Work on Your Blog
You must have something to sell before you approach someone to buy from you. If you want to sell apples, you have to show your buyers a beautiful plump and unblemished apple which is enticing enough to be bought. Definitely not showing them a half-bare orchard where the apple trees are still immature. Put yourself in your potential advertiser’s shoes - would you be keen to advertise in a blog which is brand new or does not appear to have much valuable content? Again, a good looking blog is likely to appeal to advertisers compared to a badly designed blog. Keep your blog as simple looking as possible so that your advertiser’s advertisement would look prominent.

Check Your Market
Be realistic with your pricing. If you are only able to offer a few hundred page impressions per day, chances are it would be more realistic to sell the advertising space at a low price of say USD10 - USD15 for starters. Test the market. It may be worthwhile to approach smaller companies who would be willing to give online advertising a try at a relatively small sum of USD10 per month.

Target Potential Advertiser
If you are blogging about cars, approach advertisers in the car industry business. They are more likely to advertise on your site compared to a company which deals with water heaters. You can do a search of these sites on the net for potential advertisers. For instance, search for used car dealers or parts manufacturers to advertise in your blog about cars. Alternatively, look through other sites in your niche and who their advertisers are. You are not precluded from approaching these advertisers directly but you must know where you stand as far as pricing and exposure from your blog is concerned.

Sell
You must have a good sales pitch. You must be able to tell the potential advertiser why your blog is relevant to their business and how your blog can contribute to their business. This is where statistics and information about your blog plays a crucial part. They might not care much about page rank but they might be interested in branding or click throughs. Avoid lengthy sales pitch like those sites which sell affiliate products. A short and concise but professionally written email should suffice. Address the company with proper salutation like “Dear Sirs” or “Dear Mr. ..author’s name..” if you can find the site’s author’s name. Check your spelling and grammer. After all, you are trying to work out a business deal. So, be professional about it.

Be Clear with Terms
I can’t help this because I am a lawyer. So, I wrote a simple one page terms and conditions on the advertisement for the potential advertiser’s perusal before they decide whether to take up the offer or not. This helps to minimize any misunderstanding between the parties on how the advertisement works. For instance, you cannot assume that advertisers would not assume that by placing advertisement on your site, they will get x number of visitors or conversions. A disclaimer would be useful eg. “The Publisher makes no representation or warranty on the amount of traffic to be directed to the Advertiser’s landing page url“. A clause which provides for future variation of pricing would also be useful in case your blog grows in value and you wish to increase your pricing in tandem.

Sweeteners
You can use sweeteners to try to clinch a deal. Assuming you are selling the ad space at USD30 per month, why not give them a discount for long term advertising? Or perhaps a special mention in a post to acknowledge their business. A “thank you” card would go a long way towards impressing your new advertiser. However, don’t oversell. If you sound too desperate to clinch a deal, the advertiser might take advantage over you or decline advertising altogether thinking that your site might not be genuine or worth its money.

Look In Demand
Before approaching advertisers, make your blog advertising space look busy. You might want to exchange banner advertisements with friendly bloggers to create a “demand” for your ad space. Some might find this unethical but I think it is not. Afterall, you are trading advertisement space with a fellow blogger and that in itself, is a barter of some value. Some bloggers place affiliate advertisements in vacant advertisement slots. Showing a couple of vacant “Advertise Here” slots is not likely to generate the amount of interest to a potential advertiser.

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Bots

To display the right type of ads, every time your page loads, your site sends a signal to Google Adsense’s server (I think it is called java call) and this may result in the Google Bot coming to scan your page for the keywords. If your page is well written (meaning that it concentrates on certain keywords), chances are the relevant ads to the keywords in that page would appear. These keywords also play a role in how the search engine tracks your site’s relevance in a search. If your content is not targetted, chances are the ads would be irrelevant to the reader who came in from the search engine. And when the ads are irrelevant, chances are they won’t click on the ads.

