Project 24 Income School September 2019 Update on 4 Sites

Fourteen months into Project 24 and the spreadsheet does not lie. In September 2019, Alston pulled the real traffic numbers from all four of his Income School sites, put them on screen, and walked through exactly what was working, what was not, and why keyword research early on can quietly sink a site that otherwise follows the playbook perfectly.

This post covers every site, every stat, and every honest takeaway from that update. If you are inside the Project 24 course right now, considering it, or just trying to understand what real organic growth looks like across multiple niches at once, this is the kind of data you rarely get from someone who is actually in the middle of it.

What You’ll Walk Out With

Real pageview and unique-visitor counts from four live sites in September 2019
How theme choice (Avocado vs. X Theme) affects bounce rate and time on page in practice
Why Google organic traffic matters more than Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo combined
The one site with fewer than 15 posts that outperformed the oldest 100-post site on a per-post basis
What the Blog to Social WordPress plugin does and why Income School’s founders call it a no-no
How Alston used local Facebook groups to build early traffic before Google kicked in
The honest cost of skipping keyword research at launch — and how to avoid that mistake by finding your best fit at finder.platformproof.com

What Is Project 24?

Project 24 is a content creation course built by the founders of Income School, Jim Harmer and Ricky Kesler. The name comes from the goal: replace your day-job income within 24 months using content marketing — specifically, blog posts and videos designed to rank in organic search without paying for ads. When Alston joined on September 7, 2018, it was primarily a blogging course. By late 2019 the curriculum had expanded to include a YouTube mini-course and a Pinterest mini-course, all built around creating content that gets found organically.

The Income School YouTube channel teaches the same framework publicly. Project 24 goes deeper with a private community, the Avocado (later renamed Acabado) WordPress theme built specifically for the course, and step-by-step project management tools. Everything in the course points toward one outcome: organic search traffic from an audience willing to spend money to solve a real problem in their life.

Site 1 — The Oldest Site, the Hardest Lesson

Site 1 launched September 7, 2018 — the same day Alston joined Project 24 — making it exactly 12 months old at the time of this report. By September 2019 it had accumulated between 95 and 100 blog posts, 30 to 40 YouTube videos embedded across the site, and about 42 YouTube subscribers from that connected channel. The raw numbers for the month: 1,822 pageviews, 957 unique visitors, an average time on page of 28 seconds, a bounce rate of 20.38 percent, and an exit rate of 45.77 percent.

The traffic source breakdown is where the story gets uncomfortable. The number-one source was direct traffic, followed by Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. Google — the engine that drives 65 to 75 percent of all organic search traffic on the internet — sent roughly 15 visitors for the entire month. Fifteen. Out of 957 unique visitors, Google accounted for less than two percent.

The culprit Alston named directly: keyword research done wrong at the start. When you write posts around phrases that Google either does not surface for new sites or that have no real search demand, you can publish 95 posts and still be invisible to the largest search engine on the planet. The good news visible in the analytics at the time was a graph line that was starting to tick upward, suggesting that newer, better-researched posts were beginning to gain some traction. The site was still generating revenue through affiliate links despite the Google gap, but it was not where the Project 24 timeline would have predicted for a 12-month-old site with nearly 100 posts.

One specific data point worth noting: YouTube had sent 22 visitors to this site. That is not a large number in absolute terms, but Alston made the point plainly — those are 22 people he would have had zero reach with if he had skipped the video component entirely. YouTube was providing a second discovery path that organic Google search had not yet opened.

Site 2 — Bigger Niche, Better Google Numbers, One Controversial Plugin

Site 2 was younger than Site 1 by several months but had a fundamentally different characteristic: the niche was much broader, targeting a wider audience. It had between 30 and 40 blog posts and 10 YouTube videos at the time, though Alston admitted he had not invested much time in the YouTube side for this property. September numbers: 632 pageviews, 608 unique visitors, an average time on page of 6 minutes and 31 seconds, and a bounce rate of 90.85 percent.

