AdSense is Stupid When…

AdSense is Stupid When…

by: Kamau Austin

There are times Googleกs heralded ad affiliate program isn’t in your long term business interest. Oh no I said it!

AdSense isn’t the unstoppable revenue engine for every eBusiness. Before I am taken out and flogged by the eCommerce pundits please let me explain what I mean in my defense.

I make revenues from AdSense at a very high clickthrough rate. I experience high clickthrough rates with AdSense without resorting to questionable tactics like tricking site users with photos (the AdSense trick and tip dujour).

So my perspective is from one who has made decent income from AdSense to fund aspects of his business like advertising seminars and outsourcing to his virtual assistants. Yes, AdSense is a legitimate and significant revenue source. However evaluate AdSense with some type of balance.

By now you may have heard about people like Joel Commกs six figure income with AdSense, or Jason Calacanis of Weblogs being on his way to generating 1 million dollars in AdSense revenue. Googleกs Ad revenue sharing affiliate program for publishers certainly seems to be an eSales Nirvana for many webmasters.

But there are obvious and not so obvious times not to use AdSense ads on your sites. Letกs list examine and explain them below.

~~~~> 1. On Sales or Minisites

This is a nobrainer. If you are trying to sell a particular product that is important to your bottomline, you don’t want AdSense ads distracting your customers from either joining your email list, or hindering your siteกs online sales process.

However I do see hybrid sites that are minisites or full scale eCommerce sites, with AdSense at the bottom of their pages. This might not be so bad since only 1% 15% of your site visitors will either buy from you or fill out a form.

The thinking with this approach is you might as well make money from disinterested parties using up your serverกs bandwidth.

~~~~~> 2. SEO Business Sites

If your livelihood depends on search engine optimization or marketing for a living you might want to think twice about displaying AdSense Ads on your site. I can tell you this from personal experience. I once was on top of MSN for search engine marketing in my local area. I concentrated on my local area because I found people felt more comfortable hiring an eCommerce consultant locally.

One day my site fails totally out of the MSN index. After intense study I noticed that I obviously had a filter on my site from MSN.

I analyzed all the top ranking sites in MSN and noticed the only difference between me and the other top ranking sites was I had Google AdSense ads on my site. Someone at MSN felt that my AdSense ads, and perhaps to a less extent, my book on SEO, was getting a free ride in the MSN search engine database.

In fact I noticed that there were no sites with AdSense ads for at least the first 3 pages. Plus the sites with AdSense were only using 1 ad unit at the bottom of the home page (there were very few of them in the top 5 pages).

I knew it was strange to not have AdSense ads on the top Internet marketing sites. This prompted me to scan other industries where I noticed the same trend.

Many of the leading SEO gurus have sites that have been banned from the top listings by the search engines. It seems the more visible you become, the more of a target your sites are to the search engine auditors.

Some of my sites are still on the top of MSN with AdSense ads but that doesn’t mean they won’t also be targets in the future.

Letกs face the facts. MSN and Yahoo! have competing ad networks to Googleกs, and this competitive situation is rife for a potential backlash against SEO sites with AdSense ads.

Many SEOs will point to exceptions to this position. However you have been warned!

Think about it, how long will MSN and Yahoo! sit back and watch SEO driven websites use their search indexes to fund Google? Did you know SEO in MSN and Yahoo(!) is much easier to obtain.

Therefore optimized sites are creating an ad sales wealth transfer from MSN and Yahoo into the pockets of Google! It won’t be long before Yahoo! and MSN begin to devalue ranking on AdSense sites in their databases if not outright ban them.

