AdWords Experimentia EXP

By Scott Patterson

How much revenue do you generate from Google Adsense?

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about people who earn over $10,000 a month just from Adsense. Furthermore, there are rumors of a few individuals who earn over $1 million a year just from using the power of Google advertisements.

So what is Google Adsense and how can you use this program to earn a six-figure income?

About two years ago, Google created this program to help websites to monetize their web-traffic.

Here's how it works:

Webmasters obtain a special code from Google which then displays targeted ads on their website. Whenever a visitor clicks on one of these ads, the webmaster earns a commission. Unlike other online businesses, there is no selling involved. All you need to do is get people to click on the ads.

Although this is an excellent way to generate an income, many websites are not effectively maximizing their Adsense potential. As a result, they are leaving a lot of cash on the table.

The question is how can you increase your Adsense revenue without increasing the number of web visitors?

The key to earning an income with Google Adsense is to have your ads match the rest of the site, making them look like part of your content. Your focus is to avoid having the Adsense blocks look like blatant advertisements.

The following are six ways that you can do this and increase your revenue at the same time:

1) Find the right place- Most website visitors read content that is in the middle of a webpage. As a result, the best place to put your Adsense block is in the top part of the page, at the beginning of your web content. You want to weave the Google Ads into your web content to give the appearance that they are extra links which expand on the information of the page.

2) Use the Large Rectangle-With Google Adsense, you have the option of picking different ad formats. Most of the time people opt to use the Leaderboard (728x90) or Wide Skyscraper (160x600) style ads. Unfortunately, this is the wrong choice, because both look like blatant advertisements. Instead smart webmasters have found that using the Large Rectangle (336x280) yields the best amount of click-thrus.

3) Ditch the border- Many people experience a sharp increase in Adsense revenue when they changing their border. What they change is very simple…they get rid of the border on their Adsense blocks. This is another way to make the advertisements look like useful web content.

4) Adapt the font- Whenever you write content, it should be the same font size and style as your Google Adsense block. This will help make it appear that the advertisements are a natural part of your website.

5) Match the colors- In addition to changing the fonts, you also should match the colors of your website. For instance, if your content is written in black, and your hyperlinks are blue, then the Adsense blocks should also be the same color. Again, this helps the advertisements appear to be normal web content.

6) Don't have too many distractions- On a webpage, it is important to give web visitor a limited number of options. By having too many links and graphics, the web visitor might go to a section that doesn't help increase your profits. While it is important to inform and entertain your web visitor, it is also vital that you monetize your site. So if the main focus of your site is to earn an income through Google Adsense, then get rid of all non-essential links and graphics.

By taking the time to implement these six simple steps, you'll see a dramatic increase in the click-thru ratio of your ads. If added to all of the content of your site, your Adsense income will skyrocket!

Scott J. Patterson earns over $12,000 a month, mostly through Google Adsense. To read about this and other home businesses you can try, download his fr*e ebook, The Secret-Guide to Home Businesses: http://www.duncemoney.com/adsense.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

# posted by Matt the Hat @ 11:34 AM

By Jan Peterson

So what is all the talk about having a lot of "content" on my website? And what is "content" exactly? And how will it help my business grow and prosper? I get these questions from my internet students all of the time. Let me say this…Having a lot of great content is one of the key ingredients to those websites that are successful and profitable.

Once I explain the value of content to my students they almost always chime back with "but I can't write!" Never fear, there is always an answer for the creative mind.

1. Don't Like to Write - Find Those that Do

One of the simplest solutions if you don't like to write is to find those that do. Where? Elance.com is a good place to start. They have all kinds of writers that write on all subjects. Sign up for an account and post a job. Try to be as specific as possible as to your writing needs. For example, topic, style, word count and so on. You will receive back bids from a numbers of authors. Read what they have to say and read their sample works. A little tip: if you go with the cheapest guy on the block, you will probably get poor work. So it is better to at least go middle of the road in terms of pricing. Expect to pay a minimum of $15 an article for about 400 words or so. Another little tip is to give 2 authors the same project and see which one produces the better work.

2. Press Release - Hear all About It!

There is a fine company called PRWeb.com that will distribute your press releases. It's not free and depending upon what kind of "contribution" you want to make, it will cost anywhere from $10 to $80. The key here is to study their website and learn. A Press release is not a sales letter and they post guidelines and even have a teleconference to let you know how to get the most out of your press release campaign. I highly recommend it. I would recommend doing a $10 press release to get started as a way of walking before you run. The first time I used the service I made a few blunders unknowingly and was glad I hadn't spent the $80! This tool can be invaluable to get your information out to thousands of resources with your website address on it.

3. OPA - Other People's Articles

You can go to any number of article directories and use their articles for FREE. But remember to use the author's resource box at the end of the article or you are violating copyright laws. A resource box has the author's name, small bio and their website address. Go to Google, type in 'Article Directories' and a whole slew of them will appear. I like to go with the better known ones that have quality content. I have all of my articles at tops directories like www.articlecity.com and www.ezinearticles.com. Those are two good resources and of course, there are about two dozen more or so. Most article directories are organized by subject matter or expert authors and you can do your searches quite easily. If you find an author you really enjoy, it would be wise for you to make contact with them. Let them know you would like to be on their update list when they produce new articles.

