Part 4: Advertising
It seems to me a lot of people are getting into blogging because they believe they can earn easy cash via ad networks like Google AdSense. Admittedly, it is an appealing prospect since Google does all the work of actually selling the ads, all you have to do is host them on your site right?
Well, it’s possible to earn some pocket change through your blog, but you really need to build a substantial readership to make decent money from blogging.
It’s probably not the best plan for any blogger to go into it just to make ad money. You may notice I haven’t put any ads on this site yet. I might, eventually, but I’m just Midwestern enough to believe you should create something good before you try to sell it.
So just how much can you really make via Google ads on your blog? It depends on the topic you’re writing about, keywords, and what advertisers in your particular segment are bidding. Just for a ballpark figure: A friend in advertising told me it’s conceivable that a website/blog that’s getting 500,000 page views a month could be bringing in upwards of $30,000 a year in Google ad revenue.
500,000 page views a month is a tough target to hit. I know of quite a few magazine websites that aren’t even coming close to that number. But it is possible if you’re working hard at building your site up and putting out content that’s relevant and targeted to a decent-sized audience.
One more caveat: As I learned from our friend Anthony, if you do allow Google Ads, you can’t click on them yourself or encourage others to do so to get the number of clicks up. Google frowns on this practice and might just cut you off.
Here are two very good primers on the subject if you’re interested in learning more about blogging and Ad Networks: Blogging for Dollars (Slate) and AdSense explained (About.com).
What are your thoughts about allowing ads on your blog or website?: “Ya” or “No way!”
-Maria Schneider
p.s. My forum is just about ready to go. Come back Monday for my launch party—cupcakes for everyone!
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I tried Adwords then removed it with my last website update. Frankly, I don’t have the traffic to make any money. I think my account was at $3.50 after 4 months of ads.
One of my friends uses Blogher ads in addition to a few other click-thru relationships (Amazon, for one) and is making about $50 per month.
I don’t see what it hurts. You can configure preferences, too, to disallow ads your readers might find objectional.
Some readers don’t like to see the ads, but I think they are overly critical. :)
For most of my web and blog pages (thousands, literally) I have Amazon Associates ads where they use browser history and key words to suggest titles, music etc.
Every few months I get enough credit for a book or two.
Oh, I also use the Amazon Associates to link to my own books in print and on Kindle.
Not that I’d turn away money, but it’s never actually been about the money.
I use Google Adsense on my UConn blog. I don’t come close to 500,000 a month. More like 4,000. Its beer money to me, plus I was doing it for free for a year. I am going to check out those Amazon ads.
A couple weeks to totally overhaul my Web site(s), too. I’ll be watching yours develop for ideas.
I guess I don’t see any thing wrong in having them, as they tend to be related to the type of post that are on the blog. I have not put them on mine and I have not clicked on any on the blogs I read or visit.
Hey, Write back to me. I just found out the news of your transition. I’m in shock, no awe. I had emailed you an article for your blog and was wondering why there was no response. It wasn’t like you. Sending you a medley of blessings!
Nancy
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad to hear from you! Hey, I’m kicking off my writers’ forum today so stop back in later and let’s chat!
Maria
Hi, I could not find Building Writers Websites Part 3. Please tell me where it is located. Thank you.
Hi Ana,
Here’s the link to Part 3:
http://editorunleashed.com/2008/10/15/building-writers-websites-the-diy-way-part-3/
I have a blog (under Pomona Belvedere); it’s gone a year with no ads because I wanted to think about how best to do them, and I agree with you, Maria; it feels weird to have ads before you’ve got a product, so to speak. I think it’s important that ads supplement the content, not distract from it. In my own reading, ads can sometimes be as instructional as other content; I’d like them to be that way for my readers.