Dan Grant: Hi guys, it’s Dan from Fatrank here. Today we’re going to be looking at a blog post: Making Money Online – Are You Crushing It? This post talks about making money online and the process of doing that through SEO and digital marketing. It covers the industry in more detail—people’s perceptions of how well they’re doing, how well others are actually doing, and what to focus on or avoid when you’re getting started. Starting an SEO company or running an SEO campaign, even if you already work in marketing, can be very challenging depending on the niche, the client, and your goals. You may not even want to do SEO—you might prefer PPC, e-commerce, or something entirely different. What we’re doing here is breaking down the post in simple terms, and we’ll drop links in the description so you can read it properly later.

The first point we cover is being honest about your expectations. This doesn’t just mean expectations of your own results—it also means expectations of what others are doing and your perception of the industry. We reference someone called Derek in the SEO world who we really respect. He talks a lot about how SEO looks on Facebook groups. The truth is that 90% of people claiming online that they’re “crushing it” really aren’t. People exaggerate what they earn or how fast they ranked a site, saying things like, “It took me one week to rank this website, now I’m making X per month.” It simply doesn’t work like that. SEO takes time, effort, and dedication—just like mastering any skill or job. So the message is to set realistic expectations. Don’t assume you’ll jump into SEO and be flying in a couple of weeks. It takes time, and usually investment, to get anywhere meaningful.

Then we talk about realistic goals—long-term goals. Like any business, your first year might not be profitable. Many businesses lose money initially, so don’t beat yourself up. Think in five- or ten-year terms. Is this long-term for you? What do you want to build?

Next we cover setting up. If you’re considering creating an online marketing company, we think it’s a great option. It can be a profitable niche, but it’s complicated. If you understand it deeply, you can really thrive—but it is not easy. You must work hard and you will not get instant results. That’s just reality.

The blog post then links to other articles, like Why Become an SEO, how our boss became a digital nomad through SEO, and the lessons he learned from working remotely and independently. Definitely worth reading those for more insight.

We also include help on how to improve. These links cover building a team you trust, staying positive through problems, and managing both the mental and physical workload that comes with SEO. You will hit roadblocks. You will question yourself. But that’s normal—and mindset matters just as much as skillset.

Then we talk through the basic SEO workflow: research your niche, check how competitive it is, buy or create the best website possible, build great content, images, links, social profiles, and more. But even though it’s written as a simple list, the reality is that every one of those steps constantly evolves. SEO changes nonstop. If you build ten sites in a year, your process on the tenth site will be completely different from your process on the first. Your research changes, your link-building changes, your content methods change—everything evolves. So take the list as a guideline, not a strict formula.

Next we talk about mistakes. Our boss has made loads of them—wasting time, wasting money, making wrong decisions—but those mistakes weren’t truly wasted. They became learning curves. The key is bouncing back, adapting, improving, and growing. That’s what’s allowed our agency to move forward, and it’s the mindset we recommend for everyone else.

Finally, the conclusion of the blog encourages you to read the whole post in detail. I’ve only summarised it here, but if you’re interested in making money online, building a marketing agency, or getting into SEO, the full blog is extremely helpful. Thanks a lot for watching guys, and we’ll see you on the next video.