Search Engine

Regular readers on your blog are unlikely to click on your Google Ads. They come to read what you have recently written and then they will probably go to the next blog or site on their bookmarks or RSS readers. People who pop into your blog from search engines are more likely to be people who are looking for information. These are the people whom you should optimise your ads for. Make it easy for them to see your Google ads and click on them. Don’t make it easy for them to click on other stuffs. Therefore, minimise or get rid of other types of advertisements or non-paying widgets. If you must, remove blogrolls and social networking badges. If you really want to focus on a higher CTR, you must allow it to happen. The more alternative links there are for people to click on, the lower your CTR will be.

CTR

The higher your CTR, the higher you get paid per click. Why is this so? When a site performs well on CTR, advertisers will compete to place their ads on your site. This is natural. As an advertiser, I want people to click on my ads. If a site shows CTR at 5%, it means the advertiser has a higher chance of getting its ads clicked compared to a site which shows CTR at 0.5%. When advertisers compete or bid to place their ads on a site with high CTR, they will have to pay more to advertise there.

Other Sites

If you have 1 Google Adsense account and you are placing the ads across a few sites of yours, bear in mind that the payment per click can be affected by one site with another. So, if you have 1 site which gives you 5% CTR, the payment rate would be affected and dragged down if your other 4 sites performs at 1% CTR. Remove your sites which perform badly so as not to affect your total earnings.

Stay Away From Social Media Votes

If your site is doing well with social media votes which translates to higher traffic, don’t display Google Ads unless the traffic corresponds with CTR. From my experience, readers coming through social media votes rarely click on Google Ads. They may click on related ads or links on the topic of interest but not Google Ads. I may be wrong but I would love to hear otherwise. The problem with social media votes is that it pushes up the traffic but decreases the CTR percentage and with that, your Google Adsense earnings.

Less is More

Having more Google Ads emplaced on your site actually reduces the overall CTR. Let’s say you have 1 link unit and 3 Ad units. For ease of calculation, that means there are 4 ads on your site when a page is loaded. Assuming a reader out of every 5 readers clicks on one of the ads, you get a total CTR of 5%. If you only have 2 ads on your site and the same rate of 1 click every 5 readers, you get a total CTR of 20%. Get the picture? The more Google ads you have, the more the risk of diluting your overall CTR and earnings. Therefore, be selective in choosing the number of ads to emplace.

Positioning

Since the lesser the number of ads the better the CTR is likely to be, where should they be placed? From my experience, the ad which is placed in the content fares twice better than elsewhere (below header, sidebar or footer). Why is this so? Going back again to the likely profile of the reader who clicks on a Google Ad, this reader came in searching for answers or information having been referred from the search engine. The first thing he reads is the title of the content and the first few paragraphs. If it gives him what he wants, he will read on. Otherwise, he will look for a way out from the site and this is where the Google Ad placed at the top of the post might assist him. A Google Ad placed at the middle or end of the post would also give this reader an “escape route” from the blog. Does that mean that you have one ad above the content, one in the middle and one at the bottom? No. Read “Less is More” above. This is where you need to use your discretion on which would be the best position. Having 3 ads in a post spells “spammy” as far as the site is concerned. You wouldn’t want to irritate your regular readers, would you?

So, there you go. 7 reasons why the more does not mean the merrier as far as Google Adsense is concerned. Hope the tips are useful. If it is, I don’t mind a thumbs up on social media. Just use the ShareThis icon below.

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Google Adsense used to appear on this blog but I have since removed them for reasons which I shall disclose later in this article. Having used Google Adsense for a little over 2 years, I have learnt a bit about how it works and I would like to share them with you here. The word “Ads” hereinbelow refers to Google Adsense ads.

1. You will fare better if your site is found on the front page of search engines.

2. People who are more likely to click on the ads are those who came through search engines. Regular readers are more likely to be ad-blind.

3. Analyse your search engine referral traffic to see whether people are searching for something in particular. That gives you an idea of whether they are more likely to click on the ads on your site.

