AdWords for content only sites?

Just wondering if anybody thinks Google AdWords is appropriate for a content driven site which relies on advertising dollars as income. I have a PR6 site and wondering if there is a way to drive traffic that costs less than my average cpm, which ranges from pennies to several dollars.

Thanks!

 

Whether running AdWords makes business sense is a question of arithmeitic. Test it!

This is not the recommended approach, usually, because it's hard to make more than you are spending, unless the onsite ads are extremely lucrative. Let's say the CRT on you onsite ads is 1%, you get 1 click for every 100 AdWords clicks. The odds of a profit are not high, so you had better know what you are doing, be an Expert at AdWords -- find cheap, relevant, noncompetitive keywords, get a high quality score on them so you are paying only pennies per click.

Technically speaking, if you are using Google AdSense on your site, do not place AdSense ads on the AdWords landing page, though out can place them elsewhere on the site.

 

Thanks Philip. Makes a lot of sense.

 

I wouldn't recommend it.
I would rather work on my content as if I am not getting much traffic it means Google doesn't appreciate much my content.

 

Yes it helps because it increases traffic, which you can use to sell more expensive ad blocks that counterbalances your Adwords bids.

It's about developing the property as you would real estate where the investment is commensurate with potential returns

 

On the surface I would say either:

Probably not
or
It will cost you something to test it

You might actually be able to run a small profit but then you need to work out your ROI and make a call as to if its worth the time to setup, you can, to a degree leave it running if you get your numbers right and at that time it will make more sense but CPC can fly up and down so you need to think about your max bids and lock them in, however, a higher maximum bid.... even if you end up paying less effects the adrank.

If you even have an incline that it will work for your business I think its worth trying with a voucher on a new account. In the UK you can get a £75 voucher with an initial spend of £75, that would make a test far more appealing I would think?

 

I run campaigns for several content-oriented sites and get a decent ROI, although it has taken a lot of time and testing. I focus my ads on landing pages with a low bounce rate or that convert into social followers or email subscribers who then come back again. That audience growth leads to more revenue.