[brixxyx]

Hey Steve,

How many articles to you have up now?
awesome work that you're doing!

[brixxyx]

Also, do u social bookmark each post to 10 different social bookmark sites without changing a word? and each post to the 3 main directories without changing a word?

[kkchoon]

I did both, some changes the word, some don't...

I found spinning the bookmarking title, description gives better result, anyone?

[keblack]

Does Firepow work the same way as an RSS Ground membership ?

[Stephen Crooks]

Just the 70 at the moment, I am still waiting for the rest of them to be written..

Originally Posted by brixxyx

Hey Steve,

How many articles to you have up now?
awesome work that you're doing!

[Stephen Crooks]

I have written about my social bookmarking strategy in detail on my 100 bucks challenge blog..

Originally Posted by brixxyx

Also, do u social bookmark each post to 10 different social bookmark sites without changing a word? and each post to the 3 main directories without changing a word?

[Stephen Crooks]

I am not familiar with RSS ground membership so I can't answer that I am afraid.

Originally Posted by keblack

Does Firepow work the same way as an RSS Ground membership ?

[id0y]

Just letting you know Steve that you really helped us a lot!...

Thanks! Great Post! If you're into affiliate marketing, let me know.

[Shabbir]

Altast finished reading all the pages..took me a better part of the day..
Very very interesting and informative..
Hope u have success with this Steve..

[Ashley Wright]

Hi Steve,
Iv Just joined this great forum and reading this thread I am happy I have, I have learned alot after reading this! 30 more days to go then!

[Nick.A]

Hi Steve, you appear to be making progress towards your goal and have picked up a huge number of followers. Great effort and wish you every success!

I have just taken another look at your site and am curious about the size and placement of the AdSense blocks. All I see 'above the fold' is AdSense. Just wondering whether you have looked at your Google Analytics stats to determing the 'bounce rate'? Are people clicking the ads or are they clicking their browser's back button? Do they actually scroll down to see the content and view the navigation links?

I am not trying to put a damper on the project, just curious. Personally, if I landed on a page with just AdSense displaying above the fold, I would probably click away immediately. But that's just me. I would welcome other peoples' views on this issue, particularly from those who have had experience building AdSense sites.

[meadow.c]

Hi Steve,

I was just looking at alexa rank of your blog i.e. The $100 Challenge and it is very nice. I guess it is because most of the people who are visiting have alexa installed. Just wondering what Google analytics says about visitors count for this blog (in case you have installed) or awstat?

Thanks.

[Stephen Crooks]

I suppose it depends on your desktop resolution but on an average monitor there is content there as well. Bounce rate is about 56% which is probably borderline okay.. Some pages are as low as 22% bounce while others are as high as 68%, it depends on the content .

Originally Posted by Nick.A

Hi Steve, you appear to be making progress towards your goal and have picked up a huge number of followers. Great effort and wish you every success!

I have just taken another look at your site and am curious about the size and placement of the AdSense blocks. All I see 'above the fold' is AdSense. Just wondering whether you have looked at your Google Analytics stats to determing the 'bounce rate'? Are people clicking the ads or are they clicking their browser's back button? Do they actually scroll down to see the content and view the navigation links?

I am not trying to put a damper on the project, just curious. Personally, if I landed on a page with just AdSense displaying above the fold, I would probably click away immediately. But that's just me. I would welcome other peoples' views on this issue, particularly from those who have had experience building AdSense sites.

[Stephen Crooks]

Yes, this blog is doing well for visitor count but mainly due to the amount of referrals from here at warrior. I have done no real SEO for that blog at all yet, but it is on my to do list. In fact I want to grow that blog into a good resource for anyone looking to make money online and will probably introduce some mini challenges for people to join in with.

Originally Posted by meadow.c

Hi Steve,

I was just looking at alexa rank of your blog i.e. The $100 Challenge and it is very nice. I guess it is because most of the people who are visiting have alexa installed. Just wondering what Google analytics says about visitors count for this blog (in case you have installed) or awstat?

Thanks.

[Internetmoneymaker]

Good luck,like some I'd be happy with $10 a day so all the best with $100,what are you averaging at the moment?

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Nick.A

Personally, if I landed on a page with just AdSense displaying above the fold, I would probably click away immediately. But that's just me. I would welcome other peoples' views on this issue, particularly from those who have had experience building AdSense sites.

Most searchers aren't jaded Internet marketers or techie types and will click the ads. Making a site plain/ugly insures a good CTR on most niches. Making it pretty and attractive means a considerably lower CTR in most niches.

[Nick.A]

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

I suppose it depends on your desktop resolution but on an average monitor there is content there as well. Bounce rate is about 56% which is probably borderline okay.. Some pages are as low as 22% bounce while others are as high as 68%, it depends on the content .

Steve, I am viewing your site on my laptop, which has a 15.4" WXGA (1280 x 800) screen.

In Internet Explorer, I see very little content above the fold. On the home page, the text "Recent Posts" in the right sidebar appears just above the fold.

In Firefox, I see a little more - enough to see there are links under "Recent Posts" in the right sidebar - but still mainly nothing but AdSense ads.

Just thought this info might be useful.

When constructing a site, do you view it in different browsers and screen resolutions? If so, what do you consider the most useful combinations?

P.S. Thanks for the bounce stats. They are better than I thought they would be.

[Nick.A]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

Most searchers aren't jaded Internet marketers or techie types and will click the ads. Making a site plain/ugly insures a good CTR on most niches. Making it pretty and attractive means a considerably lower CTR in most niches.

