Spencer Haws is a highly recognized figure in the world of affiliate marketing and SEO. He is best known for his live projects, where he publicly shares his journey in building successful niche sites.
One of his most famous projects is NSP4, which stands for his fourth public live niche site. He started this project in August 2018, and on July 2, 2019, at 5:30 PM local time, Spencer made the site public during a live webinar. He had promised to reveal the site once it earned $1,000 per month. In June 2019, when the site earned over $1,200, Spencer kept his word and announced the live reveal.
Thousands of people from around the world attended the webinar, eager to see the site and learn from Spencer’s success. The webinar went live on July 3, 2019, at 6:30 AM Bangladesh time.
Since I’ve been involved with the NSP4 project from the beginning and have actively worked on it, I felt it was important to attend the live webinar, and I did. After the webinar, many questions flooded my mind, along with other relevant thoughts. I intend to include all of that in this article.
The article might get long, but I’ll try to keep it concise. However, if it does become lengthy, I invite you to read through it patiently without getting bored, as I believe it will provide valuable insights.
NSP4 at a Glance
- Domain Name: OwnTheYard.com
- Registration Date: August 24, 2018
- Domain Purchased From: NameCheap.com
- Hosting: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Site Powered By: WordPress (Self-Hosted)
- Theme: GeneratePress Premium
- Plugins:
- Ad Inserter
- AmaLinks Pro
- Amazon Affiliate for WordPress
- Classic Editor
- Disable Search
- GA Google Analytics
- Gonzales
- GP Premium
- Head, Footer and Post Injections
- Link Whisper
- OptinMonster API
- Real-Time Find and Replace
- Recent Posts Widget with Thumbnails
- Search & Replace
- Self-Hosted Google Fonts
- ShortPixel Image Optimizer
- SVG Support
- WP Featherlight
- WP Rocket
- WP Show Posts
- Yoast SEO
- And possibly more!
- Number of Articles: 158 (as of June 30, 2019)
- Total Word Count: Over 500,000
- Number of Money Articles: 96 (give or take 1 or 2)
- Number of Informational Articles: 62 (give or take 1 or 2)
- Image Sources: Shutterstock, Google, and Amazon (via API)
- Article Source: Outsourced (average $30 per thousand words)
- Total Site Cost: $17,000 (as of June 2019, though I estimate it may be higher)
- Earnings Started: December 2018 (within 4 months of starting)
NSP4 Overview
How much do you think your knowledge has grown after attending Spencer’s webinar? Do you feel like you’ve become an expert? Honestly, I don’t know your current level, so let me talk about myself.
I feel a bit outdated. But that’s not the main point. First, take a moment to reflect on what the webinar was actually about. If needed, watch it again. That might help you understand better.
Was there really anything special in the webinar other than the website address? Can you tell me what stood out? Everything discussed was the same old stuff! They won’t tell you anything new. They’ll take outdated tricks and create courses to sell. I can guarantee that you’ll find more useful information in the Amazon Affiliate Bangladesh Facebook group than in these courses.
What did Spencer say about keywords? Was there anything special? What he mentioned became outdated five or seven years ago. Using LongTail Pro to pull KC (Keyword Competitiveness) and working on those keywords? I’m not sure how wise that approach is anymore.
Now, for those of you who attended the webinar, how many of you checked the keywords from Spencer’s OTY site? I did. If you’ve checked them too, then tell me, do you think it’s possible to rank those keywords through normal efforts?
Despite all his hard work, Spencer still hasn’t managed to rank any money-making keywords. I checked using SEMrush, and none of the top keywords appear in the rankings. You can check it yourself or take a look at the screenshot below.
Look at the search volumes and the type of keywords. Do you think these are money keywords? Also, pay attention to what kind of keywords are bringing most of the traffic. Yet, Spencer mentioned that he categorized articles based on search volume. However, I’m not entirely sure, as I haven’t had the time to verify it. But I do plan to check it out.
