Keeping on the topic of AdSense and not other affiliate programs there are certain steps you can take to break the $100 mark each month. I'll try and list them below, some of which were already mentioned and others I have come up with via trial and error:
1: Choose a site topic you are interested in and one that is a niche, not a micro niche with little interest, but one in which you know people are out there looking for info daily. You want competition, but not a lot of it. You also want there to be products and services that companies offer for your niche. Competition = Higher Bids = More $$ Per Click!
Niche sites also tend to have higher CTR's because the visitor is looking for more specific information. Relevant ads will catch their eye more than a broad ad provided on a more general site.
2: Prepare "starter" content and "future" content prior to launch. This means write unique content that you will use to launch the site, or mini-site. Once your site gets indexed your "future" content that you wrote can be posted weekly appeasing those search engines with fresh content. If you get your content prepared ahead of time you'll find the process goes much easier. Just put your nose to the grindstone and bang out some articles all at once.
3: Don't put ads on your site from day 1. I like to wait 2-4 months depending on the topic before I put any ads on my site. The few pennies I could make in those months isn't worth the user experience you provide without ads when building loyal visitors. Get indexed, get your natural traffic, and work on back-links during this time.
4: Always set "reasonable" goals for yourself. This means don't think that in your first month you should shoot for $1200. Pick a reasonable number, I think a good focus is $1 per day for the first 30-60 days. If it comes in higher then that's just an added bonus. During this time experiment with ad placements and make sure to keep a journal of the "best results placements."
5: Now that you have data, good articles, and visitors on a niche website focus on keeping eyeballs on your site. A visitor does nothing for you if they are only on the site 5 seconds. Focus on writing relevant articles once per week if you can. Make sure to incorporate your articles with your older content. Always make suggestions and direct your readers at the end of articles. Visitors need direction, they crave it, they panic when they don't have it and leave. Appease them by placing ads after content and links to other relevant content on your site. Two things happen at this point: you get more pageviews or they click on your ad and you get paid! Pageviews are the key to getting clicks in adsense.
6: If you have a comments section do your best to respond to everyone who comments. I call this "customer service"... yes, thats right, it's even important on a blog or website. Give people the warm and fuzzy feeling they deserve. Respond to them, answer questions, or just "thank" them for stopping by. It goes a long way! A repeat customers means more potential for clicks. Eyeballs, eyeballs, eyeballs!
7: Rinse, repeat, and maintain!
Now I am not an expert by any means when it comes to Adsense, but I am learning and have begun to have great success with the program. I hope this helps and good luck to all!
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