Should Newbies Concentrate on Earning Adsense Income?

October 24th, 2008 | 34 comments

Google Adsense and Newbies In November of 2004, almost exactly 4 years ago, I created my very first Website. At the time I hadn’t even heard of the Google Adsense Program and honestly didn’t know how I was going to make money with it. I just enjoyed the Country I was living in at the time (Germany) and wanted to share my experience with others, while sharing travel tips at the same time.

I still own the website and you can take a look if you like (still as ugly as ever and goes against some of the most important SEO advice I provide) http://www.TheGermanTruth.com/ After developing that site I moved on and created a new site, which is basically the exact same type of site, but I integrated what I had learned into the new site. You can see it at http://www.EverythingAboutGermany.com/. Why am I telling you all of this and how does it relate to Adsense? You’ll see in a minute.

Most people, including myself, started off online with one monetization model: Adsense… generate clicks in any way possible (hopefully ethically and within their TOS though.)

So, we either learn how to put up a site with FrontPage or Dreamweaver or we start making free blogs etc. that allow you to run adsense ads or we do both. I personally learned the basics of Dreamweaver, with the help of a friend, and did it on my own.

We then start writing content for the site and put up some realllllllly ugly graphics that we made, which at the time we think are awesome. Every chance we get we capitalize words and center the content, because that will get the readers attention, right? lol

Somewhere along the way we hear about affiliate marketing too, but adsense seems so much easier… they click, you make money, so easy. So we just do both. We put adsense up and LOADS of affiliate banners allllll over the place, because the more ads there are, the more likely the visitors are to buy, right? uhhu ok

Then we learn a little bit about promotion. We learn that we need to build links and that we can exchange links with other Webmasters, but the best way is to write compelling content. However, we don’t believe these people… we think we have to manually do it all, because so far, noone has linked to your “compelling content” right?

If that sounds just about like your story when you started, or where you’re currently at, you can rest assured I, as well as just about everyone else in this business, went through the SAME THING!

Fortunately we learn as we go and we learn that we don’t need to capitalize everything or make everything bold to get people’s attention… we learn that things we’re not good at (graphic design in my case) should be outsourced or we’ll scare people away… we learn that the more banners you have DOESN’T necessarily mean the more sales you make (often times it’s opposite of that) etc. etc.

If you visit just about any Internet Marketing forum or read many blogs, you’ll notice that many of the newer Internet Marketers will frequently talk about Adsense, while the more experienced Internet Marketer will only speak about Adsense on occasion. Obviously there are several different business models out there and some advanced marketers do talk about Adsense quite a bit, but overall they don’t. Why? because they started diversifying their income years ago!

I don’t know how many times I’ve written about creating multiple sources of income, but it’s a bunch and I’m saying it again!

If you’re new to the business create some sites and put some effort toward adsense revenue, but DON’T spend all of your time on it or you’ll end up like I did and wait 2 years before you’re earning enough money to make a full-time income when you could have done it in under a year!

The website I spoke of at the beginning of this post (EverythingAboutGermany.com) now earns me a steady $200/month and while that’s an incredibly small portion of my income, it’s there and I do NO WORK AT ALL to keep it up. As a matter of fact, I haven’t added content to that site for over a year and it’s been even longer since I’ve manually built links! The only thing I’ve done to it is replaced the template with a better looking one (click here if you’d like the same template.) And oh by the way, it holds top 10 rankings in Google for many germany related phrases like “Germany Tourism” and “German Mountains” (without quotes) etc.

So, to answer the question, YES, “newbies” should be concentrating on Adsense starting out, but they DEFINITELY should NOT be concentrating solely on Adsense, as it’s not a quick money maker by any means!

One can see some very quick money through Adsense using a technique like my $5 Formula, but a raw newbie wouldn’t have a chance with it because it takes some experience and know-how to do proper keyword research etc.

Build an email list through the same sites you’re promoting for Adsense income. Learn the basics of Pay Per Click and test out an offer every now and then. Create a product as soon as you have a good amount of knowledge in any particular field…. but NEVER concentrate solely on Adsense income!

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34 comments

David - computer doc (7 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:07 pm

Thanks for the great advice.

Are there any guidelines for how to mix the models on one website? For example, putting up Adsense ads can cause the visitor to click on the ad and go away from your page. This might detract from affiliate ads that one might have on the page.
Philip (2 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:09 pm

It’s great to have a pro that actually shares their information! Thanks, Josh.
Jennifer (8 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Josh -

Great Post! I can sooooo relate. My first sites were just plain ugly - even tho I thought they were awesome at the time..haha!

I, too, read about AdSense and thought, “Wow..easy!” then read about affiliate offers - and banners. Yes, lots and lots of banners, too!

We all start out there, don’t we?

Keep up the great work and great posts! I enjoy them very much.

Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
Josh Spaulding
24th October, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Hi David,

I wrote a post a while back that may help you out with your question. Take a look at “Should you Monetize your Site with Adsense or Affiliate Programs?“
Peter Tremayne (3 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:43 pm

Hi Josh,

Yes it’s important to let people realise that they shouldn’t be building an online business soley around Adsense income.

