Tough times in the porn industry - Page 2

Senator_x · 2009-08-11, 07:28 PM

30% down from last year....

I have tweak my blogs, brushed up on my SEO skills, created more traffic, promoting heavy on webcam sites,.....I am climbing back slowly but surely.

The recession has forced me to become better at what I do. If you can survive this down turn you will emerge stronger. I have seen the mighty fall....adapt or die.

Senator_x · 2009-10-13, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senator_x

30% down from last year....

I have tweak my blogs, brushed up on my SEO skills, created more traffic, promoting heavy on webcam sites,.....I am climbing back slowly but surely.

The recession has forced me to become better at what I do. If you can survive this down turn you will emerge stronger. I have seen the mighty fall....adapt or die.

After the tweaking, adding APC to PHP and memcached servers. Cleaning up PHP code around my network of blog. Making sure every page served to user gets GZIPPED for instant page load. I have increased my revenue about 15% since I last posted. I have sought out new programs and higher pay.

I am hitting 500 dollar days again but not consistently. I still need to tweak my JW PLAYER to work with SWFOBject 2.2 to get 100% compliance with Google and Yahoo media sitemaps.

Anyway, here is a tip to see if your pages are being GZIPPED by your server. If not you might being wasting away traffic.

http://www.gidnetwork.com/tools/gzip-test.php

LB · 2009-08-11, 08:21 PM

In 04-05 I did almost half a mil $.

Every year since then it has dropped, and the 07-08 financial year was the worst for me with profit so far down I was starting to worry. But, in 08 things turned around because I stopped doing the same old garbage I was pumping out in 2002 ... that stuff doesn't work anymore, and approached people I had helped in the past who were doing very well for advice on what was working in today's market. I also did something most are incapable of doing ... i took the advice instead of asking around until I got the answer I wanted. Profit is back on the rise and things are good ... while ratios aren't what they were, there is definitely no recession in my office! If I had of been a stubborn bastard and refused to accept the changes then I would be one of the people complaining on the boards all day about how its not fair.

Thing is guys you have to adapt. The very nature of surfing has changed so radically in the youtube age that surfers simply aren't going to gravitate to sites using outdated methods. Surfers have faster internet, are used to content on demand, social networking, being able to get what they want to see and quick, and these surfers still signup when they find something they really want. Best of all SE's are moving towards getting those types of sites higher in their rankings because in the end they want a more rewarding search experience for their users. How many tube sites dominate top spots?

The problem with veteran webmasters is often their ego gets in the way of progress. This industry is maturing, and unfortunately those who don't update their methods and strategy are going to be left behind. I personally am excited by the radical changes in the industry!

Bring it on I say !

horndog · 2009-08-15, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LB

But, in 08 things turned around because I stopped doing the same old garbage I was pumping out in 2002 ... that stuff doesn't work anymore, and approached people I had helped in the past who were doing very well for advice on what was working in today's market.

So what are you doing these days that you claim is working so much better?

LB · 2009-08-16, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by horndog

So what are you doing these days that you claim is working so much better?

Stopped submitting, learned to blog, run some tubes, changed my SEO strategy somewhat too which was probably the hardest thing. A few other things too

If I had kept doing what I was doing 3-4 years ago I would be really hurting this year which was my point.

bart666 · 2009-09-04, 07:30 AM

I haven't been in this biz for as long as many of you and this is just my 2 cents but I think we should also consider the dilution of this industry's revenue among all those new paysites that pop up everyday.

I'm not sure the recession can explain the conversion ratios that seem to be dropping for years now (long before the economy crisis even started). It seems more correlated to the amount/accessibilty of free porn available to surfers.

Allfetish · 2009-08-12, 10:02 PM

I don't know if I believe it is mainly the economy. Remember a decade ago when 1:100 ratios were common? Before all the free porn out there?

Also I have one sponsor who has relatively rare content. They are doing about 1:50 RAW so far. My theory on that is that there is hardly any free porn out there for this fetish so people are willing to pay for it. Business basics: Supply and Demand. Sure the economy has something to do with it but all of the free porn available and the saturation are probably more of the reason for the skyrocketing ratios which go higher and higher every year.

