I'd say mentions from relevant and strong sites are crucial. Unrelevant and weak links don't move the needle.

Hmm. I was in affiliate marketing until early 2022. If you manage to get 100k / mo views with affiliate + ads, then you'll earn 5-10x more. You just need tons of traffic to meet the ends in the informational niche. But I believe that the best times are over. Affiliate is in pretty bad shape and saturated by Forbes, NYT, CNET etc writing about "Best [you name it]" and rank. Google isn't what it was before. They consider niche sites as spam sites. Back in the days, it was PBN and black-hat-SEO that was considered spam. in 2024 - niche sites.

I'd suggest that you start a blog on a topic that really interests you. SEO is a long-term run, and you want to be on the edge. Use your best niche writers. People who are reading on your topics know when you're BSing. And you only want to write for people and use the help of SEO tools to create nailing content.

It isn't the path if you are looking for easy passive revenue. Each day, thousands of new internet users start calling themselves as SEO experts. Lots of those provide spam and that's why, Google takes new measures to fight spam. Unfortunately, good niche sites get hit as well.

If you've chosen the path, then calculate your risks and always put eggs in different baskets. Always be hungry. And start only if you have lots of free time to learn and practise. If money starts to come in, invest it in topical writers, etc. Improve your site etc. It's an never ending, figure out plan B. (Birdzilla was my plan D for example).

Starting SEO in 2015 was difficult compared to 2010, etc., but it's even harder in 2024. You need to build a brand, but even this isn't a golden key.

If you choose building site, then you must know that relying on Google, it's a risky business. Make sure what you trust. Use reverse-engineering like Ian did and ask yourself - do you have needed resources to provide a better content? How much time and money does it take?

Do a simple calculation:

You can monetize sites on Mediavine if you have 50k monthly views, and even then, most of the traffic should be US traffic.
Can you get to 50k / mo? (in terms of money and time)

And, if you get it, does it meet your expectations?

 i.e 50k/ mo with RPM $30 means $1500., 250k/mo RPM $30 means $7500. 

If you pay yourself, how much money you still have to pay for content? Or can you earn more doing something else? I've seen lots of sadness amongst publishers, expect the best, be prepared for the worst.

These images are provided by our featured photographers. We have 7k unique pictures that we can use.