4. If your site contains information like an encyclopedia, chances are people are less likely to click on the ads. If your site contains little information, chances are they will click on the ads to get what they really want.

5. Ads do not fare as well in blogs about blogging compared to other kind of blogs / sites. You are better off selling 125×125 ad space. This is because those who are interested in reading blogs about blogging come to know the blogs in this genre through blogrolls, linklove, networking or even social media. They are less likely to come through search engines.

6. Traffic does not equate with ads clicks. The type of traffic matters. Search engine traffic is better performing compared to social media traffic.

7. Social media traffic drags down the click through rate (CTR) of the ads and if you have other sites running ads, this might drag down the overall earnings in your account. That’s why I do not recommend placing ads in blogs about blogging or blogs which attract a lot of social media attention.

8. Ads placed in posts / content fare better than those on sidebars.

9. Use your discretion with your ads size and placement. Don’t irritate your readers by stuffing your site with ads which make it difficult for the reader to navigate or make your site look spammy.

10. If your goal is to make money from ads, limit or don’t use other forms of advertising which may distract your reader. For instance, if you have affiliate links together with the ads, you run the risk of the reader choosing to navigate to the affiliate links. If no sale is concluded, you will not get any commission from the affiliate programme and you will worsen your CTR for the ads.

11. Not everyone earn money from the ads like Darren Rowse. Earnings from the ads can be very depressing especially if you do not know what kind of ads pay well and how you get the right kind of traffic to your site to convert their visit with a click. There is no magic formula to making thousands of dollars through the ads. Get that into your head!

12. Based on the sites that I have, the payment rate for ads on a descending order are roughly as follows - Travel Sites → Electrical / Electronic Gadgets Sites → Financial / Legal Sites → Fishkeeping Sites → Food Sites.

13. The more focused the topics on your site is, the more relevant the kind of ads shown. This increases the chances that the ads would be clicked. Diary-like sites are less likely to fare well with ads.

14. Keywords chosen carefully on a post (and on the site overall) will help to draw the relevant ads and help with search engine placing.

15. Those who gives tips on making money through ads rarely or seldom have the ads on their site. This is because they are making money through the ads being placed on other sites which they own (and which they might not be telling).

Do you use Google Adsense? Share your experience here.

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At the risk of sounding patronising but strictly for the benefit of those who really don’t know what I am talking about, the “More” tag is located on the Wordpress post editor and it looks like this . You simply click on it when you want your post to be broken into two parts. Alternatively, you can type (Alt+Shift+t). Browse around this blog and you will find that I use the “More” tag frequently for my posts to break them up.

Why break the post? Breaking a post into two parts can be beneficial to your readers. A lengthy post after another may not be your reader’s cup of tea when they visit your blog’s home page.

Breaking a post into two allows your reader to decide whether they wish to read further on your post. Hence, keep the important introduction at the upper part of the post to give your readers an insight into what is in store for them and allow them to choose whether to read further or to scan your other posts.

Breaking a post is useful especially with posts which contain a lot of photographs. Let’s say a blogger has gone on a trip to Maldives and decides to post 20 pictures he took from that beautiful island. We all know how images can take up downloading time and therefore, he can put 2 or 3 pictures and leave the rest for more reading / viewing. You cannot imagine how frustrating it is for readers to have to wait for a page to load - especially when the readers are using slow dial-up lines.

Breaking a post also keeps the Homepage neat and tidy. In this blog, I have chosen to display my 4 most recent posts on my Homepage. Apart from that, I also use the “More” tag to keep the extra details hidden unless a reader choses to read further on any of these 4 posts. You will realise that the overall length of the 4 posts vis a vis the sidebar is quite uniform. I have seen how some blogs look awkward with lengthy posts running all the way down but the sidebar/s does not follow and thus leaving an impression as if the sidebar/s are keeping them short for fear of a flood. It looks as ugly as a pair of trousers which are too short and thus revealing the socks. You get the drift.

