PostSecret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

Grow Your Adsense Piggy Bank: $30 to $300 A Month

Maybe you’ve had your own “Aha” moment with Google Adsense.

I had mine earlier this year when I realized I could make more than just pocket change by featuring those now familiar ad blocks on my websites. I had worked hard building my content oriented niche sites and had expected to make decent affiliate income–which never materialized.

You see, most people online (including you and me), are looking for information. I call them “lookey-loos.” They want to gather information before making a purchasing decision. This is normal behavior. However, if you are looking to earn or make online money via a web site affiliate program, you’ll quickly realize that it takes a lot more than slapping banner ads and links on your site.

Although, I’ve made a modest amount of affiliate income, it didn’t seem enough to make it worth my while, in spite of what the affiliate marketing ebook gurus said. That’s the point where I decided to put Adsense on my sites. Got nothing to lose, right?

At first I was like “Cool. A few pennies a day in the piggy bank.” I didn’t have to do anything extra for it, so it was kind of an easy way to make some “spare change.” I didn’t care how much I made each day. Anything was better than looking at a big fat zero.

Then something changed. The money accumulating in my Adsense account began to grow. Hmmm. Maybe there’s something more to this Google Adsense thing than I realized. Adsense seemed like a pretty decent opportunity to make money online.

This is when I got serious about the potential to make money with Google Adsense. I know I’m just one of thousands of website publishers that has recently discovered that this is one of several ways to make extra money.

So here many of us sit, anxiously checking our stats to see how much money we’ve made today. What is our CTR (click through rate)? How much are we getting paid per click? And so forth.

While we all hear the tales about those making thousands per day or month with Adsense, most of us web publishers, here in the trenches, are not blessed with having a gazillion visitors that produce big fat checks. We are trying to steadily grow our modest Adsense income fairly and honestly.

But what is the secret to doing that?

**WARNING: If you’re interested in information on how to make lots of money quick and easy using black hat techniques or using SPAM website generators, you can stop reading now**

I believe that slow and steady wins the race–and, you’ll get to keep your Adsense account for the long run. Let me give you some perspective. Google is worth $120 billion. Google stock is now valued at over $400 per share. A good portion of their profit comes from pay-per-click advertising (Adwords). Yet, online advertising is still a relatively small percentage of total (U.S.) advertising dollars spent. However, things are rapidly changing. Online advertising will see steady growth for many years to come.

The potential windfall for online web publishers is enormous. A web publisher making $30 a month today, could be making $300-$500 per day in a few short years. Those who go for the quick, unethical profits now, but lose their Adsense accounts because of it, may be kicking themselves in the future. To me, it’s just not worth it.

Anyway, for those of you who think that you’ll never make it to that coveted $100 per month mark so that you can join the Google monthly check club, take heart. There’s still plenty of time for you to get there. However, you must get serious. You won’t make the big money if you’re treating your websites like a hobby.

Ok. So, here’s some quick tips on what you can do to grow your Adsense profits (I’m currently making over $300 per month with Adsense by following this very strategy):

=> BUILD QUALITY CONTENT SITES

Content is King.

You will not see good CTR without quality content. Put yourself in the visitor’s shoes. What’s the first thing you’ll want to do when you visit a crap website? Yeah, that’s right. Leave. Some web publishers believe that quality content doesn’t matter. That people will be less likely to click if they get good information at a site. This is not my experience. Some also believe that a crappy content site will cause visitors to click on Adsense ads to “escape” a bad site. I think this is B.S. When’s the last time you clicked on an ad to escape someone’s site? It’s too easy to hit the “back” button or close the browser.

Your job as an online web publisher is to give people quality information. The ads are an added benefit to your visitors. If they want more information on a product or service related to your subject matter, then they are more likely to click on an ad. They will trust your site more. And, yes, my sites consistently have really good CTR. That means “high interest.”

=> BUILD MORE THAN ONE WEBSITE

While a few lucky web publishers have hit the golden jackpot ($10,000 a month and up) with only one site, most of them had built up a very popular site over several years and already had tons of steady traffic (in the thousands). When they put Adsense on their sites, they saw instant big money, and they continue to reap the rewards.

You and I, down here in the trenches with fairly new sites, cannot realistically expect to achieve these lofty heights overnight. It’s gonna take a lot of work to get where they are, if we ever do. Even if we don’t, we can still make a nice enough income to achieve our desired financial goals. So quit obsessing over what so and so is making and focus on your own web publishing business.