4. Clubs, Organizations and Trade Magazines

Let's say that you need content for your gardening website that specializes in perennial gardens. There are probably thousands of gardening clubs, organizations and trade magazines that have newsletters or materials you can reprint. Contact them and let them know you are looking for quality articles, newsletters, tips, secrets, ideas on perennial gardens. You might just be surprised how much information they would be willing to share as long as you give them credit for their work and publish their website address in return.

5. Start a Blog - Never-ending content

Try blogspot.com and set up your free blogger on your website. If you don't know how to do it, just get your favorite webmaster to set it up. It isn't that complicated but it can be invaluable. You can get it going by making your own posts. You can share your own information like " 3 Easy ways to keep your gardens bug free this summer" or you may have read something in a magazine that says " Ortho has come out with Zappit bug spray that will keep your gardens beautiful all summer long…I have used it and here is what I found that maybe useful to you." You can comment, question, inform on a blog. Keep your blog useful and people will come to visit and hopefully contribute regularly.

6. Testimonials - Why people should do business with you?

The more testimonials you can get the better. You may have to offer an incentive for people to take the time to write you a testimonial longer than a sentence or two. Let's say you sell custom made cowboy hats. You know people love them because they come back and buy more than one. You could offer an incentive such as "If you love our cowboy hats, we would love to hear about it. When we receive your letter telling us why you love our hats so much, we will send you a coupon for 20% off your next hat purchase." And then you have a testimonials section flooded with letters from your customers. If you can scan them in so people can see the originals, all the better for credibility.

7. Reviews - Your opinion counts!

Let's say you sell high end power tools to the custom furniture builder. You could write reviews on the different products pointing out the positive and negative features. Trade journals in this field probably have reviews of products as well and the companies who manufacture them. You can re-word them to fit accordingly. Or better yet, if you have used the tools, you are skilled enough to let people know what features are great and why they should buy it.

Hopefully, you now understand how to get great content on your site without picking up a pen or pounding away on the keyboard. Our next article will discuss why content is so important and how it can help you with your search engine rankings and ultimately result in sales.

Jan Peterson founder of http://www.goldstarreview.com researches and reviews business opportunities including internet marketing, real estate investing, affiliate marketing, financial investing and more. Over 400 FREE reports available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

# posted by Matt the Hat @ 3:37 AM

When it comes down to the final analysis many so-called advice sites talk only of the Google (or other) system itself. While this is fine and dandy for technical insight what most of us need is a little more extensive research.

For example - I am sure you have seen spam blogs that use words like "MAKE MONEY NOW!!!" and "SEXSEXSEX" or "CASINO MONEY RICHES!" and every page is a link back to the same tired old site. I am sure you have also seen sites that are even worse - for example the spam-o-blog that has only adverts above the fold and a large collection of repeated keywords below.

These people are DOOMED to make no money what-so-ever.

My hope is that these desperate people will read this blog and see how a little work can reap decent sized rewards.

The trick is to think both as a surfer and an advertiser. What kind of person does an advertiser want?

Do they want a surfer dumb enough to click an advert on a content-less page or do they want a clued up surfer that is looking for something specific?

In case that question was too hard I'll answer it - they want clued-up surfers. They want people that buy products and know what they are doing. The poor sap that got to their site via a spam-o-blog probably has no idea what he or she is doing and is unlikely to be able to make a purchase.

There are many good sites that advise the advertiser on how to get the best from an advert:

Google Adwords guide / Google Adwords tutorials and tips.: "Just as the popularity of Googles search engine is derived from its strong technologically advanced features and results so too is its advertising program Adwords. Google Adwords has many advantages over similar programs such as Overture.com and Findwhat.com. "

...

"Don't let being in position one dominate your mind when deciding what cost per click to pay for keywords. Doing so may mean your spending more than you really need to, when Google gives you the average position of your ad based on your current cost per click settle for 1,2 or 3 as all these ads will be above the fold (the fold is the point on a page where you have to start using the scroll bar to continue reading). "

When picking your keywords to write on think about this - you will get between four and twelve adverts for your content and unless you are lucky enough to get four or five insane advertisers bidding the life out of a word they will settle for second and third place on the listings.

This means that you are not going to make a killing from a rare click. Instead you must enthuse your readers on the topic you write. Exite them with facts, get them engaged about sky-diving, table-top-RPG, nude modelling or whatever it is that you are writing about. Tell all and get your reader interested.

That takes time.

But if you do not use your time wisely you will simply be throwing good chances for money down the drain.

Do you really want to give your self a pay-cut or would a pay rise feel better?

When your readership is exited about your topic you have hooked them. Now follow up with more exiting content. If your talking about table-top-RPG talk about the exiting new starter kits that are coming out. If nude modelling is your bag then tell them all about the joy of having twenty art students painting images of your body and if sky diving is you kick then tell them about the rush of doing your first dive.

What happens when some one is truly interested in a topic?

They search for more information.

That's when your carefully placed adwords start to look really attractive. CLICK! Congratulations you made a sale, they made a sale and now you have a happy reader, a happy seller and a happy you.

By using Google adwords you need only focus on the content and the adverts will sort themselves out.

I'll close to day with another quote from an advertisers advice page:

How to Cheat Google AdWords Select - Parts 1 to 4 [Search Marketing]: "In order to get the most out of the AdWords Select program, you simply must have a great keyword list. If your keyword list is not deep enough, you will be doomed to pay top dollar on only a few highly-trafficked phrases that garner top dollar bids. So, what are the steps to developing a great keyword list?"

They are targeting great content - go make your site the target today.

# posted by Matt the Hat @ 1:42 AM