Help me break $100 a day!

[Adcents]

Hi there,

I'm "Adcents" (every little helps!) and I've been running a few Blogs since January this year - so I'm relatively new to Adsense.

Having said that I purchased Joel's excellent ebook and implemented most of his strategies and I can honestly say that my revenue has shot up from less than $2 a day to, well, over ten times this amount - per day!

There's got to be more to go...??

As a Blogger, it's really satisfying to know that you can provide your Blog audience with a good daily read and it generates a little extra income (which I reinvest back in purchasing ebooks for my ongoing development). I receive lots of 'thank you' emails each week - telling me to keep up the good work, which is really satisfying when you're posting late at night after the Day Job finishes!

So, How would you like to help boost the income of this Blog to well over $100 dollars a day? Do you think it can be done??

Why should we do this?

Well, for one to PROVE that it can be done - that this exciting new forum can turn ideas into real dollars.

Secondly, as this thread grows, we can all learn and share the ideas that worked and the one's that didn't really (but perhaps might elsewhere).

You can implement them on your own Blog or site.

A win-win.

Right, so down to business...

I'm being brave here - because this one's my real baby - I'm precious about it - but I've got to learn to take constructive criticism to move forward, so...

The Blogs can be reached at www.dritil.com (it forwards to a Blogger type Blog).

Bit of background. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is the world's onlt standard for IT Service Management (that's my day job!) and I provide FREE links to articles, white papers and lot's of interesting stuff to ITIL people.

I receive around 500 visitiors each workday (weekends are really quiet!) and I have over 750 people on my free mailing list (which I use about once a fortnight to provide news and links).

- What can you see that I can't?

- Have I got it wrong?

- Does it look right?

- Are there too many Ads?

- What strategies could you suggest to boost Adsense Revenue?

Please take a look and I promise to visit back regularly with updates on how your thoughts/suggestions are playing out...and share the impact of the results...

Happy Adsense Earning!

[sid]

Adcents,

Hate to be critical, but the first thing I'd change is the theme of the site.

Lime green, yellow and purple on black.

My eyes couldn't stand the strain. I had to close the browser window before clicking on anything.

sid

[Adcents]

Sid,

Don't worry! I need to take all feedback. :o

Sorry you don't like the format etc.

I get regular feedback from visitors saying that's its different, unique and makes it memorable from other 'competing' sites.

In Adsense terms - it also affords me the opportunity of presenting some great colour matches for the Ads - with all links being in green.

Admittedly - it's unusual - but seems to be working more in my favour - than against.

The adlinks are generating around 70% of my site revenue since I changed them to green, for example.

What do other people think?! :confused:

[Julie Hood]

but I personally avoid black backgrounds. The eyestrain is too much for me. I do like the way you have a larger font. Is there some way to test? Could you leave the black in the background of the surrounding page but then have black text on a white background for the part where you read? I'm OK with the lime green links but reading white text on a black background was painful. You could also poll your readers (but it might be skewed since obviously the people who come back don't have a problem with it. I wonder how many potential readers leave though without you knowing -- hopefully they click an adsense link on the way out, though!).

[A-Z Fotos]

I completely agree with the comment of changing the black background. In my experience this is only (normally) justified for presenting photos on the web.
I have speculated many times about if I should leave my black background on my photo site www.azfotos.com and turn it into a white background to encourage visitors to read. But presenting my stock photography is the main goal of the site, and the GoogleAds are only a smaller additional income stream.
But visitors need to read the text to be able to find the GoogleAds anyway :)

In fact more and more of the big stock photo agencies are changing from earlier black / dark backgrounds to white backgrounds for most of their pages, indicating the need for their users to be able to read effortless.

But this question should be easy to solve by experimenting a week with a light colored background and comparing the statistics.

Also remember, that more and more want to come back to your helpful site if they find it easy and quick to read and that will generate even more revenue.

Please let us hear about your results when you have made the comparison.
Best regards from Denmark.
A-Z Fotos

[RAD]

You may like the black and some others may too but it really is hard to read. What if you did header bars in your bold colors and kept a white background. It would still have color and be different but much easier to read.

I'm wondering how many people walk away or give upon your site because it is hard to read.

You've got tons of great content. Have you tried submitting articles to article directories like articlecity.com? You can put a link back to your site with your article.

Good luck!

[Joel Comm]

There's a reason newspapers and magazines traditionally print black ink on white paper. :-)

Joel

[Adcents]

OK,

I'm taking you up on your excellent feedback...

