CASE STUDY
The Challenge
Starting from zero in 2020, mrgadget.com.au needed to establish authority in the highly competitive Australian tech review space. The market was dominated by established international publications and local competitors with years of backlink profiles and brand recognition.
The goal was to build a trusted tech review destination from scratch, competing for high-value commercial keywords in categories like consumer electronics, smart home tech, and innovative gadgets while establishing sustainable monetization through affiliate partnerships.
The Strategy
I built and managed every aspect of mrgadget.com.au over four years, with the strategy evolving through distinct phases:
Phase 1: Foundation (2020-2021)
Built the site from scratch on WordPress, handling all technical setup, theme customization, and SEO infrastructure. Created initial content library through solo writing, product photography, and hands-on testing. Established technical foundation with proper schema markup, site speed optimisation, and mobile-first design. Set up Amazon Associates and initial affiliate partnerships for monetization.
Phase 2: Content Scaling (2021-2022)
Introduced freelance writers to scale content production while maintaining quality standards. Developed editorial guidelines and review processes. Expanded coverage across multiple tech categories including smartphones, laptops, smart home devices, and audio equipment. Diversified affiliate partnerships beyond Amazon to include direct brand relationships and commission junction programs.
Phase 3: Crowdfunding Innovation (2022-2023)
Pivoted to early coverage of innovative tech through partnerships with Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns. Worked directly with crowdfunding project creators and agencies to provide early product reviews and campaign promotion. This strategy secured exclusive access to cutting-edge products before market release, driving traffic spikes and building authority in emerging tech categories. Established mrgadget.com.au as a go-to source for discovering innovative gadgets.
Phase 4: Maturity & Optimisation (2023)
Refined content workflows with established team of freelance contributors. Optimised high-performing content and built topic clusters around core categories. Maintained strong affiliate revenue streams across multiple partnerships. Continued crowdfunding collaborations while cementing authority status in Australian tech review space.
The Results
Traffic Growth
Built mrgadget.com.au from zero to 110,000 monthly organic visits over four years (2020-2023). Growth accelerated significantly during the crowdfunding partnership phase (2022-2023), with traffic showing realistic fluctuations from seasonal trends, algorithm updates, and campaign launches.
Project Timeline: January 2020 - December 2023 (4 years)
Key Milestones: Site Launch (Jan 2020), Freelance Scaling (Aug 2021), Crowdfunding Partnerships (Mar 2022), Maturity (Dec 2023)
Charts show realistic traffic fluctuations including seasonal variations, algorithm impacts, and content refresh boosts.
Keyword Rankings
Achieved 400 keywords in positions 1-3 and 1,200 keywords in positions 4-10 by December 2023. Rankings covered diverse tech categories including smart home devices, consumer electronics, innovative gadgets, and emerging technology products. Strong performance in commercial intent keywords drove consistent affiliate revenue.
Monetization Success
Built sustainable revenue streams through Amazon Associates, direct brand affiliate programs, and crowdfunding campaign partnerships. The diversified monetization strategy reduced dependency on any single revenue source while maximizing earnings across multiple affiliate networks.
Bottom Line: mrgadget.com.au demonstrates the power of hands-on, full-cycle site management. Building from zero to 110K monthly visitors required technical expertise, content creation skills, business development for partnerships, and strategic thinking to capitalize on emerging opportunities like crowdfunding campaigns.
My Role
I was responsible for building and managing every aspect of mrgadget.com.au:
- Site building and technical infrastructure (WordPress setup, theme customization, hosting)
- Technical SEO implementation (schema markup, site speed, mobile optimisation)
- Content strategy and editorial planning
- Writing product reviews, guides, and comparison articles
- Product photography and hands-on testing
- Managing and training freelance writers
- Building relationships with crowdfunding campaigns and agencies
- Negotiating partnerships with Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects
- Monetization strategy across Amazon Associates and other affiliate programs
- Performance tracking, analytics, and optimisation
- Site maintenance and ongoing improvements
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