Internet Marketing - Choosing A Mentor When You Don't Have A Dime To Your Name! | Can Your Mentor Be Trusted
As I was doing some research online, I stumbled upon a unique discovery which led me to a post on dukeo.com. When I arrived to Stephane Kerwer's website, I was greeted with not only the article of interest, but a great BIG “REVIEW MY BLOG” contest banner advertising the 2nd. anniversary of his site.
Well, even on a bad day, I'm a sucker for doing reviews. I really love writing reviews as a whole. So, when I saw that banner stating that $200 dollars was up for grabs, well...I immediately started looking for a date! Something! ANYTHING that would indicate to me whether there was still time to enter. As I scrambled to find what I was looking for, I decided to come back to this later. I needed TIME!
As I continued onward with my project that I was currently working on, I kept talking, no, arguing with myself, as to whether I should enter. I realized that even if I entered, what possible chance would my review have to help benefit others. After all, it would be unlikely that any traffic would find my post in time to enter the contest as well. “So, why bother, you ask?”
That's when it hit me. While my readers may not see this post in time to enter the $200 REVIEW MY BLOG contest, they might benefit from something better, something greater...something I would have to discover for myself. Would I recommend readers to visit Stephane Kerwer's site, dukeo.com?
How I Began The Search For That Perfect Mentoring Match:
One of the first things that you need to realize is that if you are going to follow someone's lead, you need to KNOW WHO THEY REALLY ARE.
Well, I started my stroll session to see what information that I could dig up on dukeo.com or on Stephane Kerwer himself. You know, I checked the usual...
Well, I started my stroll session to see what information that I could dig up on dukeo.com or on Stephane Kerwer himself. You know, I checked the usual...
*IM Report Card- Check! No results. Nothing that I could find there. So, either there is no bad news, or dukeo.com/Kerwer manages to fly under the radar as an IM/Affiliate Marketer.
*Searched for "Stephane Kerwer scam" in Google's search engine-Nada! Check!
*Searched for "Dukeo scam"-No, no bad press that I could find. Check!
*Alexa.com Oh, lookie here! Site linking to Dukeo from... Drum roll, please....blackhatworld .com /blackhat-seo/black-hat-seo/482032-can-anyone-explain-build-links-tiers-advantage-really-help-search-engine-optimization.html (Yes, I inserted spaces in the url on purpose.) The black hat sites always makes that inner red flag go up!
Hmmm, so what's up with that? Inquiring minds wanted to know. Well, I just had to check this out, and what did I find?
Someone was recommending that they check out dukeo.com/tiered-backlinking-explained/ for very basic information on building backlinks and to better understand the link structure. Whewwwwww!
So far so good.
(On a side note, one thing that would have improved that article would have been a diagram or illustration to be added to that article on Dukeo.)
Someone was recommending that they check out dukeo.com/tiered-backlinking-explained/ for very basic information on building backlinks and to better understand the link structure. Whewwwwww!
So far so good.
(On a side note, one thing that would have improved that article would have been a diagram or illustration to be added to that article on Dukeo.)
It was some links later that I noticed forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=107753, which led to a post from someone stating that the more they know about Web of Trust, the less they liked the site. Two sites were referenced, one being dukeo, of course at: http://dukeo.com/mywot-web-of-trust-review-modern-web-totalitarism/. Web of Trust, huh? Well, you now me, I just had to check it out.
Mentors Come In Many Forms: Choose Carefully
As I began reading this article to gain a better perspective on how Stephane stands on issues, it was easy to see that Stephane Kerwer could be a real “ball-buster”, if need be. I like that!
When I visit a site hoping to find someone whose advice I can follow, I want the author/site to stand for something. No wishy-washy mentality! Doesn't mean I have to agree with what is being said, but have an opinion and stand for what you believe in! Stephane (Ste)of durkeo.com seems to do just that!
When I visit a site hoping to find someone whose advice I can follow, I want the author/site to stand for something. No wishy-washy mentality! Doesn't mean I have to agree with what is being said, but have an opinion and stand for what you believe in! Stephane (Ste)of durkeo.com seems to do just that!
Next,I read the "about me" page, along with the brief testimonials and wondered why he blogged under dukeo.com rather than his own name and what DUKEO must stands for.
Does he not choose to promote under his own name, but rather Dukeo, so that he can brand the site, build it up, and sell it off as an intellectual property for profit one day.
One can only wonder. One thing was clear and that was, that Stephane's focus centers around Make Money Online, Affiliate Marketing, Mindset For Success, and SEO Techniques. Do you have similar interests?