Why not break a post? There are some who argue that posts should be kept in full and some of these proponents do have good grounds. The main ground, if I may say so, is that the “More” tag are likely to leave some RSS subscribers frustrated in not being able to read the full post unless they come by to your blog. It is argued that if a person makes an effort to subscribe to a feed, it is more likely that he would be interested to read your posts in full than just a part of it. The counter-argument is that RSS subscribers also choose whether to read further merely by glancing at the Title of a new post.

The other reason for not breaking a post is the hassle to a reader of having to do something to read on. Some say that this causes an inflation of page views and are a means towards achieving a higher payout from certain advertising systems.

Personally, I would prefer breaking up a post for the reasons stated above. If you are one of those who agree with me, have you tried customising the “Read more” phrase which appears wherever you apply the “More” tag? It is pretty easy really.

1. Go to your Dashboard → Presentation → Theme Editor.
2. Look for Main Index Template (Index.PhP file)
   
3. Scroll down the file till you find <?php the_content(’Read the rest of this entry »‘); ?>
4. The words in bold in (3) above varies and depends on the theme writer. It could be ‘Read More’ or ‘More’ or anything else.
5. Change the words in bold into whatever you fancy, ensuring that you keep the inverted commas intact.

Give it a try and if you have done so, leave a comment below.

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Originality of Thought
Tell your story your way. Nothing is more important than expressing your own thoughts through your own style. Assuming you author a blog about managing personal finance and you wish to blog about tips to reduce credit card debts. We all know there are thousands of articles on the same subject matter. Don’t follow the others. Rather, tell it in a different way. If you have a personal experience, use it and share it in your tips. It becomes more original and lends a reality to the thing you are blogging about. Remember that your own story is unique. And people generally like that.

Value Packed
Go beyond the average post and show that you have done extensive and critical reading by adding value to your post. If you originally intended to showcase 10 beautiful wordpress themes, with a little bit more work and research, why don’t you come up with 50 to 80 or more beautiful wordpress themes? My post on 15 beautiful wordpress themes still get daily organic traffic and on hindsight, I should have increased the number so that it would get more organic traffic. Many Grade-A bloggers reported that their popular posts are usually the ones which provide the most value to their readers. Many readers, especially those who use social media, appreciate value packed contents because they know you have put in a lot of effort into it and are more likely to cite it to others or give it the thumbs up.

Critical Evaluation
A good post comes with a critical evaluation of the subject matter of the post. And more often than not, the evaluation is done in a logical manner which resonates with the reader’s thinking. Skelliewag.Org is a good example. She uses a title “Are Subscribers Over-Rated?“. It seems like a Yes or No answer to those who stopped at the title. However, as you read through the post, she presents to you a critical evaluation process of the untested assumptions of the importance of subscribers to the 4 different types of subscribers and the importance of each. It is almost like she’s writing a thesis on the subject matter! However, with 51 comments todate, 4 Diggs and 35 thumbs up on StumbleUpon (not counting other social media votes and comments), the critical evaluation paid off in a big way.

Cross-Reference and Integration
A Grade-A blogger usually has the clever ability to make cross-reference to other material information in their posts. It does not mean then that you should quote 101 links to other articles in a 500 word post of yours. Cross-referencing (whether inbound or outbound) should be relevant so that you do not short change your readers. When executed properly, these cross connections and integration of relevant materials make it a more wholesome reading experience for the reader. An example of this would be my cross reference to Skellie’s post which illustrates my point of how a critical evaluation of a subject matter of a post is done effectively. Over time, as your readers become regulars, they are more likely to follow your links as your establish credibility as a blogger of substance.

Articulate
A Grade-A blogger shows articulate thoughts. The contents of the post are relevant to the title. There is a clear connection between the contents and the title of the post and having reached the end of the post, the reader goes away with the message which the blogger wants to convey. The contents of the post are told in a structured way and linked back to the title so that the reader is reminded again of what the post is all about. It does not go on a frolick of its own. You can give some examples to illustrate your point but you must re-emphasize how the example is relevant to your point.

