Tuesday 16 February 2010

High Paying Adsense Keywords

Generating an income from writing, whether through a website, online magazine or blog, is an exciting preoccupation, thanks to affiliate programmes such as Adsense, Clickbank and Amazon. But the webmaster must bear in mind that two websites that receive similar traffic and ad clicks, could earn vastly different income. Why? Because of cost per clicks or CPC (sometimes known as pay per click, or PPC).

Google AdSense For Dummies
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Adwords Cost Per Click

Effective web marketing will bring an influx of visitors to a site or blog, yet the webmaster could be disappointed with the Adsense return, paying only pennies per ad click. This is because some keywords will trigger lower paying Adwords adverts than others.

Adwords Guide

It may come as little surprise to some, that a keyword that triggers Adword adverts on insurance and finance, will pay more than, say than one that triggers adverts displaying art suppliers. This is because a commission from the former is likely to involve more money. The advertiser is therefore prepared to pay more for an ad click. Higher paying topics are more competitive, and there is a huge volume of webpages devoted to these higher paying subjects. To get some idea of what keywords are worth, the webmaster must get to grips with using the Google Adwords Keyword tool.

Adsense Tips

By putting in suggested keyword ideas into this invaluable tool, associated search terms used by actual visitors will be displayed. When used in a webpage, these search terms can be used as keywords that will trigger desired Adwords ads. Each keyword will yield a different value, which can be seen alongside each search term displayed in the Google tool. The commission paid to a webmaster depends upon a number of factors, some of which are outside of the webmaster’s control:

  • Higher paying topics are those that have higher profit potential, such as those associated with business and finance. Ad clicks on such adverts will yield high revenue for the webmaster
  • The amount of Adword competition. A highly niche keyword may have little competition to bid with. To fill ad spaces, Google may display non contextual adverts, which are less likely to yield clicks. This may cause lower Adsense revenue.
  • The quality of the advertising campaign and the words used in the Adwords displayed
  • Adwords are location-sensitive, meaning that depending upon where the visitor is located in the world, different Adwords will be displayed. Little competition in a particular area may cause lower revenue.
The Best Keywords for Ad Clicks

Regardless of the topic the webmaster chooses, strategic use of the Google’s Adwords Keyword tool will reveal which keywords and phrases are likely to yield high paying clicks. Checking results on the search engine will reveal how many times that phrase has been used within indexed webpages. Keywords and phrases with low volume results should be preferred.

Make the Most of Google Adwords Adsense

This does not mean that lower paying keywords should be avoided altogether if a volume of ad clicks will occur. Finding a balance between infrequent high paying clicks and a numerous low paying ad clicks is the key to earning a decent income from Adsense revenue.

But none of this would be possible unless the website or blog is visible in the first place. This is where SEO, or search engine marketing comes in, and will help contribute to attracting traffic, and therefore ad clicks to a website.

Monday 15 February 2010

How to Make Money Writing Articles Online

There are an increasing number of platforms that writers can use to promote themselves and make money writing online articles. The main players are Suite 101, Associated Content, Ezine Articles, Helium, Hubpages, Squidoo, Xomba and others. There are advantages and disadvantages for writing for each.

Make Money Online With Articles Even If You Can't Write And Don't Have A Website
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Which is the Best Online Magazine to Write For?

The writer who works alone on a blog or website will soon discover that getting traffic, and therefore Adsense revenue is difficult. This is because the website or blog is a small entity among thousands of other websites and blogs of similar size, floating adrift within the vast ocean that is the Internet, hoping to be discovered.
A website in the form of a large online magazine is more like a tanker on this ocean, where the writer is more likely to be seen and therefore making a living. This is because the larger online magazines have a much better overall pagerank than the average websites or blog.

Writing for Suite 101

Such online magazines are constantly on the lookout for new writers because the sheer volume of content will retain their pagerank. Each magazine works in different ways. Suite 101, for example, passes on a share of the Adsense revenue to the writer once their percentage has been deducted from Google. Contributing writers must post at least one article per week; featured writers (a writer in a specialised topic) must write at least one article on that topic per week.

The good thing about Suite 101 is that the writer carries on earning Adsense revenue for each article for years to come, whether the writer continues to write for Suite 101 or not. Unlike some other online magazines, a certain editorial standard is maintained as editors will flag articles that contain typos.

Earning Backlinks from Online Articles

Other online magazines pay a flat fee as opposed to ongoing revenue. The standard of work is by no means the same everywhere. Some prefer volume of work to accuracy. The writer must be wary of being associated with an online magazine of poor quality. Some writers merely use online magazines to create backlinks to their own websites or blog. Xomba, for instance, enables the writer to write short article snippets, known as “xombytes” which serve merely to provide a link to another article.

