Passive Income Geek Review – Is It a Scam?

Welcome to my Passive Income Geek review!

If you’re thinking about investing in this course, you’ve come to the right place. I spent several hours going through all the materials – both free and premium – to bring you the inside scoop.

Here’s what you can expect from my review:

• A comparison to other similar courses
• How Morten Storgaard found success
• Information on potential discounts
• Pros and cons of the training
• And finally, the big question: is it a scam or the real deal?

Let’s dive in!

What is Passive Income Geek?

In early 2020, Passive Income Geek was launched as a YouTube channel with a focus on helping people build passive income websites. A few months later, in November 2020, the Passive Income Geek website was launched.

The Passive Income Geek YouTube channel is all about sharing successful examples of passive income websites. The niche sites they build (and teach others how to build) are mainly monetized through display ads and affiliate marketing.

Some of the successful websites they’ve created include GoDownsize.com, AnimalHow.com, and SewingMachineTalk.com. In fact, they even sold AnimalHow.com for a whopping $30K, just 21 months after launching the site!

Who is Morten Storgaard?

Morten Storgaard is the mastermind behind Passive Income Geek. He’s been building online businesses since 2007, and made the transition to SEO consultant in 2010. Since then, he’s built a portfolio of passive income sites.

In January 2020, Morten launched Passive Income Geek as a YouTube channel. He had already helped his wife Maria grow another channel, Go Downsize, to over 100K subscribers.

Morten’s first online business was an e-commerce site that sold prints. He went all-in on blogging when he was in serious debt, as revealed in a video. His main motivation for building online passive income is to spend more time with his wife and young son. He’s been inspired by influencers like Tim Ferriss, Pat Flynn, and Jim and Ricky from Income School.

One of his sites made over $23,000 in ads just in the month of November 2020, demonstrating that Morten truly knows what he’s doing.

What is a Passive Income Website?

The term “passive income website” may not have a clear definition according to Morten, but based on his teachings, it is a website that:

• Targets a specific niche or topic
• Answers important questions
• Recommends useful products
• Can be managed through outsourcing
• Earns money through ads, affiliate commissions, or info products.

While social media can also play a role, Morten doesn’t strongly recommend this approach for those just starting out. Instead, the focus of the course is to build and provide quality content to the user. It’s not about creating a low-quality “best X for Y” site.

In essence, the philosophy of the course aligns with other top affiliate marketing courses. It’s about providing value and helping users, not just making a quick profit.

Who is Passive Income Geek for?

Passive Income Geek is aimed primarily at beginners in the world of online passive income. According to its FAQ, it is designed to be accessible to those who are new to the concept, but it would be helpful to have some basic knowledge about websites.

The course doesn’t go into detail about the basics of setting up a website, but the “Build With Us” challenge covers that information. The challenge involves Morten showing how to set up a website step by step, including the setup of WordPress, Elementor, Astra, and how to create content and do research.

For those who already have a basic understanding of websites and have built successful sites in the past, Passive Income Geek offers unique content that may be of value. However, it is not specified how long it will take to reach a full-time income level for beginners.

Passive Income Geek Course Structure

The Passive Income Geek course is structured into nine comprehensive modules, each designed to help you build a successful passive income website. The modules are:

1. Niche selection: In this module, you will learn how to select the right niche for your website and build a foundation for success.
2. Topic research: This module will guide you through the research process and help you identify important topics and questions that your website should answer.
3. Finding a domain name: This module will teach you how to choose a domain name that reflects your brand and helps you rank higher in search engines.
4. Setting up your website: Here, you will learn how to set up your website using WordPress, Elementor, and Astra.
5. Writing awesome content: This module focuses on how to write high-quality content that engages and informs your audience.
6. SEO tips: In this module, you will learn about search engine optimization and how to improve your website’s ranking in search engines.
7. Monetization: This module covers various monetization strategies, including ads, affiliate marketing, and selling information products.
8. Social media: This module will teach you how to leverage social media to promote your website and grow your audience.
9. Outsourcing content: Finally, this module covers how to outsource content to save time and scale your business.

Each module is divided into several lessons, and you will be expected to complete certain tasks, like researching an idea or working through a spreadsheet, before moving on. The spreadsheets are provided in the ‘materials’ tab for each module, so you can easily access the things you need. As you complete each module, you’ll be directed back to the course homepage, where you’ll have an overview of the course and the modules you have remaining.

The Passive Income Geek Community

The Passive Income Geek Community is an online forum for members of the Passive Income Geek course. This community is designed to provide support, answer questions, and connect with other like-minded individuals who are also looking to build a passive income website.

The community is easy to navigate and has threads that are organized by topic, making it easy to find information that is relevant to your needs. The newest threads are displayed at the top, with the most active ones listed just underneath. The community is constantly growing and new threads are being started each day.

Morten, the creator of the course, is also active in the community and provides support and answers questions directly. The community is hosted away from social media platforms, which helps prevent distractions and makes it easier to focus on your goals.

In addition to being a source of support, the Passive Income Geek Community is also home to ongoing events like the Build with Us challenge. This event is generating a lot of buzz and new video content is being posted regularly, giving members a real-time look at Morten’s strategy in action.

How Much Does Passive Income Geek Cost?

Passive Income Geek is a yearly subscription-based course, priced at $399 for the first year and $199 for each year after that. The course requires additional expenses for a domain and hosting, but it’s possible to do all the work yourself to save money. 