Correction:
After publishing the post, Amazon affiliate marketing expert Rohit Palit shared a screenshot showing that Spencer’s site indeed ranked for money keywords. Hence, this correction. I later checked SEMrush again and looked into Ahrefs.
What I realized is that the screenshots I pulled were from May’s data. At that time, my account didn’t have access to June’s data. Anyway, thanks to Rohit for pointing this out. I was confused myself when SEMrush didn’t reflect this earlier.
Considering Spencer’s site made almost $800 from OTY sales through Amazon last month, it’s unlikely that would happen without ranking for money keywords. And Spencer is no ordinary marketer, nor is his investment. So it’s only natural that his site ranks.
But how much investment did it take? Around $20,000! Which is a staggering amount for anyone in our country to imagine. This is the point I was trying to highlight in my article.
Some Thoughts on the Articles
By June 2019, Spencer had posted 158 articles on his site. According to his description, each article contains around 500 words or more. Out of these, approximately 61% (96 articles) are money articles, while the remaining 39% (62 articles) are informative articles. These statistics go beyond the usual Google metrics.
However, Google has never directly stated that this approach is wrong. Google consistently emphasizes the value of informational content. Whether it’s a money article or an informational article doesn’t matter to Google—it values traffic. The article that brings in traffic is what Google considers valuable.
Traditionally, since traffic tends to spend more time on an informational article, Amazon affiliate marketing experts have emphasized these articles to build a site’s value.
Spencer also talked about article length. He keeps the informational articles limited to a maximum of 2,000 words, while money articles tend to be 3,000–5,000 words or even longer.
Aside from this, what else did Spencer say about his article strategy? I didn’t hear much more. So, what was the real purpose of this webinar?
- To show off?
- To help new niche site marketers?
- To sell a course? (A bunch of outdated garbage videos!)
- To showcase his site?
Honestly, I didn’t get much out of it. He definitely won’t be able to sell me a course! I do indeed buy courses, but only when I find them necessary. I’m not in a position to waste money on useless courses. I’m a #newbie affiliate marketer. I work hard and earn money through effort. Before wasting it, I think three, six, and even nine times!
Backlink Strategy
Spencer’s backlink strategy, as mentioned in guest posts, edits links, The Hoth, and Authority Builder links, didn’t quite convince me. If you take a look at the keyword competitors, you’ll understand why I’m skeptical about what he said. Check the screenshot above. The number of referring domains is 467. Does that match Spencer’s description? SEMrush’s data also shows that there are more dofollow backlinks than nofollow. I’ve included more screenshots on this to help clarify the concept for you.
These three screenshots should give you a clearer understanding of my point. Pay attention to keyword positions, traffic flow charts, competitors, and anchor text.
What I found most interesting was the anchor text strategy. There’s a lot for us to learn here. For those of us who think, “Why should we bother with anchor text when we can just pay for backlinks and use exact match keywords to rank faster?”—this is where you should take a closer look at the importance of anchor text.
Here’s another screenshot to better understand keyword positions. You can also observe traffic flow from this data.
Why You Shouldn’t Follow NSP4
Writing a case study-type article is quite difficult. It requires a lot of time and research. However, time is a major factor, so I can’t make this article longer right now. Instead, let me highlight a few points that explain why you shouldn’t be too impressed by the NSP4 site and why it’s not worth following.
1. Investment
The first point is investment. According to my estimation, Spencer has invested over $20,000 in this site so far. Though they claim it’s just $17,000, I won’t argue. Let’s assume it’s $17,000.
Now, think about it: in our country, affiliate marketers often ask, “Can someone share a premium theme?” while they wait to design their site. For them, investing even $1,000, let alone $17,000, is extremely challenging.
2. Keyword Selection
The second point is even more alarming! I’m really concerned about the way Spencer selects keywords. If someone follows NSP4’s keyword selection method, I guarantee it will be impossible to rank. Absolutely not. Just take a look at the 96 money article keywords on his site. A little digging will confirm what I’m saying. I randomly checked several keywords, and I was shocked by what I found.
