Alexander Stoicoff is a profitable website positioning professional with a pet peeve. He felt that males, specifically, didn’t actually know learn how to gown. He felt that after they wore fits, they’d hassle matching them with different clothes. So he got down to do one thing about it.
He created Fits Professional in 2016 as a aspect hustle in his quest to supply professional steering on fits and train males learn how to gown higher. Making use of his website positioning data to his area of interest website, he has seen regular progress in visitors and income for the reason that starting, and right this moment he’s bringing residence as much as $10k monthly.
This interview is filled with a number of nice perception as Alexander shares the guidelines and tips he has used to develop his menswear weblog.
Preserve studying to seek out out:
- Why he created his web site
- The three issues he centered on to start with
- The place his earnings comes from
- How he addresses topical relevance
- How a lot he works on his website
- His ideas on website positioning
- His method to key phrase analysis
- His ideas on hyperlink constructing
- How he creates content material
- How he grows and manages his electronic mail listing
- The assets and instruments he makes use of
- His fundamental problem
- His best accomplishment
- His largest mistake
- His recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Alexander Stoicoff
I am 33 years previous, married, and stay in a small nation within the Balkans known as Macedonia.
I graduated in laptop engineering in 2013 however determined to deal with entrepreneurship and issues that can present long-term monetary freedom. That very same 12 months, I based Adivius, a digital advertising company, and have centered on website positioning ever since.
All through my skilled journey, I’ve labored with some massive purchasers in lots of aggressive niches. Additionally, I taught younger entrepreneurs the topic of website positioning at a distinguished digital advertising academy in my nation for 2 years.
In personal, I am pretty pragmatic and wish to stay a comparatively easy and accountable life. I’ve a ardour for sports activities and significantly get pleasure from snowboarding and enjoying tennis.
Why He Created His Web site
Fits Professional began as a aspect job again in 2016.
As I bought older, I noticed individuals, significantly males, had been dressing immaturely.
And even when newer generations wore fits, they both wore them unsuitable or did not know learn how to match them with different clothes like shirts, footwear, not to mention ties.
And the outcomes on Google had been weak and restricted. There have been photos, however the explanations had been terrible. So, the chance was there.
I made a decision to construct a website that can honestly assist males gown higher and be taught extra about formal apparel typically. My long-term aim was to make males extra assured of their formal wardrobe selection, as I imagine everybody is just afraid of the unknown.
Retrospectively, I believed I might construct one thing profitable, given my curiosity and understanding of the topic. However I by no means thought it could grow to be as distinguished on the topic as it’s right this moment.
So, I began writing about topics that individuals needed solutions for. Solely simple data and recommendation, nothing boring and pointless content material.
I centered on three issues: well-organized content material, robust and related interlinking between the posts, and useful visible content material. And the develop recipe was set for the time being the positioning began rating. For me, it meant that high quality > amount.
What’s fascinating is that Fits Professional began as a zero backlink challenge. I used to be assured that Google would acknowledge useful and well-organized content material. One thing that is more durable to do right this moment, however extra on that later…
Since then, I’ve began loads of tasks (which I am going to preserve in personal). A few of them turned out to achieve success. Some did not and had been a pleasant playground for testing. I additionally needed to copy this in different niches, and I used to be in a rush. However I additionally realized this: There aren’t any shortcuts.
Good tasks take time, particularly with Google.
How A lot Cash He’s Making
I began monetizing Fits Professional 4 years in the past after I joined Mediavine. It was then that I noticed individuals could make a full-time dwelling from running a blog. Since then, the income is consistently rising.
I lately transitioned to Raptive, one of many largest advert networks in relation to life-style running a blog.
Fits Professional at the moment earns $7-$10k month-to-month, of which 80% comes from show adverts.
This proportion signifies an unlimited room for enchancment on the affiliate internet marketing entrance. Growing the earnings by 30-50% and taking the affiliate half extra severely is one thing pretty doable if I wasn’t centered on a number of tasks.
I’ve leveraged platforms like Amazon Associates, Share a Sale, Awin, and CJ for affiliate internet marketing, which contribute 15% of the positioning’s income. In the meantime, paid model collaborations and different direct model commercials add as much as 5% of the positioning’s income.
The important thing to attaining this stage of income has been my unwavering dedication to high quality. Each article is printed to genuinely assist searchers and readers, with loads of photos and visuals.
Fits Professional will get round 200 to 300k guests monthly (relying on the month) with a bit of greater than 200 articles. Contemplating the area of interest, that is an excellent quantity.
It reveals you are able to do so much when you have got well-written, optimized, useful articles designed to reply an issue the search engine consumer has.
For instance, my article on males’s go well with types permits me to go in-depth and canopy each subtopic, e.g., single-breasted vs. double-breasted fits, and so forth.
Any such topical, related content material permits me to simply interlink between posts utilizing the ability of website positioning.
