Hello, {{ first name | my friend}}!
I hope you had a great week and that your weekend is off to a good start. 😊
February flew by so fast it almost felt unreal. One moment, I was setting goals for the new year, and the next, it was already March. Can anyone else relate? 😃
I’ve slowly started taking real steps toward my 2026 goals, including:
Building AI content workflows that actually sound like me 🤖
Chasing that bold $100k website income goal
Updating my money-making pages while Google keeps running its experiments on all of us
That's me taking a well-deserved day off in Mississauga, Ontario. 👆
Here's a quick look at what February looked like behind the scenes. 👇
February updates in a nutshell
Short month, but a tough one.
At work, I'm managing more client accounts than ever, making sure every single one gets quality results. It takes a lot of mental energy.
In my free time, I've been deep in learning mode, specifically figuring out how to use Claude and its connectors, like Semrush + Claude, to speed up my work as a solo website owner.
Because managing Self Made Millennials has quietly become a full-time job on its own:
Over 130 indexed pages
20+ top-performing posts that need regular updates
A dozen guest post requests and collaboration pitches landing in my inbox every single day
And on top of all that, building my social media presence at the same time. Not easy!
SEO has gone multichannel. Success today depends on your brand, your reputation, and what people say about you across the web. It's no longer just about rankings.
My focus for 2026 is simple: hit $100k from my website. No big plans, just one bold goal.
The start of the year has been slow because of ranking volatility, but I'm staying consistent.
I connected Semrush to Claude, and it changed everything 🤯
In February, I connected my Semrush One account to Claude, and I genuinely can't stop thinking about how much this changes SEO work.
For my own site, and for the client accounts I manage at my day job, I no longer have to guess what actions will move the needle. Instead, my brain has shifted to a new kind of thinking: how to explain what I need clearly enough for an LLM to give me an accurate, useful output.
My role as an SEO content strategist is changing, and honestly, I think that's exciting.
Here's what I've been doing with Claude + Semrush that's actually working:
Analyzing website performance and figuring out what to prioritize
Understanding why competitors outrank my clients
Finding keywords with real search volume
Building SEO strategies for local businesses and my own site
Improving click-through rates on existing pages
Generating and optimizing content faster
Creating quick performance reports for the sales team
This is where I'm putting most of my energy this year. I want to work smarter without losing the quality my readers expect.
I've already upgraded to Claude Pro to create dedicated projects for every workflow: blog posts, listicle generation, newsletter drafts, and LinkedIn repurposing. It's a work-in-progress, but the early results are promising.
What you need to connect Semrush to Claude:
The connection works through MCP (Model Context Protocol), an open standard Anthropic launched in late 2024. It lets AI models connect directly to external tools and data sources.
Claude doesn't have a built-in Semrush integration, so you'll need to set up a custom connector. Custom connectors are available on Claude Pro. Once you're on a paid plan, you can create multiple projects and connect different tools.
What you have missed in February
I have planned a lot for 2026, including some pretty ambitious 💰 goals, and I can’t wait to share the journey with you. 😉
My first affiliate report of the year is out! Here's an honest look at how my website made $2,892.46 in January 2026.
For context, my average monthly income was between $3,000 and $5,000 when rankings were stable.
The current volatility has definitely made an impact, but I'm working hard on getting those top-performing pages back. 💪
In February, I was also actively sharing my website’s ranking changes that started in December last year and have been still going on, which is why you could also potentially observe a loss of traffic.
The Google algorithm update has been running for the past few months, and there’s no sign that it will end in March.
The update is still ongoing, but you can already check my most popular editions in the highlights:
For the Premium members: 👋
💰 My website earned $45,455.28 in 2025, to be precise — all from affiliate commissions and brand partnerships.
If you are interested in learning:
How much my site made every month in 2025 (high-level, honest numbers)
How different affiliate partners performed (I have over 10 affiliate partners)
What decisions impact the results
What I’m changing and why
Here’s what’s inside:
November 2025 Affiliate report: $5,868.92 in affiliate commissions.
September 2025 Affiliate report: $8,102.18 in affiliate and sponsorships.
$20k+ from my website in 8 months —here’s how: It’s my 2,000-word case study, where I share everything that helped me grow & monetize my site.
Google hit my site … then I doubled my traffic, where I show the impact of the Google Core Update on various websites (including mine), and highlight common characteristics of the top-performing sites.
Optimize like a Pro: Here's what I do: I use these 9 content optimization strategies to rank on page one.
My approach to affiliate marketing: Mistakes, learnings & new strategy
How I ranked #8 on Google in just 6 days: The SEO strategy that got me on Google in a few days.
Want in?
You can become a Premium member for just $7 one-time payment. You’ll get behind-the-scenes tips, real strategies I use to grow my site, and answers to your questions. 🧠
Already a premium member? You can jump straight in and check out affiliate reports.
How did you like today's edition?
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading and being part of this journey — your support means the world. 💙
Victoria
Victoria Kurichenko