There are two major players when it comes to earning money online, Google Adsense and Amazon Associates. Is one of these programs a better way to earn money than the other or is a combination of the two best for your website? Read on to find out.
To start off, we will take a closer look at each program.
Google Adsense
The Google Adsense program is arguably the most well-known way to earn money online. Though entrance into the program isn’t always the easiest thing to obtain, once accepted, you will be free to add their advertisements to any of your websites that meet the requirements.
Adsense is mostly used for adding textual or image-based ads to a website, but there are several other departments you may wish to look into like Adsense for search, games, mobile content, and video. Generally, Adsense advertisements are paid for on a cost-per-click basis, but there are also advertisers who pay using a cost-per-impression system.
Amazon Associates
Another well-known program that can be used to earn money online is called Amazon Associates. This program also requires approval to join, but is less restrictive and easier to gain acceptance to than Google Adsense.
Amazon is commonly used for linking to specific products like books, movies, and electronics, and works on a per-sale commission-based system. There are also generic banners that you may add to your website if desired, and a wide range of widgets such as search, mp3 clips, wish lists, and favorites.
To determine which program will work best with your website, it is important to examine the people who visit it. Are your visitors simply looking for information or are they planning to make a purchase? Purchase driven sites tend to work well with Amazon, while informational sites tend to work best with Adsense.
It is also worth noting that both programs can be used together on one site to maximize your potential income. This often proves to be the best course of action, especially early on, because it will allow you to see how one program performs against the other. You should always test various combinations and placements of the ads from each program if your goal is to earn money online.
Since both programs have a different set of requirements that must be met before acceptance, it is important that you seek out these requirements and implement them on your website before applying. Though you are allowed to reapply at a later date if you fail to be approved the first time around, it is always best to apply using a website that is up to program standards.
As you can see, both Google Adsense and Amazon Associates offer publishers several ways to earn money online. Whether you choose to use one program or both will depend on three things – acceptance into the individual programs, the type of website you are running, and the kind of people who visit it.
Showing posts with label Blogging Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging Tips. Show all posts
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Making Money With Adsense and Blogger
With so many “Get Rich Quick” stories floating around the Internet, it seems that more and more people are looking for ways to get their own piece of the action. After all, if other people are making money online, then it can’t be all that hard, can it? It is this line of thinking that has people from all around the world starting up blogs and hoping to make some fast cash.
Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, it’s not at all hard to sign up with Blogger and set up a free blog – all you need to do is fill out a few forms and select the template you like best. The catch is, maintaining a blog is a lot of work and you’ll need an established blog before you can apply for a Google Adsense account. Google declines applications for blogs that do not contain enough quality content, so it is important that you do not apply for the program too early.
To ensure that your blog is of high enough quality to be accepted into the Google Adsense program, you’ll need to find an interesting angle to your chosen topic and create many worthwhile posts about it. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication before you start to see a steady stream of visitors to your blog, so be prepared for the long haul.
This period between writing quality blog posts and waiting for the visitors to arrive is where most new bloggers ultimately give up. It can be discouraging to spend so much time adding interesting and informative content, only for it to sit there unread. Unfortunately, your first posts will likely go unseen until you have established yourself as a quality blogger.
That leaves us with the question, “How does a person establish themselves as a quality blogger?” Well, you can do this by continuing to add useful content to your blog and implementing various marketing strategies to bring in more visitors. As you add more posts and work on marketing your blog, your readership will gradually increase.
Once you have a steady stream of visitors and a substantial number of quality posts, it will be time to apply for a Google Adsense account. Luckily, this step couldn’t be simpler. With Blogger now owned by Google, you are encouraged to apply for an Adsense account from directly within the Blogger interface.
Once your application has been accepted, you will be able to select the size, shape, color, and location for the Adsense ads that will be displayed on your blog. Testing various combinations of ad types, colors, and locations will help you to maximise your Adsense revenue.
As you can see, making money with Adsense and Blogger will require a lot of time and effort. Fortunately, if you are willing to add quality posts and market your blog, it can become a lucrative venture. Just be prepared to stick with it long term and wait until you have an established blog before applying for a Google Adsense account.
Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, it’s not at all hard to sign up with Blogger and set up a free blog – all you need to do is fill out a few forms and select the template you like best. The catch is, maintaining a blog is a lot of work and you’ll need an established blog before you can apply for a Google Adsense account. Google declines applications for blogs that do not contain enough quality content, so it is important that you do not apply for the program too early.
To ensure that your blog is of high enough quality to be accepted into the Google Adsense program, you’ll need to find an interesting angle to your chosen topic and create many worthwhile posts about it. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication before you start to see a steady stream of visitors to your blog, so be prepared for the long haul.
This period between writing quality blog posts and waiting for the visitors to arrive is where most new bloggers ultimately give up. It can be discouraging to spend so much time adding interesting and informative content, only for it to sit there unread. Unfortunately, your first posts will likely go unseen until you have established yourself as a quality blogger.
That leaves us with the question, “How does a person establish themselves as a quality blogger?” Well, you can do this by continuing to add useful content to your blog and implementing various marketing strategies to bring in more visitors. As you add more posts and work on marketing your blog, your readership will gradually increase.
Once you have a steady stream of visitors and a substantial number of quality posts, it will be time to apply for a Google Adsense account. Luckily, this step couldn’t be simpler. With Blogger now owned by Google, you are encouraged to apply for an Adsense account from directly within the Blogger interface.
Once your application has been accepted, you will be able to select the size, shape, color, and location for the Adsense ads that will be displayed on your blog. Testing various combinations of ad types, colors, and locations will help you to maximise your Adsense revenue.
As you can see, making money with Adsense and Blogger will require a lot of time and effort. Fortunately, if you are willing to add quality posts and market your blog, it can become a lucrative venture. Just be prepared to stick with it long term and wait until you have an established blog before applying for a Google Adsense account.
When Blogging, Write About Your Passions
Too many people try to find the highest paying niche before starting a blog. They figure that by blogging about the highest paying keywords they can find, they will somehow strike it rich. Of course, there is always the rare chance of finding success using this method, but another method tends to be more reliable.
Instead of writing about a random topic you know little about but happened to discover at the top of a high paying keywords list, you should choose to write about a topic for which you are passionate. By writing about what you know and love, you will be better able to create interesting and informative content. After all, you already know about the topic, you simply need to organize what you know into a series of blog postings.
It is interesting and informative content that sets one blog ahead of the others. Interesting content draws in more visitors and encourages those visitors to share the content with others. The more people who share your blog’s content, the higher it will rank in major search engines like Google or Yahoo. By ranking higher in the popular search engines, more people will find your site.
The other benefit of writing about your passions is that you will be more eager to add new posts. It can be a real struggle to write about a topic you know little about and care even less for, but when you are writing about a topic you enjoy, it becomes much easier to create new content. If you plan to regularly add content to your blog, then writing about a topic that you love will definitely make the process less painful.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide on which topic you want to write about when starting up a new blog. Just be sure to avoid scanning the top paying keyword lists for ideas and instead look to your passions when making the decision. By doing so, you will be well on your way to creating a great blog.
Instead of writing about a random topic you know little about but happened to discover at the top of a high paying keywords list, you should choose to write about a topic for which you are passionate. By writing about what you know and love, you will be better able to create interesting and informative content. After all, you already know about the topic, you simply need to organize what you know into a series of blog postings.
It is interesting and informative content that sets one blog ahead of the others. Interesting content draws in more visitors and encourages those visitors to share the content with others. The more people who share your blog’s content, the higher it will rank in major search engines like Google or Yahoo. By ranking higher in the popular search engines, more people will find your site.
The other benefit of writing about your passions is that you will be more eager to add new posts. It can be a real struggle to write about a topic you know little about and care even less for, but when you are writing about a topic you enjoy, it becomes much easier to create new content. If you plan to regularly add content to your blog, then writing about a topic that you love will definitely make the process less painful.