How A lot Alexander Works on His Web site
First, I wish to level out that Fits Professional gives a passive earnings that enables me to skip engaged on the positioning for a while. It’s not just like the rankings will disappear if I cease publishing for every week or two.
That stated, I used to work a small variety of hours per week on the positioning. During the last two years, I began prioritizing it and began working 4 hours every day (on common).
Once more, Fits Professional shouldn’t be a full-time job. So, contemplating all tasks, I normally work 9-12 hours.
A number of individuals are concerned within the challenge, together with a content material supervisor, a content material author who helps me craft some stunning phrases, a graphic designer who helps me with the pictures, and lately, a video editor who will assist me with our new YouTube video collection. Ensure that to subscribe to take a look at our newly coming movies!
His Ideas on website positioning
The advertising technique we selected was to depend on website positioning and engines like google. So, it means discovering the appropriate key phrases and thoroughly curating content material on the subject. It’s an previous recreation that everybody performs, however not everybody executes it correctly.
website positioning is essential for Fits Professional. Virtually 95% of the visitors comes from engines like google.
Our technique relies on producing useful content material. It aligns with our targets to create articles which are simpler to seek out and genuinely assist readers discover the proper solutions.
Whereas techniques might range barely, we attempt making use of the usual website positioning practices (topical relevance, cautious inside linking, key phrase optimization, competitor evaluation, and so forth.) and content material advertising methods (outreach, social media, and so forth.)
My motto has all the time been that “website positioning is about serving to individuals discover the solutions they want.” It is a totally different perspective while you place your reader’s wants first. It actually helps you create one thing higher.
Key phrase Analysis
We use two approaches to discover key phrases we are able to cowl.
The primary ones are evergreen key phrases with Ahrefs. Right here, we’re significantly within the search quantity and the key phrase problem.
One other important factor is topical relevance. I wish to make sure that loads of key phrases are lined on one subject (for instance, go well with colours) earlier than we transfer to a different subject (for instance, gown codes).
Ahrefs is an superior instrument for competitor evaluation as properly. I will not get too technical right here, however you possibly can all the time peek at what your rivals rank for and the way they get their visitors by exploring their key phrases.
This is a tip: The best state of affairs is a good key phrase (or group of key phrases) with 5k+ month-to-month searches with low problem. Consider me, there are many these key phrases which are nonetheless not lined correctly or are solely partially lined.
Ahrefs has a superb (and free) metric on key phrase problem, and it tracks simple key phrases (beneath 10 rating) as inexperienced and medium (11-30) as medium inexperienced. That’s your purpose for the beginning.
The second sort is trending key phrases; we additionally use Google Key phrase Planner to trace these. We additionally cowl trending matters (for instance, gown like David Beckham) by discovering the steadiness of month-to-month searches and the way lengthy this key phrase shall be fashionable and searched.
Hyperlink Constructing
This is essential. Take into account the hyperlinks as votes. Your rivals would have loads of votes at this level when you’re simply beginning up. It will take loads of effort to get acknowledged by related sources and loads of outreach to seize their consideration.
However as soon as the trade notices you, issues occur “extra naturally.” In case you’re a related and useful supply of knowledge, an increasing number of websites will hyperlink to your content material naturally.
What works greatest is creating and publishing one thing distinctive, whether or not it is trending or highly-helpful content material, an infographic, or a video. Then, attempt to discover and pitch to related websites which may wish to use that exact content material and attain out.
When pitching to related websites, you’ll want to speak much less about your self and reward the individual you are contacting. Everyone needs to be complimented for his or her work.
Attempt to discover one thing that intrigues or fascinates you in regards to the creator’s work. However do not faux it, individuals will discover. Be pure but skilled, and preserve it brief.
I see this from one other perspective as properly… Fits Professional receives not less than 50 emails a day. I barely reply to 1.
Providing to write down content material for different websites in an effort to get a backlink would not (or hardly ever) works. A top-level website would by no means settle for content material from somebody outdoors of their collaborative community except you are a high identify within the trade. Then, it is a completely totally different recreation.
His Content material Creation Course of
First, I do key phrase analysis. I arrange the entire map of key phrases lengthy earlier than I begin writing about them. Bear in mind, the purpose was to create a topical relevance on a selected subject.
We retailer all fundamental key phrases on ClickUp, an internet challenge administration app that lets you handle duties and information. For instance, if I wish to write in regards to the “totally different go well with types,” I retailer this key phrase as an open process contained in the app that awaits to be processed.
As soon as I begin engaged on a selected key phrase, I delve into the subject by doing competitor evaluation, checking the proper phrases and key phrases I am going to have to make use of, and making a well-organized heading construction for the content material. Instruments like Surfer assist so much right here.
For instance, I (we) create SERP evaluation for a selected key phrase (totally different go well with types). The instrument routinely tells me which key phrases are essential when creating content material for this particular article.
