One popular way to earn money from a website or blog is to place ads on each page of the site. Whether they are Google Adsense ads which rotate based on the keywords used on each page or affiliate ads for some of your favorite products, they can bring in a nice chunk of passive income.
But is there a downside to running ads on your site?
Basically, like everything else in life, moderation is key when placing ads on your website. Most importantly, focus on SEO (search engine optimization) and using keywords in the titles and content of every post. SEO is what will help draw traffic to your site in the first place so focus first on that process.
Another question to think about is, “Why are people coming to your website?” They’re not coming to see a page full of blinking ads; people are coming because you have knowledge and valuable information they need.
Don’t hide your information within a cluster of advertisements. Allow the readers to actually READ the information they need and if they click on an ad, that’s an added bonus.
I was just on a site yesterday that was so full of ads I truly didn’t know where the content started. The header was big and there were 2 sidebars stuffed with ads. And to top it off, the article was very short and not very well written. Needless to say, I clicked off the site and can’t even remember the name of it today.
Don’t let that scenario happen to you!
A rule of thumb in web design is to place your most important information “above the fold,” or in the upper portion of the web page before people have to scroll downward. This is an adaptation of the newspaper golden days, where the most important stories would appear “above the fold” to entice people to buy the newspaper.
Advertising networks, such as Google Adsense, encourage publishers to place advertisements “above the fold” as well, figuring those are the positions that will get the most views. This is still a good standard to remember (especially when setting your advertising prices) but let the content be the star of your site, not the ads.
