I’m on Day 17 of my 30-day challenge and wanted to share a quick update. Yesterday, I bid on a domain name that turned out to be a bit too pricey for me. It was a high-quality domain from a legitimate streaming service with a solid backlink profile. Even though I didn’t win it, I have ideas for using similar domains in music-related affiliate programs and review content.
In other news, I’m tracking the progress of my rank and rent sites and examining some parasites to see how they’re performing. There’s some positive movement, but there’s still work to be done. I’ve also been exploring different WordPress plugins, and I’ll share a few that I find particularly useful for various tasks like SEO, backups, and internal linking.
Key Takeaways
- Midway through the 30-day challenge, I attempted to bid on valuable domains.
- Rank and rent sites show some positive but mixed progress.
- Useful WordPress plugins help in managing multiple aspects of the website.
30-Day Challenge Update
Day 17 update of the 30-day challenge.
Yesterday, I bid on an amazing domain name, thinking I might snag it for a good price. It ended up selling for $49,500, which was far beyond my budget. This domain, sessionslive.com, was part of a legitimate streaming service with a powerful backlink profile. If I had won it, I planned to use a ticketing affiliate program and build content around music instruments.
Currently, my primary focus is on the rank and rent progress. Here are the positions:
- 18, 20, 23, and 53.
There was a time we were on the first page, but now we see a bit of a dip. Positive momentum is slowly building, so I will give it a couple of weeks to see if it improves.
Regarding the parasites, there are mixed results. My oldest parasite is now on the second page for five keywords but hasn’t moved much. Another one is in position 23, while some others haven’t ranked well. Here are some positions:
- Position 53 built with links
- Position 10 on the front page
- Position 15 which moved up four places
- Not found in top 100
My paid parasite is in positions 34, 39, and 81. No remarkable results, but I might build more links.
For WordPress Plugins, these are my go-to:
- Generate Press theme and Generate Blocks
- Instant Images for quick free images
- Rank Logic for SEO, along with Instant Indexing
- Updraft Plus for backups (free version)
- WP Optimize for caching (often handled by Cloudflare)
- Amal Links Pro or custom boxes for Amazon sites
- Cloudflare plugin for Cloudflare users
- Export All URLs to export post URLs for indexing
- Link Whisper for internal linking
- Revive Doo to update posts and boost traffic
- Add Anchor Links for linking to headings within articles
- Forminator for email forms (free version)
That’s the update for now, and I’ll keep you posted on further progress.
Domain Bidding Experience
Recently, I participated in bidding for a coveted domain name related to a legitimate streaming service. This domain had a solid backlink profile, which piqued my interest. Although I placed a high bid, it sold for $49,500, which was beyond my budget.
If I had won the bid, my plan was to integrate a ticketing affiliate program into the site, leveraging its streaming service background. Additionally, I intended to build out review content focused on musical instruments, tying it to the site’s music theme.
Despite losing out on that particular domain, I’m exploring other opportunities. I’ve set a firm bidding limit to ensure I don’t overspend. Staying disciplined with my budget is crucial, even if it means walking away from promising opportunities. This approach helps maintain financial prudence while still pursuing valuable projects.
Rank and Rent Progress
Today marks day 17 of the 30-day challenge, and here’s an update on the progress of my rank and rent efforts.
Current Positions
The current positions for my target keywords are as follows:
- Positions 18, 20, and 23: Some are close to hitting the first page again.
- Position 53: A bit disappointing, although there has been positive momentum.
Parasite Results
I’ve been tracking several parasite pages, and their rankings are varied:
- Oldest Parasite: It’s on the second page for five keywords but hasn’t moved much lately.
- New Parasite: This one sits at position 23. A different keyword might help here.
- Other Parasites: Here’s how the rest are performing:
- Position 53: Built links to this one, still not great.
- Position 10: Just made it to the front page.
- Position 15: Moved up four positions, encouraging progress.
- Not Found: Two parasites didn’t rank in the top 100.
- Paid Parasite: Currently in positions 34, 39, and 81.
Future Steps
I’ll continue to monitor these positions and may build more links to see if that helps. I’ll give it a few more weeks to see if there’s significant movement.