Two things stand out when you compare Site 2 to Site 1. First, the average time on page is dramatically higher — 6 minutes 31 seconds versus 28 seconds on Site 1. Second, the bounce rate looks alarming at 90.85 percent until you look at it alongside the average session time. Visitors were staying on the page for over six minutes before leaving, meaning they were reading deeply rather than clicking away immediately. Alston also attributed part of the bounce rate difference to the WordPress theme. Site 1 used the Avocado theme from Income School. Site 2 used the X Theme. Different internal linking structures and page layouts lead to different user navigation patterns, and the theme appears to influence whether visitors click to a second page or close the tab after reading.

The traffic source picture for Site 2 was much healthier: Google was leading the way, far ahead of all other sources. After Google came direct, then Facebook, then Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. This is exactly the distribution the Project 24 framework aims to produce, and it reflects both the broader niche and the better keyword research Alston applied when building this site.

Alston disclosed a tactic he had deployed on most of his sites: the Blog to Social WordPress plugin. This free-and-premium plugin automatically distributes new blog posts to connected social media accounts the moment they publish. It is the reason social traffic shows up notably across several of his properties. He was transparent that Jim and Ricky at Income School view this kind of automated social posting as a no-no — their philosophy is that content should earn organic distribution rather than be pushed out automatically. Alston used it anyway. He also reported that joining niche-relevant Facebook groups and adding genuine value inside those communities drove additional traffic, which showed up separately in the social referral numbers.

Site 3 — The Local Travel Site (learnkenosha.com)

Site 3 was the local play: learnkenosha.com, a site built around Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city on Lake Michigan that draws tourist traffic in the summer months. This was actually the oldest project by start date, launched in July 2018 — two months before Alston joined Project 24. He originally built it as a local business directory, intending to monetize it by selling ad space to local businesses and restaurants. The theme reflects that origin: it uses a list-directory style theme rather than Avocado or X Theme.

September 2019 numbers were the smallest of the four: 88 pageviews, 76 unique visitors, average time on page of 2 minutes and 10 seconds. Organic search drove 39 users, with Google leading that group. After organic came direct, social, and referral.

The honest assessment: a local travel site serving a mid-size city is a smaller ceiling than a national niche. The seasonal nature of Kenosha tourism means summer months would look very different from a September report. Still, 76 unique visitors from a site that started as a side project with a directory format and never fully converted to pure content marketing shows what Project 24 principles produce even in an imperfect setup. The foundation was there — the traffic just had a natural ceiling that the niche imposed.

Site 4 — Fewer Than 15 Posts, 628 Google Organic Pageviews

Site 4 is the one that should make every new content marketer stop and recalibrate. It had fewer than 15 blog posts — by far the leanest content library of the four sites — and it generated the best Google organic traffic of all of them. September numbers: 849 pageviews, 784 unique visitors, an average time on page of approximately 5 minutes, and a bounce rate of 90.78 percent. Of those 849 pageviews, 628 came specifically from Google organic search.

Compare that directly to Site 1: 95 to 100 posts, and Google sent roughly 15 visitors for the month. Site 4: fewer than 15 posts, and Google delivered 628 pageviews. That ratio — 42 Google pageviews per post on Site 4 versus less than 0.2 on Site 1 — is the most striking data point in the entire update. The difference is not writing skill, not post frequency, not domain age. It is niche selection and keyword research done correctly before the first post was published.

The design philosophy on Site 4 is also worth examining. Alston described it as deliberately minimal: no images beyond a logo, a black-and-white layout throughout, nothing decorative. The site had only a small number of affiliate links placed where they naturally fit. Nothing about the presentation was polished or elaborate. But because the posts answered what specific people were actively searching for, Google rewarded the content consistently.

The plan at the time of the video: begin producing YouTube videos specifically for Site 4, compounding the Google organic advantage it had already built with a second discovery channel. The logic is straightforward — if the niche is already producing, add more entry points into the same audience.