In the end, it’s up to you to decide on which topic you want to write about when starting up a new blog. Just be sure to avoid scanning the top paying keyword lists for ideas and instead look to your passions when making the decision. By doing so, you will be well on your way to creating a great blog.
Great Titles Bring in More Blog Visitors
If you are like most bloggers, you are probably looking for new ways to get more traffic to your blog. Although there are several ways to bring in more visitors, one of the most overlooked methods is to improve on your blog post titles. After all, the title is often the deciding factor for whether or not a person chooses to click through to your post.
When considering titles, remember less is more. Shorter titles are easier for people to scan, while longer titles often get cut short by the popular search engines. By keeping your titles reasonably short, you can ensure that they are fully visible each time your blog appears within a search engine’s results.
It can also be a good idea to do a little research as you are coming up with the specific wording for your titles. Using a resource like the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, you can type in some words relating to your post. This will give you a good idea about the search terms people are using for the topic you have written about. Including popular phrasing into your titles can entice more people to click on your link and open your blog.
Another important part of any great blog title is its ability to grab the reader’s attention. There are many phrases that can be used to gain attention, with some of the more popular choices being, “The Secret of…” and “Little Known Ways to…”. By adding attention grabbing words to your titles, more people will choose to click through the link and read your blog post.
While it is always a good idea to consider each new title carefully as you add content to your blog, it’s never too late to improve the titles of posts that have already been published. Any improved titles will be updated in the search engine results the next time your blog post is spidered.
Yes, it can be a little time consuming to come up with creative and attention grabbing blog titles, especially if you are going back and updating the titles of your old posts. It is worth the effort, however, because with these new and improved titles you are bound to see an increase in the number of people visiting your blog.
When considering titles, remember less is more. Shorter titles are easier for people to scan, while longer titles often get cut short by the popular search engines. By keeping your titles reasonably short, you can ensure that they are fully visible each time your blog appears within a search engine’s results.
It can also be a good idea to do a little research as you are coming up with the specific wording for your titles. Using a resource like the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, you can type in some words relating to your post. This will give you a good idea about the search terms people are using for the topic you have written about. Including popular phrasing into your titles can entice more people to click on your link and open your blog.
Another important part of any great blog title is its ability to grab the reader’s attention. There are many phrases that can be used to gain attention, with some of the more popular choices being, “The Secret of…” and “Little Known Ways to…”. By adding attention grabbing words to your titles, more people will choose to click through the link and read your blog post.
While it is always a good idea to consider each new title carefully as you add content to your blog, it’s never too late to improve the titles of posts that have already been published. Any improved titles will be updated in the search engine results the next time your blog post is spidered.
Yes, it can be a little time consuming to come up with creative and attention grabbing blog titles, especially if you are going back and updating the titles of your old posts. It is worth the effort, however, because with these new and improved titles you are bound to see an increase in the number of people visiting your blog.
WordPress Countdown Widget: A Simple and Customizable Countdown Plugin for Your WordPress Site
Countdown widgets make for an excellent addition to many sites. Because of this, many developers have created and released several different countdown plugins. With so many available plugins, how do you know which one is right for you? Well, you could download and install several random plugins before finding the one that you like, or you could save some time and give WordPress Countdown Widget a try first.
The WordPress Countdown Widget is a simple widget that lets you add unlimited countdowns to your WordPress site. Unlike some countdown widgets that function incorrectly when more than one instance is used on a page, WordPress Countdown Widget functions properly no matter how many times you wish to use it. Plus, having been developed by Shailan.com, a popular developer of WordPress themes, plugins, and widgets, you can rest assured that it’s a safe and reliable widget to add to your site.
With over 15,000 downloads and an average rating of 4/5 stars, the WordPress Countdown Widget requires that you use WordPress 2.8 version or higher. It is known to be compatible through to WordPress 3.1.4 and may work with other versions as well. When installing any new plugins on your current WordPress site, always be sure to back up your files just in case something should go wrong during installation.
As for the installation itself, it’s simple. After downloading the WordPress Countdown Widget, you’ll need to install it from the WP Admin > Plugins page. Upon completion, simply activate the plugin and drag and drop it onto the sidebar at your desired location. This can be done from the Appearance > Widgets page.