Now the truth is, the more quality websites you build, the more money you’ll make with Adsense. This goes for blogs too. If one site drops in clicks, then another site often picks up the slack. This is my experience. And these sites don’t have to be big money makers on their own, or get lots of traffic. It’s a numbers game. The more sites you build, the more opportunities you’ll have to reap Adsense profits. How many sites you build is up to you, but it’s not uncommon for successful web publishers to have between two and 10 sites, some have many more!

Yes, this takes a lot of work. You have to research a niche topic, keywords, popularity potential, design a decent looking site, write or hire someone to write quality content, get your site listed in the search engines, keep monitoring your site, etc. So, you’ll be working some long hours in front of your computer. But think of it as building your online empire–one site at a time.

If you want more information on building niche websites, please read my article: “How to Build a Niche Web Site in 9 Simple Steps” http://www.1minutesolutions.com/Build_a_Niche_Web_Site.html

=> USE HIGHEST PERFORMING AD BLOCK

While you can test various Adsense ad block sizes and colors on your website, others have already done the research as to the top performing ad block. It’s the 300×250 rectangle. This block should be blended into your web page so that it doesn’t look so conspicuously like an ad. People hate ads. They don’t like to be sold to. However, if your ad blocks don’t scream “advertisement” to them, they’re more likely to click. This has been proven.

The best positioning for ad blocks is at the top of the page (center position seems to get more clicks). Also, blue link color gets more clicks than any other link colors. But of course, you’re free to experiment with ad blocks on your own site.

=> TWEAK AND UPDATE YOUR WEBSITES

No website is perfect. You can always make improvements. Change or add new (relevant) information. If your website is ranking low, try adding new information. Search engines love websites that have fresh information. You don’t have to add something new every week, but you can tweak and update your sites periodically. I’ve had sites move into excellent search engine positions just by doing a little tweaking.

BEWARE of auto-generated feeds and content. Google is cracking down on sites that have too much automation. The search engines seem to love organic content that looks and reads like the web publisher put some personal effort into it.

=> WORK ON GETTING MORE TRAFFIC

I know. This is the 100-pound gorilla for all of us. By now you know it’s not easy getting web site traffic. Whole ebook empires have been built around this very subject. All I can tell you is that there are some proven techniques, but they take work and time. One of the best ways, and the method I use consistently to get great results is writing articles like this one, and submitting them to article directories and lists. It’s also a nice way to get new sites indexed relatively quickly.

You MUST keep working on getting more traffic to your websites. Traffic=Clicks=$$$

I know it can be frustrating when your site traffic is in the single digit per day category. Look at it this way, there’s nowhere else to go but UP.

=> KEEP LEARNING

An important KEY to increasing your Google Adsense profits is to learn as much as you can about the business of making money online with your website. Knowledge is power. There are plenty of generous people online offering free advice on how you can improve your Adsense income. One place I frequent is here: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php?f=27

I wouldn’t be where I am now without taking full advantage of free and paid resources. Remember, you’re not alone. There are lots of folks going through the same thing that you are. If you are open to learning, you CAN move forward towards reaching your income goals with Google Adsense.

=> SET GOALS

If you made $30 this month, set a goal to make $40 or $50 next month. If you made $80 this month, set a goal to make $100 next month. Having a monthly goal is a great way to stay motivated while you work on your website business. Trust me, I know. My first month with Adsense I earned a whopping $32.46. It took several months for me to make it into the monthly check club. However, with steady work, and determination to increase my Adsense income, that check has grown bigger every month.

=> HAVE RESPECT FOR ADWORDS ADVERTISERS

Adwords advertisers respect web publishers who understand that the reason they allow their ads to show up on your website pages is so that you can help bring them quality prospects. Adwords advertisers are looking for a decent return on investment (ROI) for their Adwords dollars. They don’t have to run their ads on the content network. Google makes it easy for them to turn that option off–and many do.

So, keep in mind that it’s in YOUR best interest to keep the Adwords advertiser’s best interest in mind when you build your websites. Advertisers want to see profits just like we do. They want some of those clicks to produce sales. If they don’t make enough sales, they will quit using Adwords. That leads to less money for web publishers.

There are some greedy, opportunistic web publishers out there who only care about filling their pockets with quick cash. They don’t care about how much money their SPAM pages cost advertisers when they send unqualified, or barely interested visitors, clicking onto the advertiser’s site. Poor quality website traffic may make some web publishers a tidy sum, but they risk being downgraded eventually by Adwords advertisers and Google itself. Google is giving their Adwords advertisers more tools to track clicks and sales conversions.