Online Magazine Article Writing

Earning income from writing articles is often a slow process and the small initial income for hours of work will often put many writers off. However, with the right strategy, the article writer can earn a decent income with the following thoughts:

Persistence is essential. The writer who hopes to make a regular income must look at long term goals as opposed to the short term. Revenue will dip on some days, but the overall trend will rise, so long as the writer keeps on writing articles

SEO Article Writing

The writer must conduct research into keywords for the article. Google’s Adwords Keyword tool is essential for this purpose. It will inform the writer which topics are likely to earn more money per ad click, if there is a lot of search volume on that search term, and if there is enough advertising competition for that topic. The writer may then sprinkle these keywords and phrases throughout strategic areas of the article, such as the headings, subheadings, introductory paragraph and anchor text on links.

Get Paid to Write Articles

Making money through writing articles online requires discipline and determination. The writer must enjoy doing it, or it will feel like a slog. However, the writer may bear in mind, that so long as the articles are written with the reader in mind and remain where they are, whether they appear on an online magazine, blog or website, each article is like a raindrop, earning a little revenue now and then. The more articles the writer posts, the more like a rainstorm the income will be.

Finding Money Making Website Niche Ideas

Making money from a website is more involved than simply having an idea. The novice webmaster might be over zealous at first, thinking that the most popular topics, such as weight loss or how to get out of debt, will form a lucrative website, but this not always the case.

What Makes a Good Niche Site Idea?

Mastering Niche Marketing: A Definitive Guide to Profiting From Ideas in a Competitive Market
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The best home business opportunity can be found with something the webmaster feels passionately about such as a hobby, as opposed to writing about something that is seen to be a good opportunity to make money from writing. The following are worth remembering:

Lucrative topics, such as insurance, weight loss and financial advice are very competitive markets. Many thousands or even millions of search terms associated with these topics can be found within search results. Adding another website on this theme will be like adding a needle into a haystack.

A webmaster that writes about something he or she doesn’t really care about is unlikely to stick at the project for long, and the lack of enthusiasm will show in the writing.

Website Niche Ideas

Google’s Adwords keyword tool will reveal a multitude of topics that few are writing about, yet attract a fair number of search queries. A website themed on a hobby, a specialist skill or specific product is more likely to be discovered. Examples of niche ideas for a website could be anything from the care of Koi carp or platinum trading to oil painting flowers.

How to Earn Ad Clicks

The webmaster must take extra care when selecting the niche topic, for making money from a website requires the right type of visitor. Broadly speaking, there are two types:

  • Active
  • Passive
The passive visitor is simply browsing for information, for instance for a project, and is unlikely to click on an Adwords link (known as ad click) and earn Adsense revenue for the webmaster or to purchase anything. The webmaster must think like the active kind of customer and gear the article on each webpage for a visitor who is looking for a service or a product, and who is therefore more likely to click on something or purchase something. In website terms, this is known as a “goal.”

Niche Marketing Strategy

Sprinkling the website with relevant keywords and phrases that have large search volume yet low competition, known as good money matrix words, will enhance the website’s visibility. But selecting a great niche website idea from which to centre such keywords, require consideration. The following suggestions may help:

  • Hackneyed and overused ideas should be avoided
  • The website should have a strong identity and geared towards a specific audience
  • The topic should be one that yields interest to the webmaster
  • The topic may be one that the webmaster has had frustration in the past trying to find information about on the web
  • Never discount an idea as ridiculous, as one only has to visit Ebay to see that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure
  • If the webmaster possess a skill or has something to sell, all the better
The Best Idea for a Website

A successful home based business franchise can be found within niche website marketing. This entails centring the website round a specific topic that is geared towards a specific type of audience. The webmaster must select an idea for a website that has little competition and which has many search queries. So long as the webmaster possesses a passion for a subject, is knowledgeable on something, or indeed, has a product to sell, the potential to make a profit from home via a niche website is possible.

Search Engine Optimization Tips for Dummies

Knowing how to get website traffic is vital for the webmaster hoping to earn money at home from writing, but a well-written and researched webpage is only part of the story. The other, more vital component is getting it seen by many. This involves the effective use of keywords and phrases, and also the appearance and design of the website.