I'm going to change the background just as soon as I can and canvass opinion from my regular readers as to whether they like it or not.

I'm also going to submit the articles as suggested to determine what impact that has on traffic flows etc.

Interesting side point - Got a new Adwords Campaign up and running two days ago - targetting India (the call center operations and big IT power houses) and traffic is up 25% - however - it's a happy surprise to discover that my Adsense revenue is up 100% each day for the last two days.

One possible conclusion - new visitors are hungry to learn and will click more as they get a feel for the site.

Anyone think of any other logical explanations for the increase - particularly the India connection??

*I will keep everyone 'posted' on the results of these above changes *

This is great feedback - thanks so far - let's keep the 'experiment' going...

[derrickp]

Pushing the limits is sometimes good. But I think you need to send your readers a pair of sun glasses ;)

In all seriousness you content is great, you seem to have a small, growing loyal following which is also great.

I would "test" a different site color choices and see how it goes, keep changing it(maybe monthly) until you find one that is pulling significantly better than the others.

Derrick

[Adcents]

Thanks for that advice... Quick update...

I've done some offline checks and unfortuantely due to the limitations with Blogger if I changed the background to white instead of black, I would have to manually alter every single post to change the colour scheme because green and purple against a white background is just not acceptable.

So, rather than have to manually change over 265 separate posts, I think I will accelerate my plans to launch a new site - with a white background - from the start and then I can compare the two over time, as you suggest.

Here's where the story takes a twist...

Does anyone have any advice to give me about moving away from Blogger and towards a new Blogging tool?

As an experienced user of Blogger - I like it's simplicity - and I can't help feeling because it's a Google product that it gets some kind of 'hidden' internal technological advantage when it comes to being prioritised for being crawled etc. Am I just pipe-dreaming here though?! :rolleyes:

Can anyone recommend a better Blogging tool than Blogger? (Particularly interested in hearing from anyone who's recently changed over to a new Blogging tool?)

* Revenue update - so far this morning (UK time) earnings are up 100% over the same time, on average, for the last 20 weekday mornings. :) Co-incidence? I'll let you know later... *

[Adcents]

Anyone got any thoughts on my earlier post re: The "India" Effect??

I mentioned that targetting a completely new audience, in a new country, seems to be bringing in a new set of hungry folks who want to learn more about the topic of my site (IT Service Management - ITIL).

So does:-

New Folks = More Clicks = More Revenue

So far, yes!! :)

Anyone got any more substantial experience with targetting new countries - for example how long does it take for the 'new' effect to wear off ??

Any thoughts from more experienced Adsensers ??

[paulwood]

In common with other comments, I found it hard to read, but not just because of the colours, but also the multitude of font sizes. Another thing that occured to me was that it would be far better to have the more recent titled archived blogs above the ones with just dates as visitors would be more likely to click on them.

Black backgrounds can be good, as long as the main text is black on white like HERE (http://woodcom.co.uk)

Just a few things to think of for the new site ;)

BTW are you talking about online ready-made blog services? If not, then I have just started using boastmachine software. You can see what it looks like HERE (http://blogs.goonerville.com/blog/LGS_blog.php) If you don't like footy, read it anyway, you might learn something :p

And I suggest you get affiliated to NewsNow, it'll increase your hits 'way up.

[mikexuxu]

It's a good book

[Moriones]

Hi.

Here are my recomendations.

1) Definitively, You must change your website layout.

2) Answer the following question.

Which is the main goal of your site?

If you aim is to earn money via AdSense, You have to prioritize it! Give your visitors only the option to click your Adsense ads or go to another website section. The less options offered, the greater chance to receive money from your ads.

3) Make an effort to integrate your adsense ads with your content. I think the best strategy is to mix your ads as it belongs to your content. There are many ways to do it. Check them out inside this helpful forum.

Yours in profits.

Francisco Moriones

[Adcents]

Good news,

...after two months of averaging $24 each weekday, the past three days have been really exciting...

[The recent optimisation of Ads did actually co-incidently occur with an uplift in my average from around $16 to $24].

This week:-

Monday - $ 45
Tuesday - $ 61
Wednesday $ 79 !! The highest yet in a single day.

This Indian Campaign on Adwords is really driving new traffic to the site.

They must not really mind about the Black Background!

Anyone else seen any uplifts / significant changes as a result of feedback / advice on this Thread??