3. The Number of Articles
The third point is the sheer number of articles. Posting 100+ articles on a niche site is something new marketers need to consider seriously. It might be feasible for experienced marketers like Al-Amin Kabir, Arifur Islam Palash, and KM Rafiq Islam. But for someone who is just starting, how realistic is it to achieve this? Shouldn’t we think about how possible it is for a beginner?
These points show why blindly following NSP4 might not be the best approach for everyone, especially for new affiliate marketers.
So, How Should You Build a Site?
If you’re asking yourself, “How do I build a site?” I’d say, pause for a moment. It’s not as difficult as it seems. Have you ever heard the sayings “The more sugar, the sweeter” or “Cut your coat according to your cloth”? That’s exactly how you need to approach this. If we sit around comparing ourselves to Emperor Humayun, who had 300 chefs, and starve because we don’t have the same, who’s at a loss? Us or Emperor Humayun?
Of course, you should build a niche site, but according to your capacity. Why do you need to earn millions of dollars? Start small. In my Authority Site Success Blueprint eBook, I’ve shared a small-scale plan for getting started. I’m not sure how many of you have thoroughly read and understood it, but I’ve laid out my strategy there. If you go through it carefully, you’ll see that success is quite achievable for beginners. Learn this trick, and it will help you.
When I started affiliate marketing, my first three projects failed. One of those projects had a goal like, “I’ll flip this site for a million dollars.” Sounds ridiculous, right? Or maybe you think I was being foolish? Perhaps both! Back then, I thought of myself as an expert affiliate marketer. I believed I knew everything there was to learn in the industry! Haha!
Looking back, I realize how naïve I was. And now, after all these years, I feel like I don’t even know 1% of the affiliate marketing world. But I’m still learning. Anyway, that’s a story for another day.
That’s all for now!
I’ve tried to summarize everything about the NSP4 project in a short post. If I missed anything, feel free to ask in the comments. Insha’Allah, I’ll try to answer your questions accurately.
Stay well, stay healthy, and may your days be filled with joy.
Happy Affiliate Marketing!
Onek valolaglo post
জেনে ভালো লাগলো। ধন্যবাদ আপু।
অসাধারন কেস স্টাডি ভাই। আমি অবাক হই, আপনি এতো ধৈর্য নিয়ে এতো বড় লেখা কিভাবে শেষ করেন। তাও বিন্দুমাত্র ভ্যালু লেস না করে!
ভাই, আপনার কাজের পরিধি জানি। এরকম করে বললে লজ্জা পাই। তবে আনন্দিত বোধ করছি আপনার কমেন্ট আমার ব্লগে দেখে। ভালোবাসা ভাই।
অনেক ভাল লাগলো বিল্লাল ভাই। ১৭ হাজার ডলার খরচ করার পাবলিক আমাদের দেশের মানুষের মধ্যে আছে কিনা জানিনা, তাও যদি হয় নতুন। আসলেই হাস্যকর।
আমাদের দেশে অনেক আছে ভাই যারা এরচেয়েও বেশি খরচ করার এবিলিটি রাখেন। হয়তো করেনও। তবে নতুনদের জন্য কষ্টকর বলবো নাকি অসম্ভব বলবো সেটা জানি না। ধন্যবাদ।
very helpful resource.
অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ।
সত্যি বলতে আমি এর সমন্ধে জানতাম না। আজকে বিভিন্ন গ্রুপে এর সমন্ধে শুনে ওয়েবিনার টি দেখার ইচ্ছে ছিলো। আপনার বিস্তারিত বর্ণ্না পড়ে সহজেই পুরো বিষয় টি জানা হয়ে গেলো।
Vaia, Your all article are very informative for the newbies and experts.Hope You will write about keyword research soon.
ইনশাআল্লাহ লিখবো। তবে আমার ই-বুকে কিন্তু লিখেছি এই নিয়ে। ওখানেও দেখতে পারেন।
Khub valo likhechen….
