Why am I so poor?

[Nick]

.
Try typing any of the following into Google:

cruising yacht
sail cruising
sailing yacht
uk yachting
sailing uk

- plus quite a few others.

Huge traffic, yet I have difficulty selling £50 advertisements. Don't get me wrong, I have always maintained the site as a hobby - but I am still surprised at how unmonetisable it is . . .

[claymore]

Fer Feck's sake Nocodemus - all you had to do was ask

OK lads - a virtual whip-round for the site-meister if you would. Dig deep now fellers
I pledge a virtual £1000 as a starter.

This could be more fun than the virtual YBW cruise when I took off with the blonde

[ParaHandy]

Ah sent youse a Xmas card, whit mair dae ye want?

I'll offer a virtual £ for every one ye get out orra Claysie

[Silkie]

Ah'm blue in the face tellin' ye yer too effin' cheap!

(I mean that in the nicest possible way of course.)

[aquaplane]

That's quite impressive.

[FullCircle]

.
Try typing any of the following into Google:

cruising yacht
sail cruising
sailing yacht
uk yachting
sailing uk

- plus quite a few others.

I have tried entering the terms you mention, but cant get the Google text panel to accept the coloured text you show. It keeps turning black. I presume therefore that you have an administrators version of Google, and get different results.
I am kind of not surprised at your low income rate, as there is no shop, cart or checkout on the site. Indeed, I cant really find anything for sale. Perhaps you could start a chandlery or summat?
Or mebbe start a range of magazines like IPC, you know - Balvicar Boat Monthly, Practical Vega, that sort of thing.

[Nick]

.
erm . . . no Jim, what I had in mind was advertising. I am not going to set up a swindlery.

If you type 'cruising yacht' into Google for instance BlueMoment pages come up 1st and 2nd. The BlueMoment New Yachts section lists all major UK agants and builders in alphabetical order on four linked pages.

If you go to the first one http://www.bluemoment.com/newboats.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; you will see there are three ads on the rhs of the page for Salona, Huzar and Viva yachts. None of these have been paid for, they are there as examples only. Although I have sold advertising on varous other pages no agent or builde is perpared to spend £50 on a prominent advert on the page that comes first (or second) for the search term 'cruising yacht'. I find that odd. These slots should I reckon be worth a few hundred quid per annum each, but I can't sell them for £50.

[aquaplane]

Do any swindleries have affilliate programmes?

I looked up oil lamps on Amazon and they only have storm lanterns, I'm thinking of those £40 jobs discussed in another place.

[Nick]

.
After fifteen years I do not have much faith in affiliate schemes. We have been affiliates of Both Purple Marine and Mailspeed Marine in the past. Neiter of the affiliate schemes worked properly in terms of tracking or repoerting and we ended up supplying a lot of free advertising under false pretences.

Amazon is the only affiliate scheme that has consistently made money. However, with custom built Amazon links on seven or eight different websites we still struggle to average thirty pounds per month revenue.

Nauticalia are a third party seller with Amazon. Clicking on either link below should result in us getting commission if a purchase is made:



(If anyone does buy a Fastnet lamp thorugh this link could they please let me know via PM so we can make sure the tracking is working correctly)

[Alcyone]

I am in the market for one of those Nick. I will speak to Mrs A and let you know if she gives me some pocket money.

[JackJ]

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Try typing any of the following into Google:
cruising yacht
sail cruising
sailing yacht
uk yachting
sailing uk
yet I have difficulty selling £50 advertisements. I am still surprised at how unmonetisable it is . . .

1. Your pricing is way out
eg.
yachtmarket.com ask £10
boatshop24.co.uk ask £10 for an ad in Boat Trader and £0 for an ad on the website.
2. The market is saturated and tied up by well known names.
3. Many would only sell through a recognised brokerage.
4. You have optimised the wrong phrases! Anyone looking to buy a boat (thus anyone looking to find a site to sell their boat) would google "boats for sale" or "yachts for sale". Bluemont is nowhere on these searches.
Have you spent any money marketing your site?
If you want to make money out of this site you need a total rethink and an awareness that you need to spend money to make money.
I sometimes invest in small, privately owned webventures and similar. Come up with a business plan and let me know. I usually look to exit within five years, am content with an annual return of 10%, and usually risk up to £10K per venture. By its nature I don't ask for an equity holding but do seek a charge on an asset. I offer considerable business expertise.

[Nick]

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You have missed the point rather spectacularly. I am not interested in charging for classified boat ads - as you correctly point out that market is saturated. When it comes to selling boats I would rather create an affordable online brochure which the owner can then link to from his free/cheap online ads. (For an example of this have a look at Fair Prospect - we did the site)

I am talking about advertising by businesses in the sailing industry. Someone who is looking for a new cruising yacht for example comes up with not one but two BlueMoment pages at the top of Google. I am interested in selling advertising to Northshore, Rustler etc - not to people wanting to sell their own boat. The Classifieds section on here is free and likely to remain so.

Some sections of the site are relatively easy to sell ads on - check out the Scottish Charter page for example, which currently has advertisng worth £200 annually on it. The New Yachts section is the one that bugs me most because it is such a no-brainer even at five times the price.

Or - type yachtbrokers into Google. We come up second. Yes, that's right, second for a single generic search term. You would think that a broker or two might be interested in a £50 advert on that page, but no, they don't see it.

Thank you for your offer of investment, but as you don't seem to understand much about the way the web works I think you should probably invest your money elsewhere.

[Mark]

Or - type yachtbrokers into Google.

True, but type slippery bouncy jubblies in and Blue Moment is nowhere.

I know which I Google most.

[Nick]

Or - type yachtbrokers into Google.

True, but type slippery bouncy jubblies in and Blue Moment is nowhere.

I know which I Google most.

You are right. I'll re-optimise immediately.

[bosun higgs]

Nick
I used to run a business that took part in exhibitions each year as well as placed adverts in the press. OK it was industrial rather than consumer goods like boats, but I reckon the same basic principles apply.

And if I were in the boat building business, I would be using an ad agency. Said agency would usually not consider a £50 ad - what income do they get from that? Instead they would go to the audited big circulation magazines and sites but probably only when there was something to say like a new model.

The principle way of getting at the potential new boat punter would be the boat shows. Whilst they may not actually order there, thats where the initial comparisons are usually made

So it does not surprise me at all that you have problems. What you see as value for money, they will see as not worth bothering with. Concentrate instead on the small traders who are doing their own adverts and to whom a £50 spend is significant.