Hey!
I'm done to write another piece of info. After asking what you want to read here, I have received several comments on how to make money with your site. Some of you want:
- Get noticed by advertisers
- Optimze their website
- Simply to make more money
I would split this article into 2 simple questions that will help you a lot to make advertising choices.
#1 Which kind of online income do you want to generate?
The first question you need to answer is which kind of online income you want to get in your pockets. You basically have 4 options:
- Adsense
Description: This is a classic. We all know adsense and we all know how it works. The big G posts relevant ads on your site. Each click worth a few cents to a few bucks.
Pros: relevant (not too spammy) ads, easy to use, modify and track.
Cons: you don't have any control over ad content, it is impossible to know which clicks worth more.
Requirements to be successful: get search engine traffic (more likely to click on ads), get a lot of impressions (most of sites will show a click through rate around 2-3%).
Ways to optimize: colors must blend in your design, large boxes get more clicks, play with image & text or text only ad display.
- Private advertiser (links, banners, widget, etc)
Description: those ads are paid by companies (mostly SEO firms) looking to increase the ranking of their clients.
Pros: you control the ad you want on your site, you control the price and the number of ads, it's an easy way to make a quick buck.
Cons: your site may look too spammy and get penalized, you may lose regular readers.
Requirements to be successful: No matter what you hear (I know Alexa rank is pretty popular around here as well as MozRank) but Page Rank is a must for 95% of private advertisers. If you have a PR of 0, chances are that you will have very little advertisers interested. How can you increase your Page Rank? Honestly, simply concentrate on writing great content an gather links from bigger guys than you. This is as simple as that ;-).
Ways to optimize: Get an advertising page, advertising contact and create an advertising package. Those 3 things will make you easier to find by advertisers, easier to contact and you will look professional by preparing a pdf file for your potential advertisers. Another tip would be to crreate an "advertising tracker" in Excel so you keep track of links, dates and contact info.
- Affiliate programs
Description: those are products you recommend or mention on your website. There is a tracking link registering a sale on your name if you refer a client.
Pros: you can select the product, you are aware of the payout and sometimes, selling a product that you beleive in is easy.
Cons: it's hard to get conversion, your site may look spammy if you advertise too many products, product reviews are too common and most readers are immune (read bored!) by them.
Requirements to be successful: get a lot of traffic, but most importantly, get engaged readers (people that read you on a steady basis and that you figure as an authority in their mind). Another way to be successful is to get targetted traffic from specific keyword.
Ways to optimize: do not neglect to include affiliate links everywhere you see them fit (read: to not over advertise, but if you talk about a product or sevice, you should think of adding an affiliate link somewhere). Do keyword research to find the best way to get targetted traffic.
- Selling your own product
Description: this is your own product that you manufacture. most of the time, bloggers sell ebooks.
Pros: you have full control on everything (price, product, placement, advertising type, etc.)
Cons: it's hard to get conversion, it's even harder to create and market your own product!
Requirements to be successful: get an important loyal readership base. if people don't follow you already, they are less likely to buy a product the first time they go on your site.
Ways to optimize: try to make a marketing buzz, use your friends to promote, try to get the attention from the big guys.
#2 Are you making money? Then get rid of your ads!
Now that we have looked at the different type of advertising, you have to make your choice. In fact, it is very rare that you will be able to earn money from the 4 types of advertising from the same website. This is especially true when you are considering affiliate products or selling your own products. Each click on Adsense is a click away from the product you sell.
Most importantly, if you don't make money with an ad after a month, TAKE IT OFF! I'll take a quote from the movie The Social Network: "ads suck!". The less you have, the more readers will appreciate your site. Too often I go to site where I see irrelevant or boring ads. I'm sure they don't generate any income, but people put them in because they think they need to put ads to make money. You don't! In fact, the less ads you plug, the more money you can make. And if you don't have much traffic, just forget about advertising. Start by winning some races before you shift your car into a NASCAR look ;-).
Then again, I hope this little piece was educational. If you have any questions, please answer back to this post!
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