Not sure which niche or content format is the right fit for your skills and situation?

Answer seven questions and get a specific direction at finder.platformproof.com.

Real Numbers Breakdown: All Four Sites Side by Side

Here is the September 2019 snapshot across all four sites using only the numbers Alston reported in the video:

Site 1 (95-100 posts, Avocado theme, launched Sept 2018): 1,822 pageviews / 957 unique visitors / 28-second avg time on page / 20.38% bounce rate / ~15 Google organic visitors
Site 2 (30-40 posts, X Theme, broader national niche): 632 pageviews / 608 unique visitors / 6 min 31 sec avg time on page / 90.85% bounce rate / Google as top traffic source
Site 3 — learnkenosha.com (local travel, directory theme, launched July 2018): 88 pageviews / 76 unique visitors / 2 min 10 sec avg time on page / Google organic 39 users
Site 4 (under 15 posts, X Theme, minimal design, affiliate links): 849 pageviews / 784 unique visitors / ~5 min avg time on page / 90.78% bounce rate / 628 Google organic pageviews

The numbers reinforce a single lesson across all four properties: Google organic pageviews per post is the metric that matters most, and it is almost entirely determined by what you do before you write anything. Site 4 had the smallest content library and the largest Google footprint. Site 1 had the largest content library and the smallest Google footprint. Volume of posts is not the lever.

Honest Drawbacks of the Project 24 Approach

Project 24 is a real framework with documented results, and this September 2019 update shows both sides of that honestly. Several things are worth naming plainly before anyone signs up or changes their strategy based on this data.

The 24-month timeline is not a guarantee. Site 1 was 12 months old with nearly 100 posts and still barely registering in Google. Alston said clearly that the keyword research mistakes were his own, not the course’s fault — but those mistakes still cost 12 months of compounding Google growth. Time spent writing posts for the wrong phrases is time that cannot be recovered. If you choose poor targets, the framework cannot fix it retroactively.

Site 4 proves the asymmetry is real and significant. The smallest site got the best Google results. That means a new blogger who spends three weeks on keyword research before writing a single post will likely outperform someone who spends those three weeks publishing 10 posts on mediocre keyword targets. The upfront research investment has a compounding return that front-loading content does not.

Theme choice has measurable effects on behavior metrics. The bounce rate difference between the Avocado theme (20.38 percent on Site 1) and the X Theme (90-plus percent on Sites 2 and 4) is large enough to matter for how you read your analytics. Both sites using X Theme also had longer average time on page, suggesting visitors were reading deeply even if they were not clicking to other pages within the site. Neither behavior pattern is inherently good or bad — they measure different things — but knowing your theme’s structural tendencies helps you interpret the data accurately.

Automated social posting is a short-term tactic with a ceiling. The Blog to Social plugin generated social traffic across several of Alston’s sites, but it also represented a practice the course creators actively advise against. Automated posting does not build real audience relationships, and platforms increasingly filter low-engagement automated content from feeds. The Facebook group participation Alston mentioned as a separate tactic — joining communities where the target audience already spends time and providing genuine value there — is the more durable approach and one that Income School would endorse.

Traffic source geography affects affiliate income, not just traffic volume. Alston made the point that traffic from outside the US, UK, Canada, and Australia is less valuable for affiliate marketing because the purchasing patterns and available affiliate programs skew heavily toward those four markets. Getting 200 visitors from one of those countries is worth more in affiliate revenue than 200 visitors from regions where the promoted products are unavailable or where buyer intent is lower. Raw traffic numbers without geography context can be misleading.

Find Your X

The biggest lesson from this entire September 2019 update is that picking the right niche and the right keywords before you write anything is more valuable than any tool, theme, or social media tactic combined. Site 4 had fewer than 15 posts and dominated Google for its targets. Site 1 had 100 posts and barely registered. The gap was made before a single word was published on either site.

