Here is my honest review of the Stupid Simple SEO course. In this blog post, I am going to show you how this course has changed my blogging career. This course has allowed me to not only learn about SEO and how it helped with traffic, but also how I was able to make my first affiliate sale in just two months of starting the course.
I Bought Stupid Simple SEO in 2020
It was during the summer of 2020, after I quit my dental assistant job, that I finally dared to use my unemployment check to purchase the Stupid Simple SEO course. I bought it because I wanted to learn about SEO and how to monetize my blog traffic with my affiliate links.
I started blogging around 2017–2018, and I had never made any money during that time. However, in 2019, I made $50 through a sponsored blog post. So, I knew my blog had potential. I had heard about Stupid Simple SEO from another blogger in the personal finance niche, and I was intrigued when I read the reviews about the course.
However, I was scared to invest in the course because I wasn’t making any money from my blog yet. So, I then pivoted from WordPress to Medium. When I started publishing a few blog posts on the Medium platform, I was making a few dollars here and there. Not much, but I was getting monthly earnings.
This didn’t stop me. I knew I was going to invest in the course. I just didn’t know when.
Fast forward, in the spring of 2020, you know what happened. So, at my job, they decided to close the clinic for the public and only open for emergencies. So, there was hardly anything to do in there. But, during that time, I was planning on how to monetize my blog.
It was as if my fire for blogging and affiliate marketing was growing so fast and so deep in me.
I was in constant planning mode. I was writing down ideas, and finally, when the clinic decided to reopen a month later, I was so mad!
My workplace was suddenly constantly fighting for PPE (personal protective equipment). It got so toxic.
In my mind, I quit on the spot. Well, no. I finished my shift quietly. I didn’t give a two-week notice. Nothing. I stopped showing up to work. I was getting constant texts. I responded that I was sick.
After a couple of days, my then-husband asked me if I was ever going back to work. I told him the truth. I had quit, and I wasn’t going back. Then I got my unemployment check, and I bought the Stupid Simple SEO course.
What Happened After I Bought Stupid Simple SEO?
So, I finally bought the course and I was excited. I was also getting buyers remorse because I wasn’t working. And I didn’t have a WordPress blog since I was only publishing on the Medium platform. I didn’t know how this was going to work. And, keyword research tools were expensive back then.
So, I was scared and overthinking. Then I was focusing on making some cash quickly through UberEats and Postmates. I was trying to make some money for the rent since I was still getting some unemployment money.
I put the course on hold temporarily. My marriage was going down the drain, so it affected my mental health. I was depressed and didn’t sleep, or eat. I lost 20 lbs. I went from 105 lbs to almost 80 lbs. I couldn’t afford the rent anymore so I moved from Florida to Texas with the help of my brother. I wanted to be with my family.
This was in February 2021, when I moved to Texas.
The Blog Post that Changed Everything
I remember getting an email from Mike Futia to remind me something about the course. In around October or November 2021, I wrote a blog post after implementing what I learned from the course. I was only in module 1 when I wrote the blog post. I published this blog post on the Medium platform. Not thinking much of it.
I was only on the first module, and two months later, I got my first affiliate sale. It was in January 2022.
Here is the link to the blog post:
My Blogging Traffic and Income 2022-2023
So, since I was writing blog posts on Medium, I decided to add a custom domain to a Medium publication that I had started and was treating like a website. It was called “The Work at Home Blogger”, so I bought a domain with the same name as my publication.
My traffic on Medium was growing too. I was getting traffic from Google and from the Medium platform.
In 2022, My Divorce Was Finalized
My divorce was finalized in 2022, and I was making some money here and there with my blog on Medium, and having some affiliate sales. However, it was not constant. I was approaching my blog as a “selling” machine and not as a “service” machine.
Lesson learned. And I wasn’t growing an email list. Another lesson learned.
I was so desperate to make money online, that it was obvious from my blog posts that it was turned off to some of my audience.
Then Medium changed their paywall.
Medium Partner Program in 2023
So, Medium algorithm and paywall were changing in early 2023. The highest I ever made in one month from Medium was $150. Then my traffic was plummeting. My stories were not being distributed on the Medium platform, but I was still receiving traffic from Google because of SEO.
The Stupid Simple SEO course helped boost my traffic on the Medium platform.
Outside traffic on Medium is good if the reader converts into a member.
Back then, from 2021–2023, anyone who was a writer on Medium and got a reader converted into a paid member, would get a small commission. Well, the commission helped my earnings.
My traffic started dropping a whole lot on Medium, and I started to panic. So, I made the decision to pivot to another platform where I could control my traffic.
I found some platforms that, later, I hated. I went to MailerLite and then to Ghost. However, I wasn’t getting much traffic. And on MailerLite, writing and posting blog posts were a pain in the neck. It got frustrating. It’s why I switched to Ghost, but it got expensive too, and I already paid for a year on MailerLite (and only used it for one month).
SEO in 2024 and Beyond
After those two platforms, I decided to go back to WordPress. It was the late fall of 2023, and I had made my first $400 affiliate sale from a blog post I had written on Medium about Shopify.
And during that time, my mother was going through some medical issues and had to undergo an extremely complicated neck surgery. I knew I had to care for her, so I decided to temporarily shut down my site and focus full time on my mother.
So, from November 2023 to late January 2024, my website was shut down.
In late January, I opened my site again, after my mother was fully recovered. My site was going through some major fixes and updates. Google was also updating its algorithm. It went through 4 updates, I think. And, yes, my traffic plummeted big time.