If you are in the search engine business stay search engine neutral, or create multiple sites for different search engines.

~~~~~> 3. When AdSense Becomes Your Only Business Model

When you become so myopic in your thinking that you build a business solely on AdSense revenue think again my friend. Why build a business solely on the largess of Google?

I don’t know if your realize it or not, but the sites making the real big AdSense money usually have a following that doesn’t depend on the search engines. Internet mavens like Chris Pirillo or Joel Comm have been on the Internet a while and have followings for their websites. Therefore they can consistently make six figures with AdSense.

These content powerhouses are an asset to Google and not the other way around. But do you think Google is going to sit back and watch just anybody make big bucks off of their top rankings?

If you do a search on most keywords you will notice many of the top ranking sites are news sites, .gov sites, or .org sites these days. The only exception is in industries where these sites don’t really exist like eCommerce industries (clothing, shopping, etc.).

No doubt in most industries you will notice a conspicuous scarity of AdSense sites in the top rankings. In other words don’t bet your future fortunes on AdSense.

An IPO based on projections of AdSense revenue isn’t in the future for the average eBusiness. Think of Google AdSense as supplemental income. Building a business solely on AdSense revenue isn’t just silly itกs just plain stupid.

About The Author

Kamau Austin is the publisher of over ten websites. See more of his eCommerce and Search Engine Commentary can be found at: www.eInfoNEWs.com and www.SearchEnginePlan.com.

This article was posted on September 12

by Kamau Austin

The New Google Ad Links

The New Google Ad Links

by: Subhendu Sen

You know about Google Adsense, now itกs Google Ad Links for Google Adsense publishers.

[ For who do not yet know what Google Adsense is : กGoogle AdSense is a fast and easy way for website publishers of all sizes to display relevant, unobtrusive Google ads on their websiteกs content pages and earn money,ก — says Google. To open a Google Adsense account, please visit: https://www.google.com/adsense ]

What are Google Ad Links?

กAd Links are a new form of text advertising that we’re offering to our AdSense publishers. Using the same contextual targeting algorithm that targets Google ads to your content pages, Ad Links units display a list of topics that are relevant to your page. Each topic, when clicked, brings the user to a page of related advertisementsก, — this is how Ad Links are defined by Google.

Basically, Google Ad Links are vertically placed links of 4 or 5 keywords related to the content of your page. On clicking a link, the visitor is shown a list of Ads by Google on that particular keyword. If the visitor clicks on an ad, you get your commission.

So, why do you need to put Ad Links in your page?

Simple. Because you want to earn maximum revenue from each of the pages of your site.

According to Google, you are allowed to put max. 3 Adsense codes. But experts say that displaying too many Adsense ads in a page distract the attention of the visitors and they lose interest in the site. Therefore itกs always advised to put only one Adsense code and that too close to the main content of the page, to get the best results.

By placing just one Adsense code and no Leaderboard or Skyscraper, are we losing out some opportunities to earn more clicks on Adsense Ads?

No. Because thatกs where Ad Links come in. Let me describe the usage of Ad Links with an example :

I have a page on กEngagement Ringsก at : http://thewebcontent.com/Relationships/Relationships_Article_56.php I use 250×250 Square Adsense code with the first paragraph of the article. This code displays only 3 Adsense Ads.

Now, I have placed Ad Links code just above the top of my left panel menu bar. Google currently displays 5 related keywords to the page : Engagement Ring, Carat Diamond, Ideal Diamonds, Gia Diamond and Gem Stone Ring. Each of the keywords are clickable.

Through these links, I get access to : 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 4 = TOTAL 44 Adsense Ads! (at the time of writing this article)

In case, Google does not find related keywords for a page, it displays a tiny search box. Visitors can put any keyword of their choice, and Google shows all Adsense Ads related to the keyword searched for!

Isn’t it incredible? …that too without disturbing visitors? Actually, it helps visitors, because they always look for links related to the subject they have come to our sites for.

The main advantage of Google Ad Links are that, they are displayed just like we display vertical menu—one link each line. Though Ad Links code displays กAd Links by Googleก boldly, but it gives a look of being a part of your vertical menu. And thatกs definitely a great advantage.

To add Ad Links to your page, please follow the instructions below :

Log on to your Adsense account

Click on กAd Settingsก

Select the Radio Button which says : กAd Links Unitsก.

Select 4 or 5 links per ad links unit from the drop down menu

Select Ad layout options : 120×90, 160×90, 180×90 or 200×90 depending upon your page layout.

If you have saved custom Color Palettes, select the palette of your choice.

Copypaste the Ad Links code from the textarea box and place it to your web site in desired place

Thatกs all! But remember that you can place only one Ad Links code in a page. If you put more than one, others will not generate any link.

If you are an Adsense publisher, there is no reason why you will not add Ad Links to your page.

What do you think?

About The Author

Subhendu Sen is the webmaster of http://TheWebContent.com an Article Directory. Authors may please submit their articles at : http://TheWebContent.com/addarticle.php

This article was posted on March 20

by Subhendu Sen

5 Ways How You Can Boost Your Google AdSense Earni

5 Ways How You Can Boost Your Google AdSense Earnings

by: Mohd Fairuz

Google AdSense is a great way for webmasters to monetize their websites. While many webmasters are struggling hard to earn $3 $10 per day, some กgeniusก webmasters have already enjoyed $30, $100, and even $300 a day from AdSense ads on their websites. How are these กgeniusก webmasters differ from their counterparts? They think different! They think out of the box!

Let me share with you some tips which has been responsible in boosting my AdSense profits by 700%. Here are 5 of them, and if you follow these steps, Iกm sure youกll see a difference in your AdSense income.

Here are the tips:

I concentrate on 1 format of AdSense ad, which is the Large Rectangle (336×280). This format has been proven to work with me in resulting high clickthrough rates (CTR). Why this format? Because the ads look like normal web links, and people are trained to click on these types of links.