Trust me, you want to be on the good list of web publishers that can be trusted by Adwords advertisers to consistently bring them qualified visitors. That’s what they are paying for. And, quit crying over low paying clicks. Google and their advertisers don’t owe you a living. If you want to make more Adsense money, then you’ll have to work smarter and harder.

=> BE PATIENT BUT PERSISTENT

While Google Adsense is a great way to earn or make online money, it’s definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’ll take months, maybe even a couple of years before you realize those big check dreams. Meanwhile, keep doing a little bit here and there to build a solid online business.

Actually, what we really do is provide a needed service to people–we provide quality information to help them find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. We help the “looky-loos” save time and money. We are information providers extraordinaire!

What a great way to make a living.

About the Author
© Donna Monday The Best Information from Around the Web http://www.1MinuteSolutions.com

12 Things You Really Should Know About SEO

From the very beginning of the Internet, the number one challenge which all of us have faced is how to attract qualified visitors to our websites. Throughout the boom years, one of the most popular solutions was to get massive funding, relatively easy to get in those days, and “buy” traffic, by various means.

As an iconoclastic young developer, with ambitions of beating the “big boys” at their own game, more time than money or the connections to get it, I sought a less capital intensive methodology to achieve the same results. Years of study and rapt attention to the pertinent forums, trying everything that even seemed to make sense (making many mistakes along the way, and learning much from each one), then carefully monitoring the results, has lead to many highly workable tools in our SEO bag of tricks. The outcome of these trial and error methods, (lots of both) lays the foundation of our SEO services and the basis for the ongoing growth of traffic to your website and ours.

The simple fact of the matter is this: Expertise in any other form of writing in no way qualifies one for the type of writing required to optimize a website for the Internet. There are many sites which have less than correct punctuation, grammar, and even spelling which rank #1 in their optimized search phrases. This is not to say that I don’t think these things are important, only that to be found in the search engines, they are not the most important consideration.

The flip side of this argument is equally true. Just because someone knows all the ins and outs of all of the search engines, can write algorithms in their sleep, has lunches with Dr. Eric Schmidt and is on a first name basis with Larry Page and Sergey Brin, does not, in any way, make them a writer. All of the writing on this site was done as a collaborative venture between Susan K. Thompson, a professional writer with strong academic credentials and real world experience, in both business and marketing, and myself. Was there a lot of editing and re-write? Yes. Were there disagreements? You bet! Was it worth it? Look at the record.

Emerald Coast Entrepreneur was launched on May 1, 2005 with most site optimization in place and submission to the directories just beginning. With a total monetary investment of less than $100.00, and a time investment, I’d rather not think about, but which approached 300 hours, the site was given a PR5 ranking by Google on it’s first update, less than 2 months after our launch.

Studies show that over 90% of all online users use search engines to find what they are looking for, whether products/services, or just plain old information.

The following twelve points will, I hope, summarize a philosophy, approach and methodology to the SEO question which is both sound and effective, along with giving some helpful insight into the industry itself.

1. Content. Content. Content.

Effective, professional, optimized Copywriting is the single, most important factor in any SEO campaign. Search engines index websites based on the content found on each page of the site. With a thorough understanding of the language and grammatical conventions combined with intensive research, to find and exploit the market focus, one can move a website to the upper echelon of the “SERP’s” (Search Engine Results Page) in a methodical as well as ethical manner.

2. Analyze Web Logs.

Measure everything, at least twice, and then check again. While I would be the first to say that many of the procedures that make up website optimization are more art than science, one needs to take a very scientific approach to the results of the effort. This is done by methodically keeping a record of, and making an analysis of the sites web logs. There are a number of specialized software which make the job easier but at the bare minimum, one needs to keep a close eye on the site visitors and their activity while on the site. No matter how well planned the strategy, it is largely theoretical until proven by the results, which can only be measured by the logs, and a thorough analysis of their content.

3. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, or any other search engine.

Those who promise such feats will either optimize for such vague search term phrases (such as, “green stunted widgets with purple Polka-dots and icing”) that no one will ever likely look for, or they are making a false claim, which they have no intention of keeping, or they have an inside edge at Google, something which they will loose, quickly, when the honest folks at Google find out about it. The other option, that they will take the money and run, is worth mentioning here but I’ll be polite.

