Business Casual

Is SEO changing in 2021? We rank the importance of SEO trends. What you need to change on your website, what new tools are available, and the importance of EAT and editorial SEO.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into running a digital media company with three different brands all producing weekly content for traffic.

Find the right keywords to rank fast on Google using the Keyword Golden Ratio method of research with Ahrefs. Matt and Doug create a brand new authority niche site and build a massive keyword list using Doug's KGR method.

Would you delete all your online content just to start over and digitally reset? That's what Corbett and others are doing in 2021 and we're gonna talk about it. Plus, what it's like to run an online community/membership.

We discuss some simple email marketing blueprints to implement in our own businesses in 2021 using ActiveCampaign. 😀 Today's Guest is Miles Beckler: https://www.youtube.com/milesb

We talk about what happened to everyone's website in the December Google Core Update 2020 and how to make your website better going forward. 😀 Today's Guest is Brendan Hufford of SEO For The Rest of Us: https://seofortherestofus.org/

I compile all the data every month into one big journal entry with all the tasks I completed, what went well, what didn't, and what I plan to work on next.

Every Wednesday at 2 pm EST, I host a show on YouTube called Money Lab LIVE. And now that show will be available as a podcast. So if you want to follow along and get new episodes of Money Lab LIVE, visit YouTube.com/MoneyLab. But now you can listen to them too!

Has Matt found his online doppelgänger? Miles Beckler, of digital marketer YouTube fame and Milesbeckler.com, joins the show to talk all things online entrepreneur. Matt and Miles both run niche sites that they've had for years and years. They both run tons of experiments and share what they've learned online. And they both have a super strong hat game (have you seen their YouTube thumbnails?), So how do you stay committed to a businesses over the years without any viral, hockey stick moments? What are the small, boring things that add up to long-term success? And how do you have fun in the long-run? Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Miles at YouTube.com/milesb

Matt just ran two business experiments that failed miserably. But they ended up being really valuable learning processes. Matt and Andrew discuss how to run useful, measurable tests in an online business. How do you come up with a legit hypothesis? How do you get meaningful data and results? And how do you move on if you find out it doesn't work? If you've ever wondered if something like Pinterest or starting a podcast would (or wouldn't) work for your business, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can binge-read all of Matt's business experiments from the last few years here: Moneylab.co/content

It's listener question time! From changing course in a dying industry to starting a business with a friend, Matt and Andrew debate the answers to your burning questions: What would you if your niche site was in a stagnant or dying industry? What are your favorite strategies for helping drive traffic to the newer websites you have built? What's the best side hustle to start right now? How do you set up and structure a business with friends? And how do you find your own Andrew or Matt? Keep your questions coming! We'll be doing more of these in the future, so head over to MoneyLab.co and email us your Qs to get yourself some As.

What does it actually mean to run a profitable business? Matt breaks down how he uses the Profit First accounting model to manage and allocate money made in his online business. Matt explains how he divides up his business revenue into certain Target Allocation Percentages and how this framework has helped him: 1) Pay himself more money as the business owner, 2) build up an account with reserves in it, and 3) have more than enough saved up for taxes every year.Matt and Andrew talk about how they pay themselves from their businesses and make sure they have enough of a buffer for lean times. If you've ever looked for a better way to divide up the money your business brings in, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can see and download Matt's Profit First spreadsheet on YouTube.P.P.S. Check out the Profit First book here: ProfitFirstBook.com

Amazon just ripped the rug out from underneath every affiliate marketer, announcing their plan to slash affiliate marketing rates. And with just 7 days notice. Matt's business is set out to lose a whopping $176,929 with this change -- that's 40% of his entire business. So what does he plan to do about it? How does it affect Andrew? And what can every Amazon Associates member do going forward? Matt and Andrew spend the episode coming up with solutions in real time and trying to figure out the path forward. Enjoy!P.S. You can read about Matt's entire plan of action at Moneylab.coP.P.S. Matt and Andrew posted a video recording of this episode over on the Money Lab YouTube Channel.

