For the last week or so, I have been putting a lot of thought into Adsense - tracking my own results, reviewing various examples on other sites and listening in on discussions on some of the more popular discussion forums. I've come to some interesting conclusions and found some really cool tips & twists... and so this week's issue is dedicated to some notes about Adsense that will really get you thinking!
A quick sidebar before we dive in -
I've added some new content to the Product & Book Review sections on the SSWT site. I'd love to get your feedback, and I'd also love to hear what you would like to see reviews on next. Which products, programs or books would you like to hear more about?
Let me know! (Lynn@SelfStartersWeeklyTips.com)
Adsense - Is It Right For YOUR Site?
Recently I was analyzing one of my affiliate sites. This particular site promotes physical products in a variety of niches - all which fall under a broader niche.
In addition to product listings, I added Adsense to the product pages. The site is barely 7 months old now, but is receiving consistent traffic & sales.
To date, Adsense has accounted for approximately 23% of the total revenue from this site. My primary affiliate program accounts for around 61% of the revenue - with the remaining amount derived from 3 other programs I promote on the site (2 of which are promoted just as heavily as the primary program on the site).
The primary program converts very well, and while I dont want to drop the other programs (because they offer a lot of value to my visitors)... I have been seriously questioning the use of Adsense on this website.
On average, the CPM (cost per 1000 impressions) is relatively low - but the CTR can get as high as 6-7% (with 2.6% being the average click through rate). Basically, I dont like losing that traffic for that low an amount of revenue... when my primary program converts so well.
At the same time, it's hard to say if those clickers were buyers in the first place.
What to do? TEST, TRACK, TWEAK
IDEA: Remove all of the Adsense blocks from your pages, and then add in an SSI (server side includes) spot on your template. You can then add Adsense, remove Adsense, replace Adsense with a seasonal promotion, etc - just by editing the one file.
--> If you aren't sure how to set up SSI, or have any other questions, join us at the discussion forum and ask!
Not all markets or niches will do well with Adsense. Some keywords pay higher than others. My particular niche does not have an exceptional payout... so if yours is like mine, then you want to make sure you aren't LOSING money by displaying Adsense instead of focusing on the products - or other offers that match your site theme.
Don't get caught up trying to increase your CTR (click through rate)... before you decide for sure that Adsense Revenue is the main objective of your website. If it is, fine. If it isn't - then put your focus back on your true main objective.
Adsense - Earning More Per Click
There are two common sense ways that anyone can earn more per click with Adsense, so I'll list those first:
1) Relevancy
How relevant your ads are to your content plays a part in what you earn per click. Ads that are *very* specific to your content have a higher payout than general ads on specific pages - or general ads on general pages. How do you get the most relevant ads to show on your page? Make sure your page is specific, and well optimized for the specific topic or subject.
"On the Page Optimization" is what you want to focus on here. If you need some pointers on how to optimize a page, see this recent issue of SSWT:
http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/archives/042005.htm
2) Keywords
Adsense and Adwords go hand in hand. If the keywords you optimize your web page for are very competitive on Adwords... you will earn more per click. If your topic or keywords are NOT very competitive on Adwords, then you will earn a lower amount.
While it is not disclosed what the exact percentage is, your Adsense earnings are directly related to what the Advertiser is paying at Adwords for every click through. You are paid a certain percentage of that click fee when you generate clicks to the Advertisers site.
TIP: Use your Adwords account (or open one) to find out how much Advertisers are paying per click for any given keyword phrase.
That second method is a hot topic lately. In fact, people are building sites specifically for the purpose of earning Adsense revenue. I've even seen a few products on that topic, lately - one of them being SwapClix (mentioned in a recent blog post)
Here's the concept:
Find high paying keywords* and build a website around them, using Adsense as your source of revenue. Some people are even creating one-pagers (using reprinted material or free articles) that carry 3 Adsense modules on the one page... and then advertising these pages on Adwords (or other pay-per-click engines).
The goal is to bid on less competitive keywords in the same niche where you can get good placement for the minimum bid. You then advertise your optimized page, which will hopefully display the more competitive (expensive) ads. With this method, you stand to earn way more than you spend...
*High Paying Keywords - this is actually an inaccurate way to call it, though it's the popular phrase used in these discussions. What you are looking for is Competitive keywords. Meaning that the advertisers are paying higher bid prices for these words/phrases because it is a very competitive market. The more they are paying, the more you stand to earn ;)
Personally, I am not into building "junk pages"... but anyone with a brain can certainly figure out some very useful ways to put this theory into action - - while still providing a GREat resource to their target market!