Does he not choose to promote under his own name, but rather Dukeo, so that he can brand the site, build it up, and sell it off as an intellectual property for profit one day.
One can only wonder. One thing was clear and that was, that Stephane's focus centers around Make Money Online, Affiliate Marketing, Mindset For Success, and SEO Techniques. Do you have similar interests?
It was then that I tried my hand at a little more dirt-digging and discovered the estimated value of this site and his daily earnings, none of which came from advertisements, such as Adsense.
As you can see, when viewing dukeo.com you are not bombarded with Adsense advertising. He does, however, offer for others to advertise on his site as shown in the footer section.
Offering up advertising on one's sites makes a lot of sense and can be more profitable, because then the advertising would be extremely targeted and would be more apt to meet the need of his visitors, resulting in more click-through. A win-win for all involved!
As you can see, when viewing dukeo.com you are not bombarded with Adsense advertising. He does, however, offer for others to advertise on his site as shown in the footer section.
Offering up advertising on one's sites makes a lot of sense and can be more profitable, because then the advertising would be extremely targeted and would be more apt to meet the need of his visitors, resulting in more click-through. A win-win for all involved!
So, why did I go to such lengths to find out this type of informaton about the man behind the site, dukeo.com . Simple, really! If I am going to recommend a site to you, I need to know as much about the site as I possibly can.
Just because someone has a site up for a year or two, doesn't mean that they could whip their way out of a wet paper bag!
Do they have a hidden agenda? How do you know?
Trust No One On Blind Faith! Do Your Research:
I am not satisfied with blind trust, so why would I be for my readers? Do you believe that everything you read on the internet is true?Just because someone has a site up for a year or two, doesn't mean that they could whip their way out of a wet paper bag!
Do they have a hidden agenda? How do you know?
If I am going to make a recommendation, I have to BELIEVE in that person/site has their readers best interest at heart. I don't care how much money is thrown at me, as in this case, $200 REVIEW MY BLOG contest ...If it looks like a rat, and smells like a rat, then it must be a RAT! My name and my integrity has to stand for something at the end of the day.
So, when it is all said and done, what do I think of Stephane Kerwer and his site, dukeo.com :
First the site navigation...Unlike some, as a visitor to the site, I would have liked some site navigation on the right sidebar. Then, I realized as a marketer that it would not be in his best interest, if he is offering advertising to others. The right sidebar is one of the areas for prime real estate.
That said, there is a site map and archives link in the footer section to help get you to whatever you need.
Unfortunately, there is NO search box, so if you are looking for something in particular, well...like the research I'm doing here, you're going to have to dig through the archives, etc. to find what you are looking for.
That said, there is a site map and archives link in the footer section to help get you to whatever you need.
Unfortunately, there is NO search box, so if you are looking for something in particular, well...like the research I'm doing here, you're going to have to dig through the archives, etc. to find what you are looking for.
*The site has a crisp white theme with a narrow header, so that allows for more information to be placed above the fold. That can also be a plus for two reasons.
One, if you are offering advertising services on your site and two, it allows more opportunites to gain your readers' attention.
One, if you are offering advertising services on your site and two, it allows more opportunites to gain your readers' attention.
*You're not bombarded with adsense ads or other similar alternatives, as mentioned before.
*Stephane puts himself out there for the world to see (i.e. photo, bio, etc.), as it builds trust with his readers. This information also helps to build authority and trust and helps his site to gain traction from Google by having G+. You, as a marketer, should be doing that, too!
This is in and of itself, not a bad deal, IF it is a good product being offered and more importantly, IF it is from a marketer you can TRUST! He's growing his list. Have you heard the saying, "The money is in the list?" Well, beginners, PAY ATTENTION! That's how it's done.
Also note, that the two opt-ins on the site are non-obtrusive, as they are not pop-ups or those stickies that you can't seem to get rid of. It is an honest way of building your list.
*The site has plenty of white space and nice graphics to help break up the content and maintain a visitor's interest.
*The site has plenty of white space and nice graphics to help break up the content and maintain a visitor's interest.
*At the end of his posts, he hopes that you will like his content well enough to click on one of his social networking icons. Followed by his last attempt in getting your email address by subscribing to his newsletter.
*One of the best parts of the entire site, aside from the quality of the articles, is the fact that Stephane allows for comments from his audience, but more importantly, he interacts with his readers!
That fact alone indicates that a bot did NOT create the content you are reading, that he cares enough about this site and audience to interact with them, and that whether you agree with him or not, you will know what he thinks!
That fact alone indicates that a bot did NOT create the content you are reading, that he cares enough about this site and audience to interact with them, and that whether you agree with him or not, you will know what he thinks!