Does low competition equal instant success? Matt just wrapped up his experiment to launch a podcast in a low-competition category. The goal: trying to naturally rank and gain listeners where there's no competition. Spoiler: it didn't work. So when does focusing on low competition categories work in business? Why are Andrew's low-competition niche sites taking off but something like Matt's podcast doesn't? Matt and Andrew debate when low competition pays off and when it's not worth the pursuit. Enjoy!P.S. You can read all about Matt's podcast experiment here: Moneylab.co/money-making-podcastP.P.S. You can check out the Rental Properties course Matt and Andrew made at Listenmoneymatters.com/rei

Time to change things up! Jason Zook, founder of WanderingAimfully.com and Teachery.co, joins the show to talk about changing business models. Jason outlines how he and his wife decided to combine their businesses, launched a monthly membership site and changed their business model when they realized things weren't working. So how do you know when something's not working in your business? How do you find the right model and offerings that work for you and your customers? If you've been sensing a change on the horizon, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. If you've never heard Matt's Entreprenuer album, check it out here: Moneylab.co/rap

What would you do if your traffic went south? Matt and Andrew answer an interesting question from a listener that applies to websites in slow decline and anyone seeing a dramatic drop-off this year. Here's the question:Let's say your SwimU traffic has been in a slow, gradual decline since 2016. You didn't notice it at first, but as you compare year-over-year in Google Analytics, it's obvious. And your monthly pageviews are lower now than they were this time last year, and the year before (taking into account any seasonal dips, of course). Where would you start to diagnose the issue? What are the first 3 things you'd do?Hopefully this episode helps anyone who's gone through this (or who's worried about going through this). And let us know if you have any more questions we can answer on the air!P.S. You can see how Matt uses Ahrefs for competitor research and website audits in his course, SEO for Bloggers.

We're answering your questions on the show today! Matt and Andrew debate what they're doing about the dips in the market (and dips in SEO) before diving into your questions: How do you focus on growing just one website? How do you manage an affiliate site when most affiliate programs are localized by country? If your current businesses just disappeared overnight and you know they were not recoverable, what would you do to start from scratch in 2020? Has either of you had anyone quit in your business? How have you guys formed most of your relationships with other online creators? We love these episodes, and we hope you do, too. So keep 'em coming! Enjoy!P.S. Would you take Matt or Andrew out to no-agenda coffee or happy hour?P.P.S. As always, you can check out Matt's latest experiment here: Moneylab.co/content

The script is flipped! Matt was recently interviewed by fellow online entrepreneur Doug Cunnington who runs NicheSiteProject.com. They spent an hour in Matt's studio talking about their different affiliate marketing philosophies, from keyword research to being public with your affiliate sites (which not everyone does). And since Doug was doing the interviewing, Matt got to give an entire overview of how he got started and how he runs each of his online brands. We thought it’d be nice to share that perspective on this show, for both new and long-time listeners who want a 10,000 foot view of how Matt approaches affiliate marketing. Enjoy!P.S. You can find Doug at NicheSiteProject.com and at YouTube.com/DougCunnington

Guess what: Google wants your website to load in under 1 second. Matt and Andrew talk about why they're obsessed with page speed as a competitive advantage in their online niches. They talk about the "easy, big wins" you can do today to speed up a site. They also debate how they decide what features to keep and what to cut to help speed things up. If you're looking for a way to one-up your competition on Google, this page speed optimization episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. Check out Matt's Page Speed Course here: Moneylab.co/pagespeedP.P.S. Here's the YouTube video where Matt explains how to stop Google Analytics from slowing your site down.