I started to do that a couple of years ago and then had my Adsense account banned due to actions out of my control.

I since diversified my online business and actually spent my time more profitably on other projects.

Like you say, Adsense can be a good ’set it and forget it’ way to bring in some extra bucks to your bottom line - just don’t have it as your core business model.

~ Peter Tremayne

P.S Enjoyed the New Age Email Marketing report. Will be reviewing it for my own list very soon!
Kevin Lyle (1 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:53 pm

Absoloutely right! I started in the internet business early this year & made a complete c***ku* of it, but I now know where to go when or before I go for another venture.
But to repeat the other posts “Its Great to see some Payback of Information coming from the guys who have honestly gone through the same as every other newbie out there.
Great Job Josh.

I’ll check back here in the future.

Cheers
Kevin
Mark Mason (58 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 7:56 pm

Josh, you are the man. I love the fact that you always tell it like it is.

I would never think that you could make $200/month from Germany adsense. That is really cool. Just goes to show you that picking niches is an art (not a science).

Regards,
Mark
Trent Brownrigg (14 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 8:12 pm

Oh yes I do remember capitalizing, bolding and centering everything. Along with using free hosting, ugly graphics and lots of banners. I really thought I was on my way to an online fortune with that first site. Luckily I listened to the advice of someone much smarter than me at the time and dropped that site pretty quickly.

My sites are still usually very ugly but they are a vast improvement from my early days. And they make money so that’s all I really care about.

You definitely need to diversify. Relying on one thing for your income is very stupid because if something happens and it goes away then you are screwed!
Peggy Baron (6 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 8:43 pm

Hi Josh,
I love posts like these.

* They show you’re a human who has made mistakes in internet marketing, and yet you’re alive and successful.

We can certainly identify with the mistakes (speaking for myself here).

You share what you’ve learned since then.

You actually show us the websites you’re talking about so we understand.

Thanks,
Peggy
Buddy Shearer (1 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 9:06 pm

Hi Josh,

I must confess that I to joined the AdSense bandwagon four years ago except I did nothing for 2 and half year. So I was surprised when I saw my pitiful site had accumulated $1.97 from pretty much a zero site. THAT is when the bug bit me.

I to am a follower of JLeger when he sent out an email earlier today and pushed you forward is when I started really looking at your site.

Great job and keep up the great job!

Buddy
Bob McClain (9 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 9:26 pm

Hi Josh!

I actually haven’t created my first IM website although my goal is to have one up this weekend.

I do search engine optimization, long term linking strategies, copywriting, etc., for small business clients.

But I’m finding that it really takes a totally different mind set to actually find a website subject based on keyword popularity, develop the site, and then promote and monetize it.

I thought it would be an easy transition from marketing for others to building an IM empire but it’s actually very difficult. It’s much easier when the client says, “This is my product or service. Get targeted traffic to my site.”
George
24th October, 2008 at 10:09 pm

Is a respectable point of view but personally I prefer adsense because I have tried several times to break into clickbank without much success, in contrast I achieved with some effort to create a 5 figures monthly income in average with adsense and I feel it like a job, so I spent several hours a day to refine my skills.
Jay (1 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 11:03 pm

The payoff on any website comes after much research, more research and then a little more research. It’s not enough to know how Adsense works. You must know how to work it.
When someone says that an income is based on something that gets no attention on a regular basis, you have to know that all the work must have been done in the beginning–a lot of it. Adsense can be used as a focus or as an add on to another focus. Either way, some hard work has to be in play– “overnight successes” usually come at the end of a long road.
Jay
Alan (2 comments.)
24th October, 2008 at 11:15 pm

I really don’t see anything wrong with it. Looks like many of my current sites.

I have work to do.
Alan
Kang (5 comments.)
25th October, 2008 at 4:45 am

I never knew many people start off building sites with adsense on them.

I thought I was one of the few silly ones

Way to go Josh, great post!

And revealing your URL is always enlightening to others who would want to have something to take reference too.

I always reveal my actual URL of my campaigns on my blog too.

It peeves me to no end when big-name gurus making their supposed millions don’t reveal a SINGLE site, because the niche is supposed to be “confidential”?

Yeah I know some niches are small, but when a guru reaches the guru level and has not revealed a SINGLE site at all, they just make a teeny weeny little bit suspicious, if ya know what I mean
Chris Brown (2 comments.)
25th October, 2008 at 11:43 am

I feel that telling “newbies” to place Adsense on their website on the promise of making money is a tad misleading, (but lots of people state it)

The first thing a newbie needs is “traffic” No traffic, nobody sees any ads which means no income! (Come to that, EVERYBODY needs more traffic all the time, newbie or otherwise!)

Personally, I’m not over keen on the few cents you can make from Adsense. True, you get paid if people simply click, regardless of whether or not they buy anything … but I prefer to display adverts from ClickBank. The commission is a lot healthier if they purchase something.