PS- by free I mainly mean pirated.

winright007 · 2009-08-13, 01:54 AM

One thing I have noticed is that membership prices have stayed the same or increased. Sure there are sites with free trials, but they limit the content within those offers.
I am not a business expert by any means, but it seems like if you lowered membership fees you would get more sign ups.
I've noticed that a lot of the big sites charge at least $30 a month. I wonder how many more sign ups they would get if they dropped the fee $10 per month or offered a bi-weekly membership option.

Greenguy · 2009-08-13, 06:47 AM

This really is a great thread

My traffic is the same as it was about 2 years ago, but conversions are horrible & my income is down about 60-70% Each month I seem to hit a new low for income

There are so many things to take into account when you look at this. I just hope the economy gets a little bit better over the coming months so that we can all sell a couple memberships

LD · 2009-08-13, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenie

This really is a great thread

My traffic is the same as it was about 2 years ago, but conversions are horrible & my income is down about 60-70% Each month I seem to hit a new low for income

I jumped in a little over a couple of years ago and have seen steady increases in traffic over the last couple of years as I learn more about SEO and how things work in general. July was record for me in terms of traffic...but my sales are about 50% of what they were last year...

I had hoped to be thinking about doing this full time by now, but looks like it's not going to happen anytime soon.

It's probably a combination of things discussed...I think tube sites do reduce the amount of paid memberships people buy, and the economy causes people to spend less in general, particularly things like porn which you don't have to have. Together I think it has taken a huge bite out of money spent on porn. There's an awful lot of boring, same old shit porn produced, too. I think it makes the perceived value of porn go down in the eyes of the public. There may be people who want better quality, but don't want to wade through all the shit to get it.

Will be interesting in seeing how it all shakes out as the economy starts to recover.

plateman · 2009-08-13, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greenie

This really is a great thread

My traffic is the same as it was about 2 years ago, but conversions are horrible & my income is down about 60-70% Each month I seem to hit a new low for income

There are so many things to take into account when you look at this. I just hope the economy gets a little bit better over the coming months so that we can all sell a couple memberships

thats where i am standing, but just different numbers $$

stuveltje · 2009-08-13, 02:20 PM

The last time i checked my yearly stats over a time preriode from 2004 to 2009, i noticed that since 2004 i could get away with less traffic and more sales, now i have 4 to 5 times the amound of traffic then in 2004 and hell i am way down with sales

Ms Naughty · 2009-08-13, 09:36 AM

With regard to free porn, my concern is that the kids of the noughties don't believe in paying for ANYTHING - even if it's independent and well-made and created just for them. It's all well and good to say that piracy has caused a much-needed shakeup in an industry that was stagnating and taking its consumers for granted (hello major record companies and porn studios) but I worry that people have become so used to getting things for free that they won't pay at all.

There doesn't seem to be an understanding of the idea that people can't create new, good stuff if it's not profitable (or even break even).

I'm trying to find the article that says Generation Z refuses to pay for anything... no luck so far.

Mike-mijen · 2009-08-13, 10:42 AM

The only thing I have that still selling is my real amateur sites. I feel people still want to feel like a voyeur and peek into the lives of others. I think MML had a OTB about this. How you do not see much real amateur fucking. A Guy and Gal making love for real. I also feel if the news started to point out more positive news on the economy and less about what is bad. Then the public psyche would start to change. Negative news to long can slow down this country fast. Just my half a cent worth.

HowlingWulf · 2009-08-13, 02:31 PM

Wow I didn't know there were drops of 60-70%.

When I started seeing the numbers slide early this year I buckled down and went from 2 TGP galleries/day to 5/day and submitting freesites almost every day, as well as working on some new sites.

Ratios are very bad, but with all the extra traffic my income is almost the same now, so for that I'm thankful. I'd be happy if things recover and this work really pays off, but I'm not sure if ratios will ever be what they were because of what this industry has become.

petergg2 · 2009-09-07, 08:11 AM

tube sites, rapidshare's (& similar service's) + ccard declines that are reason's we make less ...

I have send with every month more & more traffic but get less signups

I think when some people can't join pay site - because ccard decline - they search for free porn - most site's have full free copy on rapidsharse etc.

CaptainJSparrow · 2009-09-10, 10:24 PM

Maybe we should be promoting companies that still issue credit cards. Are there any of those still out there?

ArtWilliams · 2009-09-11, 05:30 PM

On this page, XBIZ talks about the state of porn in an article from the influential Economist magazine.