Mistakes to Avoid in SEO

Knowing what to avoid is as important as what to include. The following Google ranking tips will help:
  • Get to know Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool. This is vital. By putting in a search phrase the webmaster thinks a searcher might use when finding information, the tool will throw back actual phrases used by searchers, including synonyms, and variations. The data reveals the search volume of that term and the monetary value of ads generated on the page
  • When conceiving the title to a webpage, avoid vague terms and those that have high competition, such as “holidays in America.” A specific and descriptive title is much better and will make it easier to index in search engines
  • Avoid idiosyncratic or slang terms which are meaningless to most people
  • Avoid keyword stuffing, a practice used by spammers to try to get website traffic artificially. The search engines always wisen up to this practice in the end and penalise the website by delegating it to lower search ranking
  • Similarly, not using enough keywords will make it difficult for the search engines to index the page, because it is unclear what it is about. A keyword density of around 2% to 10% within the text is ideal.
A Great Website Design

The following mistakes in website design could deter visitors from sticking around and in turn cause loss in Adsense revenue.
  • Using a complimentary colour palette is easier on the eye. Avoid garish colour schemes, such as contrasting colours which cause the text appear to shimmer
  • Ensure all images are in context with the content
  • Too many images or too much unbroken text is off putting. A balance between the two is best
  • Avoid dynamic content that makes pages take ages to load
  • Avoid nuisance factors, such as gadgets that pop up, or weird effects. Most visitors are simply looking for information and do not like surprises
How to Get Web Site Traffic

A website will be more visible if it has a strong identity and concentrates upon a niche market that few others are writing about. This will make the site stand out from the crowd. Despite the web being such a huge market place, there are still opportunities to be found for niche marketing.

But quality is the most important factor. This in turn will turn into recommendation and backlinks from other websites. This will enhance Google’s ranking of the website further.

Improving the Website

Imagine visiting the website from a visitor’ viewpoint, or better still ask someone else to do this. Make a list of peeves that are highlighted with the view to resolve them
Create an attractive homepage that promises a website that is rich in relevant information
The website must be easy to navigate around, which means that it must be user friendly for the visitor
Avoid dynamic content that makes pages take ages to load

Google Ranking Tips

Ensure that the sitemap is uploaded into Google’s search engine by the Webmaster Tools function, and keep it updated by resubmitting the sitemap every time new pages have been added or alterations have been made
Look out for deep pages that Google cannot find, for instance, those that are on a lower level domain within the website. Consider moving it to a more prominent position, or dispensing with the lower level altogether
Submit the website to the most prominent search engines. Time can be saved from submitting it to the smaller ones for they will find it by referral in time.

Web Site Search Optimization

The webmaster must have some knowledge of website marketing when having a subject to write about. Sound knowledge of how to use Google Adwords Keywords tool is vital for finding the best keywords to include within the website, but it does not end there. Quality content is valued by search engines and in time will be rewarded.

A website that concentrates upon a niche subject matter written by few others will attract the right sort of audience, but it must also be well-written and a pleasant experience for the visitor. Good quality is more likely to earn the website backlinks from other sites and help it move up the Google’s rankings.

Sunday 14 February 2010

How to Buy a Web Domain Name

The webmaster may think that buying a web domain name may have little impact upon the performance of the website, but this assumption will be wrong, for the URL of any web address if the first thing a visitor sees when presented with search results. Because of this, great consideration should be given to the URL address of any website.
Domain Name Registration

I've Got a Domain Name--Now What???: A Practical Guide to Building a Website and Web Presence
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When a webmaster first creates a website with a free web hosting service, the website will be in two parts: the root zone, which denotes the web server’s address, followed by the webmaster’s account name. An example of this is:

http://sites.google.com/site/novelwritingsite/

This is the URL of one of my own websites. The webmaster may be dissatisfied with the appearance of a long and clunky looking URL, address and decide to purchase a top level domain name from a domain name provider, such as GoDaddy or Network Solutions. These charge a small annual fee for this service, but buying a good domain name wisely requires careful thought first.

Domain Name Tips

The following suggestions will help the webmaster in selecting the best domain name:
  • Prefer the short domain name to the long, preferably one that is shorter than fifteen characters in length
  • When conceiving a web address, prefer the extension .com, .org, .co.uk or .org, as opposed to .biz. or .family, for example.
  • Avoid odd spellings, symbols and weird abbreviations
  • Ensure the domain name is memorable
  • Make sure the domain name is relevant to the website’s content
  • Have alternative ideas handy in case the domain name is already taken
  • Discount is often offered for multiple domain names, which is worth consideration
  • Seek the second opinion of an informed party if in doubt
The domain market place is in constant flux, and domain names are always going back on the market, so it is worth checking back to see if a desired but unavailable domain name becomes available again.