So now the key phrase mapping (key phrases that evolve across the subject “totally different go well with types”) begins. And I love to do it the old school approach. I create a Phrase doc with approximate phrase depend, beneficial h1 and website positioning titles, major, secondary, and tertiary key phrases, different phrases to incorporate, sources, and so forth.
I will not get too technical in regards to the writing, as everybody has a unique writing type. All I can say is: be on level. Use shorter sentences and brief paragraphs. Respect individuals’s time and level them to the appropriate reply.
Alexander’s E mail Listing
Now we have a good electronic mail listing that we use just for high-tier publishing. We develop it by displaying pop-ups and sidebar subscription fields.
By respectable, I imply comparatively small. There are round 5000 emails on the listing. Since we do not have an lively e-newsletter and frequent electronic mail campaigns, we use the listing to advertise new articles we simply printed which are high-quality and that may solely make sense to “promote.”
For instance, if summer season simply arrived and we have simply printed “marriage ceremony apparel for summer season.” In that case, we’ll electronic mail that we simply printed the very best outfit examples for weddings this summer season with a short description of the publish.
Emails are one in all our high priorities for Fits Professional, and we’re engaged on it proper now. Quickly, we’ll attempt to enhance our subscribers by offering coupons to main clothiers, providing a free course through pop-up, and focused messages on particular posts.
For instance, on the “greatest reasonably priced fits” publish, we can provide a coupon code for one in all our associates by asking the reader to enter their electronic mail.
His Favourite Assets
website positioning is essential for a running a blog website like mine. That is why I wholeheartedly suggest studying Backlinko. He has some superior guides in relation to key phrase analysis, on-page website positioning, hyperlink constructing, and so forth.
There are many video and YouTube assets as properly. I keep in mind I watched the “Affiliate Lab” course a while in the past. It teaches doing one thing similar to what I am doing with Fits Professional.
I am going to speak extra about momentum beneath, however proper now, YouTube is trending. In case you’re beginning in one thing comparable, learn to construct a robust channel and do one thing significant with it so you possibly can monetize it simply.
His YouTube Channel
YouTube is one in all our high priorities for Fits Professional. Persons are searching for fast and visible solutions, and I wish to begin turning each publish right into a video.
One in all my first impressions is that good video enhancing isn’t low-cost however value it. Folks need fascinating visible particulars, and the small issues will make them subscribe.
In case you’re simply beginning out, the very best recommendation I can provide to individuals is to get out in entrance of the digital camera and do the recordings themselves. Be taught some video enhancing software program (like Adobe Premier); they’re simpler than they appear to start out.
And also you don’t want costly gear however, somewhat, a imaginative and prescient in your channel. Like making a weblog website, you’ll want a selected subject to create movies about, inquiries to reply, and issues to resolve so your viewers is aware of why they need to observe your channel.
“You may solely be taught one thing if you happen to’re prepared to attempt it your self. As quickly as attainable.”
His Go-To Instruments
I manage every part with my staff via ClickUp with Slack for communication, so I’ll depend these as one.
For website positioning, my bread and butter are Surfer and Ahrefs. But when Ahrefs is simply too costly to start out, use Google Key phrase Planner in its place.
His Predominant Problem
First, I wish to emphasize that each problem strengthened me and my enterprise. What appeared scary again then appears trivial now.
At one level, one competitor turned on me for utilizing his movies on my web site, which made me prepared to open my very own YouTube channel and do my very own movies.
The mantra I stay by is rarely giving up and regularly striving to be taught from my errors.
At this time, I might say the largest problem is to make the companies impartial from me. It is not simple discovering and coaching a talented and reliable staff.
However with every impediment, there is a lesson to be discovered, and I am assured that the knowledge to beat this problem, too, is inside attain.
His Best Accomplishment
My best accomplishment shouldn’t be selecting a 9 to five job, pursuing my pursuits, and dealing laborious to earn my monetary freedom. This manner, I’ve constructed a life I do not want a trip from.
I genuinely get pleasure from what I am doing and do not contemplate my work exhausting and tedious, despite the fact that I typically work more durable and longer than most individuals do.
What He Needs He Knew When He Began
Timing is essential. What works now won’t work eternally.
Capitalize on the momentum and work diligently to maximise the present alternative. It is about being agile and attentive to the ever-changing panorama.
Most significantly, be open to eternally studying new issues!
His Greatest Mistake
That might in all probability be not specializing in one challenge solely again after I was beginning, on this case, Fits Professional.
I used to construct and flip different websites, which took loads of power and time. Whereas I made cash out of them, trying again at issues, Fits Professional would have introduced rather more worth retrospectively with time.
It is okay to work on a number of tasks after getting tasted success. However begin with one factor at a time.
His Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Having a supply of earnings is essential. If you have not secured a steady money circulate for your online business, contemplate a distant and even part-time job the place you may additionally be taught extra about your online business and earn the mandatory expertise to maneuver it extra quickly.
Use time fastidiously, develop self-discipline, and be affected person.
Work laborious sufficient on one factor, and with an excellent plan, success will observe naturally.
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