4. Some things are just plain silly.

You don’t need to submit your site to 50,000 search engines. Businesses which offer this service are suspect, at best. 85% of the search results on the Internet come from one search engine, which, if you have one link from an established website, or better yet, a directory, will find your site just fine, on it’s own. Four (4) search engines account for over 90% of the traffic on the web. As for any supposed benefit which may accrue from being listed in an obscure search engine in Botswana which specializes in safaris to the Kalahari Desert and receives 7 hits per day; well, you figure it out.

5. SEO is not Pay-per-Click.

While no one would argue the effectiveness of getting increased traffic and sales, through a well planned, pay-per-click campaign, the fact remains that the conversion rates are generally low and they cease the moment the “pay” stops. With a well planned and executed SEO campaign, while results may take a bit longer, they continue to produce, and in fact grow, long after the work is done and paid for. Quite often we have found that after a thorough optimization of a site, only minor adjustments are needed on an ongoing basis, primarily related to new content and/or new items of sale or service.

6. SEO is not witchcraft, Druidism, shamanism.

Neither does it require any special chants, ceremonial fires, or vestments, though some of us do like to howl at the full moon, on occasion. There are no “Top Secret” practices which a reputable SEO can not tell a client, a judge, or his mother, for that matter. The very nature of the Internet has always been cooperative and there is nothing about SEO that can’t be learned, with a heavy dose of time and money. A reputable SEO firm will give you an item per item breakdown of just where the money goes. Be wary if you sense a secretive atmosphere or any unwillingness to answer questions. While there are technical points which might take some background to fully understand, if one has a solid overview of the entire situation, a simple explanation should be easy enough to come up with.

7. Do-it-yourself SEO.

Yes, you can execute your own SEO campaign and find a reputable SEO firm to help plan and organize it for you. About one half of my own clientele do some part of the actual work themselves, or have their in-house dedicated personnel do it, after discussion of the goals and aims of the business/website, a thorough website analysis, comprehensive search phrase research, and focused instruction on the ways and means of achieving high SERPs. These preliminaries are followed up with a detailed program of suggestions and methods which the client can then implement themselves or hire others to perform. Average savings; 30-40%.

8. Phased Implementation.

While many companies spend thousands of dollars per month on Search Engine Optimization, an alternative is available which will pay dividends to you in increased sales and leads without the high initial investment. The most important consideration is to have a reputable firm handle the initial evaluation and suggested optimization planning first. The trial and error method will cost much more, in the long run, with or without the desired result. After studying the plan and establishing a workable budget you may implement the plan as finances allow.

9. Remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Never was this more true than in the realm of SEO. While concrete and measurable gains will always come from a well thought out and executed optimization strategy, the Internet is a competitive media and we all want to be number one. Accept that a steady upward movement, over time, will place you worlds ahead of a flash followed by a crash.

10. A thought to ponder.

At stake, in the race for the top, is the very existence of your website, your business, and quite possibly your reputation. Beware of any “shortcuts” or less than ethical schemes that anyone might suggest to further your business goals. When it’s all said and done it is you, the business owner, who bears the responsibility for any company or individual you hire. Insist on knowing exactly what the strategy is and what steps are being performed to implement it. If it seems, in the least, suspicious, ask for and get an explanation. In this case, not only is Ignorance not bliss, it could very well be the beginning of the end for your business.

11. All incoming links are not created equal.

Both the relevance to your line of business and website subject matter and the PR value of the incoming link determine how valuable they are to your own PR ranking. With Google starting the trend, nothing new there, and most of the others following close behind, the days of grabbing all the inbound links, in any way possible, are gone. Not only will low ranked and/or irrelevant inbound links not help, they will, in fact, cause a penalty. Link farms, free-for-all link schemes, automated link accumulation software, or any other fad that doesn’t carefully screen the links and websites they are coming from will, in the long run, do more harm than good.

12. It’s more than just facts and figures.

The relationship between an online business and SEO is, perhaps, one of the closest of business relationships. In order to be effective, a SEO must know not only the facts and figures pertaining to the endeavor, but s/he must know something of the dreams and aspirations of the business principals. Things which don’t normally come out in a prospectus are often invaluable information when searching for the “right fit” into the complex world of the Internet. My own clients sometimes ask, due to the frequency of my calls and email in the early phases, “Am I your only client?” I usually laugh and say something to the effect that until I know your business almost as well as you do, yes, you are the only one that counts.

About The Author

James ‘Doc’ Lewis spends much of his professional time as SEO for http://www.EmeraldCoastEntrepreneur.com. Doc started practicing his magic long before the term SEO was even coined and continues to study and perfect methods of workable and cost effective SEO and SEM, devising unique solutions to diverse marketing challenges.