If you are not sure what your right niche looks like yet, or what kind of online income model actually fits your skills and situation, start at finder.platformproof.com. Seven questions, a specific direction — not a generic answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Project 24 by Income School?

Project 24 is a content marketing course created by Jim Harmer and Ricky Kesler of Income School. The goal is to help members replace their current income within 24 months by building blogs and YouTube channels that attract organic search traffic. The course includes training on keyword research, writing, WordPress setup, and access to the Acabado theme.

How long does it take to rank in Google with a new blog?

Most new sites take 12 to 24 months before Google sends meaningful organic traffic. Site 1 in this update was 12 months old with nearly 100 posts and still had minimal Google traffic, largely because of keyword research mistakes made early. Sites targeting lower-competition, well-matched phrases can rank faster, as Site 4 demonstrated with fewer than 15 posts generating 628 Google organic pageviews in a single month.

Does theme choice affect bounce rate and time on page?

Yes, measurably. In this September 2019 update, the site using the Avocado theme had a 20.38 percent bounce rate, while sites using the X Theme had bounce rates above 90 percent. At the same time, the X Theme sites had much longer average time on page — 6 minutes 31 seconds and approximately 5 minutes, versus 28 seconds on the Avocado site. Theme structure affects internal linking behavior and how visitors move through a session, which changes both bounce rate and time-on-page readings significantly.

Is Blog to Social a plugin Income School recommends?

No. Income School’s founders generally advise against automated social media posting as a traffic strategy. Blog to Social is a WordPress plugin that fans blog posts to connected social accounts automatically on publish. Alston used it across his sites and saw social traffic as a result, but he acknowledged openly that it goes against the course’s recommendations, which favor earning organic distribution rather than pushing content out automatically.

Why does traffic from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia matter more for affiliate income?

Affiliate marketing programs — including Amazon Associates and most software referral programs — pay commissions when visitors make purchases. Visitors from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia are statistically more likely to complete purchases online, have access to the promoted products, and fall within the buyer demographics that most affiliate programs target. Traffic from outside those markets tends to convert at lower rates and may not qualify for certain program payouts, so raw visitor counts without geographic context can overstate actual earning potential.

Can you run multiple niche sites at the same time?

You can, but it divides the time available for each property. In this update, Alston ran four sites simultaneously, and the site that performed best (Site 4) had the fewest posts — meaning concentrated effort on keyword selection before publishing mattered more than volume distributed across all four. Running multiple sites works if you have enough hours to maintain content quality and research standards on each one, or if you have writers helping with execution. Without that capacity, spreading effort thin across four sites tends to produce four mediocre results rather than one excellent one.

What is the Acabado theme and is it included with Project 24?

Acabado (called Avocado in earlier videos, including this one) is a WordPress theme developed by Income School specifically for Project 24 members. It is designed for page speed and organic search performance. Access to the theme is included with a Project 24 membership. It has a different internal linking structure compared to general-purpose themes like X Theme, which produces different bounce rate patterns — as the comparison between Site 1 and Sites 2 and 4 in this update makes visible.

How important is keyword research compared to writing quality?

Based on the data in this update, keyword research is the more important variable at the traffic level. Site 1 had a large content library and consistent publishing, but weak keyword targeting produced roughly 15 Google visitors per month. Site 4 applied solid keyword research to fewer than 15 posts and produced 628 Google organic pageviews in the same month. Writing quality matters for keeping readers on the page, building credibility, and earning return visits — but quality writing aimed at the wrong phrases will not rank in Google regardless of how well it is written.

Sources

Alston Godbolt, “Project 24 Income School September 2019 Update on 4 Sites,” YouTube, https://youtu.be/R0gXPMQwOXk
Income School, Project 24 Course, incomeschool.com
Blog to Social WordPress Plugin, blogtosocial.com
American Breast Cancer Foundation, abcf.org