Domain Name Advice

Whichever domain name provider the webmaster decides to go with, it is wise to check its reputation for reliability first, for good customer support is vital to any business. But choosing the best domain name for a website will contribute to its success. This means thinking carefully about the URL address at the top level. A catchy and short domain name that says something about the web content is the best way of optimizing a website and attracting relevant visitors who are more likely to remember the domain name in the future

Keyword Marketing via the Money Word Matrix

Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords
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Effective website optimization by the use of carefully chosen keywords will ensure the website will rank highly on search engines and be seen by many. But what are these magic keywords? And what is a keyword when marketing a website?

Getting a Website Noticed

A beautifully written article or webpage is not enough to get it read by hundreds of visitors every day and generate Adsense income. The webmaster must include keywords that will ensure the webpage will be found. A keyword or keyphrase is one that a searcher uses when conducting a search, such as “how do I promote my website?”

Essential Tips on Using Keywords for Website Promotion

The webmaster must include these search phrases into his website, which is what keywords are. But these must be relevant to the website so that the relevant adverts are triggered alongside the content. He or she must also write for another reader, not for search engines, or the text will not read naturally. Carefully chosen keywords and careful placement is the key.

The Best Keywords for SEO

Not any keyword will do, for highly competitive keywords such as those associated with weight loss or making money, are used in abundance within webpages, meaning it will be buried among thousands of websites. The shrewd webmaster must find a niche market that has low website competition, yet high search term volume. This is what the Money Word Matrix is. The principle is as follows:
Keyword Optimization Tips

Type in a keyword or phrase within speech marks into the Google search engine, and see how many results show up. If more than 50,000 results come back, the keyword or phrase has too much competition and is a poor choice.
• A keyword or phrase with lower competition, such as 20,000 or less, is a better choice, but are there enough searchers using that particular search term? The answer to this can be found on Google Adwords Tool. This tool reveals a list of real search terms used by searchers every month.
• The general rule of thumb is that if there is a search volume of around 1000 or more per month for a particular term, yet the search term only comes up around 10,000 or less in Google’s search engine, the search term would make an excellent keyword or phrase for inclusion.
• Good keywords are those which has similar results in Google’s search engine, but has a search volume of around 500 to 1000 per month.
• Basically, the higher the search volume and the lower the competition, the better the keyword choice.

The only downside to this research is that it is lengthy. But the webmaster may keep a spreadsheet of the ideal keywords to use for website optimization.

Where to Place Keywords in Articles

Once the keywords have been selected, they must be strategically placed within the article or text, which may be:

• The URL address of the web domain
• The leading paragraph or the first fifty words of the article
• Within headings and subheadings, which must be title case and in bold
• Within anchor text of links
• The concluding paragraph of the article or webpage
• Tags of images

Best Keywords for Website Marketing

Using great keywords is the key to making a website noticed by search engines and visitors. Including actual search terms used by visitors, yet ones that have low competition within Google’s search results will fare well for the webmaster, but the article or webpage must be written with the reader in mind, not for the search engine, or it will not flow properly. Great content always wins in the end, earning backlinks and recommendations.

Adsense Revenue for Beginners

What is Adsense and how can it be used to enhance online income for the webmaster? Well, despite much being written about Google’s Adsense programme, many still find it difficult to understand. The principle is quite simple.


Definition of Adsense

Creating a website has the potential to earn online income every time the webmaster creates a webpage, so long as the website has been “monetized.” This does not entail selling anything.
Income is generated every time an online searcher clicks upon an advert, which is made possible due to the small adverts displayed on the side of web content and on SERPS pages. These adverts are mainly generated by Google, and are known as “Adwords,” for the words they contain. These adverts are targeted towards the surfer looking for specific information. If it so happens that the surfer finds something he has been looking for and the advert happens to be displayed alongside a webmaster’s website content or article, the webmaster earns a commission from that click. If the website has been created for free, the webmaster has made optimum profits.

Making Money from a Blog or Website

Monetizing a website involves a mere click of a button. The adverts are automatically generated by Google and are selected according to the keywords the article uses. So if it is about gardening, and gardening terms are used in the title and subtitles of the web content, adverts about gardening will be displayed automatically. This serves to enhance the viewer’s experience if that person is looking for that particular subject.

In a way, the webmaster is getting paid to display ads upon his “shop window” should a customer take sufficient interest to enquire upon an advert, or “click” upon it.