How many people have got to click an Adsense ad to make the same as a $10 afiliate sale?
Dhwells (1 comments.)
25th October, 2008 at 2:21 pm

completely agree with Chris Brown:)
Lazy Slacker (4 comments.)
26th October, 2008 at 3:58 pm

Adsense is an easy one and even without knowing much about keywords one can generate some money.

I do agree completely that there should be more then one stream of income.

Affiliate marketing is as easy (just place a link).

Use it.
Soso (5 comments.)
27th October, 2008 at 8:07 am

Thanks Josh. I must be honest it took being blocked by google to leave adsense. I never even tried with my two other sites. It just opened my eyes to the reality of the web. I must say though, I also still have my ugly first site too.

Thanks for a lovely blog, always.

Soso
Milan (3 comments.)
27th October, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Josh, but you have added some Youtube videos couple of months ago to promote these sites

How are these doing?
Ido Jansen (1 comments.)
27th October, 2008 at 5:58 pm

I run around 10 different niche websites and have stopped using AdSense about six months ago.

I have found out that other ways of monetizing are much effective for “lower traffic” websites

I use a lot of affiliate links instead.

Good luck all
Ido
TheA1Forum (1 comments.)
28th October, 2008 at 9:56 am

Many thanks again Josh for helping us to realize the importance of diversification and not putting all ones eggs in one basket.

We appreciate the advice given.

Best regards!

Mark Magawr
affiliate marketing girl (1 comments.)
28th October, 2008 at 10:01 am

I think adsense is a good way to promote your site, as long as you fully understand adsense and making sure your cost and outcomes are beneficial. You can very easily end up spending a lot of money with little in return unless you have fully researched your market
Josh Spaulding
28th October, 2008 at 3:48 pm

@ Milan - That’s right… a buddy of mine (Milan Kosanovic) created some software that created some awesome video effects and I posted a few videos with it

1. 1,410 views
2. 1,309 views
3. 810 views
4. 710 views
5. 516 views
6. 369 views
7. 270 views
8. 59 views

Not too bad at all!

@ affiliate marketing girl - I think you have adsense confused with adwords
Tom Rooney (1 comments.)
28th October, 2008 at 7:05 pm

Josh,

I’ve had very little luck with Adsense. a few clicks a day and really average 10 to 20 cents. Not enough to make a living on. I’m concentrating on content and hope to have a breakout in the very near future.
Lazy Slacker (4 comments.)
28th October, 2008 at 11:12 pm

Adsense is ok. So far, so good, anyway.

I just started a blog and second week brought in $11. If it keeps up like that, I’ll be a very happy blogger.

If you are a new, Adsense will probably not work that well unless you are getting some traffic.
Tom Lindstrom (5 comments.)
29th October, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Adsense can be an excellent revenue stream, but you need loads of content.A complete new beginner does usually not have a blog with hundreds of blog posts.
Prepaid cell phones (9 comments.)
19th November, 2008 at 1:20 pm

Interesting. Your story is much like mine only different. I started with affiliate marketing and putting tons of banners on my pages. I put a few text links in too but they were more work in the system I was using. Adsense was on the back burner. After I got my websites to making over ($1000 30% adsenses /70% affiliate) a month I was looking at my links in cj that were making affiliate income. The banners weren’t making any sales. It was 80% text links.

Thanks for another good post..

Rick
Carole (1 comments.)
19th November, 2008 at 4:41 pm

Posts like these are the reason why I follow you. I am still a newbie and dabble at trying to make money but you help to educate me in different areas I should focus and ways to do it. Thanks!
Success University Review (2 comments.)
21st November, 2008 at 11:35 pm

I have been tweaking my adsense adds around on my blog looking to capitalize on my visitors.
I only earn a few dollars a day with adsense but it is increasing daily and as you said it is there earning me money without me doing anything (apart from blogging, which i enjoy doing )

Jason
ebooksreviewed (1 comments.)
10th December, 2008 at 9:47 am

i just finish reading ur $5/day ebook..
and its so informative.
so far i havent found a free ebook tt teaches how to analyse the results gained from keyword research as detailes as u do.
even paying for $2000 for blogging course, the guru does not outline in detail the method of keyword analysis like u.

thanks so much.
Prepaid Cell phone guy (9 comments.)
11th December, 2008 at 5:06 am

I really liked the $5 book of yours also. I think there are several versions of keyword research that work.

The simplicity of building a site and building links to it. And then building another and another and cross linking has been working well for me.

Your $5 ebook helped get me back onto that track.
Paula Brett (1 comments.)
23rd December, 2008 at 7:31 am

Ha ha, your story made me laugh, took me back.

Sheesh, when I think of some of the monstrous sites I used to produce I blush. And constantly checking my Adsense earnings, which might move up a few cents every couple of days…….

However, I wouldn’t change all that for the world. I learned such a lot by going through it all, not least to stick to things I do best and outsource the rest.

Thanks for a great post

Have a lovely Christmas

Paula
Iowa Freelance Writer (8 comments.)
5th January, 2009 at 5:57 am

Hi Josh,

Thanks for more great information! I’m just beginning to try out the $5 a day report that you gave away, so hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have some really good news to report Thanks again for all the great advice and support.

Cheers,

Shane