Wed_Feb_13_00:00:09_PST_2019

82 When using AdSense, the CTR and earnings can be much higher if you make a couple small changes. The key is to test different things to see what is most effective for your site design and setup. Some sites place the ads in such a way that it hurts their ability to gain links. If you are actively trying to promote a site and build an audience, make sure the ads are not so prominent that they end up causing people to question the purpose or usefulness of your site. For example, it may make sense to show no ads on your home page to make the site seem more legitimate. Many blog posts are generally short, targeted, and quick to make. Many blog networks are used as AdSense keyword nets. Reporting topical news can build a large number of pages quickly. Weblogs, Inc. is one of the more well-known blog networks that aggressively integrates AdSense ads. Google also offers AdLinks, which is another ad format that has helped some publishers. A new contextual ad program by the name of Chitika has been gaining praise from a number of bloggers although some have been absolutely frustrated by their ad auditing. An Example of Aggressive Google AdSense Integration Please note the the below integration is rather aggressive, moreso than you would probably do if you were running a longterm business. Google may eventually look at artificially high AdSense clickthrough rates and flag the associated websites for review and/ or demotion. At one point in time you could put images right next to ads to entice clicks, but after too many people started abusing it Google changed their policy to disallow that.

Tue_Feb_12_23:00:07_PST_2019

81 when I was new I frequently did it, and I occasionally still do today. If you can save $50 for ten minutes of work, why not do it? Google AdSense Since Google automates so much of the ad sales process and has such a large user base, some people can make good money just by selling AdSense ads. Here are a few tips for getting the most profit out of your AdSense ads: • Good advertisements do not look like ads. Blend AdSense ads with the site design by using similar fonts and colors. • Usually the banner ad format is not good unless is looks exceptionally similar to the site design. Different format types will have different CTRs and earnings. The vertical 160x600 "wide skyscrapers" and ad blocks work well for me. • Some people place many ad units on each page. This may work, but many times this hurts earnings since you are selling more ad inventory to cheap ads, which may end up getting clicked instead of the more expensive ads that would display if you ran fewer ad units. • Default blue with underline is good at getting clicks. Increasing ad clickthrough rate should be a consideration before doing any major design or redesign. • Some people place visual cues next to their AdSense ads, but you cannot tell people to click on the ads. • If you are running a somewhat spammy AdSense site that is just there for AdSense revenue, you want to limit users' options by not giving them many other links to click on. Either do not use site navigation above the fold or visually depreciate the navigation links. • Google AdSense has channel tracking and URL tracking, which will show you how various channels and sites perform. Additionally, there are a variety of third party programs that sell for around $50 to 00 that provide additional details. • Google offers AdSense optimization tips on their site at https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/static.py?page =tips.html. Notice how placing ads where navigation typically goes increases earnings. • JenSense.com is a good blog about contextual advertising. Jen is also branded as an AdSense expert. She sells consulting services to help people optimize their accounts and is also a moderator at Search Engine Watch forums. • Your ad click-through rate is going to be highly dependent on your audience profile. More sophisticated people tend to click fewer ads. • Yahoo! is beta testing a publisher contextual ad program similar to Google's, but Yahoo! does not have as much ad network depth as Google does. Also, Yahoo! tends to focus on expensive ads, whereas Google focuses more on ad relevancy, and, thus, gets a higher clickthrough rate.