Mayhem · 2009-10-02, 06:12 AM

Hmm.. interesting stuff

I took a temporary hiatus from adult a few years ago (been in it since 2000 and got serious around 2002-3) and have been pondering getting back in.. looks like I got some catching up to do

For the last few years I was strickly PPC.. hit the magic formula and was racking it in.. doubt I can be so lucky anymore.

thefandango · 2009-10-03, 08:39 AM

Are people using SEO backlink building now to get free natural search traffic, or is that still a "blind spot" for a lot of you?

2009-08-11, 07:28 PM	#1
Senator_x Operator! Give me the number for 911! Join Date: May 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 136	30% down from last year.... I have tweak my blogs, brushed up on my SEO skills, created more traffic, promoting heavy on webcam sites,.....I am climbing back slowly but surely. The recession has forced me to become better at what I do. If you can survive this down turn you will emerge stronger. I have seen the mighty fall....adapt or die. __________________ Web Design and Development using WordPress. Hit me up on ICQ 61661595

2009-08-11, 08:21 PM	#3
LB I want to set the record straight - I thought the cop was a prostitute Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 291	In 04-05 I did almost half a mil $. Every year since then it has dropped, and the 07-08 financial year was the worst for me with profit so far down I was starting to worry. But, in 08 things turned around because I stopped doing the same old garbage I was pumping out in 2002 ... that stuff doesn't work anymore, and approached people I had helped in the past who were doing very well for advice on what was working in today's market. I also did something most are incapable of doing ... i took the advice instead of asking around until I got the answer I wanted. Profit is back on the rise and things are good ... while ratios aren't what they were, there is definitely no recession in my office! If I had of been a stubborn bastard and refused to accept the changes then I would be one of the people complaining on the boards all day about how its not fair. Thing is guys you have to adapt. The very nature of surfing has changed so radically in the youtube age that surfers simply aren't going to gravitate to sites using outdated methods. Surfers have faster internet, are used to content on demand, social networking, being able to get what they want to see and quick, and these surfers still signup when they find something they really want. Best of all SE's are moving towards getting those types of sites higher in their rankings because in the end they want a more rewarding search experience for their users. How many tube sites dominate top spots? The problem with veteran webmasters is often their ego gets in the way of progress. This industry is maturing, and unfortunately those who don't update their methods and strategy are going to be left behind. I personally am excited by the radical changes in the industry! Bring it on I say ! __________________ IW skype blance8888 icq 15567120 Last edited by LB; 2009-08-11 at 08:23 PM..

2009-09-04, 07:30 AM	#6
bart666 Heh Heh Heh! Lisa! Vampires are make believe, just like elves and gremlins and eskimos! Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 70	I haven't been in this biz for as long as many of you and this is just my 2 cents but I think we should also consider the dilution of this industry's revenue among all those new paysites that pop up everyday. I'm not sure the recession can explain the conversion ratios that seem to be dropping for years now (long before the economy crisis even started). It seems more correlated to the amount/accessibilty of free porn available to surfers. __________________ 18CloseUp - Teen Orgasms in HD

2009-08-13, 06:47 AM	#9
Greenguy The Original Greenguy (Est'd 1996) & AVN HOF Member - I Crop Pics For Thumbs In My Sleep Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Blasdell, NY (shithole suburb south of Buffalo) Posts: 41,929	This really is a great thread My traffic is the same as it was about 2 years ago, but conversions are horrible & my income is down about 60-70% Each month I seem to hit a new low for income There are so many things to take into account when you look at this. I just hope the economy gets a little bit better over the coming months so that we can all sell a couple memberships __________________ Promote POV Porn Cash By Building & Submitting Galleries to the Porn Luv Network

2009-08-13, 02:20 PM	#12
stuveltje Live and learn. And take very careful notes! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Sunny Holland Posts: 6,157	The last time i checked my yearly stats over a time preriode from 2004 to 2009, i noticed that since 2004 i could get away with less traffic and more sales, now i have 4 to 5 times the amound of traffic then in 2004 and hell i am way down with sales __________________ Canadian Sexlinks - submit Erotica search -submit

2009-08-12, 10:02 PM	#7
Allfetish If you really need money, you can sell your kidney or even your car Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 373	I don't know if I believe it is mainly the economy. Remember a decade ago when 1:100 ratios were common? Before all the free porn out there? Also I have one sponsor who has relatively rare content. They are doing about 1:50 RAW so far. My theory on that is that there is hardly any free porn out there for this fetish so people are willing to pay for it. Business basics: Supply and Demand. Sure the economy has something to do with it but all of the free porn available and the saturation are probably more of the reason for the skyrocketing ratios which go higher and higher every year. PS- by free I mainly mean pirated.

