Finally Updated To HTTPS: Key Things To Be Aware Of

by in Lifestyle on Aug 30th, 2017

On January 17, 2017, I published that I was delaying updating Financial Samurai to HTTPS. The reasons were simple:

1) I wanted to give my webmaster more time to gain experience doing the conversion to minimize screwups

2) My CPC ad provider wasn’t ready for the switch and said advertising revenue would go down ~60% – 70% if I made the switch

3) I wanted to give Google, WordPress, and all plug-in developers more time to update all their code for compatability

4) I wanted to see if new plug-ins or solutions would be developed to help streamline manual updates

5) I wasn’t convinced it was necessary since FinancialSamurai.com doesn’t sell anything except for one book

Then I got this message on Google Search Console: Read More

Blogging Is Like Fishing: You Never Know What You’re Going To Catch

by in Lifestyle on May 2nd, 2017

One of the things that helps keep me writing 3X a week for the past eight years is a simple visualization exercise. I imagine sitting at the edge of a cliff on a warm sunny day. I can see an island 80 miles in the distance because the air is crystal clear.

In my hand is a fishing pole. When I first began in 2009, the pole was only six feet long and it couldn’t even reach the water below. But now, the fishing pole is over one mile long with a cantilever surrounded by brackets of reinforced steel.

Every time I publish a post, I’m casting deeper and deeper into the ocean. Most times, I reel nothing back. Given I’m always hungry, the obvious move is to cast again until something is caught. I refuse to starve.

I know that somebody, somewhere will find something I write interesting. It’s an inevitability with over three billion people online. I just have to keep trying because once I catch one big fish, other big fish will follow. Read More

What to Expect When You Invest in Real Estate

by in Personal Finance on Mar 6th, 2017

While the IRS considers receipts derived from real estate investments “passive income,” the fact of the matter is owning and managing property is typically anything but passive. And frankly, should you approach it as such, you’re likely to find success to be elusive.

With that said, if you’re wondering what to expect when you invest in real estate, the first thing you should anticipate is to be involved. Like any other investment, if you leave its management solely to others, you’re likely to find everyone involved is making good—except you. Read More

Why I’m Delaying Upgrading To HTTPS / SSL

by in Lifestyle on Jan 17th, 2017

Google and the SEO community have been encouraging website owners to convert from HTTP to HTTPS since 2014. The idea is to create a more secure internet so that hackers can’t steal passwords and information that users input online. It’s a good idea, but it’s not a thoroughly flushed out idea. As a result, it’s always better to wait until all the kinks are fixed before making any changes.

I thought long and hard about switching Financial Samurai to HTTPS when my private server administrator encouraged me to do so last November. But after reading every single authority article on the internet I could get my hands on about the topic since 2013, and going ahead and upgrading Yakezie.com to HTTPS, I’ve decided to hold off for now.

Here are my reasons. Perhaps they pertain to you. Also, feel free to share more reasons why a publisher should or shouldn’t hold off. If you’ve made the switch, I’d love to hear about any snags you experienced, and whether you saw any apples for apples improvement in traffic.  Read More

Make It Count When It Counts The Most: The Blogging Slingshot Effect

The Blogging Slingshot Effect

by in Lifestyle on Dec 15th, 2016

Happy holidays everyone!

It’s easy to get in the mindset of posting less because traffic is lower during the holidays. But I encourage everyone to maintain their normal cadence or even take things up a notch!

The first reason to post more when there is less traffic is to counteract less traffic. The main reason to post more during slow times is to prepare for the inevitable slingshot effect that happens in the new year. Read More

Blogging Just Gets Better And Better Over Time

The Longer You Last The Better It Gets Online

by in Lifestyle on Aug 18th, 2016

When you first begin, blogging is like fishing off a canoe in the middle of a tranquil lake. Most of the time, nothing happens. You’ll just feel some little nibbles here and there. But fish long enough and you might catch something big enough to eat.

I’m envious of all you new bloggers. Every post you publish makes an incrementally huge difference to your growth. Every new reader brings new excitement and maybe even a potential new friend. Cherish these moments if you’re just starting your blogging journey.

Some of us burn out too soon. Others start lagging after doing the same thing for so long. I’m here to say that if you can get through the inevitable dip, blogging just gets better and better over time! Read More

Are Your Income Streams Diverse Enough To Make A Sustainable Income Online?

by in Featured on Jun 6th, 2016

Nothing is certain in the online world because new technologies and trends pop up all the time. Given we’re still in the early period of the Internet, it’s important to have as many different revenue streams as possible.

We know that CPC advertising (Google Adsense, Media.net, Lijit Networks, etc) is currently being assaulted by ad blockers. There’s already been a multi-year trend of ad blindness by consumers.

We’ve seen large sites like Dooce, fall because they weren’t able to adapt. And then there are those sites that overly focus on one affiliate partner for a large majority of their income. In business, we call this “client concentration risk.” If your partner shuts down, you’re screwed without a proper contingency plan.

Longevity is key to so many things. Warren Buffet says that “time in the market is more important than timing the market.” The same can be said for building a sustainable online businessRead More

Featured

Post More To Save More Time And Make More Money Online

by in Lifestyle on Mar 9th, 2016

One of the downfalls of writing meatier content online is that more readers aren’t able to get through the entire article. Everybody has ADHD nowadays thanks to the internet. Due to a lack of reader thoroughness, readers will increase their tendency to ask questions to answers that are already in the article. It’s a maddening time sink to explain what has already been explained.

Instead of capitulating by writing really easy to understand topics that are short, I’ve got a much better solution. Post more frequently! Read More

  • Untemplater: Congrats on getting so many consecutive features on Google News! That’s phenomenal! Writing on...
  • Untemplater: You nailed it. I also believe great marketing is very helpful in the beginning but it’s really...
  • Jamie: Awesome insights thanks! I’ve been a big fan of Sam’s for years. Really exciting that he’s...
  • Untemplater: There are so many overpriced ecourses online it’s crazy. They use very aggressive marketing tactics to...
  • Andy: Thousand-dollar e-courses are a total scam. You can learn everything online for free. Shame on people who sell...
  • Untemplater: There are a lot of bloggers out there who focus on small stuff like should you or should you not spend...
  • Derek: It’s fascinating how some bloggers continue to just mindlessly pump out affiliate content. It’s clear they are...
  • Untemplater: Lots of valid points! So true that bloggers are a minority of overall readership, so blogging to much...
  • Bingo: You are spot on. Most of our bloggers are white people living on the coasts, where half the population of...
  • Financial Samurai: Hi Jim – Nice to hear from you. It was too much work running Yakezie. Too many people wanted...

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