Money Lab

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

Why is it so dang hard to ask for help? Matt and Andrew debate why they have so much trouble reaching out to their network and asking for favors -- even though they both have entrepreneur friends who would gladly help. How can they start leveraging their networks without coming across as fake or needy? They discuss everything from how to craft emails and how to stop procrastinating with pitching their work. Enjoy!P.S. Have you seen the new Lasso sales page? Matt and Andrew are pretty proud of how it turned out. Check out the experiment here: Moneylab.co/MRR

Earning thousands more a month with just a flip of the switch? It's possible. Small changes can pay off in big ways in the online business world. Matt and Andrew talk about the tiny tweaks they've made that have lead to more money. And we're talking really tiny tweaks, like moving around existing links, adding new featured images and making minor updates to existing products. It can take lots of tracking to figure out what changes work, but it makes for a better business in the long run. Maybe it really is the little things in life. Especially if they make you more money. Enjoy!P.S. One of Matt's biggest payoffs? A small change to how he tracks his revenue. Check out his write up about his Lean Business Model at Moneylab.co/Lean-Business

How do you hack the YouTube algorithm? Tom Martin joins the show to teach us everything he knows about YouTube SEO and do a live teardown of Matt's Swim University YouTube channel. Tom is the YouTube mastermind behind several multi-million subscriber YouTube channels, including BBC's Mr. Bean. He shares strategies for getting viewers to binge watch your videos, designing thumbnails with great click through rates and increasing the total watch time on your channel. If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to YouTube SEO and growing a channel to Mr. Bean-level proportions, consider this episode your hands-on tutorial. Enjoy!P.S. Tom was generous enough to offer a few YouTube intro course to MoneyLab listeners at VidPro.com/MoneyLab. Thanks, Tom!P.P.S. Follow along with Matt's YouTube Optimization experiment here: Moneylab.co/Youtube-Optimization

There's money to be made in the advertising world. But is it the right business model for everyone? Both Matt and Andrew have made a living selling sponsorships and advertising through their online businesses. But over the years, they've both realized that it's not the right fit for their businesses or the way they like to work. Why did they abandon that business model? And what is the right business set up for making money through ads? Spoiler: it may just be peddling your own wares. Enjoy!P.S. This episode is brought to you by... Money Lab! (Spoiler). If you want to support the show, check out the extensive menu of Money Lab courses here: Moneylab.co/Products

Ooh, piece of candy! As entrepreneurs, we're constantly being sold on new ideas. And some of us end up "impulse buying" those new ideas. It's classic Shiny Object Syndrome. Like an excited little puppy running after a bouncing tennis ball, it's super tempting to chase after new and exciting business ideas, tools and projects. Matt and Andrew talk about how they've fallen victim to Shiny Object Syndrome and how they avoid running after every idea that comes their way. Enjoy!P.S. If you're looking for a new business idea to run after... check out Matt's course, SEO for Bloggers! But seriously: if you're in the market specifically for SEO training, this is the perfect course for that.

YouTube is soooo hot right now. Matt's noticing an uptick in sales, traffic and ad revenue from the new YouTube videos he's produced and published for SwimU. So he's running an experiment to see if he can make more money through the 'Tube on both of his affiliate websites. Will producing YouTube videos again pay off in the long run? How the heck does YouTube SEO work? And how can you measure if it's working? If you're YouTube curious, this episode is for you. Enjoy!P.S. Check out Matt's sweet new pool videos here on YouTube.P.P.S. Here's a link to the Veritasium YouTube video analyzing why YouTube videos go viral.

FOCUS, PEOPLE! Both Matt and Andrew have historically sucked at setting boundaries with their businesses and focusing on what they actually need to do. But all that's about to change! And Andrew's about to start a family, so he's got extra incentive to figure how to manage his time. They both love working on their businesses, but it means it's easy to get lost in their work or go down a rabbit hole with tasks that aren’t actually that important. So what are the critical areas they need to focus on with their business? And how do they start working smarter (not harder) with the hours they have? The clock starts... now. Enjoy!P.S. Parkinson's Law is the old adage that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." Definitely not "Oslo's Law," guys.P.P.S. If you need some organizational help with your online business, check out Matt's course Asana for Bloggers: Moneylab.co/Asana

You've got business questions, we've got business answers! Matt and Andrew bring all the A's to your Q's, including a deep dive into measuring click-through rates and why goals might be more distracting than helpful. How do you improve affiliate marketing conversions on your website? How do you protect yourself from getting your ideas stolen on the internet? And how do you deal with running a niche website with traffic that dries up in the winter? Keep the questions coming and we'll keep the answers flowing. Enjoy!P.S. Matt mentions his post on website optimization. Check it out on Money Lab here: Moneylab.co/Website-optimizationP.P.S. If you haven't already checked out Matt and Andrew's latest software Lasso, check it out at GetLasso.co

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