Professionalism
If you were to take a quick count, chances are Grade-A bloggers blog from a custom domain as opposed to a free domain and the blog design comes with a distinct look from others. These bloggers are willing to invest in a domain name and custom designed theme or at least, a self-modified theme. A distinct image impresses and if you intend to step up from mediocre blogging, start considering an image redesign. Dress to impress because a good first impression makes it more likely that a new reader will pause further to browse through your contents. Make it your aim to make your new readers fall into love at first sight with your blog’s theme design and contents.

Aside : If you are keen to change that boring header of your blog or get some nice looking avatars, you might want to see the work of Lynn at Jinjerup.Com and Bric.A.Brac. I recently discovered her artful and cutesy cartoon designs and I think she has good potential. Upon my enquiry, she informed that she is willing to provide designing services. Visit her gallery to check out her work (p/s: I am not paid for buzzing about her site but I am doing this because I really like her designs).

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Roots

Roots denote foundation and security. When you build your blog, begin by writing a few (say, 10) foundational posts - posts which are timeless and provide plenty of value to readers. Write these posts with the aim of providing maximum attraction to new readers and continuing to attract new readers even when you have blogged for a considerable time.

When executed in the most optimum way, these foundational posts serve to draw incoming traffic. Even during dry days (eg. when you are too busy to blog or have nothing to blog about), you can rest secure that these foundational posts of yours continue to bring incoming traffic. Unless deliberately poisoned, the roots of the tree are probably one of the last parts of the tree to die.

As with the nature of roots which go deep in search of nutrients and water, research deeply into the subject matter of your niche so that your foundational posts will be received with awe by your new readers and make them hunger for more.

Nobody sees the roots. Likewise, before you publicise your new blog, keep these posts in wraps and don’t expose them if you can (I know it is very tempting). Why? Because you don’t want your new reader to just see 3 or 4 posts. You want them to come (when you launch your blog) to see a blog which has a couple of good articles which will sustain their appetite. It’s like unwrapping a new present. Give them the “Wow” factor!

Trunk

The tree trunk symbolises strength and resilience. Blog with determination and resilience. I know there may be times when you just feel like giving up when nobody notices your blog, nobody reads your blog, nobody leaves a comment or when you just can’t seem to piece a post together. Persevere and learn. Many successful bloggers learn through hours of practice and through trial and errors. Be solid in your approach. Learn the keys to sustaining long term blogging.

The tree trunk also symbolises image. Blog with direction. Know why you blog and what you are blogging. You know a coconut tree when you see one. You know a rubber tree trunk when you see one (okay, I know this perhaps only apply to those who are familiar with rubber trees) and likewise, a Redwood. You don’t want your blog to look like a travel blog but upon close inspection, contains ramblings on politics. Keep to your blog’s image and purpose. Let people identify your blog easily amongst the multitudes of blogs.

Tree trunks can also be adaptive to its surrounding elements. Take the coconut tree for instance. When strong wind blows, the trunk sways in the direction of and not against the wind. That is the key to its survival (apart from its deep root as well). Likewise, learn to adapt to changes in the net. Be quick to learn new ideas and trends and go with the flow as it would be easier that way to continue to survive and remain relevant. If you are still using web designs of the 90s, it’s time to change!

Branches and Leaves

Branches extend as far as possible so that the leaves of the tree gets maximum exposure to the sun for its continued life. Likewise, a blog should have its aim of being exposed as far as possible so as to maintain a steady stream of visitors. This can be done through networking, guest posting, incoming links and social media approval, to name a few. Work to extend your blog’s reach. Read some tips on getting your blog noticed.

Some trees give out benefits to others - shade, food, construction material etc. Even the birds will seek refuge and rest on the branches. Strive to make your blog user-friendly and of value to your readers. Make it irresistible that people want to revisit your blog and better still, will recommend others to visit as well. Make it a talking point. A reference point. Build a vibrant community of commenters.

What other things can you associate a tree with blogging? Share it here by leaving your thoughts on this.

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