No this is not a new e-book I am publishing. This is free information I am providing to my readers to help them learn how to make more via Yahoo Publisher Network and Adsense.
The first thing I want to make clear is that this blog does not have much to do with my earnings. In fact it is a very small percentage. Although some of the information I am about to present can be applied to blogs it is not specific to blogs.
I have been using Adsense since 2003 and YPN for the past year. I made a lot of mistakes in the begining as I’m sure most have but through trial and error everything has fallen into place.
Let’s get started.
First, there are certain tools within adsense which many people are not familiar with so I will begin by touching on these and how you can immediately increase revenue in a couple of short steps.
Competitive ad filer
Google provides a tool within your adsense account called the “competitive ad filter”. This is where you can add the URLs of your competitors so that their ads will not appear on your site. This can also be used to add sites which display RON (Run of Network) ads. These are the ads which pay out ridiculously low amounts per click. In many cases these low paying ads lead to MFA (Made For Adsense) sites. In a perfect world we would be able to click a radio button and opt out of these low paying ads or even request that Adsense not publish ads with a RPM (Revenue Per Click) of less than an amount we select however this probably will never happen.
So how do you figure out which ads to filter? How do you know if the ads being published on your site are leading to MFA sites?
If you are using IE6 there is a preview tool which you can install on your toolbar. Don’t click on the ads to find out where they resolve. You can right click on the link and see where the ad leads. Then strip out all of the code leaving you with the sites url. This is the old school way of doing it but now there are a bunch of sites updating the newest low paying URLs. One that I use is Ads Blacklist. It is definitely a great resource.
Now you know how to get rid of some of the lower paying ads. Now let’s talk about where to place them.
Ad Placement
Obviously, you want your visitors to notice your ads. If they don’t then odds are they won’t click on them. Until recently publishers used small images near or next to Adwords ads attract attention. Google has now amended their terms and have disallowed this practice.
Other ways to get your ads noticed are to place them where the visitors are pre disposed to look. The top left of a page, where websites traditionally have there navigation is a great start.
In content is the next place you should have ads. As visitors make their way through your content there is a good chance they will be interested in the topical ads contained therein.
The middle of the right column of a page usually won’t perform as well as the aforementioned positions however depending on your sites layout this is another option.
These are just examples of ad placement and it truly depends on your sites layout. It takes a little time but I highly recommend trying the ads in different places. It can make a HUGE difference in your earnings.
Presentation
Next the ad presentation is important. Blending the ads so they look like they belong on your site is a good idea. Keep the colors inline with the sites design and the size of the ads similar to other images or content.
If you have a site with a lot of images it is a good idea to use image ads. If you have video test out googles video ads. If you have a lot of links use google link units.
Ok so we have most of the basics out of the way so now lets get to the good stuff.
Statistics and Tracking
Let’s assume you have determined where your ads need to be to receive the best CTR. Now we need to get people to your site to generate some clicks and some revenue.
First get all of your statistical information together. Find the following in your adsense account: Your average CTR, the EPC (earnings per click) and eCPM (earnings per thousand page views).
Then check your sites stats to see the average number of page views per unique visitor.
If you find that you are earning 50 cents per click and your eCPM is $16 and you average 5 page views per unique visitor we know that you need 12.5 unique visitors on average to earn $1 in revenue. (1000/eCPM/pageviews = Uniques needed per $). This is some good preliminary information.
Now we need to find some targeted traffic.
Finding Targeted Traffic
Acquiring “natural” traffic through organic links in search engines, directories and through link exchanges is the best way to get traffic. Let’s face it it’s relatively inexpensive and the quality is excellent. Although this is the best way to get traffic it can also be very time consuming and time is money. I do suggest though that you build links and submit to directories and search engines. It will help you in the long run if not sooner.
So we need to start generating traffic via other methods to increase the revenue.
The first and most logical place to start our search is PPC advertising programs and we’ll begin with Google Adwords.
If you don’t already have an account register at Adwords and set one up.
Make a list of all of the keywords associated with your site. Add all of the keywords into your account.
Now it is time to set your maximum bid per keyword. Since we know it will take 12.5 unique visitors on average to generate $1 in revenue we need to set the keyword maximum bids so that we are making, not losing money.
Using the example the maximum we can pay per click is $.08 to break even. Of course we don’t want to break even so we will cut it in half and set the maximum bids to $.04.
You will notice that with the keywords and the low bids it looks like there won’t be much traffic. So we need to add some more keywords. Don’t worry they will be just as targeted.
Finding “other” keywords
Typos are a fantastic source of inexpensive, targeted Adwords traffic. The traffic is just as good as that of the typo’d keyword. For instance someone is attempting to search google for “widgets” and accidently types in “wdgets”. The cost of your Adwords per click for the typo will be less than that of the intended keyword.
You can try and brainstorm potential typos but to make it easy here is a site which will return typos for words you enter, sTypo. Once you have your list of typos add them into your Adwords account and bid on them.
Other Advertising Networks
Adwords is a good place to start however YPN is another great place to advertise as well as MSN’s new program. There are also a ton of ad networks floating around the net including Adbrite among others.
Back to Tracking
I know the tracking part is boring but it is the most important part of any advertising campaign. You need to know that you are in fact making money and you need to know immediately!
Compare your advertising campaigns against your earnings. Be sure your revenue outweighs your advertising expenses. If your revenue is at least 20% more you are on the right track and you need to think about increasing your advertising budget. The bottom line is the more you spend the more you will earn. The increased traffic may also help your site in other ways including alexa rank and page rank.
Once you have realized a positive cash flow you have unlocked the secret to earning a ridiculous amount of money.
In Closing
I wanted to talk a little about my earnings. To some it may seem like a large amount but truly my revenue is tiny compared to that of my peers. I have more than one associate making over $1000 per day. It seems almost impossible but it is not. In fact it is more or less common sense and a good knowledge of how Adsense and YPN work combined with some marketing knowledge.
Anyone who’s making good money with adsense and has a good eCPM can increase their earnings significantly. I am proof of that.
Even the smallest site is a potential goldmine!
I wish I had the time to go into further detail but I figured I’d start with the most importan principles. I will post more info as I have time so stay tuned.
Good luck and feel free to post some of your success stories!