[tsutton]

Good news,
Anyone else seen any uplifts / significant changes as a result of feedback / advice on this Thread??

I received feedback about the ad placement on my site and made loads of changes toward it. But it didn't make any difference. :(

Perhaps I need to do some further work?

[cozam]

I am in agreement with the colors on your site, I didn't have trouble reading it until I started scrolling down the page - then everything became a blur. I hope you reach your $100 per day real soon - it certainly is an attainable goal to reach - sounds like you are getting close! It is kind of a rush of adrenaline the first time you reach that $100 per day amount. It really becomes fun when you hit $1000 per day - I am looking forward to doing that consistently - then I will be a very happy adsener!

[Neil]

I have come accross this updated system from http://www.blogburner.com

BlogBurner 3.0 Released August 24, 2005!

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU INPUT A NEW JOB

Independance Day is here - you no longer have to create a Blogger
account to Blogburn your website! Simply put in your:

1. URL to get crawled
2. Number of pages
3. Name of the job

We do the rest.

There is no junk blog created - and it happens fast.

No job takes more than 5 days max regardless of page count.

Imagine the time you'll get back not having to create blogger
accounts.

And no more seeing them shut down.

No more MyYahoo accounts - the whole thing has transformed.

No more hitting Pingomatic.

Hope this helps

[Adcents]

And I suggest you get affiliated to NewsNow, it'll increase your hits 'way up.


Thanks for your feedback - Can you tell me a little bit more about what you mean by "affilliated" to NewsNow?

Do you mean provide an RSS feed to www.newsnow.co.uk ? :confused:

Cheers!

[Adcents]

I am in agreement with the colors on your site, I didn't have trouble reading it until I started scrolling down the page - then everything became a blur. I hope you reach your $100 per day real soon - it certainly is an attainable goal to reach - sounds like you are getting close! It is kind of a rush of adrenaline the first time you reach that $100 per day amount. It really becomes fun when you hit $1000 per day - I am looking forward to doing that consistently - then I will be a very happy adsener!

I'm impressed! ;)

I have a couple of quick questions for you...

1. When you reach those heady heights - does your daily revenue vary considerably? Say +/- 30% ? More ?

2. When you get days with much lower traffic (public holidays, heat waves, holiday season etc) do you sometimes find that you don't lose out too much because your percentage figures still pretty good?

3. How long do you think that revenue stream is "safe" in terms of the world changing, new competition, changes in keyword values etc ?

Just some questions I've been pondering for a while about high income sites.

[Adcents]

Another thing that occured to me was that it would be far better to have the more recent titled archived blogs above the ones with just dates as visitors would be more likely to click on them.

Just a few things to think of for the new site ;)

Yes! I will make that change this weekend.

I also found out today that "tell a friend" no longer works! So that's going too.

(Joel - getting lot's of great advice from the guys on this forum - it's working too !! ) :)

Revenue updates to follow over the weekend...be interesting to see what happens on Sat/Sun, typically my lousiest days! Keep checking back.

[Adcents]

Well, it's getting close...

Last week I got two weekdays slightly over $70, but the rest of the week was around $40-$60.

Nevertheless - this is still a marked improvement on the $15 - $25 I was earning the week before.

The major change is the volume of new traffic generated by a small Adwords camapaign that I got up and running in India. There's lots of folks there who work in IT and Call Centers who are interested in my choice of topic.

Anyway, the guys on AdsenseChat.com have all been giving me great advice most of which I have been able to apply.

I have 'cleansed' the site and make it look easier on the eye.

I have changed the order of the side bar to be more Adsense orientated.

I have removed the masses of Archive links and streamlined them.

I have also posted (like I usually do) some good content to keep people reading and checking back nearly everyday.

*NEW*

For the first time today - I am trialling 'selling' a product on the site by using an affilliate link and hooking up to a great e-book called 'The Power of IT'.

I am interested in whether Adsense clicks will be canabilised by this???

What I make in affilliate revenue - will I lose in Adsense clicks???

Keep checking back and I'll post some updates over the next two days.

[Adcents]

Well, it's been a few weeks since I last posted about my quest to get over $100 per day.

Some good news and bad news...

First the 'bad news'...
I did reach $60.99 one day, but it's fallen flat back down to around $25-ish per day. I think this is because the volume of different types of Ads, plus their payout has not really been "supported" by the publishers recently. We'll have to see how this goes.