I haven’t made any big sales since last fall, 2023. I have made a couple of sales, but they are small. I still get traffic but not like before. I get 2-4 visitors per day if I am lucky. Close to 100 per month.
I also decided to write on Medium, but I am not on the partner program anymore. Now I am focusing on growing my brand. It helps with SEO and backlinks.
It’s August 2024, and SEO still works. I may not be making any money right now, but it still works when implemented correctly.
See the image below of a blog post I wrote yesterday evening, and today it’s ranking on the number 2 spot on Google.
Here is the link to the published post:
https://medium.com/@theworkathomeblogger/stupid-simple-blogging-85b9090e2a90
Currently, I only monetize my blog with affiliate links because I hate ads. And, I am not planning on having any ads on my site anytime soon.
Free WordPress Tools and Plugins I Use for My Blog:
WordPress Theme: Kadence theme is free to start. I am using the free version, which is great. It improved my speed and design for my site. You can get an upgrade if you want to later on, but free is great to start.
WordPress Plugin: Kadence Blocks This can be used for product displays or anything you want to add a modern, clean look to your blog.
WordPress SEO Plugin:RankMath for SEO, much better than Yoast. I use the free version.
WordPress Affiliate Links Cloaking: This is Lasso free plugin for beautiful displays for your affiliate links. See image below. I use this free version. It makes your affiliate links look much nicer.
The following is not a WordPress plugin, but it’s affordable to use now. Ahrefs has now included a Starter Plan, which was recently added and is available for $30 per month with limited features.
It’s great to use. I use it for my blog. You can also use the free Ahrefs Keyword Generator for keyword research and the free Ahrefs Difficulty Checker, which I also used when I couldn’t afford an efficient keyword research tool.
These Ahrefs free tools were recommended by Adam Enfroy. He is a popular blogger who has grown his blog in a few short years.
Stupid Simple Blogging
Because of everything that has happened in recent Google updates, Mike Futia decided to update and implement new strategies to diversify blog traffic. Because in the blogger community, we have learned to never rely on one source of traffic.
And, it will be offered on his new course, Stupid Simple Blogging, in which he will teach everything you need to know in addition to SEO to grow your website traffic. And, as you can see from the image above, SEO still works.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself; all opinions expressed here are mine. In addition, I may earn a small commission.
This blog course will be available for open enrollment from 8/12–8/16/24. You can use my affiliate link to sign up for his waiting list for open enrollment in his new course. I will only get a commission if you decide to purchase the course.
Here is what is included:
What’s Included:
- Stupid Simple SEO: Updated for 2024 and beyond, and trimmed down, to reflect all the craziness going on right now.
- Stupid Simple Pinning: Strategies I’ve used to grow our account to 20K clicks per day.
- Stupid Simple AI: How to use AI tools to improve your systems & processes as a blogger, when it comes to researching, planning, and creating content, including AI images. (Note: this is not about using an AI writing tool to just publish junk AI content).
- Stupid Simple Facebook: How to Use Facebook Pages to Drive Traffic Back to Your Blog. Note: This will be released post-launch.
- Stupid Simple List-Building: How to use paid and organic strategies to grow your email list, and then monetize that list. There will be some light Facebook Ads training around lead magnets. Our list is growing at nearly 1,000 leads per day with this strategy. Note: this will be released post-launch
- Community Access: A private Facebook group with all students to ask questions and bounce ideas off of. You know the deal.
Final Thought
So, I believed in always pivoted and adapting to changes. Yes, we can panic. However, we cannot let changes like these stop us from pursuing our goals, such as growing our blog and online business.
It’s why I highly recommend Mike Futia’s course. Stupid Simple SEO is going to be included in the Stupid Simple Blogging course, but in a more updated version because of the recent changes from Google.
In case you’re wondering, yes. I will be enrolling too. I want to grow and diversify my traffic too. As a former student of his course, I get a discounted price. You will too if you become his student and finish the program, and if you decide to get any new courses from him, then you get to pay for annual access to any updated courses.
Thanks for reading!
FAQ: Stupid Simple Blogging Course
Q1: What is Stupid Simple Blogging course?
A: Stupid Simple Blogging is a comprehensive course designed to help bloggers diversify their traffic sources, scale their income, and future-proof their blogs in 2024 and beyond.
Q2: Who is this course for?
A: This course is suitable for both beginner and experienced bloggers looking to diversify their traffic sources and grow their blog’s income.
Q3: What topics does the course cover?
A: The course covers a range of topics including SEO, Pinterest strategy, AI tools for blogging, Facebook traffic, and email list building.
Q4: How long does the course last?
A: The course is a multi-week program, allowing for in-depth coverage of all topics.
Q5: Is there a community aspect to the course?
A: Yes, students get access to a private Facebook group where they can ask questions and network with other bloggers.
Q6: How much does the course cost?
A: The course costs $397 for the initial enrollment, with an optional yearly renewal fee of $197 for continued access and updates.
Q7: When does enrollment open?
A: Enrollment opens on August 12th, 2024.
Q8: Will I learn about the latest Google updates?
A: Yes, the SEO module is regularly updated to reflect the latest changes in search algorithms.
Q9: Is there a refund policy?
A: For the most up-to-date information on the refund policy, please check the official course page.
Q10: How is this different from other blogging courses?
A: Stupid Simple Blogging focuses on diversifying traffic sources and provides strategies for multiple channels, making it a comprehensive solution for modern bloggers.
Q11: Do I get lifetime access to the course materials?
A: Initial access is for one year. After that, you can renew annually for continued access and updates.
Q12: Is there support available if I have questions during the course?
A: Yes, you can ask questions in the private Facebook group and get support from both the course creators and fellow students.