Procrastinate much? Matt and Andrew talk about the roadblocks they've hit in creating online products and what happened during the 30-Day Build and Launch a Course Challenge. They dissect why Matt hated the 30-day timeframe and Andrew's mental roadblocks to finishing his course. They also talk about the other distractions that got in the way, i.e. other projects that feel more in their wheel house. So what do you do when you start procrastinating on a project that needs to ship? Should you just suck it up and finish it? Or is procrastination a signal that you should be working on something else? Take a listen to find out how Andrew plans to hack through his mental block. Enjoy!P.S. Matt's course DID launch. You can check it out here: Moneylab.co/Pagespeed

How do you create consistent content without overspending or burning yourself out? Matt and Andrew examine each of their online businesses and how their content machines are currently running. Andrew's going full speed with lots of folks on staff, Matt's running some aspects of content creation on his brands, and a few of their sites are chugging along without either Andrew or Matt having to lift a finger. So how do you strike the right balance between producing a ton of new content and letting it ride? And when is it worth bringing on help or doing it yourself? Enjoy!P.S. If you're curious about running a well-oiled content machine, check out Matt's course Asana for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/Asana

How do you build products that meet your customers' needs, not just your own? Matt and Andrew talk about their "come-toJesus" moment with their SaaS product Lasso and how they've had to re-design their whole product. They discuss how they first built the product to selfishly meet their own needs and how conversations with customers forced them to pivot. From how to survey your existing audience to understanding UX/UI principles, designing directly for your audience can totally help you clarify your product design. Because in the end, the customer is always right... because they got the money. Enjoy!P.S. If you haven't checked out Lasso, get on it! Visit GetLasso.coP.P.S. Check out Google's design philosophy here: Material.io/design

What's your website worth? Carrie Smith Nicholson, the author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Blog and a blog consultant at CarrieConsiders.com, joins the show to talk about her experience buying and selling websites. Carrie sold her old website for nearly six figures, and she and Matt talk about the entire sales process, from deciding to sell your brand to finding the right buyer. They also chat about Carrie's latest web property purchase and her plans of turning her newest website into a lucrative brand. If you'e ever been curious about what it takes to sell a website you own or buy and revamp a new web property, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can find Carrie online at CarrieConsiders.com

Here's a business hypothesis for ya... There are 3 major factors in a successful online business: Products (what you sell), Relationships (trust with your audience) and Traffic (size of your audience). Nail 2 out of 3 of these and you’ll make six figures. Simple, right? Matt and Andrew discuss this business philosophy (learned from the folks at Create and Go) and how it applies to each of their current brands. They also dissect case studies from around the online business world and what they should be doing with Lasso. So which combo are you? Or which combo do you aspire to be? Figuring this out might help you focus on your own growth trajectory. Enjoy!P.S. Check out more of Create and Go's business philosophies here: Createandgo.com

Started from the bottom now we here. Matt and Andrew talk about their big business revenue jumps over the years. They dissect the moment when they hit $40,000 in annual revenue and how they finally hit six figures. From their original affiliate marketing efforts (and Matt's first $115 with Amazon Affiliates) and to their first legit SEO strategies, they break down what got them up and over the $100K mark. They reveal the secret ingredient of it all (spoiler: it's time) and whether or not they could make that kind of revenue jump again. Only TIME will tell (it's time... the secret ingredient is time). Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Matt's timeline here: Moneylab.co/Timeline

Make more money in 2020! Specifically with digital products! Matt and Andrew don't want to rely 100% on the Affiliate Marketing Gods, which means beefing up their digital product game in the new year. They talk about their "come to Jesus moments" around digital products, how Matt made over $100K in digital product sales last year and what kind of products do and don't work with their audience (like membership platforms). Andrew unveils his new product for Listen Money Matters and they chat about what they need to do to consistently market their courses. Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Matt's favorite digital product platform Podia (it's an affiliate link!): Moneylab.co/podia