Does Dukeo.com Measure Up? Why Should You Care?
Now, you're probably wondering “why” I chose to spend all that time digging to win a $200 contest. Truth of the matter... I didn't do it just for the possibility of winning the $200 REVIEW MY BLOG contest.
Could I use the money to invest in domains and hosting? Absolutely! Look at my current domain name. Yep! You read right! It's a free Google Blogger blog. It's not even self-hosted!
But in life, you have to start somewhere. It doesn't matter where as long as you are honest, have your heart in the right place, and want to help others! It's up to you to just TAKE ACTION!
But in life, you have to start somewhere. It doesn't matter where as long as you are honest, have your heart in the right place, and want to help others! It's up to you to just TAKE ACTION!
So, what was my main purpose, if not for the money? Why would I spend hours looking up the site's stats, the estimated value of his website after just two years in existence, etc.?
Well, let's see...
*Dukeo.com website has an estimated worth is $81,665.10 as an intellectual property, although another site indicates it is in the $30's, and another said it was valued at $13,015.
Discrepancies in extimated worth aside, what does that information tell us? Stephane knows what it takes to create a valuable, intellectual real estate property.
So, there is one thing I am certain of...I'll be listening to what Stephane has to say, evaluating what he says and does, and will test the waters by putting his strategies into action.
*dukeo.coms traffic and revenue is increasing. This tells me that he knows how to drive traffic and is good at making money online in whatever form he chooses. Is that paid or free traffic?
Discrepancies in extimated worth aside, what does that information tell us? Stephane knows what it takes to create a valuable, intellectual real estate property.
*AND the research I uncovered said that dukeo.com generates an estimated revenue of $3402.71/month...all without the help of advertising revenue, such as Adsense. I'm not sure if this is revenue from affiliate marketing or his advertising listings or how reliable the findings. Who knows! The point is, Stephane is bringing home the bacon!
So, there is one thing I am certain of...I'll be listening to what Stephane has to say, evaluating what he says and does, and will test the waters by putting his strategies into action.
*dukeo.coms traffic and revenue is increasing. This tells me that he knows how to drive traffic and is good at making money online in whatever form he chooses. Is that paid or free traffic?
*It has 548 backlinks and the backlinks are increasing by leaps and bounds. He's definitely on to something!
*He gets 78,871 unique visitors per day/134,080 page views, and 40.9% of his users are from the United States alone...and listen to this, of all this, he get this from 163 ORGANIC keywords! Should you be paying attention? You bet!
*Not to mention it has a page rank of 3.
*Dukeo.com was registered on April 26, 2007, 5 years and 9 months ago.
*Bounce rate- I don't know if Stephane had checked lately, but let's just say his bounce rate has improved. Go Ste'! ;)
By the way, the bounce rate for dukeo.com has improved by about 10 pts., actually! (Just had to throw that in." Does part of that improvement come from the theme he uses, structure of his site, better content, any or all of these things???
*I can even tell you who Dukeo's target audience is based upon statistics. I don't know that I agree with the data, but hey it's available, as I feel it should be a broader range.
In light of all this information...what am I really trying to say?
Do you know how HARD it is to rank for those specific keywords and ORGANICALLY that I just deleted from my post? I figured with everything else that Stephane would be livid to include those, too!
ANYWAY...You'd have to reach into the bottom depths of HELL and to get that site seen in Google, and yet, Stephane Kerwer has managed to do so! Granted, it has taken him a couple of year, but he has still accomplished it!
ANYWAY...You'd have to reach into the bottom depths of HELL and to get that site seen in Google, and yet, Stephane Kerwer has managed to do so! Granted, it has taken him a couple of year, but he has still accomplished it!
My point is...Everyone needs a mentor at some time in their life. Whether it is paid mentoring through one-on-one coaching, a membership site, or just frequenting someone's website...we all need someone that we can go to seek the answers we need to fill in the gaps of our learning.
If I am going to place my trust in someone, I want it to be in someone who knows what they are doing. Someone who “walks the walk" and not just “talks that talk”! You should look for that, too!
Question Your Research:
When things don't add up, find out why? Don't just accept people, facts, concepts, or marketing strategies at face value, if you plan to follow them in your business model. You just might get burned!
When I read that Dukeo.com was registered on April 26, 2007, a little red flag went up. It didn't make sense to me. After all, Stephane says the anniversary date for dukeo.com was on January 29, 2011. That being the case, what accounts for the four year gap?
I asked myself if it really matter? My mind immediately shot back the remark...Honesty Matters! Trust Matters! So, why the difference in dates?
