I can't speak for everyone else, but my directories are created for users not webmasters. I put text and keyword descriptions in every category to attract specific niche traffic from search engines. Even if one category only gets 40 hits a month on a really spefic niche term, you have 500 categories, theres 20k visits/month. I really don't understand why someone would create a directory that is just going to get webmaster traffic. Webmasters dont click ads!
I completely agree!! I also think that the idea that directories are created so that webmasters have another place to place a backlink for search engines is the reason so many directories are being punished these days. A directory should be a place that people can use as a resource to find a niche site that they are interested in. For webmasters, the marketing strategy should not be for the backlink. It should be for the potential traffic they receive from the directory. All the more reason a webmaster should help promote any directory they belong to. As far as Adsense goes. I use Adsense as a means of recovering hosting expenses. It does do that, and I am satisfied with that result. The benefit for me having a directory, is I get to be the one to see new sites, and discover new and interesting sites, as they are submitted. I bookmark many of them, and return later for some great reading.
One reason might be because it slows load times ... often by quite a lot. So is mine. That's why I pulled adsense from my niche directory. I would rather the few visitors I have be able to quickly navigate to the category they want and find the links they are after than give up after the second (of the three it takes to get anywhere) click and waiting for the adverts to load. I might put em back if it generated any real income and loaded faster, but online gaming (not gambling) ads don't pay squat so I figured it was better for me to keep the site clean. Of course, this is may not be true for other types of directories but for me the benefit of fast loads far exceed the pennies a month ads generated when I had them up.
I think this would be a good idea, PUT ADSENSE on the "SUBMIT LINK" page. Of course an adsense referal!, i mean who submits links? users or webmasters? webmasters, who would be interested in adsense? webmasters... and thats what im going to do right now.
My CTR is barely lower on my directories than other sites. So yes, it is worthwhile to place it on my directories.
Yes, it's worth it. It pays most of the costs. Until I got 'jaggered' in October, Adsense was paying between $350-400 a month. Now I'm only making the $100 threshold every other month, but it's still worth it. Also, I agree with SiteExpress. A minor spinoff benefit is that occasionally I spot a company advertising in adsense that I didn't know. It can be a useful yardstick for me to judge the standards of my directory. I'm failing if google is advertising companies that I don't have.
Isn't the submit link page specifically excluded by their T & Cs? Adsense Terms, Section 5 Prohibited Uses, Clause V You cannot... display any Ad(s), Link(s), or Referral Button(s) on any error page, on any registration or "thank you" page
All depends.. A generic directory (for webmasters) return very low ctr.. Only newbie webmasters will click.. But create a niche directory that has nothing to do with getting more links but getting traffic then ctr is pretty high..
the best idea, apart from having a niche directoy, is a directory that is implemented in a content driven site specific to the niche directory. this way interested "users" will want to find out about the site and thats when you are generating revenue!
yes ok i actually dont think that one yould generate residual income thru one or even 5 directories. correct me if im wrong
I think adsense is a good way for good directory to generate revenues from what they paid before. But most imporant thing for directory to make much revenue is give benefits as much as you can to your visitors. You should not forced visitors to click your adsense by place them too much in your page. Its make that page look like an adsense spam and discredit site itself.
Everyone that submits to directories should want those directories to make money. If the directory makes money the directory owner can afford to spend money on advertising and offering more benifits to the folks that list there. I know from my personal experience I have been putting about 75% of the money I make right back into the directories.
I have to believe these tactics hurt those sites alot more than it helps. Such a site just screams out, "I'm just here to make a few bucks from AdSense, nothing more." I certainly wouldn't purchase a submission in a directory that has 2 leaderboards, a skyscraper, a adsense referral button, and uses the Google search box instead of the "real" search form that came with their script.
This assumes that only webmasters and SEO's are visiting directories... This is not always the case. Also, let's say you do a search on google for "thesaurs". Now I realize it is mis-spelled, but, it is an easy word to mis-spell, and people do do it. Where am I going with this? Ok, so you google "thesaurs" and end up seeing the KingBloom.Com directory in the top 2 spots, (result number 2 and 3) for "thesaurs". So you click on that link/search result and end up here where you seeing some results for "Thesaurus" in the "Thesaurus" category of the directory... And oh my gosh, their some google ads links that may yield results on the subject as well. This is just one example. People do use directories for more than SEO, many be complete accdient. A good, well ranked and well organized directory does seriously aid end users in finding what they are looking for. Am I going to get rich off google ads my directory? Probably not, but they are effective for the directory and for the advertisers whose ads are listed. Anyway, that is my 2 cents.... YMMV.
It doesn't really matter to me because I have adsense disbled in my hosts file. A company my friend works for with 150+ employees has adsense and Google/Gmail etc disabled at the routers for everyone except for a few developers.
I agree with PortProphecy, when someone tries to trick me into clicking adsense or has a page so cluttered because of it, I won't click, bookmark, approve for my directories nor will i re-visit. On the other-hand I have clicked on other directories adsense because they display the same ads as my own directories and I want to check them out without clicking on my own ads.