Amazon Web Services

[KeithMcL]

Do you run your own AWS store?

If so...

What script do you use?
How well is it doing?
What advice can you give to others thinking about running their own store?

[tomek]

>What advice can you give to others thinking about running their own store?

if you just use a premade script and don't add something unique/valuable then you will have a hard time to be successful...

[AndyH]

> Do you run your own AWS store?

Yes

> What script do you use?

I use MrRats for HellBored (http://www.hellbored.com/store/index.html)
For all my other stores I use a script I made myself.

> How well is it doing?

Not making anything major, but that is because I am not sending much PR to them and are not showing up high in the SERPs. However for something that takes no maintaince after the initial few hours to get them working it is great and in the next few months may start making something worth noting.

> What advice can you give to others thinking about running their own store?

Send as much PR to the site(s)/store(s) as possible. The only traffic you are going to get is from search engines most likely.

[jck2ho]

Do you run your own AWS store?
Yes... http://www.jpdigicam.com... just finished a week ago

What script do you use?
I wrote my own script using PHP

How well is it doing?
Nil traffic

[MarkB]

Yes, I'm running multiple AWS stores - most of them using the AWS script from the tutorial on this site (although one runs on the script Mike gave me so kindly). Another uses Mr Rat's script (although it makes no sales).

It's going ok, better every month really. But nothing major.

[tomek]

How well is it doing?
Nil traffic

standalone aws shops are not the way to go imo
it's better to create a content page and work on traffic and pr first...
later on add a shop to that page and send traffic and pr to your shop...

that's the hard way but I think the easy one doesn't work well...

[KeithMcL]

Am I wrong is saying that most stores aren't doing exceptionally well? Are you running them more for an extra bit of cash?

I have thought about this over and over and am still undecided as to whether or not I should try opening my own.

[tomek]

>> exceptionally well

you need to define what you mean with that...

1$/day, 10$/day, 50$/day, ...

[tomek]

I spend very many hours working on my shop because I created everything from scratch and I wanted to have something above average...

If somebody would have had to pay me for programming the shop it would have been expensive with no guarantee to get the money back from running the shop...

the other option is to use a premade script but as I said before - with that you are just one of many and success is difficult...

[Boricua]

>What script do you use?

Developed a custom script in ASP.NET


>How well is it doing?

AWS earnings have spiked compared to having just a few individual product links. Due to Amazon growth bonuses, this quarter will be way better than any previous quarter. However, that's a one shot deal. Also, in the last month I've noticed a substantial drop-off in performance for an AWS site that had been my best performer.

>What advice can you give to others thinking about running their own store?

As others have said, it's probably best to have a content site to drive traffic to an AWS site. I have AWS sites related to a content site and I have standalone AWS sites. The content-related AWS sites have performed much better for me.

[alien]

>What script do you use?
Custom coded PHP script

>How well is it doing?
Nil, just started my first AWS site.

[KeithMcL]

>> exceptionally well

you need to define what you mean with that...

1$/day, 10$/day, 50$/day, ...
I was thinking more along the lines of $1000 or more a month. Is that even realistic for an AWS store?

Thanks for all the replies so far folks :)

[MarkB]

It is if you can push through $10-15,000 in sales :)

[ozgression]

I was thinking more along the lines of $1000 or more a month. Is that even realistic for an AWS store?

May be possible if you have multiple stores. But, unlikely from one.
________
Toyota WISH (http://www.toyota-wiki.com/wiki/Toyota_WISH)

[incka]

Highly doubtful you can make that much without a jesse(nintendo)-style-build-bulk-get-pr-in-bulk style. E-commerce for other datafeeds will do you far better.

[Emancipator]

I have an AWS site, I started with the tutorial on this site, then scrapped it to make my own. My site is 90% content, and 10% aws. I use the AWS data to enhance the site as well as sell dvds, it fits in well and seems to work.

[Nintendo]

Highly doubtful you can make that much without a jesse(nintendo)-style-build-bulk-get-pr-in-bulk style. E-commerce for other datafeeds will do you far better.

Hey, that's me! :D One other way to make a killing is puting the script on a high PR site. One user made $6,299 last quarter from ONE site with out mod-rewrite. His secret...


The biggest help was adding the script to an existing site with decent PR.


Now it's MUCH harder to rack in the cash. Last quarter I got $693.64, even with over 381,000 URLs indexed in Google compaired to $16,215.73 last year. So don't rely on one program, promote many different programs, including datafeed sites.

[Emancipator]

I find that with AMAZON you will make as much with GOOGLE or with other ads then you will with amazon. Of course it depends on the type of site and WHAT wares you have on it.

[paulfitz]

Using Dan O'Brien's free php script on WebSitePublisher.net for www.vampirestomb.com

Zero purchases.

Advice: yes please, give me some advice! I think I really need a lot more hits - currently under 100 Uniques to the site per day. If that were 1000 uniques I might see a sale or 2 (or 10)

[LuckyShima]

Now it's MUCH harder to rack in the cash. Last quarter I got $693.64, even with over 381,000 URLs indexed in Google compaired to $16,215.73 last year.
This really is a massive drop. Did you leave a zero off the end of last quarters income? If you didn't, do you have any explanation as to why you have experienced such a big decline?

