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What were your Adsense expectations?

Discussion in 'AdSense' started by jackburton2006, May 3, 2006.

  1. #1
    We get so many people here, newcomers everyday, who arrive with wild expectations about earning big money with Adsense without having to break a sweat. They heard from someone who heard from someone that Adsense was easy money, that all you have to do is to register an account with Blogger, copy/paste some article from Wikipedia or other places, slap Adsense ads all over the place -- and voila, it's free money time, baby!

    Well, as many of us have found out, that's not the case.

    So tell me, what were your expectations when you started using Adsense? Did you "hear from someone" who heard from someone else that it was easy money, that you wouldn't have to work hard at all? Or did you come in with practical expectations that you'd have to work hard to build up a valuable site and start earning slowly?

    I'm curious, because more and more everyday, it seems that the bulk of people signing up are doing so because they're trying to get in on the fever -- or, as I like to call it, the Adsense Gold Rush.

    Share your stories, and what you've learned since.

    I'll start:

    I never had "pie in the sky" expectations with Adsense, but this may be due to the fact that I had a site for nearly a year before I ever put any kind of advertising on it. I didn't really make a whole lot with Adsense in the first year (the ads weren't optimized, I never went looking for forums like this), and my lowly earnings weren't a concern to me, as it was simply "candy" money because I was still in college and school was more of a concern. It was only after I finished school that I decided to spend a year reading up on this whole "Making money on the Internet" thing and found out that there was a wealth of opportunity out there.

    So now I'm making pretty good money, I've never had another 9-to-5 job (I did when I was in high school and college, though) since, and I make enough to feed myself, my family, take care of my parents, and all that good stuff.

    But, and let me emphasize this, I never had the Adsense Gold Rush Fever, because I never believed it was easy money. So when I was making a buck or two a day, sometimes a buck or two a week, it never bothered me, and I didn't run to forums asking what was wrong, what can I change, etc. I simply didn't know, because I simply never expected all that much out of it.

    So share your story. Did you have "pie in the sky" expectations of Adsense when you first heard and joined the program, or did you enter into it not expecting all that much like I did?

    I think this will be useful to the newcomers, so they can see that they aren't the only ones, and maybe learn a thing or two about what to expect and what not to.
     
    jackburton2006, May 3, 2006 IP
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  2. antithesis_98

    antithesis_98 Peon

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    #2
    I hoped to make 100 bucks a month to pay internet fees and maybe cable.
    Then one month I made a lot more than that and it has burdened me with unreasonable expectations ever since.

    Now; I will pretty much be happy with 500 a month but this month looks like I'll barely make the 100 plateau.
     
    antithesis_98, May 3, 2006 IP
  3. AdsenseAddict

    AdsenseAddict Peon

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    #3
    I really want Adsense to be my source of income for my family especially my daughter. On my first check with Adsense, I only bought a 70 pesos ($ 1.50) internet card. The rest was for my daughter (diaper, milk) and for electric bills.
     
    AdsenseAddict, May 3, 2006 IP
  4. mhdoc

    mhdoc Tauren

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    #4
    I wanted to learn how to build a website. But that was in 1999. When you mentioned website, the question was always "Whats that?" So I built a site, made a few small efforts to promote it, but nothing much happened. Since it didn't cost much, I left it running but ignored it for the next several years. I collected 1,000+ email addresses for the newsletter I never got around to writing :). I was seriously thinking of shutting it down when someone mentioned in 1995 that there was some program called adsense that might make some money. At that point I looked at the stats for the first time in years and was shocked to discover 10-12,000 unique visitors a month were reading this stuff I had written years before.

    Adsense does well on the site but it still feels like "found" money. Especially since I have worked hard for the last couple of years to duplicate the success on other websites, without a lot of luck.

    However, I think this whole internet thing is still very young, no one really knows where it is going, and there is unlimited opportunity. Best of all, it takes less capital than any other business I can think of to try. So anyone with an idea and some energy can see if it works for them without borrowing money or "betting the ranch".
     
    mhdoc, May 3, 2006 IP
  5. tonyinabox

    tonyinabox Peon

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    #5
    I didn't know about adsense much before, but I knew adwords and have an adwords account.

    I thought my ads only show on google search. After that I didn't do adwords much.

    Then later I found many many ads from google on many website, but I didn't expected that I can join since I am not in the States.

    I just do my personal blog and try the blog systems in different websites and finally end up with blogger and saw the link that I can apply for adsense.

    Then I just tried, but don't expect it will be accepted, but my lucky.

    Then I didn't make much money with it and just move my blog to better blog system and still use adsense. Then applied adsense with many website I owned.

    I don't even know how to make much money on adsense. I just put them all over and thought it could be very difficult to make a dollar a day.

    I am learning SEO and read some articles and found this forum which is so great.

    Then I just heard here that people can make a lot of money each month and I just tried and now I think I could do. Yeah I will do that.
     
    tonyinabox, May 3, 2006 IP
  6. dturnbull

    dturnbull Guest

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    #6
    I always aimed to make $1 a day, making $3-$4 a day atm, but my expectations are growing as I learn more :)
     
    dturnbull, May 3, 2006 IP
  7. purplepixi

    purplepixi Peon

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    #7
    I signed up for Adsense last year, at the same time as singing up for Adwords. I didn't really understand what it did. I put a couple of codes on one of my sites, and forgot about it.

    The site I put it on was a shop, that I stoped trading in, but left in tact (I removed all sale goods).

    I checked Adsense out of curiosity back in March and I had $9 in there. I was a bit shocked, I didn't think anyone looked at my stuff, as I didn't sell much when the shop was working.

    Since then I decided to work on some other sites and put Adsense code on it. What amazed me was although the traffic I have to these sites is slow (infact very slow), I'm getting clicks.

    I have 3 sites now published, but they've only been online for 3-5 weeks, but they are generating some money. I average about $0.23 - $0.85 a day out of three sites, with only about 30 page views. So I am amazed, that people are even looking at my stuff.

    I don't hold out to get much more, as I don't spend enough time promoting them. But I think it's great when I forget about Adsense for week and then look again to see I've got some more money.

    Still waiting to get to that first payment, could be a long time at this rate, but it's fun to watch. :eek:
     
    purplepixi, May 4, 2006 IP
  8. Cheap SEO Services

    Cheap SEO Services <------DoFollow Backlinks

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    #8
    Check this out! These are my figures. I just started Adsense on the 26th of last month and it is growing as my sites grow. How cool is that!

    26 April 2006 USD0.19
    27 April 2006 USD2.36
    28 April 2006 USD4.25
    29 April 2006 USD2.60
    30 April 2006 USD1.98
    01 May 2006 USD7.13
    02 May 2006 USD5.62
    03 May 2006 USD10.33
    04 May 2006 USD0.00
    Totals USD34.45
    Averages USD3.83
     
    Cheap SEO Services, May 4, 2006 IP
  9. round_2

    round_2 Peon

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    #9
    Interesting thread….why do we do it?

    This thread has made me stop for a second and think about what my expectations were and what has changed. Yes, I was one of those pie in the sky dreamers of adsense gold.

    I stumbled onto adsense a few months ago. Everywhere I surfed there were “ads by Goooooogle”. So, I took a look at the Adsense site and their case studies page. That was it, bells, lights, and whistles all through my brain. I thought if they can do it so can I… Well, a few months later…I’m not so sure anymore.

    Actually, this board has helped me to put things into perspective. Learning that success is relative keeps me in the game.

    Hey jackburton2006, that “pie in the sky” dream is nice to think about sometimes. $$$ One day earning or living like some of the big dogs on this board. $$$
     
    round_2, May 4, 2006 IP
  10. Bezzen

    Bezzen Peon

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    #10
    I didn't really have any expectations of anything good. I've used a cipule of different affiliate programs and click-on-an-ugly-banner-stuff over the years and only got a pyaout once. People do seem to click on my adsense ads now and again though. I still haven't got my first payout yet (and always being the pessimist I am I'm counting on Google to shut down my account for some reason or another once I make $99).
     
    Bezzen, May 4, 2006 IP
  11. sezerb

    sezerb Guest

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    #11
    I don't expect anything major in the short term. but would like to be making $1000 a month a year or two down the track
     
    sezerb, May 4, 2006 IP
  12. tonyinabox

    tonyinabox Peon

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    #12
    The question is "What were your Adsense expectations?"
     
    tonyinabox, May 4, 2006 IP
  13. Burta

    Burta Well-Known Member

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    #13
    I signed up for Adsense back in 2004 from memory, but I just put it on my sites to help pay for hosting and my domain names, it honestly never really earnt THAT much because I don't optimise it of place multiple units on my site. Anyway I think more by luck than anything I stumbled across some Adsense site and next thing I know I'm reading articles about people get half the hits I'm getting but making twice the money. That was around October last year, and that is when the testing/tweaking began and I really started to see the potential of my sites. I'm now addicted... :(

    As for what were my expectations in the beginning... well low to non-existant. By around mid October when I saw the potential, well lets just say I have only just sratched the surface... but unlike a lot of the rookies you see wandering around the forums with that twinkle in their eye as they are about to set up their first site - I know the battle that lies ahead... but I'm at the point in life where I'm enjoying the focus.
     
    Burta, May 4, 2006 IP
  14. nadlay

    nadlay Guest

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    #14
    When I started online, I never expected that I would end up earing a living from creating Online Advertising Billboards, because that's what sites with Adsense really are.

    Some friends told me making money with Adsense was easier than other forms of online earning, so I decided to give it a try. They said they were making $000s per month, so I reckoned that if they could do it so could I.

    I earned my first money from Adsense back in August 2004 - $0.63 for the whole month.
    I did better in September 2004 - I actually managed to get a cheque from Adsense.
    It got better and better from then on. I refined my techniques, and began producing quality content sites, that started earning month after month.

    My target had been to achieve the same levels of income as my friends, and I reached the those targets by early 2005.

    I still continue making a living online form Adsense.

    Anyone who follows a few simple rules, and puts in some effort can achieve success with Adsense.
     
    nadlay, May 4, 2006 IP
  15. ThirdChair

    ThirdChair Peon

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    #15
    My goal is to be making $50 per day in the next 2 months and to increase $50 every quarter by adding more sites and developing more unique content.

    Ultimate goal is to replace the 9-5 job by the end of the year.

    My method is to create good sites that contain information people are looking for. (Duh!) My reward for this is Adsense revenue. That is the order.

    I think many people reverse that. They look for high paying keywords and try to create a site around something that they have no experience with. So, they slap some articles up on their site that 50,000 other people are using. A month later they wonder why they get no traffic and are earning $.50 a day. (I speak from much trial and much error.)

    My methond in a nutshell, taken from lessons found on the DP forum:

    1) Isolate content that I both have experience with and is in demand.
    2) Figure out which content, that I know something about, will provide the most traffic and pay the most.
    3) Build the site framework that balances design and Adsense positioning.
    4) Develop unique content, publish it to the site and article directories.
    5) Develop link partners and site promotion.
    6) Sit back, add content from time to time, and wait atleast a month.
    7) Evaluate stats, search rankings, and optimize both content & ad position.
    8) Repeat 6&7, always adding new unique content.

    It gets frustrating checking the Adsense balance and not seeing immediate results, but what I've read on these forums is that it takes time and good content. If you don't have either of those, making anything off of Adsense will be difficult.
     
    ThirdChair, May 4, 2006 IP
  16. Tyler Banfield

    Tyler Banfield Well-Known Member

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    #16
    I have to agree with Jack, I never had any expectations for AdSense. When CNBC launched its Fantasy Portfolio Challenge, I thought it would be fun to start a blog to track my portfolio and share some investing knowledge. I never expected many people to read it, but nonetheless, it seemed like a fun idea.
    For the first week, I averaged about 20-50 readers a day. I started to actively comment on the CNBC blog, and put my website in my signature. Then one day, I got an idea that would change my outlook on everything.
    Everyday, CNBC has a bonus question that allows you to add money to your portfolio. Unfortunately, they give the answer early in the morning, so most people that work can't watch it. I decided to start posting the answer on my blog everyday, and from that point on my traffic exploded. It seemed like everyday got bigger (500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500). I started to notice I was actually earning money from AdSense, so I started to get serious about it.
    This was the time when I found DP. After doing a lot of reading, I learned how to optimize my ads and such, and its been a dream ever since. Even without having time to promote my site, I'm averaging 1500 uniques a day and about $30.
    Because I've built a strong enough base, once school gets out in two weeks, I'm launching a full scale investing blog, along with starting some new projects. I would have never thought that I could be a full-time blogger for a summer job. It really gives you a sense of independence and self-fulfillment when you can support yourself from something you're passionate about.
     
    Tyler Banfield, May 4, 2006 IP
  17. Skinny

    Skinny Peon

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    #17
    Well, I too had very litle expectations for Adsense.

    I started my blogspot blog out of pure boredom after creating many free subdomain websites that were utter failures.

    I then thought well, I'll stick adsense because any free money if good money. My first month I made $0.63. But I stuck with writing, because that's what I wanted to do.

    And as the blog grew so did my earnings (not amazingly but compared to $.63).

    I then moved to a domain name with the help of Blogmaster, and it's been about 5 months and i actually broke the $50 per month barrier. Haven't reached it again, but it was fun.

    I think if you take adsense too seriously you won't be successful. You need to focus on your SITE. If you get enough traffic and build a community you will always make money.

    Skinny
     
    Skinny, May 4, 2006 IP
  18. pixads

    pixads Well-Known Member

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    #18
    When I started with AdSense I had a modest expectations. At that time I believed the normal CPC is about .20 at least. Unfortunately seems like I did not choose the right keywords to start with.
    Now I am looking for better paid KWs for my next site.
     
    pixads, May 4, 2006 IP
  19. e10

    e10 Well-Known Member

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    #19
    I started my site in 2000. It was just a hobby though I had hopes of getting local advertisers. I heard about Adsense on a forum and thought that it couldn't hurt. TBH, I was shocked even to be accepted. So, AS first went up on my site on 23rd June 2003 and by end of July I had a check for over $400.

    The site was over two years old then and getting about 5,000 visitors a month, I think.
     
    e10, May 4, 2006 IP
  20. jackburton2006

    jackburton2006 Peon

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    #20
    I think newbies should learn something from all these stories.

    For the most part, all the success stories that have been told here were people who didn't build their websites to make money; they did it because it was something they enjoyed, and steadily but surely, they build a readership base. And by the time they slapped on Adsense, they already had a base of steady readers, and plus, since they have been around for a while, their site was high in the SERPS.

    This is the one major mistake I see with Adsense newbies who come into the program with visions of clearing $1000s/day in the first week. They don't have the infrastructure (a good site, a readership base, good position in the SERPs) already established, and they want it now now now. Well guess what, it ain't gonna happen that fast.

    It takes time to build a quality site. To get a quality group of visitor for your base, and for your site to climb the SERPs. This is why you shouldn't expect to make any decent money just by launching a Blogger blog and slapping Adsense on it.
     
    jackburton2006, May 4, 2006 IP
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