Next you’ll need to customize your widget, so that your new countdown clock looks and works the way you want. You’ll be asked to include a title and event title, plus the date and time to which you are counting down to. You are also given the option of formatting the date and time, plus asked to provide the appropriate time zone. Display properties like text color, background color, and width are also fully customizable. If you wish, you are given the option of removing the “powered by” link at the bottom of the widget.
Overall, the WordPress Countdown Widget is an excellent tool. Its only downfall is that, like most other plugins, it doesn’t work on all versions of WordPress. If you do however happen to have a compatible version and are in need of a basic countdown clock, then its ease of installation and customizable features makes it a simple, but worthy addition to your WordPress site.
Please note: This article is in reference to the WordPress Countdown Widget, which can be found at: http://www.wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-countdown-widget/
The WordPress Countdown Widget is a simple widget that lets you add unlimited countdowns to your WordPress site. Unlike some countdown widgets that function incorrectly when more than one instance is used on a page, WordPress Countdown Widget functions properly no matter how many times you wish to use it. Plus, having been developed by Shailan.com, a popular developer of WordPress themes, plugins, and widgets, you can rest assured that it’s a safe and reliable widget to add to your site.
With over 15,000 downloads and an average rating of 4/5 stars, the WordPress Countdown Widget requires that you use WordPress 2.8 version or higher. It is known to be compatible through to WordPress 3.1.4 and may work with other versions as well. When installing any new plugins on your current WordPress site, always be sure to back up your files just in case something should go wrong during installation.
As for the installation itself, it’s simple. After downloading the WordPress Countdown Widget, you’ll need to install it from the WP Admin > Plugins page. Upon completion, simply activate the plugin and drag and drop it onto the sidebar at your desired location. This can be done from the Appearance > Widgets page.
Next you’ll need to customize your widget, so that your new countdown clock looks and works the way you want. You’ll be asked to include a title and event title, plus the date and time to which you are counting down to. You are also given the option of formatting the date and time, plus asked to provide the appropriate time zone. Display properties like text color, background color, and width are also fully customizable. If you wish, you are given the option of removing the “powered by” link at the bottom of the widget.
Overall, the WordPress Countdown Widget is an excellent tool. Its only downfall is that, like most other plugins, it doesn’t work on all versions of WordPress. If you do however happen to have a compatible version and are in need of a basic countdown clock, then its ease of installation and customizable features makes it a simple, but worthy addition to your WordPress site.
Please note: This article is in reference to the WordPress Countdown Widget, which can be found at: http://www.wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-countdown-widget/
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Quick Blogging Tips: What Makes for Good Blog Content?
Before you sit down and start to write, it’s important to note that writing for a blog is different than writing for other mediums such as academia or the press. That being said, what type of content works well with blogs? Where academic papers and press releases lean toward the more formal side of the spectrum, blog content tends to be more informal and sometimes even personal in nature.
This does not mean that blog content should be badly written, however, because poorly thought out or grammatically incorrect posts can have a negative impact on your visitors. Blogs with well thought out and easy to read content tend to have more followers than ones that do not.
To increase your readership, you’ll want to write informative and engaging posts that will encourage your visitors to leave comments and share your blog with their family and friends. The more engaging your blog’s content is, the more people will hear about it. The more people who hear about your blog, the more traffic it will eventually get.
Now obviously blogs are very diverse in scope and overall objectives, so what works well on one blog may not necessarily work on the next. If you are unsure about how you want to go about writing for your blog, feel free to test out different writing styles or levels of formality and see what works best for you and your visitors.
This does not mean that blog content should be badly written, however, because poorly thought out or grammatically incorrect posts can have a negative impact on your visitors. Blogs with well thought out and easy to read content tend to have more followers than ones that do not.
To increase your readership, you’ll want to write informative and engaging posts that will encourage your visitors to leave comments and share your blog with their family and friends. The more engaging your blog’s content is, the more people will hear about it. The more people who hear about your blog, the more traffic it will eventually get.