Would your business fall apart without you? Matt and Andrew both had to take long breaks from their businesses a few months ago. They talk about how their businesses survived without them and how the wheels kept turning in their absence. From hiring the right people (and what that actually means) to setting up solid standard operating procedures, how do you make sure it all doesn't crumble to pieces when there's a real emergency? And how do you go about finding people you trust to take over? Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Matt's last year in business (including how it did while he was gone) over on the website: Moneylab.co/Nineteen

Cue Julie Andrews, because these are a few of our favorite things. Matt and Andrew walk through every single tool they use to run their online businesses. They cover all their must-haves: SEO research, hosting, caching, product sales, accounting, business organization, file management, email marketing, podcasting and YouTube video production. Phew! They also share brutally honest reviews of tools they're not-so-thrilled with (cough, ConvertKit, cough). Consider this episode the MTV Cribs walkthrough of online businesses. Except less luxury cars and more plugins. Enjoy!P.S. You can get the full list of Matt's favorite tools here: Moneylab.co/About

New Year, who dis? We're kicking off 2020 with our favorite kind of show: listener Q&A! Matt and Andrew answer a stack of listener questions, from dealing with a sudden drop in traffic (thanks, BERT update) to beating out a slimy competitor that's shot up the ranks in Google. And if you're worried about the next recession, Matt and Andrew discuss what they'd do to recession-proof their work. They cover it all, including how they'd turn an $1,300/month YouTube channel into a full-time business. Enjoy!P.S. If you're looking for a website refresh in the new year, might we suggest checking out Matt's super fast, super sleek theme, Carbonate? You can grab it at the Money Lab store: products.moneylab.co/P.P.S. Here's the YouTube experiment Matt talks about in this episode: Moneylab.co/youtube-optimization/

It's our final episode of the year, the last one in our Greatest Hits series, and the perfect motivation for your business New Years Resolutions: how to stick with it for the long haul. (This episode originally aired in March 2019).It only took 15+ combined years for Matt and Andrew to "make it" as "entrepreneurs." And you can, too! Listen in on Matt and Andrew's beer-fueled trip down memory lane recapping the slumps, the wins and the eff-it-all moments on the loooooooong road to "success." Enjoy!P.S. This episode may or may not be brought to you by Little Caesars Pizza.

More goodness coming at ya from the Money Lab vault (this episode originally aired August 2019).Should you try turning a hobby you love into a money-making website? Sean Ogle, founder of BreakingEighty.com and LocationRebel.com, joins the show to talk about turning a hobby into an online business. Both Sean and Matt run websites based on hobbies they love: Sean runs a golf site and Matt runs a homebrewing website, BrewCabin.com. So how do they approach monetizing their hobbies? What does it take to create a paid community around something you love? And how do you make sure you keep the passion alive with your hobby when it's a business? If you've ever considered turning a hobby into an online business, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can find more about Sean at LocationRebel.com and BreakingEighty.com.P.P.S. If you want to see a behind-the-scenes look at how Matt monetizes own hobby-based site, check out his course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

The greatest hits keep rolling with some ultra-practical SEO tips (this episode originally aired August 2019).Good news: SEO isn't as complicated as you think. Digital content editor and writer Michelle Lowery joins the show to share her best practices for SEO writing and editing. Matt and Michelle chat about how they approach creating content that ranks on Swim University, including clever ways to incorporate keywords and how to optimize text for both robots and humans. Michelle also shares some of her favorite strategies for researching keywords and how she weaves a human-centered approach into her work. This is a behind-the-scenes look at Swim University's entire SEO process and how Michelle creates articles that are more likely to rank. Enjoy!P.S. If you want to learn more about writing SEO friendly content, check out Matt's course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEOP.P.S. You can find Michelle on Twitter @MichelleDLowery

The Money Lab Greatest Hits countdown continues with an affiliate marketing heavy-hitter (this episode originally aired April 2019).It's a battle royale between affiliate sites as Matt and Andrew debate the pros and cons of their different affiliate business models. From only using the Amazon affiliate program to managing tons of affiliate partners, how do they structure their affiliate revenue streams? And what are the challenges of running a site that makes 100% of its money from affiliate marketing? Matt and Andrew dive into the revenue and risk of each of their money-making affiliate sites. Enjoy!P.S. Speaking of affiliate marketing... the newest Money Lab course is here! Check out Matt's in-depth affiliate course at www,MoneyLab.co/Affiliate.

