educational

Google Adsense

Where would we be without Google? Well I can tell you one thing for sure, without Google's Adsense advertising program we'd be exposed to a whole lot less substandard publishing on the web.

It seems every man and his dog has fallen for the "earn $5,000 a month for doing nothing" rubbish that any number of dodgy SEO practitioners and website content creators are sprouting.

The truth of the matter is that to make any money out of Google's Adsense, a couple of pretty basic rules apply:

1) You need good content. There's little point whacking up any old copy that just happens to be SEO'd up to the eyeballs with high paying keywords if it doesn't make sense. People are spending far too much time optimizing their copy to get high paying Adsense ads on their pages, and forgetting about actually offering something to their readers. Your readers won't come back if you provide them with no reason to.

2) You need traffic to make money from Adsense and lots of it. With average payouts somewhere between $0.10 and $0.50 for ad clicks, you need a lot of clicks to make it worthwhile. Consider this - the accepted click through rate for Adsense ads is somewhere around one percent, that's right - anyone who tells you that they're getting 10 percent is either lying to you because they're trying to sell you something, or employing dubious tactics that will probably get them banned from the Adsense program soon. With a click through rate of one percent, and, let's say, a payout of $0.25 per click, how many page views do you need to make $100 a month (the minimum monthly earnings before Google will send you an Adsense check)? Well - you're going to need 400 ad clicks ($0.25 x 400 = $100), to get those 400 ad clicks at a one percent click through rate you're going to need 40,000 page views.

3) You need buckets of original content. Taking the above example, of requiring 40,000 page views, and supposing that you have worked your ass of to produce 100 pages of quality, focused, keyword rich content, you're still going to need each of those lovingly hand crafted pages to be viewed 400 times each month to reach your goal. That's a lot of back-links and word of mouth you're going to need!

4) You need to update your content regularly. Search Engines will drop you like a stone if you don't update you site regularly. The professionals in the field are using automated means to update their sites at least daily to provide fresh content to the monsters which are the search engines. Find yourself off the front couple of pages in the search engines, and you might as well close your Adsense account - Google won't be sending you any money anytime soon.

5) Don't kid yourself that you can compete on high paying keywords. "But I've heard that there are keywords paying $25 per click" I hear you say. "So if I get the 400 clicks in the above example on my site about Mesothelioma, I'll make $5,000!" Yeah - good luck with that! Have a look at the first page in Google for the search term Mesothelioma, it's full of sites by people who know a whole lot more about search engine optimization than you or I.

6) Don't think that people are making a living from a single site. The people who are making a living from Google Adsense are doing it by using a network of sites. They have at least a dozen sites, all on different servers, with different IP's, with different domain names, using a careful and studied linking strategy to share traffic and page-rank among their various sites. Anybody making a living with Adsense is achieving over 2,000,000 page views a month. That's a lot of pages of good content. Just think - 12 sites, each updated with fresh content daily, is 360 new articles a month - at an average of 30 minutes each = six hours a day writing (let alone site maintenance etc.) It's sounding more and more like a full time job, without the security.

So, as you can see, making a living with Google's Adsense program is not quite as easy as some would have you believe. If you are after a way to make some pocket money on a site you already have, which has good content then go for it; but if you think you're going to make a living, think again!

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

To Cloud or Not to Cloud, That Is the Question

Let’s be honest. It just sounds way cooler to say your business is “in the cloud,” right? Buzzwords make everything sound chic and relevant. In fact, someone uninformed might even assume that any hosting that is not in the cloud is inferior. So what’s the truth?

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Upcoming Visa Price Changes to Registration, Transaction Fees

Visa is updating its fee structure. Effective April 1, both the card brand’s initial nonrefundable application fee and annual renewal fee will increase from $500 to $950. Visa is also introducing a fee of 10 cents for each transaction, and 10 basis points — 0.1% — on the payment volume of certain merchant accounts.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Unpacking the New Digital Services Act

Do you hear the word “regulation” and get nervous? When it comes to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), you shouldn’t worry. If you’re complying with the most up-to-date card brand regulations, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Perils of Relying on ChatGPT for Legal Advice

It surprised me how many people admitted that they had used ChatGPT or similar services either to draft legal documents or to provide legal advice. “Surprised” is probably an understatement of my reaction to learning about this, as “horrified” more accurately describes my emotional response.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
profile

WIA Profile: Holly Randall

If you’re one of the many regular listeners to Holly Randall’s celebrated podcast, you are already familiar with her charming intro spiel: “Hi, I’m Holly Randall and welcome to my podcast, ‘Holly Randall Unfiltered.’ This is the show about sex, the adult industry and the people in it.

Women In Adult ·
trends

What's Hot Now: Leading Content Players on Trending Genres, Monetization Strategies

The juggernaut creator economy hurtles along, fueled by ever-ascendant demand for personality-based authenticity and intimacy — yet any reports of the demise of the traditional paysite are greatly exaggerated.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

An Ethical Approach to Global Tech Staffing

One thing my 24-year career as a technologist working to support the online adult entertainment industry has taught me about is the power of global staffing. Without a doubt, I have achieved significantly more business success as a direct result of hiring abroad.

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Finding the Right Payment Partner

Whenever I am talking with businesses that are just getting started, one particular question comes up a lot: “How do I get a merchant account?” It’s a simple question, but it has a complicated answer.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

The Taxman Cometh for Every Business

February may be the month of romance, but it is also a time when we need to think about something that inspires very little love: taxes. April is not far away, and the taxman is always waiting. This year, federal and most state income taxes are due Monday, April 15.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Continuous Journey of Legal Compliance in Adult

The adult entertainment industry is teeming with opportunity but is also fraught with challenges, from anticipating consumer behavior to keeping up with technological innovation. The most labyrinthine of all challenges, however, is the world of legal compliance.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More