Now obviously blogs are very diverse in scope and overall objectives, so what works well on one blog may not necessarily work on the next. If you are unsure about how you want to go about writing for your blog, feel free to test out different writing styles or levels of formality and see what works best for you and your visitors.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Developing a Niche for Your Blog
By Aaron S. Robertson
For this post, I want to take some time to reflect on a post written by Joe over at WebsiteBegin. He recently authored a great post entitled, Choosing a Great Niche.
Being in the business of search engine optimization, social media, copy writing, and online marketing for nearly five years now, I totally agree with Joe here. In order to be successful with a blog, you really do have to have passion. And you really do need a niche.
And it needs to be a specific niche. It can't be too broad. Case in point here: roughly six or seven years ago now, Dan Kenitz, a friend from my college days who is now a partner here at Intrepid Innovations, had a really cool idea for a Web site. We were still in college at the time. An avid news junkie who's passionate about political debate, Dan envisioned a site that would feature a blog and discussion forums. He ended up launching the site, calling it BipolarNation.com, a name reflecting the country's deep political divide. I helped him for a few years with marketing the site. I also wrote for it from time to time. BipolarNation really provided me with my first hands-on experience with search engine optimization and online marketing, and it was through my work on this site that I really became interested in SEO and Web marketing. And now, I can't get enough of it! Anyways, back to the point here. Dan shut the site down maybe two or three years ago to concentrate on other projects. But during the time that he had the site, there were many times he considered giving up on it. There were times where traffic was great, but overall, it just wasn't there, at least not at the levels we were wanting it at. That was frustrating to both of us.
Now a seasoned veteran when it comes to SEO, Internet marketing, social media, etc., I think I now have the answer to Dan's problem: the site's niche was simply too broad. It was a great idea, no doubt about it. And there's no question that Dan had the passion. He worked very hard on it. It was his baby. And being a writing major, the content he produced was always interesting and engaging, whether you agreed with him or not. But in hindsight, knowing what I now know, I think it simply came down to not having a tighter niche. He discussed political issues and news mostly on a national level, and that's the problem. There already were (and are) far too many Web sites out there discussing national politics and news stories. That right there makes it extremely difficult to truly stand out.
Flash forward to January 2010. By this point, we had been in business as Intrepid Innovations for just over two years, having launched our company at the end of 2007. I decided to create this blog. It didn't take long for me to determine the niche. As a business owner who was passionate about meeting new people and helping others with my knowledge and experiences, and, having been involved in a number of business networking groups by then, I decided to launch a blog that would largely focus on networking opportunities for business owners and professionals around the greater Milwaukee area. It's a pretty unique niche, as I don't see too many other sites out there that are focused on this particular subject.
Now, don't get me wrong. This blog isn't strictly about Milwaukee or about business opportunities in Milwaukee. I'm a freelance journalist, as well, so I publish exclusive interviews on here from time to time, whether the interviewee has anything to do with Milwaukee or not. And being back in school, going for a Master's of Science in Management (MSM) degree, I've been publishing my research papers on here, too. And we now welcome submitted items like press releases, articles, and announcements that have nothing to do with the Milwaukee area.
But by keeping this Milwaukee networking theme intact, however, we've developed a loyal core following. We now have consistent traffic at decent levels that are putting smiles on our faces. Of course, we're always striving for continuous improvement. But right now, we're pretty happy overall. And it's all because of this specific niche. That's what keeps traffic coming back at all hours of the day and night. The rest of the blog's content is icing on the cake. Bonus points. Extra search engine results. But without this specific niche - if we were just posting random interviews, research papers, and blurbs that don't relate to one another - there's no doubt that we wouldn't have the following that we do. Our blog would be completely lost in the search engines. The search engines wouldn't know how to categorize it because it wouldn't have enough content that was somehow related, married through a particular theme.
A recent look at the keywords people are finding our blog with are quite revealing: milwaukee area job web sites, real estate networking milwaukee, milwaukee business networking, etc. We know we're on to something.
What are your experiences in launching blogs or regular Web sites? Ever get frustrated and feel like giving up? What sorts of niches did you target? What advice would you have for someone thinking about launching a site for the very first time? What learning experiences have you taken away? Share your knowledge, insights, and experiences in the Comments section below.