We're sharing more Money Lab's greatest hits, all December long! (This episode originally aired May 2019).Spoiler: classic email marketing tactics don't work for every online business. Can complex marketing funnels, slow drip campaigns and content upgrades actually hurt sales? Matt and Andrew dive into the details of Matt's multi-month experiment trying to optimize his sales funnel at Swim University. They pick through Matt's sales stats, walk through his elaborate email set up for converting readers to customers and debate why a complicated funnel wasn't the right move for his website. Get ready to talk UTM codes, conversion rates and customer avatars. Enjoy!P.S. Check out Matt's full write up about his email marketing experiment here: Moneylab.co/email-funnels

We're celebrating the holiday season by sharing the best Money Lab episodes@ And we're kicking things off with this super popular episode, which originally aired June 2019.Matt needs money! He's already trimmed his costs down to the bone in his business and now he wants to focus on efficient ways to ratchet up his revenue. So how can he increase the flow of his existing income streams on his websites? Should he focus on micro changes, like optimizing click through rates? Or is it something bigger, like monetizing his video content on his YouTube channel? In this conversation, Matt and Andrew debate ways to increase their revenue without adding additional costs and by leveraging their super powers. Enjoy!P.S. Want to create some affiliate marketing income streams in your business? Check out Matt's affiliate marketing course at Moneylab.co/Affiliate

Have you ever procrastinated creating an online course? Yeah, neither have we... Never. Nope.Matt and Andrew talk about the magic that happens when you find the perfect software for hosting and selling an online course. Matt walks through his decision-making process for choosing a new course platform (spoiler: it's Podia!) and how making the switch is already paying off (spoiler: it's upselling!). Matt also outlines how he'll leverage this new online infrastructure to make even more course content in the future.Will Matt become a course creating machine? Will Andrew finally drink the online course Koolaid and create a course for Listen Money Matters? If you've ever wanted an easier way of putting an online course out into the world, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. Wanna check out Matt's hot-looking product page? Check it out at products.moneylab.coP.P.S. You can get on the Podia train here (it's an affiliate link, yo!)

If you're a creative, the pressure to make perfect, consistent content is real. Thomas Frank, aka Thomas the Frank Engine, aka the College Info Geek, joins the show to talk about growing his YouTube channel to 1.5 million subscribers, his moment of burnout and how he's running his business differently since bouncing back.Matt and Thomas discuss how to remove yourself as a bottleneck from your business (even when you want 100% creative control) and the mental toll that happens when you're running in a self-made business hamster wheel (Thomas' crash-and-burn moment happens at the 28:40 mark).So how do you outsource pieces of your work without feeling the need to be part of the entire creative process? How do you create a system to avoid burnout in the first place? And how do you deal with comments and trolls when you're trying to stay sane as a creator? Oh, and they also spend a good chunk of time nerding out on their favorite YouTube tools, like teleprompters, SEO plugins and captioning services. Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Thomas’ YouTube channel at Youtube.com/thomasfrankP.P.S. You can read more about Matt’s own YouTube experiment at Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

"Let's just launch a SaaS company and become super successful in 6 months!" they said. "This will be soooo easy!" they said. Well, not so much.Matt and Andrew talk about the launch of their SaaS product Lasso earlier this year, their audacious goal of reaching $15,000 MRR in just half a year and why they're only 10% of the way there. But they're still pretty optimistic. They discuss why they've faced such big hurdles along the way, like not truly understanding their ideal customer, and how they've finally started to embrace the fact that they ARE a "Make Money Online" plugin.So what now? How do they plan to find new customers and affiliate marketers that already want what they're selling? If you've been following along with the Lasso journey and wondering how the heck it's going, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. Matt's tightened up the language and design on the Lasso sales page. What do ya think? www.GetLasso.co