Now the good(ish) news...

I've taken all the advice that you guys have given me and implemented it - as I originally promised I would do.

First big change to www.dritil.com has been the change to a WHITE background (yeah!). I only just figured out how to do this today and managed to overide the text colours to keep my past articles readable!!

I've also used ezinearticle content on occasion...

I've also re-prioritised my Ad layouts and color schemes...

I've also tried to "blend" the link units in...

All these changes happened TODAY...

...So, I'll keep you posted on the impact these changes have next week.

*In the meantime - I would really appreciate some more feedback on the new-look site*

[hotspot]

You got a single website that earned you $25 per day.. that's not bad!!

You could build more website and make more $$ out of that. Don't put all egg in a basket!





Well, it's been a few weeks since I last posted about my quest to get over $100 per day.

Some good news and bad news...

First the 'bad news'...
I did reach $60.99 one day, but it's fallen flat back down to around $25-ish per day. I think this is because the volume of different types of Ads, plus their payout has not really been "supported" by the publishers recently. We'll have to see how this goes.

Now the good(ish) news...

I've taken all the advice that you guys have given me and implemented it - as I originally promised I would do.

First big change to www.dritil.com has been the change to a WHITE background (yeah!). I only just figured out how to do this today and managed to overide the text colours to keep my past articles readable!!

I've also used ezinearticle content on occasion...

I've also re-prioritised my Ad layouts and color schemes...

I've also tried to "blend" the link units in...

All these changes happened TODAY...

...So, I'll keep you posted on the impact these changes have next week.

*In the meantime - I would really appreciate some more feedback on the new-look site*

[Adcents]

What does anyone else think...

Focus on one or spread out a little? :eek:

[hotspot]

What does anyone else think...

Focus on one or spread out a little? :eek:


You could try make 5 websites with different topics. it will serves you better income from adsense. Most likely will break $100 barrier!

[Adcents]

Well, it's been a tough few days.

Despite posting good quality articles and keeping on top of everything - the revenue's slipped down to $20-25 a day from the previous months average of $30-35 per day.

So, what have I done about it?

Well, I've totally changed the site's look and feel (those of you following this trail will know about the orginial black background!!) and added a nicer sidebar.

The scrolling text at the top also gives it more a 'live' feel!

I'm experimenting at the moment with the 'green' Adsense banners in the sidebar against a blue background. Sounds Yuk - but it did help to pick up revenue yesterday.

Anyone got any other thoughts or suggestions on the latest incarnation??

www.dritil.com

All feedback would be appreciated... thanks... ;)

[MisterTut]

In terms of the bump you got from the "Yuck green", I would chalk that up to what I call "the novely factor". It is good for temporarily overcoming "ad-blindness", but its effectiveness diminishes over time.

Having multiple sites is a good way to protect your income- it is like a diversified stock portfolio, when bonds are up, stocks are down, when stocks are up, bonds are down, if you get my meaning.

Earlier you asked about when your income level becomes safe. The answer is never. Don't rest on your laurels!

Your right-hand column needs help. Some of the elements you have in it are larger than the column itself, and that looks shoddy. What people expect from a site like yours is a professional appearance, not necessarily something "funky and free". I'd skip the outrageous color combinations. Be (and look like) an authority site and you can reclaim and improve on the results you were getting.

BTW,

I have found that article directories are valuable to writers who post there, but when I use content from them, Google seems to punish me for serving up unoriginal content. Lots of folks do it, but that's my $.02.

[Adcents]

Thanks for the feedback so far! Much appreciated.

I found the comments on novelty factors interesting and also the 'look and feel' very applicable.

I have made some further changes today, as follows...

1. Added images above the Ads, as recommended on this Forum
2. Moved the Sidebar over to the left, as hinted in Google's 'hot spot' recommendations
3. Have tidied up the image of the site somewhat
4. Have used more blending of Sidebard Ads against a white background
5. Have trialled a 'funky' border around the sidebar to attract a little more eye-time

You can see what difference it makes here:-

www.dritil.com

I will keep you all posted on how these changes go over the coming days...as always if anyone has any comments - please let me know...

[MisterTut]

Bravo! Much improved!

I can appreciate your urge to keep load time down, but if at all feasible I recommend using better quality images over your banner, and somewhat larger as well. The best implementation of this technique I have seen uses rectangular images that are roughly the same size as the ad below. Also, I'd lose the borders.


-Best luck,