I’ve finished my two month experiment with various types of advertising embedded on this site. It was a failure. On the day after the MacWorld keynote, I earned $13 dollars from the Apple Store, because someone clicked on an ad to buy something. In addition I’ve averaged about $2 per day from Google ads. All the other ads on the site, which came primarily from the two leading ‘affiliate’ ad programs, produced zero results.
It seems that the people who read the site either block the ads, ignore the ads, or never buy anything.
I decided it’s not worth the effort and have removed the paid ads altogether. Instead, I’ll use the sidebar to feature links to other sites that are run by members of my family or close friends. In addition, I’ll put all the graphics for those sidebar images in the same directory ‘writersblocklive.com/friends/’, so those of you using Adblock or PithHelmet can easily nuke them.
P.S.
It is totally awesome the way everyone gives such great feedback! Thank you!
Reading the comments, I think I need to clarify a few points. I’m not talking about wanting to get rich off this site. I’ve been self-employed for almost twenty years, with some success, and the whole trick has been to offer a product or service that someone thinks is worth paying for. This is not a hobby; the site and the material I create for it are my product. I was simply hoping to find a way to get paid for my product. Working on this site takes time away from other ventures I’m involved in that have far better returns.
I’ve read about numerous ‘professional bloggers’ who claim to be making a living off their blogs, and figured that if I kept refining the site I could get a little revenue coming in. I’ve come to the conclusion that most of those ‘professionals’ are either lying, or can live on about ten bucks a day. I can’t.
This doesn’t mean I’m giving up; not by a long shot. But it means I won’t earn anything for my work until the book is printed, and that dictates a substantially different approach over the coming months.
P.P.S.
Enough people suggested it, that I think I’ll give the small Google ads another try. I’m just not going to get stressed out about it either way.
I had just finished the comments above and then came across this article a few lines lower in Macsurfer, “How to Almost Live on Blogging”:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70161-0.html?tw=wn_index_4
Coincidence? Of course, but an interesting one. Hope it’s somewhat useful. I think your blog is great!
Mark – I had already read that Wired article; nothing really new there.
Smittie – this site gets about 40,000 page-views a day; and I had Google ads on every page. But the results were simply not there.
I’ve always assumed when reading this site that you’re promoting sales of your future book, and that your “payoff” comes when your book is finally published. I know I’ll be buying a copy…
Peter – whether that was my plan or not, it looks like that’s how it will have to work.
Mike,
From those who are willing to talk about it, I generally hear the same thing. The results just aren’t there with AdSense. When my account got cancelled it made me sit up and pay attention. I had to decide if I wanted to beg forgiveness or just let it go. I started reading articles on how to maximize AdSense income. There were articles out there about it but for each article about increasing AdSense income, there was a comment or an article about AdSense simply not producing enough revenue to be worth it. I decided to let the AdSense thing go. I use Amazon to provide links to books, movies and other stuff I mention or review. Other than that, my blog simply isn’t going to make me any money.
I really like reading your blog. We were at Apple for the same approximate period. It’s fun to learn more about the how and why of the things that happened.
Aloha
Mike,
I love reading your blog. Like some of the other posters, I had assumed that you were mainly doing this for the benefit of your future book sales. If that isn’t the case then I for one would be open to a donation or similar type of funding…
The worst thing that could happen is that you decide to stop posting up the work in progress, so please let us know if that is the ultimate decision!
James
Why not stick with the Google ads? They don’t require any effort, aren’t very distracting, and some money is better than none.
Chris – I got frustrated with some of the silly stuff that Google thinks is related. For example, there were constantly links to stuff about Steve Ballmer. And half the time they would just serve up public service ads.
Somehow I found out that when I get money for something that I do, I lose interest in doing what it is that I’m doing. And when I don’t get anything and I continue doing it, well I guess I really like to do it then…
Mike,
Thank you for making this post. It may sound rude, or politically incorrect, but I usually don’t give a second thought to how the website that I frequent stay afloat. I really enjoy reading your site. What’s the best way someone could help out the product if there are no more paid ads and no donation mechanism?
Greg – I’m going to just keep working on it, and when the book is ready I hope everyone buys a copy (and several for gifts too).
Mike,
I’ve sounded before my opinions about the ads at your site. Now I confess I feel a bit bad as it sees like I was one motive for you to mostly get rid of them (although inside I know I’m wrong ’bout this feeling).
), and I think you should continue w/it. Although you certainly wouldn’t make a living from it, this would help easy some costs you have. I just haven’t put some money because I’m at Cuba and PayPal won’t allow me even to login to my account due to the stupid embargo.
One thing I forgot to mention at my suggestion was the donation link. I remember it from the early days and I would have gladly donated some small amount (would surely be less then US$15 —after all I’m from a 3rd world country w/a very devalued money where US$10 means a LOT to me
I also observed that many of us readers —including myself— thought that the site was mainly a way to promote your book, rather than a product, although most recognize that this site has it’s value and should receive for it. But sincerely, I think naïve someone actually see a blog a way of living. See Kotke, who dedicates himself 100% to his site: he said he fits on the “ten bucks a day†is enough to live.
But reading this post raised one question to me: What “substantially different approach†are you taking for Writers Block Live?
So as you realized, this site won’t help much at your income, but look it as a way of long time project, that will bring attention of millions about a subject that has it’s very big piece of attraction: the Apple corporate life and it’s emblematic CEO, Steve Jobs. I bet that this book will have a very large cue on pre-selling at Amazon.
Carlos – Don’t worry; the point I was making is that this site, like the book, is a work in progress; I have to evolve it as I go along. Since some of my initial assumptions were wrong, I need to adjust. Mike
Mike
Those ‘professional bloggers’ almost all have multiple income streams relating to blogging eg speaking, consulting etc. Plus most importantly they have atr least several blogs. I’m not of too many who achieve income independence with one blog. Darren of ProBlogger openly admits to around 20 blogs; Andy Hagans recently said he has five dozen.
Again though, if your traffic numbers are high enough, look into ad payment plans based on page impressions.