Welcome to another listener question epsiode! Matt and Andrew respond to all the Qs from Twitter and email (keep them coming!). From negative SEO and Google penalties to what metrics to look for when you're picking a website niche. And how do you let go of total control in your business and hire out the tasks you shouldn't be doing? They cover it all, including Matt and Andrew's sordid past with blackhat SEO and how they've learned to trust themselves with their business choices.P.S. As always, check out the sweet suite of Money Lab menu of products at MoneyLab.co/ProductsP.P.S. Is it neesh or nitch? Pee-nalize or pen-alize? The world may never know...

Come on baby, light my business fire! (The Doors. Nailed it).Matt and Andrew are joined by Brandon from MadFientist.com to talk about staying motivated in their online businesses. Brandon shares his journey of growing his own successful site (including the mental breakdown that motivated him to launch it) and chats about his newest online business, including the challenge of mixing business with a hobby.The three of them debate what truly motivates them in their work (hint: it's not money, but it kind of is?) and how to keep that hunger alive when you start to feel like you're coasting in your business. How do you tap into that intrinsic motivation to keep the business fires burning bright? This is an honest, behind-the-scenes chat about what drives these guys to do what they do. Enjoy!P.S. You can read about Brandon's synthesizer business experiment here: Madfientist.com/Online-Business-ExperimentP.P.S. Liked this episode? You'll probably enjoy the episode called Money-Making Hobby Sites with Sean Ogle that dropped at the end of August 2019. Check it out!

It's all about who you know. And you should really know your audience.Mojca Zove, the founder of SuperSpicyMedia.com and TheScienceOfFacebookAds.com, joins the show to talk all about strategies for understanding your audience, especially when it comes to social media campaigns. She also dives into her transition from running a successful Facebook ads consultancy to running a product-based business.So how do you convert eyeballs into sales? How do you validate a new product with your audience and bounce back if you have a disappointing launch? Mojca shares the ups and downs of her own journey, including the strategies she's used with her clients to turn Facebook views into actual customers.If you're launching a new product to your audience or you're curious about the secret sauce behind a good Facebook ad campaign, this episode's for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can find Mojca at SuperSpicyMedia.com and TheScienceOfFacebookAds.com And you can follow along with Mojca's journey on the Changing Gears YouTube video series here.

You can't say the wrong thing to the right person -- but saying the right thing sure helps with sales! Brennan Dunn, the founder of RightMessage.com, joins the show to chat about personalized messaging and how to create a highly tailored sales funnel for your audience. Matt and Brennan discuss the nitty gritty of how to segment website visitors and email subscribers. How do you figure out who's coming to your site and optimize your message for those people? And what kind of data should you be measuring to see if personalized messaging actually works? If you wanna get extra nerdy about your business's sales funnel, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can find Brennan at RightMessage.com and DoubleYourFreelancing.com.

Hot links, coming through! Matt and Andrew make most of their income through affiliate marketing, so it makes sense to give their links a little love once and awhile. They discuss how they're optimizing, testing and tracking their affiliate links. What do you do when you start to look at your click data? How do you manage your affiliate link inventory and clean up what's not working and double down on what does? Every link counts, and this episode explores how to make each one count more. Enjoy!P.S. If you want to step up your affiliate link management game, check out GetLasso.co!

How do you launch, market and sell a new product without going totally crazy? Corbett Barr, the founder of Fizzle.co and Palapa.co, joins the show to chat about his new SaaS business and how he approaches sustainable and sane business growth. Matt and Corbett discuss how to find new customers, how to close sales in the software world and how to gather initial feedback while you’re still iterating on a product. Whether you’re a software developer or an entrepreneur thinking of launching something new, this is a great episode for diving into the nitty gritty of marketing and growing a business. Enjoy!P.S. You can find Corbett's work at Fizzle.co and Palapa.co. Fun fact: Matt and Andrew met through Fizzle!

