The Truth About AdSense

There is a lot of hype out there about making tons of money with AdSense. Buy this book, enter this seminar and sign-up for this course - the list of nonsense goes on and on. Allow me to point out some basics that will help you to better navigate all of this hype. Keep in mind, while I do not blog enough to be be a ‘power blogger’ due to working as a write elsewhere, but I do have a very strong grasp on what is working for AdSense users these days. Moving on…

Rule #1- Most courses and eBooks selling ideas on making more money with AdSense are legit to a rather surprising degree. They can indeed, teach you the AdSense basics, however they tend to lend too much emphasis on hype to make their sale. Just understand that you are buying the basics and maybe even some good ideas, but not a silver bullet.

Buy these items with the understanding that much of what they teach requires a LOT of hard work and is never as easy as described. I have managed to pick up some golden nuggets of knowledge along the way. But just like AdSense itself, it means a lot of trial and error finding the best content out there. So be aware.
Rule #2- Niches pay better all the way around than most other types of blog sites. Obviously, people pro-blogging for a living can in limited cases become an exception to this rule, but for you and me, this is the truth. I recommend looking for common frustrations in which you have a solution to - understanding the true meaning behind this can be quite profitable.

Rule #3- What you blog about will often help determine the value of the ads being displayed on your blog. If you are talking about Linux for instance, something that is available for free, you will starve - been there, done that. However if you are talking about how to do something that if done right, can save someone a lot of money as the project described can be rather costly, the ads will reflect this in their value.

An example: You two run an advice sites. One is for people wanting to collect popsicle sticks, the other one rare coins. While neither is going to be my personal choice as not to give away the farm on my end, I can promise you that a rare coin blog is going to win on CTR and eCPM, in addition to simply resonating better with its readers than a blog about Popsicle sticks collecting. This is especially true if you are showing people tips on how to buy, rather than where. Let “where” take care of itself.

Rule #4- Expect reality. Do not delude yourself into believing that you will start blogging today and within a couple of months, quit your job because of all the money coming in. This is simply not going to happen. What will happen however, is that you learn enough about human behavior that you become inspired to create a product and market it over AdWords. Because AdSense is so long tail in collective value, I have always felt that it should be looked at as a tidy supplement, not an income source.

My advice? Become a rock star with AdWords for the short term, “quicker” income while using AdSense to supplement your long term income vision.