<EDIT> Or are you comparing last quarter with the whole of last year rather than the corresponding quarter for last year?</EDIT>

I read that some people are making good money but I am not sure it is worth it for me to get involved in AWS if someone with a huge established network like yours can only bring in this amount.

Thanks

[tomek]

Using Dan O'Brien's free php script on WebSitePublisher.net for www.vampirestomb.com

Zero purchases.

Advice: yes please, give me some advice! I think I really need a lot more hits - currently under 100 Uniques to the site per day. If that were 1000 uniques I might see a sale or 2 (or 10)

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:http://www.vampirestomb.com&hl=de&lr=&start=0&sa=N

Paul, a page about Anne Rice should have "Anne Rice" in the title. :)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=Anne+Rice&btnG=Google-Suche&meta=

nice page btw.

[Nintendo]

This really is a massive drop. Did you leave a zero off the end of last quarters income? If you didn't, do you have any explanation as to why you have experienced such a big decline?

<EDIT> Or are you comparing last quarter with the whole of last year rather than the corresponding quarter for last year?</EDIT>


Last quarter compaired to all year last year. I'm to blame for every ones numbers crashing! I messed up and released the hack generating TONS of competition! If I had never released the mod-rewrite hack, I would probably be making about $3,000 a quarter on a non-holiay quarter and there would be a few 100 less Amazon clone sites competing for the top listings!

One person is racking in the cash by having the script on a high PR site, and he isn't even using mod-rewrite. Get a PR 7 or higher and you don't need mod-rewrite.

[ozgression]

Could this be the reason? -> http://bigmoneytips.com/web_tips/selling_through_design.php
________
Mercedes-Benz W126 (http://www.mercedes-wiki.com/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W126)

[Blue Cat Buxton]

Could this be the reason? -> http://bigmoneytips.com/web_tips/selling_through_design.php

He's obviously not a Nintendo Fan :D

[Nintendo]

I'll find out if layout effects it as soon as I got my main sites updated to AWS 4. I'll TRY to have the lay out different than MrRats default layout is!!! I've always admited I have crummy layouts!!! All I do is try to get the visitor to Amazon's site ASAP. The faster I get them there, the more sales I get.

:::He's obviously not a Nintendo Fan

I think he is a fan...

:::Before I go any further let me thank Mr. Smith because it was his threads last year on Sitepoint that gave me the inspiration to try out some Amazon stores

and his stats show he also made a killing because of me posting over on SitePoint! He's making a killing, while my numbers are in the tank!!!!!! If my earnings shoot up after I upgrade with a much better layout, I'll let you know! Moral of the story, if you ever discover something that makes your earnings shoot up, shut up and don't tell any one about it, there your trade secrets!!

:::Google has stopped indexing many AWS sites

I don't think so, all my new sites have started geting indexed (They cover Amazon's new categories added for AWS 4, so they don't have a lot of competition.)

[James]

Nintendo: just because your websites are getting indexed doesn't mean that everyone across the board still is. I think that they'll start cracking down on clone sites in Google some time soon. Searching for lots of terms found on Amazon.com or when searching for cheats or something of the sort, it's not too fun to find every single page is almost exactly the same.

And Nintendo: no better time to start getting better at design than the present. Just find the right sites to go to and the right people to associate with; I've increased drastically in my design skills, even in the last month or so by doing this.

[paulfitz]

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:http://www.vampirestomb.com&hl=de&lr=&start=0&sa=N

Paul, a page about Anne Rice should have "Anne Rice" in the title. :)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=Anne+Rice&btnG=Google-Suche&meta=

nice page btw.

:rolleyes: thanks for spotting that !! :D The vampire site needs a few improvements thats for sure!

[tomjennings]

Great content - Traffic - Eyeballs taking in your content and then offer them products in direct context to your content, known in sales as qualifying prospects.

Check out www.famouslocations.com for content aligned to affiliate products.

The software used to get the 136,000 products, value $2.7 million on to that site is called SuperStore and was developed by myself and David Greaves.

A demo is available from www.productsgenerator.com.

Hope this helps

Tom Jennings
www.productsgenerator.com

Join our affiliate program http://www.productsgenerator.com/login.php
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[ozgression]

Are you going to SPAM every AWS related thread?
________
buy vaporizer (http://vaporizers.net/)

[Emancipator]

what is better is he spammed me in private messages as well.....

[moonshield]

:rolleyes: thanks for spotting that !! :D The vampire site needs a few improvements thats for sure!

I think your vampire site is quite scary, i would have an unique title on every page though.

[paulfitz]

Yep unique titles added now :) thanks for noticing that guys - it should help my SERPS. I think the ghost site is scarier, but I've seen a ghost before so they freak me out more - yet to see a vampire and I hope it stays that way :D

[Emancipator]

as i said to you before Paul, i like your site.. its a great concept :)