2009-08-13, 01:54 AM	#8
winright007 WHO IS FONZY!?! Don't they teach you anything at school? Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 46	One thing I have noticed is that membership prices have stayed the same or increased. Sure there are sites with free trials, but they limit the content within those offers. I am not a business expert by any means, but it seems like if you lowered membership fees you would get more sign ups. I've noticed that a lot of the big sites charge at least $30 a month. I wonder how many more sign ups they would get if they dropped the fee $10 per month or offered a bi-weekly membership option.

2009-08-13, 09:36 AM	#13
Ms Naughty old enough to be Grandma Scrotum Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 1,408	With regard to free porn, my concern is that the kids of the noughties don't believe in paying for ANYTHING - even if it's independent and well-made and created just for them. It's all well and good to say that piracy has caused a much-needed shakeup in an industry that was stagnating and taking its consumers for granted (hello major record companies and porn studios) but I worry that people have become so used to getting things for free that they won't pay at all. There doesn't seem to be an understanding of the idea that people can't create new, good stuff if it's not profitable (or even break even). I'm trying to find the article that says Generation Z refuses to pay for anything... no luck so far. __________________ Promote Bright Desire

2009-08-13, 10:42 AM	#14
Mike-mijen What do you mean, my birth certificate expired? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Fla Posts: 995	The only thing I have that still selling is my real amateur sites. I feel people still want to feel like a voyeur and peek into the lives of others. I think MML had a OTB about this. How you do not see much real amateur fucking. A Guy and Gal making love for real. I also feel if the news started to point out more positive news on the economy and less about what is bad. Then the public psyche would start to change. Negative news to long can slow down this country fast. Just my half a cent worth.

2009-08-13, 02:31 PM	#15
HowlingWulf Me fail English? That's unpossible! Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: FL Posts: 1,381	Wow I didn't know there were drops of 60-70%. When I started seeing the numbers slide early this year I buckled down and went from 2 TGP galleries/day to 5/day and submitting freesites almost every day, as well as working on some new sites. Ratios are very bad, but with all the extra traffic my income is almost the same now, so for that I'm thankful. I'd be happy if things recover and this work really pays off, but I'm not sure if ratios will ever be what they were because of what this industry has become. __________________ WordPress Porn directory theme => Maddos Create a Porn Tube => Video Pornster

2009-09-07, 08:11 AM	#16
petergg2 Are you sure you're an accredited and honored pornographer? Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 63	tube sites, rapidshare's (& similar service's) + ccard declines that are reason's we make less ... I have send with every month more & more traffic but get less signups I think when some people can't join pay site - because ccard decline - they search for free porn - most site's have full free copy on rapidsharse etc. Last edited by petergg2; 2009-09-07 at 08:14 AM..

2009-09-10, 10:24 PM	#17
CaptainJSparrow You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Louisiana Posts: 511	Maybe we should be promoting companies that still issue credit cards. Are there any of those still out there?

2009-09-11, 05:30 PM	#18
ArtWilliams You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 6,244	On this page, XBIZ talks about the state of porn in an article from the influential Economist magazine.

2009-10-02, 06:12 AM	#19
Mayhem Rock stars ... is there anything they don't know? Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 14	Hmm.. interesting stuff I took a temporary hiatus from adult a few years ago (been in it since 2000 and got serious around 2002-3) and have been pondering getting back in.. looks like I got some catching up to do For the last few years I was strickly PPC.. hit the magic formula and was racking it in.. doubt I can be so lucky anymore.

2009-10-03, 08:39 AM	#20
thefandango Aw, Dad, you've done a lot of great things, but you're a very old man, and old people are useless Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 23	Are people using SEO backlink building now to get free natural search traffic, or is that still a "blind spot" for a lot of you? __________________ The No B.S. Guide To Adult Website SEO & Link Building.