Adwords Management

Each advert displayed is known as an “ad unit,” and can be placed anywhere upon the webpage. Some webmasters conduct lengthy research into colour schemes, the number of, and where to place each ad unit on a website. This can be done via Google’s Website Optimizing tool which can be found in the Google account.

Cost Per Click

Each advert or “adword unit,” will yield a different value for the webmaster, depending upon what it is advertising. An advert, for instance, about car insurance, will yield more commission for the webmaster than one about the purchase of art materials, due to the money it could make for the advertiser. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the webmaster to find out exactly what each ad is worth, but he can make a rough estimate by conducting research by using the Google Adwords tool.

Google Pay Per Click Revenue

To summarise, the webmaster can make good Adsense revenue by the following:


• Opening an Adsense account with Google and carefully reading the tutorials
• Monetizing the website or blog, so that adverts will be displayed alongside the content
• Using appropriate keywords within the web content in order to generate contextual adverts
• Experimenting with the placement, palette and format of the ad units to see which formula works the best by using Google’s Optimizer tool, which can be found within the webmaster’s Google account.
• Importantly, writing interesting, original and relevant information, which will increase the likelihood of the page earning backlinks (links from another website) and so increasing its visibility on the internet


Make Money from Website Advertising

The webmaster or blogger has a great opportunity to make money online by monetizing the webpage. This involves displaying ad units, or “Adwords” alongside the web content. Each time a visitor takes sufficient interest to click upon one of the adverts, the webmaster earns a commission.

Different adverts will yield a different value per click, depending upon what is advertised. The webmaster should avoid writing about a high earning subject matter if there is not passion about the subject, for this will show in the article. The cardinal rule is to create an interesting, content rich page that will increase traffic, which in turn will increase the likelihood of earning more ad clicks for the webmaster.

Make Money with Free Webspace Through Google Sites

There are numerous free webhosting services available, offering great features for web building, but the webmaster is able to earn Adsense revenue by creating a website free of charge from Google’s own Google Sites programme, which can be found within the webmaster’s own Google account.

Advantages of Google Sites Features

The Googles Sites features have many advantages over web building from scratch or other free webspace, because it is a Google creation.

• The sitemap will have been automatically generated by Google
• It saves the rigmarole of constantly having to resubmit sitemaps whenever webpages have been added or altered because, the sitemap is automatically updated by Google
• The website is instantly tagged as “safe to proceed” on the SERPS page because the webspace is Google’s own creation
• Formatting Adsense adverts is made simple by a few clicks as opposed to copying and pasting different Adsense units and checking to see if they look OK on webpages
• Numerous templates to choose from, as well as colours, fonts and page formats
• Images and videos are easily uploaded
• Limitless number of websites can be created
• Numerous gadgets can be added
• Use of a supportive forum
• And it is all free

Making Money for Nothing


The webmaster must first create an account with Google in order to take advantage of earning through Adsense for free. Having a Google account enables the webmaster to:

• Create a website easily and for free with Google Sites
• Sign up for Google’s Adsense programme which will enable the webmaster to make money for nothing
• Sign up for Google analytics which will enable the webmaster to monitor traffic, demographic data and the top performing webpages
• Use webmaster tools to manage sitemaps and view which pages have been indexed by Google

Patience is required when creating a new website until the Google’s spiders, have trawled the web for new websites to index. This happens every few days or so, but may take longer. But being a creation of Google, Google Sites can easily be viewed by the “Googlebots” and indexed. Good use of keywords and inbound links from other sites or a blog, will optimise the website further, but these issues are covered in a separate article.

Cheap Domain Name

Most webmaster dislike the appearance the URL which will result from creating a website from Google Sites, beginning with “http://sites.google.com/”, so the webmaster may decide to purchase a web domain name. This may improve the performance of the Google Sites website. GoDaddy among others offer this service for a small annual fee.

Creating a Website with Free Hosting Service


The novice will need to read the tutorials on how to create a website with Google Sites, which have video clips and step by step instructions. A supportive forum is also available. The only drawback is that the webmaster will be unable to manipulate the HTML codes at source, which may not be suitable for the more adventurous webmaster, but for the majority who simply wishes to write articles supported by images and video clips and earn Adsense revenue for the privilege, Google Sites is more than suitable.

Make Money from Google Sites

The novice web builder will discover an easy way of creating a website for free via free webhosting in the form of Google Sites. This programme enables the webmaster to write articles, add images and video clips with ease.


The beauty of Google Sites is that, since it is a creation of Google, Adsense is easily implemented and sitemaps are automatically generated by Google, and the website is almost immediately tagged as “safe to proceed” on the SERPS page, enhancing traffic to the website.