How We Grew Traffic 10% By Implementing New Opt-In Tactics

Abhishek Ghosh

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Published: January 11th, 2023

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Abhishek Ghosh

Founder, The Customize Windows

$2.8K

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

The Customize Win...

thecustomizewindows.com

from Kolkata, West Bengal, India

started October 2010

$2,800

revenue/mo

Founders

Employees

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Want more updates on The Customize Windows? Check out these stories:

1. I Make $30K/Year Writing How-To Guides [From India] (2021) ➜

This is a follow up story for The Customize Windows. If you're interested in reading how they got started, published about 3 years ago, check it out here.

Hello again! Remind us who you are and what business you started.

Hello again! My name is Abhishek Ghosh and I am the founder of the technology blog named The Customize Windows. It is a classic technology blog intended to supply the required theory and how-to guides to makers, webmasters, and small business owners.

Today any product or service you sell requires a blog. It is my pleasure to know that many of you have read my interview and enjoyed it!

This year, we have a 10% growth in revenue. This year, there is an ongoing war and Google has updated the rules for webmasters. Many people from Ukraine and Russia work in the IT industry, marketing, and sponsorship. There is turbulence after the pandemic.

Tell us about what you’ve been up to. Has the business been growing?

I can confidently say that our business is growing. That is because we have implemented certain tactics. In one year, our Pinterest followers grew from 20K to 24K. Also, the number of returning customers has significantly increased. Some pins from our Pinterest account might interest you, like this pin explaining how to use a clamp multimeter.

One of the tactics is using more and more informative pins like the one shown above. We have noticed that many of the users find this kind of informative pin useful. You may try to create such pins for your product or service using Adobe Photoshop or similar software.

The second tactic is probably something you already know - many stock photography sites will not cost you high for your need. Use high-quality images since mobile devices these days are of high resolution. And finally, keep your eyes open watching what the other sites of your niches are doing on Pinterest.

Now, compare the last 28 days’ analytics with that of the previous year:

Here is also near a 10% growth. The previous year, we had no option for mobile device users to easily subscribe and get notified. This is a change that retained some traffic.

This year, we have given importance to certain flagship smartphones. We have extensively studied Samsung S22 Ultra, Samsung Z Fold 4, and Samsung Z Flip 4. This year, we can tell you what problems you’ll face while drawing on Samsung Z Fold 4 with an S Pen.

For example, articles such as Samsung S22 Ultra vs Samsung Z Fold 4 were absent in the previous years. IBM Watson IoT platform was our preferred platform for the last 5 years for creating guides. We are in the process to change it.

The life of any entrepreneur is full of uncertainties. But there is the happiness of freedom.

What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?

Earlier, we used to publish snippets for IBM Watson IoT users. Unfortunately, they will close their service. Our tweet made it clear that we are thoughtful about our users. We have hundreds of readers who are dependent on our code.

So first, we have to replace everything for ThingsBoard, which is an open-source ecosystem. Also, this incident opened up an opportunity for a new business.

This year, Google updated their guideline for webmasters. We knew it is unlikely that we will get penalized. Yet, none can predict a machine-decided decision. We continued our work and it seems that Google’s new algorithm is not thinking of us as unwanted on the internet.

The third thing is the ongoing war. Sponsorships via our Ukrainian and Russian friends are declining.

What have been your biggest lessons learned in the last year?

Our biggest mistake was depending on the IBM Watson IoT platform. We have spent four years coding for our users. We will suggest using multiple providers and open-source products to avoid a similar acute problem. Any business can change its strategy hoping for its good.

Our good decision was to implement a push message subscription (by Gravitec.net). It is a no-code solution to send push messages to Android and iOS users whenever you publish a fresh article. Kate and Viktor from Gravitec.net approached us seeking support towards Ukraine and their help also helped us. It is great among many platforms we commonly know. If they never approached us, probably we never know their service exists. With more control on Android 13, users can decide how to handle the notifications.

What’s in the plans for the upcoming year, and the next 5 years?

With the growth of mobile devices, we will need a separate website for mobile devices. Also, there is growth in the IoT world. As the number of guides and complexity will increase, they will need dedicated websites.

At this moment, we are already operating an IT Consultancy The experience, and feedback that we gain from our readers possibly will help in the future to broaden our scope of work.

What’s the best thing you read in the last year?

This year, unfortunately, there is an ongoing war. It is inspiring to know how people like us, who are in Ukraine are escaping and continuing their IT services. Not everyone could escape death. The war brought the contribution of Ukraine to the IT world to everyone’s notice. The sad story of the death of the SE Ranking executive touched everyone’s mind. A mixed feeling was evoked to read Bodhan’s story published on Upwork.

The world is going through a terrible time, first the pandemic and then a war. Too much new information is crowding everyone’s brain. These are the kind of disasters we were never prepared for.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who might be struggling to grow their businesses?

Some too many entrepreneurs and start-ups successfully won the war against COVID-19 and the war. I guess it is important to read their interviews and stories to get inspired.

It takes time for any business to grow and become stable. The life of any entrepreneur is full of uncertainties. But there is the happiness of freedom.

I have seen that quality services and products achieve a stable market with time. Not everyone’s business skyrockets to fetch billions but finding the wrong points and self-improvement slowly helps to gain a stable customer base.

Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?

Although we do not have an opening for a content writer, graphics designer, or programmer at this moment, we appreciate it if you submit your CV or proposal to work with us as a freelancer or as a full-time employee. You can contact us via [email protected].