I m a marketeer too and I m very happy that you have written the truth.
I am glad 🙂
UBERSUGGEST আর AUTHORITYAID- এই দুইটা সাইট নিয়া টেনশনে আছি।
মাগনা এত হাই কোয়ালিটির সার্ভিস দিয়ে যাচ্ছে, কখন জানি বকেয়াসহ চার্জ দাবী করে বসে!!!
আপনার লেখা মানেই বিশেষ কিছু, বড় ধাক্কার মোটিভেশন। ভালবাসা নিবেন ভাই। <3
হাহ হাহ হা! কী যে বলেন ভাই!!
আয়্যাম গ্লাড। 🙂
Vai till now ami 3 ta project flop khaisi. onek din dhora bosha asi vabsi abar start korum ai years er shesh er dikhe. Dowa raikhen. R article a kisu guruttow purno dik tula dhorasen jaigula khub valo lagse.
Best of luck vai.
ভাই,
স্টডি করতেই আছি, বিশেষ করে আপনার পোষ্টের উপর আর কবে এবং কোথা থেকেযে শুরু করব বুঝতে পারছিনা।তবে আপনার এই পোষ্টা থেকে অনেক কিছু জানতে পারলাম।
ধন্যবাদ ভাই
আমার ই-বুকটা পড়লে মোটামুটি একটা গাইডলাইন পাবেন কোথায় থেকে শুরু করতে হবে সে সম্পর্কে। শুভকামনা থাকলো ভাই।
Ami spencer er vdo ta dekhi nai ekhono. Tobe apnar likha pore onek kichu clear holo & apnar blueprint ta ami porechi, amar moto newbie der jonno helpful. Thanks billal bhai.
জেনে ভালো লাগলো ভাই। ভালোবাসা জানবেন।
অসাধারন কেস স্টাডি ভাই।
ধন্যবাদ ভাই।
Yes, Sir, His ability of investment, experience level and loss recovering method not adjustable as e new marketer. but not bad for learning something from this niche site four.
Please, can you start this type of public site with Bangla case study? then we learn from you.
I don’t want to give you thanks, you didn’t give case study yet, that’s promised last few months ago.
তাপসদা’র সাথে সেদিন গ্রুপে আলাপ হচ্ছিলো। গ্রুপ-ওয়াইজড একটা পাবলিক নিস সাইট রান করার সুন্দর একটা আইডিয়া দিয়েছেন। আইডিয়াটা আমার বেশ পছন্দ হয়েছে। কখনও যদি সময় করতে পারি গ্রুপের লিজেন্ড যারা আছেন, সবাইরে না হলেও অন্তত ৫/৭ জনকে নিয়ে একটা পাবলিক নিস সাইট করার চিন্তা আছে।
কেসস্টাডি নিয়ে কিছু জটিলতা তৈরি হয়েছে। যে কারণে ওটা লেখা শেষ করে ড্রাফট করে রেখেছি। কখনও যদি জটিলতাগুলো ওভারকাম করা যায়, তাহলে হয়তো পাবলিশ করবো।
ধন্যবাদ ভাই।
আসলেই অসাধারণ ভাই। ফুল আর্টিকেল পরে বুঝলাম এই ধরণের সাইট শুধুমাত্র বিগ মার্কেটারদের পক্ষেই সম্ভব। আরও নতুন নতুন আর্টিকেল চাই যা আমাদের জ্ঞান বাড়াতে সাহায্য করবে। অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ ভাইয়া।
Jajak Allah Khayer, brother. It will help a lot. I am researching to start a new micro-niche site.
আমার কেন যেন মনে হইতেছে সে লুকিয়ে লুকিয়ে পিবিএন থেকে ব্যাকলিংক নিয়েছে। তাছাড়া এত কম ডোমেইন থেকে এত ডু-ফলো ব্যাকলিংক পাওয়া কি পসিবল???
অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ।