Getting Around 1000 Uniques Per Day, Only Earning Few Dollars Though...

Hi,

I've got a few websites that get around a thousand uniques per day, all based around the same subject, but they only seem to earn a few dollars per day.

These earnings are from using Google Adsense, and the main site visitors are teenage girls (I think), mainly woman in general.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to earn more money from the site, perhaps from affiliate programs or other advertising networks?


I've heard that some banners pay per thousand impressions so I'm wondering if this might be a better route for me? I can get good traffic just poor CTR for my adverts.



Thanks for any advice

 

Congratulations on getting 1k uniques per day, that's a great milestone to pass.

To qualify for good ad networks like Tribal Fusion, they like to see 2,000 uniques per day, but there are some things you can do in the interim.

With your adsense/adbrite/etc placements, make sure they're in positions for users to click on them. For example, you can place them directly below the header of any stories on the site. I put together some tips to optimize your Adsense placements if you're interested.

As far as ad networks go, based on what kinds of ads you want to run, there are some options available that don't have the 2k limit. ValueClick offers good advertisements, and pays a decent CPM, around $.30 eCPM. So on your traffic, it might not be worth it, but it's worth a shot. Here's a list of the highest paying CPM networks for 2009.

 

Thanks for the help

I've only ever really used Adsense before and am not 100% about how CPM sites work - do you just upload their adcode and earn a set amount, say $0.30 per 1000 impressions?

 

For some websites affiliate programs are a better option than relying on adsense or generic cpm ads. Analyze your content and visitor demographics and try to think of some related products that would appeal to your visitors. There are likely numerous affiliate programs offering that product. Join some of the bigger affiliate networks such as cj.com and linkshare.com. For a good affiliate ad you could be earning $10 - $50 (or more) for 1000 impressions. Maybe offer them magazine subscriptions, make up, ringtones, clothing, etc. Try working some of those kinds of links right in your blogposts and you could make some decent money.

 

I would just put a little more marketing into it if I were you and then switch over to TribalFusion.

 

You are probably already in the top 5% of sites. Not many sites can achieve 1k uniques a day.

If you can send your URL I can check our ad database to see if any keywords would align with your site for ad displays.

One thing I would watch out for with some ad networks is what the minimum balance payout. If you're earning $1/day you could be waiting a long time to get paid.

 

The bad thing about your demographic is that they normally don't have their own credit cards to make impulse purchases so you are probably limited to PPC and PPM programs.
You need to find out exactly who your audience is. You will do better with affiliate marketing than banners with that type of traffic if you do indeed have traffic that has any money.

Tweens are a highly targeted audience, because they influence their parents to spend money. You may want to look into privatizing your advertising as well if your traffic is consistent.


JMO

 

You'll never make a lot of money off of Adsense. Have you tried building an email list from this traffic? I dont know what your sites are targeting but if they are receptive to some form of opt-in I would be doing that to capture as many names as possible and continue to market to them on the back end.

ND

 

Instead of spending time trying to monetize your audience, spend that same energy into increasing the quality of your content. Great content means a bigger audience = bigger profits.

 

you want to highlight your ads, don't think of blending your ads to your template, peoples eyes will mostly see the highlighted ads and so you will get more clicks

 

try promoting ACAI BERRY if in the US, it pays $25 per lead otherwise you could also promote a dating or beauty product

 

Thanks for the advice guys.

If I was to sell my adverts privately, how would this be done? Do I just put up a section on my site and say Advertise here - Contact me etc?

Or would you go around targetting people and asking them like that?

 

You do realize that maybe, maybe 1% of a webmaster's visitors will click on the ads, right?

Of course other ads like on sex, and free stuff gets a higher rate.

Google ads and ads that look like Google ads are basically crap.

The reasons being is that they are so common now. You see them everywhere. Many visitors' eyes look right over them. Also, they are so small, many pass right over them.

So that few bucks you say you are getting sounds about right.

To get more advertisers, yes, you could simply ask right on your site, but, you do not have enough traffic for that, so....

Go to your competitors' sites and ask the advertisers there if they would like to advertise on your site too.

Also contact the advertisers using Google, Yahooo and MSN.

Sweeten the deal by perhaps offering them more space, along with a picture at the same rate they are paying the search engines.

Put most of your ads in the middle or near or at the bottom of your site.

These are the areas where your visitors stop reading. Once they do, they will be more likely to read your ads.

Put in fun, interesting ads, like, say, iTunes, or screensavers.

 

Targeting people directly generally does not work, because they get targeted so often for things like link exchanges that they are likely to over look you.

A subtle "advertise here" with contact information is always helpful, but you will need to provide updated stats for review to even be considered, including your sites demographics. If you have any conversion, or click through rates that would also be helpful.

Unless your site is in a very targeted subniche (like "Sheet Music for Banjo's"), I would opt for affiliate banners, or products sales, instead of CPM.

At 1000 uniques per day, you may get a solid $3-$5 in rev a day, but proper affiliate marketing may get you $20-$100 a day.

 

I think your getting good hits for a site that attracts teen girls maybe you could do with something like a female clothes affliation banner or something along the lines to bump u up with 20 bucks comission here and there monthly.

 

You could also have a monthly-paid newsletter, for, say, $7 a month.

Get 100 paying that, and that's $700!

This is a common method among the more experienced.