Matt's been running an experiment to increase his YouTube ad revenue and sell more of his digital products through his videos. And guess what? It totally worked! In this episode, Matt and Andrew dive into all the techniques Matt's using to increase YouTube views, watch time and subscribers and explore why this new YouTube content strategy is paying off (literally -- Matt's made over $12K because of this optimization experiment). If you want a deep-n-nerdy dive into YouTube SEO, thumbnail designs, playlists and end cards, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. Want to see the behind-the-scenes of all this work (and the extra loud Hawaiian shirt Matt sports in all his videos)? Check out the entire experiment write up at Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

Being weird pays off. Jason Zook, the King of Weird Business Models, joins the show today to talk about all of the crazy businesses he’s started over the years and to celebrate his new book, Own Your Weird. Jason has sold his last name (twice) for a total of $100,000, created a business where he wore other people’s t-shirts for money, and sold his entire “future” to his audience. Jason and Matt explore how being weird in their businesses pays off and debate how to keep the weird stunts going without burning out. If you don’t already know Jason’s story of weirdness, this one’s worth the listen. Enjoy!P.S. You can check out Jason and order his book at WanderingAimfully.comP.P.S. Yes, Matt has a rap album. Enjoy: Moneylab.co/Rap

The ultimate dream: spend a dollar in your business, earn ten dollars on the other side. But calculating business ROI isn't such simple math. Matt and Andrew discuss how they justify making big business purchases and figure out whether or not their large recurring expenses are worth it. How do they know if hired contract work will pay off? How do you put a price tag on things like mental health? And how do you make sure your business can handle a new monthly expense? It's simple, really: Phase 1: Spend Money. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit. Enjoy!P.S. Like the show? Let us know what topics you'd like us to discuss on the show! Send us a note at [email protected]

Should you try turning a hobby you love into a money-making website? Sean Ogle, founder of BreakingEighty.com and LocationRebel.com, joins the show to talk about turning a hobby into an online business. Both Sean and Matt run websites based on hobbies they love: Sean runs a golf site and Matt runs a homebrewing website, BrewCabin.com. So how do they approach monetizing their hobbies? What does it take to create a paid community around something you love? And how do you make sure you keep the passion alive with your hobby when it's a business? If you've ever considered turning a hobby into an online business, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. You can find more about Sean at LocationRebel.com and BreakingEighty.com.P.P.S. If you want to see a behind-the-scenes look at how Matt monetizes own hobby-based site, check out his course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEO

It's listener question time! Matt and Andrew answer everything from how to keep on top of the changes to the Google algorithm, how to treat nofollow vs. dofollow links and how site performance affects for SEO. Oh, and what happens to your website when you die? Matt and Andrew answer all your questions about optimizing your site for speed and prepping your website for the day you kick the bucket. Enjoy!P.S. Want to organize your business as if you were a ghost? Check out Matt's Asana for Bloggers course: Moneylab.co/Asana

Good news: SEO isn't as complicated as you think. Digital content editor and writer Michelle Lowery joins the show to share her best practices for SEO writing and editing. Matt and Michelle chat about how they approach creating content that ranks on Swim University, including clever ways to incorporate keywords and how to optimize text for both robots and humans. Michelle also shares some of her favorite strategies for researching keywords and how she weaves a human-centered approach into her work. This is a behind-the-scenes look at Swim University's entire SEO process and how Michelle creates articles that are more likely to rank. Enjoy!P.S. If you want to learn more about writing SEO friendly content, check out Matt's course SEO for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/SEOP.P.S. You can find Michelle on Twitter @MichelleDLowery