Tue_Feb_12_22:00:07_PST_2019

80 take the fake ones down. It is important to understand who the important players and aggressive ad buyers are in a market before doing this ad display technique. Affiliate Marketing Tips Many people create huge affiliate sites using product feeds. The problem with generic well-used feeds is that many other people will have the exact same content. Since Google does not desire to show multiple copies of the same content, most of the affiliate feed sites end up not getting indexed or are quickly removed from the search results if they are indexed. Some people end up adding RSS or other content to the pages to make them look somewhat unique, but Google also employs remote content raters to evaluate sites. If the site looks like it would not have a functional purpose outside of the affiliate program, Google does not want it in their index. The instructions Google gave remote content raters for determining if an affiliate site was useful was "is there a value-added service that would make users want to visit this site instead of the original merchant site?" People do not usually buy from affiliate banners. A better way to create affiliate sites is to create unique original content with what looks like unbiased reviews. Whether you are affiliate marketing or creating your own merchant site, each unique item or idea should have its own unique page with sufficient unique content on it. If the only difference between items is size or color, then you might run into duplicate content issues (if pages are too similar, then Google may assume they offer little value or are of poor content quality). Lots of people offer sales letters, but if you create what looks like an original, thoughtful, and honest review, you can send people to the official sites using text links from within the reviews that convert exceptionally well. The less automated your site and SEO techniques are, the greater chance it will do well in the long term. Many large affiliates also hide the affiliate links to make it harder for people to steal their affiliate commission. Instead of pointing to 'www.merchant.com/?aff=123', they would use .htaccess or link to a simple redirect script on their own site and point, for example, www.seobook.com/merchant to the merchant site using an affiliate link. Some people think Google hates affiliate marketers. They do not necessarily hate affiliates, but they hate unoriginal or useless content cluttering their search index. Most affiliate marketing sites are thin sites featuring duplicate content and other useless garbage. If you are new to the web and do not have much money to work with, one good way to save money is to sell things to yourself using your own affiliate link. Some merchants may not like this (it may violate some affiliate terms of service), but

Tue_Feb_12_21:00:07_PST_2019

8 Quick Summary of Do-It- Yourself SEO Tips Many people who buy this book will never read it in its entirety. To help whet your palate and ensure you get some value out of this text (and, therefore, read the whole thing), here is a quick-start checklist highlighting the most important aspects of search engine optimization and Internet marketing. When looking to start with search engine optimization, consider the following issues: SEO Tools Oftentimes using the right tools can save you both time and money. I have created a free PDF checklist of all the SEO tools I use. You may download it here: http://www.seobook.com/seo-tools.pdf Picking a Product You may read this title and think that you have already accomplished this step, and that your product (or your vision for your product) is already refined, wrapped, and ready for purchase. However, there are many key questions that should be considered before bringing your wares or service to customers: • Are you interested in the product you are trying to sell? If not, why not choose a different product? The Internet makes marketing anything a possibility. You are far more likely to succeed if you are interested in what you are trying to sell. Also, it is far easier to sell people what they want than to get them to want your product. Create something the market wants. • Is the marketplace for your product oversaturated? Examples: Posters, credit cards, prescription drugs, hosting, generic site design, and ink refills are all oversaturated markets. Breaking into these markets can be exceptionally difficult, so think carefully about what would make your product different and needed. • Is the product something people would want to order over the web? • Is there something you can do to make yourself different than everyone else on the market? (Please note: "cheaper" usually is not a legitimate branding/business model for most websites in a hyper-competitive market.) Example: No other e-book covering SEO was supported by a blog that keeps up with the SEO industry every day (at least, not when I first wrote this one). Another example: In 2002, I created a SEO "worst practices" directory. To this day, nobody else has made a site like it. It earned me thousands in the first year with a marketing budget well under 00.

Tue_Feb_12_20:00:07_PST_2019

79 If you are trying to sell your service, drive people toward it. A good technique for improving subscriptions, for example, is to place a "We Value Privacy" statement near the sign-up form. This is called point-of-action marketing. Assure people that it is safe for them to do what you want. Recently, Bryan Eisenberg, author of Persuasive Online Copywriting, made the statement that placing a secure checkout symbol near the checkout typically improves conversion rates between 5% and 15%. Establishing Trust Unbiased reviews and "We Value Privacy" help to build a strong trust element in your relationship with your site visitors. In addition, logos from companies such as the Better Business Bureau, TRUSTe, and Public Eye can help build trust. If you have a secure part of your site in frames, the lock (secured) symbol may not show in the browser. When you are performing online transactions, it is a good idea to avoid frames and display the VeriSign or Thawte secure symbols (as applicable). Revenue Generating Programs Some popular revenue programs are Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, and other major affiliate program networks such as Commission Junction, LinkShare, and Performics and perhaps CafePress for smaller, personal websites. ClickBank is an affiliate program that works well for selling electronic information. PayPal is also an easy-to-use third party payment processor. Affiliates Alert tracks new ClickBank products for sale. All of these websites are listed in the resource section at the end of the chapter. If you monetize your site using AdSense, it may be worth it to limit the number of ads that appear on the page, as more ads means you will be showing cheaper ads, and, in some markets, the cost per click quickly drops off rapidly. I also believe the first AdSense unit called from your source code will display the most expensive ads possible. Some topics may make next to nothing from pay-per-click ads, while other industries (such as California mortgage) may earn over a dollar a click. If you can create an idea that generates a decent amount of syndication and attracts a few good links, you may be able to make money selling text link ads or leveraging that authority to get pay-per-click contextual ads indexed. If you know your industry well, then you should have a few friends in it. If your site directly sells ad space, it is best to place a link or a few links to some of the top sites in that space. Most people are afraid to take risks and do not see value in something until some of their competitors do. Why not show a few fake ads so people assume the ad space is valuable? After you gain a few advertisers, you can

