I read a post at TylerCruz.com titled “You’re Not a Rock Star“. In the post Tyler sites reasons why someone with little traffic (myself) should remove the ads from their blog. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, now it’s time.
I originally started this site because I was inspired by John Chow. Of course that means that I started this site to make money. My plan was to share my secrets with the world and make a good amount of money doing it. It’s been a couple of months and I’ve only made a couple of dollars, time to refocus.
The content of the blog will still be exactly the same, “eCommerce, Forums, Blogs, BBQ & Beer”. My main goal will now be building content. If enough people find me interesting, then I’ll start adding some of the ads back in. As they always say, “Content is King”.
I don’t fully agree with Tyler
If you intend to monetize sometime in the future, it is good to have some kind of advertising from the start, though it doesn’t have to be obtrusive.
Very good point. It does make sense that some readers may leave if they are “all the sudden” hit with a bunch of advertising. I’ll really going to have to think about this.
I don’t think your advertising was particularly obtrusive - but if it hardly makes you any money, then you should just get rid of it.
I understand Andy’s point of view, although if you introduce advertising gradually and it doesn’t distract from your content I doubt the majority of your readers will mind.
One thing which people often forget with advertising - every single ad is a potential exit point from your site.
- Martin Reed
It’s good to know that my ads weren’t too distracting.
The exit point concept was another reason why I removed the ads. I figured with my limited traffic, I need to keep it.
I think that’s a good idea for now. Don’t worry about the cash because it’s so low its hardly worth the space it takes up on your blog.
Agreed!
I actually am facing the same situation.
I started my blog somewhere last month and I have put some ads here and there in order to ideally generate some bucks…
However, I have realised that a single click brings close to nothing and for most, the clicks are originally from my friends…
I am also thinking removing the ads and though I have never disregarded the content I believe that for the first 6 to 12 months it would certainly make more sense.
Good luck!
If you’ve always been focused on giving good content and are committed to continuing to do so then I don’t see any conflict with retaining unobtrusive ads.
I don’t think having or not having ads affect traffic. Perhaps we should consider other factors why we’re not earning much from our ads. Yes, I’m in the same boat. So let’snot lose hope this early,okay?
Manila,
Actually, you make a point here.
Just as you do, I realize that ads does not affect traffic and though it does not make a penny, I feel it is better to keep it the way it is rather than removing them and putting them back later. Keeping them will show consistency in your layout and somehow when traffic increases no major changes will be needed.
As for earning more out of it… I have been looking at some affiliate programs that are widely used and seem quite promising but there are eligibility criteria that I don’t personally fulfill yet.
So first things come first, build content and through it, build traffic.
Anyway, good luck through the journey! I will watch how you are doing as well!
Cheers!
have you tried different types of advertising your alexia rank to me seems good enough to make more than a few dollars so i would advise you to take some more time and think of ways to build more traffic.
content is king johnchow has got a excellent google listing as im sure you know and he ranks 1 for make money online now that is one of the most commonly typed there is so he has it easier than others
If ads don’t take away from the content I don’t see a problem- it’s the sites that beat you over the head with ads and you have to search for the content that bugs me
I just did the opposite of what you did. I have a blog that had no ads to building a new one with ads. Even though I don’t get the visitors yet its always good to be ahead of the game.
I would never totally remove ads from a site. Perhaps place them more strategically, make them blend more, but not remove them. People are getting over the notion that everything on the web is free, slowly but surely. I would think that if you have 0 ads then build a readership and all of a sudden there are ads, you would turn people off by doing that and lose some readership.
That’s my 2 cents anyway
I had the same dilemma last time cause I can’t be sure whether ads really scare of people.
I think it’s a wonderful idea just until you get traffic going. This can stop people in the beginning. any case I’ll still visit with or with out adds.
Todd
Don’t worry about ads scaring people away. If you’re giving the reader enough useful content, as long as you’re not being annoying about thrusting ads into people’s faces, nobody will care.
And as an added bonus, with contextual ads especially, you can pull in a few dollars.
You don’t have enough ads to worry about overloading the reader. Relax.
While I don’t have intentions of making money through my blog, I hate ads that are intrusive. I would normally not go to sites where info was hidden between loads of ads (the especially bad ones are the ones before and after every post).
Banner ads I prefer (mostly the ones that are pictorial and therefore don’t confuse you by almost merging with the real content).
I think this is a good move. If you’re making a lot of money on ads, obviously they’ve got value. Otherwise, you’re probably better off without them.
I always felt that ads are more suitable for a niche web site — I’m sure yours is one but money-making blogs are very much a saturated market nowadays.
You may not like my idea, but maybe you should try sponsored posts. There are WordPress plugins that can filter those content from appearing from certain parts of your site and your RSS (check out my site for an idea). Also, once you get the money pouring in, you can share your money making strategy in your posts, while growing your efforts into other methods. And yes, I think building content is important, too.
Hard work, eh?
Good luck.
I would stay away from sponsored posts, site reviews, and anything that could be interpreted as link selling. I don’t have a problem with ads on yours or any other blogs that I read. I also think you have the right idea w/ content is king. In looking at the difference between the rock stars and an up and comer, they have managed to create buzz, been top moderators at the big forums, and speak at conferences. You do that, everything you post will be read, your link love will be great, and you will be a rockstar. Plus you still have to have the content that is king. Yep, it’s hard work, but that’s how almost all of them did it. I chose not to myself, instead I chose to focus on building a world class website. I must say however, Alan Dick has done both very successfully.