Currently, there is no discount available for the course, but this may change in the future. The course includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it’s easy to cancel the subscription.

Passive Income Geek Pros

• Passive Income Geek’s course is a great value for the money. At just $399 for the first year, it’s one of the most affordable affiliate marketing courses on the market. The course is well-structured and has a supportive community, which is great for learners.
• Another bonus is that the passive income website strategy relies on information from Google’s search engine results pages, not paid or premium tools. Although there are a couple of videos that mention SEO tools like Ahrefs, it’s emphasized that they’re not necessary. The course creator, Morten, believes that the traffic estimations given by most tools for keywords are unreliable at best.
• The course has a full module on niche research that covers various strategies for selecting and validating a good niche. This module is much more comprehensive than the content available on YouTube. Morten provides plenty of over-the-shoulder examples of how he applies his strategy to different niche ideas, as well as templates to help you validate your niche idea.
• The module on finding a domain name is particularly useful, as it includes fresh content not seen in other courses. For example, the idea of using bulk domain name checkers to find brandable site names is a smart one.
• Morten’s approach to link-building is different from other courses, as he suggests building links smartly through outreach on places like HARO, rather than the traditional methods. This makes the link-building process a lot more appealing and passive, especially for those new to building websites.
• Passive Income Geek’s method works, as evidenced by the success of sites like GoDownsize.com, which reportedly makes over $25,000 per month from advertising and affiliates. Many of the video explainers and examples in the course use data and results from GoDownsize.com to show the techniques in action. 

Passive Income Geek Cons

• The success of GoDownsize.com is often cited as an example of Passive Income Geek’s tactics working, but other sites such as AnimalHow.com and SewingMachineTalk.com haven’t been as successful. This, along with the fact that there are many other mentions of sites targeting other niches throughout the course, could be seen as a criticism. 
• One aspect missing from Passive Income Geek is an example of how Morten recommends researching and writing great content. While the course is full of practical tips for crafting great headlines and thinking about search intent, it lacks a real-time video. This could be a key missing element for beginners who have no idea where to go next after building an article outline.
• Passive Income Geek’s focus on earning money through display ads could upset more advanced SEOs who argue that it’s better to focus on affiliate marketing. Building a strong info-content site can be more time-consuming than creating a tightly-focused affiliate site monetized by lead generation or affiliate sales. In fact, our number one recommended way to start making money online is through affiliate marketing.
• Other sections of the later modules also feel slightly rushed or incomplete, such as the “setting up your website” module. In it, Morten shows how GoDownsize.com was designed using the Elementor page builder without fully explaining how the tool works. 

Is Passive Income Geek a Scam?

Passive Income Geek is not a scam. It is a legitimate course that provides comprehensive training on building a passive income site through display ads and other monetization methods. However, the course has some areas that could be improved such as lacking in-depth information on lead generation, social media, and website setup.

It’s important to note that no course or platform can guarantee success, as it ultimately depends on the individual’s effort and dedication to the process. But based on the information and reviews available, Passive Income Geek appears to be a solid course that provides value for those who are looking to build a passive income site.

However, if you’re specifically interested in affiliate marketing, it may be worth considering other options like Wealthy Affiliate, which offers a more all-inclusive approach to building an online business with a focus on affiliate marketing.

In the end, it’s up to each individual to weigh the pros and cons and determine if Passive Income Geek is the right course for them.

Passive Income Geek vs Wealthy Affiliate

Passive Income Geek is a great course that teaches the concepts and strategies of building a passive income online. However, when compared to Wealthy Affiliate, we recommend Wealthy Affiliate as the better choice.

Wealthy Affiliate is an all-inclusive platform for building an online business, with a focus on affiliate marketing. It provides many more tools, such as hosting and keyword research, for a similar cost. These additional tools and resources make Wealthy Affiliate a more comprehensive solution for anyone looking to start an online business.

While Passive Income Geek teaches how to earn money through display ads and information products, Wealthy Affiliate emphasizes affiliate marketing as the best way to build a sustainable and profitable online business. It offers extensive training, support, and tools to help users achieve their goals.

Overall, if you are looking for a more comprehensive solution to start your online business, we recommend Wealthy Affiliate.

Passive Income Geek Review Conclusion

In conclusion, Passive Income Geek is a comprehensive course that provides practical tips and actionable insights for anyone looking to start a passive income website. The course is well-structured, with each module building upon the previous one, making it easy for beginners to follow. The success of GoDownsize.com is a clear example of the tactics taught in Passive Income Geek working in practice.

However, there are a few areas where the course could be improved. For instance, the content creation module could be stronger and the course could benefit from a real-time video that demonstrates the recommended research and writing process. Additionally, the later modules feel rushed and could benefit from clearer calls to action.

All in all, Passive Income Geek is a good course, but for those looking for an all-inclusive platform for building an online business, we recommend Wealthy Affiliate instead. Wealthy Affiliate focuses on affiliate marketing and provides a wealth of tools, like hosting and keyword research, at a similar cost to Passive Income Geek.

And while you’re at it, be sure to read my lazy bum to online entrepreneur story.

I hope you found today’s review of Passive Income Geek helpful. If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comment section below. Also, don’t forget to share on social media and follow our pages (social icons in the header) for more awesome content.

Tony,

Founder of Lifestyle Freedom Business