I create custom palette for my ads. I choose white as the color for the border and background. This is because, all of my pages have white background. The idea is to make the AdSense ads look like they are a part of my web pages.

Previously, I put all my AdSense ads at the bottom of my pages. One day, I moved those ads to the top of the page. The result surprised me. My earning increased! Since then, I don’t hide my AdSense ads anymore!

I maintain some links to other relevant websites, and I put my AdSense ads at the top of the links, so that my visitors see them first.

I automate the insertion of AdSense code into my webpages using SSI (server side included). Youกll need to ask your web administrator whether your server supports SSI or not. Hereกs how to do it. You just put the AdSense code in a text file, save it as กadsense.txtก, and upload it to the root directory of your web server. Next, call the code on other pages using a one line SSI code like this:

This trick is really a time saver especially for those who use automatic page generators to generate pages on their website.

Hereกs a tool I use to generate thousands of pages on my website within seconds: http://www.adsenseinsidersecrets.com/pagegenerator.htm

Try these tips today, and I guarantee your AdSense earnings will improve. For more tips, you can visit my site at: http://www.adsenseinsidersecrets.com

About The Author

Mohd Fairuz maintains a website called AdSense Insider Secrets. On his site, he shares with his visitors free tips, secrets & strategies how he managed to boost his Google AdSense earnings by 700%. Go to his website, and get the tips, free of charge at: http://www.adsenseinsidersecrets.com

This article was posted on March 24

by Mohd Fairuz

Treble your Adsense Income in 60 Minutes

Treble your Adsense Income in 60 Minutes

by: Kenny Hemphill

Googleกs Adsense is one of the most powerful weapons in website publisherกs arsenal. It enables you to monetize your sites easily and if used properly can generate a very healthy income. However, if you’re not using it properly and maximizing the income you squeeze from it, your leaving money on the table – something we all hate doing.

Boosting your return from Adsense can be done very easily and quickly, and youกll be amazed by the results.

I ran Adsense on my sites for over a year before I discovered these techniques, and like many people, I though I was doing pretty well. My clickthrough rates and CPM figures were very healthy, and I didn’t honestly think that they could be improved a great deal. How wrong I was. Immediately after I implemented a few quick changes my clickthrough rate more than doubled, and by doing some fine tuning I manged to get nearly three times as many people to click on the ads as had been previously doing so.

The first technique is one that was กdiscoveredก by the amazingly helpful Debs, on SiteSellกs SBI! forums. When I read it originally, it made sense and I decided to goive it a go, but I wasn’t prepared for the immediate impact it would have on my income. It involves making only a few simple changes to the format and positioning of your Adsense ads.

Firstly, forget about using banners or skyscrapers. These ad formats are almost universally ignored by surfers. Why? Because weกve all been conditioned to recognise a skyscraper or banner as an advert and as these adverts are rarely of any interest, we ignore them. Whatกs needed is a way of integrating Adsense ads into the editorial on your site as seamlessly as possible. To do this you need to do three things:

1. Use the 250 x 250 rectangle format 2. Make the background color of the ad the same as the background color of your site, or as close to it as possible. 3. Make the ads borderless by setting the border color to be the same as the background color of the ad.

These changes can be made by logging into your Adsense account and creating a custom format. Just select the 250 x 250 ad format, and create a custom color palette. Use the color picker to pick the coor you want. The Javascript is automatically generated at the foot of the page, ready for you to copy and paste into the pages on your site.

Now, you need to position your ads where surfers are most likely to click on them. Research using retina scanning technology has shown that the place that surfers tend to look at first and most often is the top left. I don’t know the reasons for this, perhaps itกs because thatกs where we’re used to seeing the most useful search engine results (at the top of the rankings) and search engines are the sites we most often visit, so we automatically look at the same place on other sites.

Whatever the reasoning, as soon as I made the above changes to my Adsense ads, clickthrough rates doubled, immediately.

The second technique is much newer and one which is entirely based on my own experience. Google has recently added a new type of Adsense format, called Adlinks. This displays a series of links on your page in the same style of Ad unit as regular Adsense ads. When a user clicks a link they are taken to a page of adverts that resembles regular Google search results. As a publisher, you are paid every time a user clicks one of those ads.

Adventurous soul that I am, I jumped in with both feet and started to trial Adlinks on my most visited pages as soon as it was launched. Iกm using the four links in a square box format, positioned top left of my page content. After a few weeks of running Adlinks alongside regular Adsense ads, itกs clear that the return on Adlinks is about a fifth to a quarter higher than regular ads. Thereกs no clear reason for this but one explanation may lie in the fact that clicking on an Adlink takes the user to page of ‘resultsก. When a user clicks on one of these, you are paid for the click. If the user finds what they want, great, if not, it seems that they hit the Back button on their browser and try again, just as you would for normal search engine results. Then they click on another result, and you get paid again. So itกs possible to be paid more than once from the same Adlink click. Now, this reasoning is speculative, but it does make perfect sense in the light of my Adlinks results.

Finally, Adsense has some excellent tracking statistics that allow you to track your results across a number of sites on a site by site, page by page, or just about any other basis you choose. This is a very powerful tool and you should use it to find out which ads are performing best for you and fine tune your Adsense and Adlink ads accordingly.

So you see, by spending an hour or so of your time making a few adjustments to the Adsense ads on your sites, you can very quickly treble your Adsense income. Give it a go, youกll be amazed by the results.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the owner and publisher of The HDTV Tuner (http://www.thehdtvtuner.com/aboutthissite.html) and has been using Adsense for two years.

This article was posted on April 14

by Kenny Hemphill