I can't say why that date discrepancy bugged me. It really wasn't that big a deal right?
The one thing I could say with certainty...he would not be making the kind of money he is and getting the traffic he does, if he was not doing at least something right! That much I knew.
I asked myself if it really matter? My mind immediately shot back the remark...Honesty Matters! Trust Matters! So, why the difference in dates?
I can't say why that date discrepancy bugged me. It really wasn't that big a deal right?
The one thing I could say with certainty...he would not be making the kind of money he is and getting the traffic he does, if he was not doing at least something right! That much I knew.
Even so, I kept digging, as it was important to me to find good, honest resources that, not only I can turn to when needing dependable information, but that you, my readers will benefit from as well. WE all need a mentor and yet, not all of us can afford to hire one.
Red Flag Alert Solved:
As I was looking further to find out how Stephane makes his living with this site, (discussed later in this review), I ran across his GOALS page in the footer section of his site. He says that he didn't have much money to invest in 2008, and that time was mostly spent learning and continued into 2009.
Year 2010, was when he quit his job to pursue his commitment to his own business and I assume that includes this site. http://dukeo.com/goals/
In 2011, Stephane, continued to set new goals for himself and accomplished many. Unfortunately, after 2011, we don't know how many more of those goals turned out or if they were met?
But how does Stephane Kerwer make his money? What is his business model?
Remember, we are told that Stephane Kerwer goal is to help others with”Making Money Online, Affiliate Marketing, Mindset for Success, SEO Techniques and many more.”
Well, if you look at the footer section of his site you will find the clues you are looking for.
- Under products, you will find those products that he promotes as an affiliate himself to make money.
- The Affiliates link leads to a page for us to join as an affiliate, so I assume he promotes products or services of his own. However, I noticed in the goals section that Stephane doesn't have “book” marked through, so I assume it has nothing to promoting a book he's written. Who knows, maybe it does!
- When you click on Advertise: I know he offers the service to advertise on his site, but I haven't seen any ads currently in place and there are no third party companies, such as Adsense, Ad Choice, etc.
I would think that there would be more to his business model than just promoting products as an affiliate and hosting ads on his site.
Does he do SEO for offline and/or online clients, since he mentioned SEO techniques.
Does he do SEO for offline and/or online clients, since he mentioned SEO techniques.
I'm still mulling over how he's making his living and what his business model is at this time, as it is not real apparent from my time spent thus far on his blog.
Has Your Trust Meter Gone UP any?
Before I forget...there is one other important element that I need to discuss. I found it remarkable that in the interest of the reviews for his site's contest, he state that you MUST submit a 100% honest review. You can't beat that! ;) Yep, my trust meter just moved up by leaps and bounds!I must say, it was indeed a pleasure ripping this site apart for the benefit of others. It allowed me to utilize whatever research skills that I could muster in hopes of getting the scoop. I hope you know that I did it with love and not malice.
It was nice to see the incredible strides dukeo.com has made and that if we are smart, we can follow the footsteps that have gone before us and come out on the other side with a site that is just as successful.
It is not everyday that we find marketers who write the kind of content that Ste' does, so that others can be just as successful.
After all, Stephane Kerwer is “teaching” US, his audience, to be his “competition”. That being said, I will be visiting the site regularly and watching carefully, as I hope others will.
What would I improve about the site:
After all, Stephane Kerwer is “teaching” US, his audience, to be his “competition”. That being said, I will be visiting the site regularly and watching carefully, as I hope others will.
Final Wrap: Suggestions For Improvement Per Stephane Kerwer's Request...
What would I improve about the site:
*Site navigation using a navigation bar at the top (maybe) or perhaps in the sidebar to reserve prime space for advertising.
*Add Privacy Policies, etc. to make site FTC compliant
*Make site pages consistent to create uniform for easier navigation (3 ebooks vs. 2 ebooks free based upon which page you opt-in.)
*Inclusion of search box.
Content:
*Based upon my one day observation, some articles could be more in-depth or provide a good visual to solidify the concepts. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the articles and expect to spend more time on the site as well.
*Add Privacy Policies, etc. to make site FTC compliant
*Make site pages consistent to create uniform for easier navigation (3 ebooks vs. 2 ebooks free based upon which page you opt-in.)
*Inclusion of search box.
Content:
*Based upon my one day observation, some articles could be more in-depth or provide a good visual to solidify the concepts. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the articles and expect to spend more time on the site as well.
Like Stephane Kerwer, I have spent alot of time learning, and writing reviews for products. Now, it is time to step up my game and start pursuing a living off of my efforts. See you next time...