Tue_Feb_12_19:00:07_PST_2019

78 Even if you are only trying to sell your opinion, you can still earn money from it through hard work, creativity, or simple outspokenness. If you are selling advertising space, you first need to win great distribution. You do not win that distribution by throwing too many ads up too early! Offer something worthwhile, then try to extract value— in that order. I made a personal blog about losing weight that was accepted into DMOZ and the Yahoo! Directory, both absolutely free. After the site aged and gained authority, I placed ads on it. It is easier to get links for a non-commercial site than for a commercial site. After the links are in place, you can use that link popularity and authority to do whatever you want to do with it. Some people may consider it bait-and-switch, but as long as your site does not deviate too far from its original purpose, most of the links will likely stay. Banners versus Contextual Ads Many web surfers have become banner-blind and ignore the top part of a page. Banners have horrible click-through rates. I do not usually use default banner sizes unless I feel it fits well with the site design. The best revenue options are link rentals, sponsored content, or context-based text ads. Good advertising does not look like advertising. One site that I work with sells links for $500 a month per link and only made about $30 a month off AdSense. Other times, AdSense can make far greater profits. Depending on the market, it may be best to use one or the other or a combination of both. Reviewing Products If you read a book you like, tell people about it. Give them the opportunity to buy the book from your website. Review products you like. Successful affiliate marketers know it is much easier to sell products if they provide what appear to be personal, unbiased reviews. Mike's Marketing Tools is a site that sells Internet marketing books and software. Some of the stuff he recommends is great, but some of it is also terrible. No matter what Mike thinks of the product, he gives the appearance of an honest unbiased positive review of just about everything listed in his directory. It usually highlights more benefits than downsides. By doing that and ranking well for numerous product names, he makes a good amount of money. If you do review products in depth, make sure you give each product its own review page. Point-of-Action Marketing

Tue_Feb_12_16:00:07_PST_2019

75 but use them sparingly. It makes it easier for people to do what you want them to without needing to think. Some webmasters may be more likely to link to a standards-compliant site. If your site is focused toward a geek or techy market, you will likely want to make sure it validates and is standards compliant. Most sites do neither. If your target audience does not care much about standards, and the time and money it would cost you to make it accessible are too much, then it may not be important to address design and accessibility anytime soon. JavaScript & Active Client Side (browser-based) Scripting Approximately 3-5% of web browsers are not JavaScript-enabled for one reason or another. I recommend minimizing the number of pages using JavaScript whenever possible. In addition, you should place your JavaScript in its own external .js file and link to it from within your pages. This can decrease page load time and improve usability. You can link to the external .js file by placing the following code in your page head. If your entire page is in JavaScript, some people will not see it; in addition, many search engines will not index it properly. Make sure to use noscript tags to define what was in the JavaScript to users with that feature disabled. Noscript tags look like this and should be placed just after a script's location: Hacks There are ways to use CSS and other technologies to do many of the things JavaScript does. Additionally, there are some technologies that give more advanced presentations while still using fairly lean code that search spiders can follow. For example, you can use unordered lists to make DHTML menus. Keep File Size Small The back button is one of the most used buttons on web browsers. If your file takes a long time to load, you may be kissing your user goodbye before she even gets to see your full hello. Specify Image Details To allow quick loading, it is a good idea to specify image sizes on the page so the text can load before the image is rendered.