For this post, I want to take some time to reflect on a post written by Joe over at WebsiteBegin. He recently authored a great post entitled, Choosing a Great Niche.
Being in the business of search engine optimization, social media, copy writing, and online marketing for nearly five years now, I totally agree with Joe here. In order to be successful with a blog, you really do have to have passion. And you really do need a niche.
And it needs to be a specific niche. It can't be too broad. Case in point here: roughly six or seven years ago now, Dan Kenitz, a friend from my college days who is now a partner here at Intrepid Innovations, had a really cool idea for a Web site. We were still in college at the time. An avid news junkie who's passionate about political debate, Dan envisioned a site that would feature a blog and discussion forums. He ended up launching the site, calling it BipolarNation.com, a name reflecting the country's deep political divide. I helped him for a few years with marketing the site. I also wrote for it from time to time. BipolarNation really provided me with my first hands-on experience with search engine optimization and online marketing, and it was through my work on this site that I really became interested in SEO and Web marketing. And now, I can't get enough of it! Anyways, back to the point here. Dan shut the site down maybe two or three years ago to concentrate on other projects. But during the time that he had the site, there were many times he considered giving up on it. There were times where traffic was great, but overall, it just wasn't there, at least not at the levels we were wanting it at. That was frustrating to both of us.
Now a seasoned veteran when it comes to SEO, Internet marketing, social media, etc., I think I now have the answer to Dan's problem: the site's niche was simply too broad. It was a great idea, no doubt about it. And there's no question that Dan had the passion. He worked very hard on it. It was his baby. And being a writing major, the content he produced was always interesting and engaging, whether you agreed with him or not. But in hindsight, knowing what I now know, I think it simply came down to not having a tighter niche. He discussed political issues and news mostly on a national level, and that's the problem. There already were (and are) far too many Web sites out there discussing national politics and news stories. That right there makes it extremely difficult to truly stand out.
Flash forward to January 2010. By this point, we had been in business as Intrepid Innovations for just over two years, having launched our company at the end of 2007. I decided to create this blog. It didn't take long for me to determine the niche. As a business owner who was passionate about meeting new people and helping others with my knowledge and experiences, and, having been involved in a number of business networking groups by then, I decided to launch a blog that would largely focus on networking opportunities for business owners and professionals around the greater Milwaukee area. It's a pretty unique niche, as I don't see too many other sites out there that are focused on this particular subject.
Now, don't get me wrong. This blog isn't strictly about Milwaukee or about business opportunities in Milwaukee. I'm a freelance journalist, as well, so I publish exclusive interviews on here from time to time, whether the interviewee has anything to do with Milwaukee or not. And being back in school, going for a Master's of Science in Management (MSM) degree, I've been publishing my research papers on here, too. And we now welcome submitted items like press releases, articles, and announcements that have nothing to do with the Milwaukee area.
But by keeping this Milwaukee networking theme intact, however, we've developed a loyal core following. We now have consistent traffic at decent levels that are putting smiles on our faces. Of course, we're always striving for continuous improvement. But right now, we're pretty happy overall. And it's all because of this specific niche. That's what keeps traffic coming back at all hours of the day and night. The rest of the blog's content is icing on the cake. Bonus points. Extra search engine results. But without this specific niche - if we were just posting random interviews, research papers, and blurbs that don't relate to one another - there's no doubt that we wouldn't have the following that we do. Our blog would be completely lost in the search engines. The search engines wouldn't know how to categorize it because it wouldn't have enough content that was somehow related, married through a particular theme.
A recent look at the keywords people are finding our blog with are quite revealing: milwaukee area job web sites, real estate networking milwaukee, milwaukee business networking, etc. We know we're on to something.
What are your experiences in launching blogs or regular Web sites? Ever get frustrated and feel like giving up? What sorts of niches did you target? What advice would you have for someone thinking about launching a site for the very first time? What learning experiences have you taken away? Share your knowledge, insights, and experiences in the Comments section below.
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