February 23rd, 2009 | 
Author: I get a lot of comments and emails from various people asking why I have chosen to concentrate on Adsense with this challenge when I could probably make more money using the affiliate model instead.
Whilst it is definitely true to say that a lot of money can be made using the afilliate model, it is not true to say that it is a better model to use all the time over Adsense or even other ad networks come to that and here is why..
The thing is with Adsense is that it is all about getting targeted visitors looking at your content and it is NOT about trying to presell them with a big hyped up sales pitch. The beauty of Adsense is that you can actually write some decent, honest and informative content, you needn’t concern yourself with getting the sale at the end of it, your icome is very passive, you just need the click. The rewards when done properly are great with Adsense and that is why I choose to use this model.
Having said all that, I also use the affiliate model an awful lot and have made just as much income if not more from doing it. I don’t prefer one method over the other, it is all part of an income machine that will hopefully keep churning out the bucks! The main point I always make is “don’t put all your golden eggs in 1 basket”.. Diversify and earn an income from as many sources as possible and you will survive in this business. Adsense is a great model for both beginners and experienced Internet marketers and this is why it should become part of your arsenal.
I agree Steve – diversification is key, different websites in different niches and a mix of income sources (adsense, affiliate programs, cpa offers etc). Sometimes you just have to experiment a bit when it comes to adsense – it can work well on one site but not another: test, track and experiment!
Again, once you have decent traffic, it’s a question of experimenting – maybe a mix of subtle affiliate links and adsense works best, maybe just adsense…only testing (and time) will tell.
Affiliate links can be added in a subtle way though – it’s not always necessary to go for the “big hyped up sales pitch”.
I’m in complete agreement here. I have experimented with both on one of my blogs and found that the more I tried to sell something within my content, the less money and less CTR my adsense blocks earned. My best performing adsense blogs are those wherein the content is not geared for anything other than providing quality information and/or entertainment.
It’s also worth noting that adsense can be – once the traffic is solidified – is an excellent passive income and site maintenance is very minimal down the road. An added bonus is there’s no need to manage lists, no autoresponders to maintain, e.t.c… It’s a simple and effective income stream if done right.
If and when I do add affiliate offers, or even my own products, I never try to overtly sell it within my content, as that always seems to decrease my adsense earnings. If I have an affiliate promotion that would fit within an adsense geared site, usually I will simply mention the product(s), point them in the direction of the link and ‘nuf said.
Steve, just wondering how is the traffic and income coming along? Any substantive increases to mention? I have waited to start implementing your system on a brand new blog, but by Wednesday I will be starting on a good niche and going on a back-link and content blitz. Hopefully I can mirror your success.
Steve,
I’ve followed your advice almost to the t, but i’ve just logged into my blog and adsense is there. I’m slighly worried my blog has been compromised. I don’t even think its been linked to my adsense account. I was going to wait until my traffic hit over 100 hits a day.. Do you have any advice? or know why this would have occurred?
Paul.
Hi Brixxyx,
If you haven’t added adsense yet then somebody else must have. A simple way to check if it is your adsense or not is to open the blog in a browser. Press CTRL/U (if its firefox) and scroll down the code until you see the adsense blocks. Check out the publisher ID for the adsense and see if it matches yours.
If your blog has been breached then you need to look at the username and password you are using and see who has access to your account.
Thanks heaps steve,
i changed the theme and the adsense has disappeared. I took the theme of one of those sites offering free themes and i suspect they’ve inserted the adsense code into the theme… probably going to have to do some further investgating to be sure…
There is a good article on Josh Spauldings site on this very topic (“How do you decide whether to use Adsense, affiliate programs or both on a site.” )
http://ez-onlinemoney.com/blog/affiliate-marketing/should-you-monetize-your-site-with-adsense-or-affiliate-programs/
Basically the only way to be sure is to experiment.
By the way there are a couple of European cruise affiliate programs at affiliatesfuture.com which potentially could be a good revenue earner for your site Steve.