WordPress Plugins
For those interested, I use a variety of WordPress plugins for different purposes. Here are my go-tos:
- GeneratePress Premium and GenerateBlocks: Theme and block editor enhancements.
- Instant Images: Quick images from free sources.
- Rank Logic Pro: For SEO, includes instant indexing.
- Updraft Plus: Backup solution.
- WP Optimize: Handles caching, though I also use Cloudflare.
- Amal Links Pro: Pretty affiliate boxes.
Additional Plugins
Other useful plugins include:
- Export All URLs: Useful for indexing and checking URLs.
- Link Whisper: Automates internal linking.
- Revive Press and Revive Doo: Updates and rewrites content using schedules.
- Add Anchor Links: Allows linking to specific headings in an article.
- Forminator: Simple email forms solution.
By using these tools, I aim to maintain and improve the search rankings of my sites efficiently.
Assessing Parasites
Parasites have varied success rates when it comes to ranking. One of the oldest parasites is close to making the first page, holding strong on the second page for five keywords. This particular parasite was hit by Google, but it still shows potential momentum. Another parasite sits at position 23, while another never ranked for its target keyword.
Recent Parasites Performance
- Position 53: Built links but stuck in position.
- Position 10: Front page visibility.
- Position 15: Moved up four spots.
- Not Found: Out of the top 100 for multiple keywords.
- Positions 34, 39, 81: Mixed results, with potential for future link building.
Improvements and Strategies
For some parasites, additional link building might be required. It’s also useful to monitor positions over a few weeks to see if ranking strategies work. Different tracking and indexing tools can help ensure the posts continue to perform well.
Link Building Strategies
Link building is a key part of improving website rankings. There are several effective ways to build backlinks that help boost a site’s visibility.
Buying Established Domains: A great strategy is to bid on established domain names. These domains already have a good backlink profile. Even though they can be costly, they offer a strong foundation to build upon.
Collaborating with Affiliate Programs: Once you secure a domain, look for affiliate programs that align with its content. For example, a streaming service domain can partner with ticketing affiliate programs, and you can build content around related topics like music instrument reviews.
Using Parasites: Another approach is using parasites. Parasites are sites where you can create user-generated content. These can sometimes get ranked quickly if they already have good authority. Maintaining and monitoring their progress can lead to positive outcomes.
Building Quality Content: Regularly updating your website with high-quality content relevant to your audience can naturally attract backlinks. This content can be in the form of blog posts, articles, or reviews.
Engaging with Plugins: Various WordPress plugins can streamline your link-building efforts. Consistently using tools like Rank Logic, Link Whisperer, and others can help manage and track your backlinks effectively.
Monitoring Performance: Continuously track and monitor the performance of your backlinks and their effect on your ranking. This can help you identify what’s working and what needs adjustment for better results.
WordPress Plugin Recommendations
Here are some plugins that are really useful:
- GeneratePress Premium: This is an extension of the GeneratePress theme. It adds more features to the theme and helps in customizing the website.
- GenerateBlocks: These are additional blocks for the block editor, making it easier to design and layout your posts.
- Instant Images: Great for quickly grabbing a free image to use in your posts. It’s simple and efficient.
- Rank Math: This SEO plugin has a lot of features to help with search engine optimization.
- Instant Indexing: Works with Rank Math Pro to submit your site to search engines like Bing and Google when you make changes.
- UpdraftPlus: Ideal for backing up your site. The free version lets you save backups to Google Drive.
- WP-Optimize: Can help with caching, optimizing your database, and ensuring your site runs smoothly.
- Cloudflare: This plugin works with the Cloudflare service to help your site load faster and be more secure.
- AMALinks Pro: Useful if you have an Amazon affiliate site. It helps to create nice-looking affiliate boxes.
- Export All URLs: Helps export all the URLs from your site. This can be useful for checking your links in various tools.
- Link Whisper: Assists with internal linking by suggesting links as you write your posts.
- Revive Old Posts: Automatically updates old posts to make them look fresh and trigger more traffic from Google.
These plugins can make managing and improving your WordPress site much easier and more effective.
