How One Niche Site Hit $8.2K/Month with Affiliate Marketing

Introduction

When Spencer Haws launched Own the Yard in August 2018, the project started with a simple goal: build a passive income stream through affiliate marketing. In the first month 20 articles went live, and revenue stayed at$0. This case study follows each step of the journey from zero to $8,290 monthly.

Months 1–3: Foundation and Traffic Building

September 2018 brought the first visitor. Haws had invested roughly $4.83 in a domain, $227.76 for two years of hosting, plus logo and plugins. He focused on WordPress setup, publishing 20 articles, and testing Amazon affiliate links. Sessions reached 258 by month’s end, mostly from Bing. Neither revenue nor large traffic gains materialized, but the groundwork was laid.

October saw 12 more posts. Social channels, especially Pinterest, were fired up, driving referrals. Organic remained slow, though total traffic inched up to 342 sessions. November added seven articles and slight increases across organic, social, and total sessions—still no earnings. The SEO trend was positive, giving confidence.

Months 4–6: First Earnings and Ad Tests

December marked the first payout:$26.66from seven shipped Amazon orders. Traffic dipped slightly, but small Facebook ads helped keep momentum. In January 2019, 32 new posts pushed traffic higher, yet holiday season demands led to just $6.00 in affiliate commissions and one product return.

February introduced Ezoic display ads mid-month. Amazon brought in $8.00, Ezoic $7.51. Total for month six:$15.51. Organic traffic climbed as Google’s algorithm began recognizing the site. Goals of $500/month by month six were missed, but upward movement was clear.

Months 7–12: Rapid Growth

Month seven’s 15 posts yielded$128.41. Ezoic contributed $39.81, Amazon Associates $89.25. By month eight the site grew to 50 total posts and$565.44monthly—an immediate leap driven by sales of high-ticket items. Organic rankings climbed into Google’s first page for key terms.

Month nine hit$740.45with 138 articles. Ezoic ads vaulted to $227.53, Amazon $512.92. Month ten with 158 articles brought$1,218.41, then July 2019’s $1,392.11 split evenly between Amazon and Ezoic. Traffic peaked at over 47,000 sessions in July. August dipped to $1,109.37 after ad changes and seasonal slow down.

Long-Term Peak: 24-Month Results

Entering 2020, revenue climbed: March $3,195; April $7,212; May $8,290—the highest monthly total. Traffic followed seasonal patterns, with summer peaks. By month 24, Own the Yard delivered sustained passive income beyond initial $5,000/month goals.

Key Lessons Learned

Spencer’s path shows that slow starts yield results when you stick to consistent content publishing, focus on organic SEO, leverage social platforms, and diversify monetization with display ads. Test affiliate links, track performance, and reinvest in ads when needed. The niche’s seasonality must be factored into your plan.