If you say it works, fair enough. Personally, when I am searching for information, I want to land on a page that gives me what I am looking for. Being forced to stare at a screenful of AdSense ads before I start to scroll down the page looking for the info I searched for would infuriate me. But, as I said, that's just me.

[Stephen Crooks]

Fair enough but put yourself in the mind of someone looking to book a European cruise, an ad that catches their eye could provide the info/service/product they are looking for.

Originally Posted by Nick.A

If you say it works, fair enough. Personally, when I am searching for information, I want to land on a page that gives me what I am looking for. Being forced to stare at a screenful of AdSense ads before I start to scroll down the page looking for the info I searched for would infuriate me. But, as I said, that's just me.

[Nick.A]

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

Fair enough but put yourself in the mind of someone looking to book a European cruise, an ad that catches their eye could provide the info/service/product they are looking for.

Yes, you're quite right Steve. What infuriates one person may well please another. That's what the testing and experimentation are all about, right?

But, an average bounce rate of 56% confirms that 56% of your visitors don't consider your site offers them the solution they are looking for. So, surely, that could be the result of a lack of content above the fold? I don't know, I am just guessing.

[Stephen Crooks]

Although I am not building a "made for adsense" site in the strictest sense, I am building a site that earns me a good adsense income. The trade off between good content and good adsense placement is a very fine balance.

I like to think that visitors get a choice when they come to the site. The choice is to either read the content on my site and get something from it and/or click an ad and get something from that. It would be nice if they did both but this isnt always possible.

Originally Posted by Nick.A

Yes, you're quite right Steve. What infuriates one person may well please another. That's what the testing and experimentation are all about, right?

But, an average bounce rate of 56% confirms that 56% of your visitors don't consider your site offers them the solution they are looking for. So, surely, that could be the result of a lack of content above the fold? I don't know, I am just guessing.

[Nick.A]

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

Although I am not building a "made for adsense" site in the strictest sense, I am building a site that earns me a good adsense income. The trade off between good content and good adsense placement is a very fine balance.

I like to think that visitors get a choice when they come to the site. The choice is to either read the content on my site and get something from it and/or click an ad and get something from that. It would be nice if they did both but this isnt always possible.

I guess you will have to work a lot harder to acquire more visitors then (as you are prepared to lose 56% of them)!

Anyway, you're quite right. If you can meet your earnings target, all the stats in the world don't mean a thing. Good luck with reaching the target by the end of the month.

[AffiliateMax]

Originally Posted by brixxyx

Also, do u social bookmark each post to 10 different social bookmark sites without changing a word? and each post to the 3 main directories without changing a word?

I came across this site today which has a free report you can download on how to use social media and Web 2.0 to drive traffic: Social Media Daily

But watch this first: The Social Media Slap - CrowdMountain.com

Another useful link on backlinks: 102 Ways To Make Your Site A Back-Link Superstar | Court's Internet Marketing School - How To Make Money Online
(Yes it's 2 years old but still lots of useful relevant info).

There is also a ton of useful info linked to from this page:
Best Internet Marketing Posts of 2008: Social Media, SEO, and More techipedia | tamar weinberg

[pearsonbrown]

"I guess you will have to work a lot harder to acquire more visitors then (as you are prepared to lose 56% of them)!"

My understanding is that the 'bounce' number includes the people who click immediately on an Adsense ad on your site. I have some sites with much higher bounce rates than 56% and they tend to be my best-earning sites.

Pearson

[DodyMorisson]

It's a great thread Steve. I found it bigger than a book. Keep goin' pal...

[Stephen Crooks]

Bounce rate specifically refers to the percentage of visitors leaving via the page they land on. Having an average of 56% means that 56% of visitors either exit via the back button, close button or adsense or another external link. The remaining 44% will have a look at various other pages before leaving either via the back button, close button, external link or adsense.

I personally don't get too hung up on the bounce rate, so long as it isn't ridiculously high. It does highlight what I mentioned in an earlier post about limiting the amount of exit points from your site. Ideally you want visitors to read your content and leave via adsense but generally so long as my my adsense CTR is hovering around 10% then I am a happy man.

Originally Posted by Nick.A

Yes, you're quite right Steve. What infuriates one person may well please another. That's what the testing and experimentation are all about, right?

But, an average bounce rate of 56% confirms that 56% of your visitors don't consider your site offers them the solution they are looking for. So, surely, that could be the result of a lack of content above the fold? I don't know, I am just guessing.

[Nick.A]

Originally Posted by pearsonbrown

My understanding is that the 'bounce' number includes the people who click immediately on an Adsense ad on your site. I have some sites with much higher bounce rates than 56% and they tend to be my best-earning sites.

Pearson

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

Bounce rate specifically refers to the percentage of visitors leaving via the page they land on. Having an average of 56% means that 56% of visitors either exit via the back button, close button or adsense or another external link. The remaining 44% will have a look at various other pages before leaving either via the back button, close button, external link or adsense.

I personally don't get too hung up on the bounce rate, so long as it isn't ridiculously high. It does highlight what I mentioned in an earlier post about limiting the amount of exit points from your site. Ideally you want visitors to read your content and leave via adsense but generally so long as my my adsense CTR is hovering around 10% then I am a happy man.

Okay guys that's good to know. Thanks for clearing that up.

[pearsonbrown]

I also get a lot of people signing up to my Aweber lists. They'd also be treated as 'bounces' AFAIK so I've never worried about bounce rates.

Pearson

[StevenSaliba]

This is great info. It just takes time to build up the traffic to the blog/website. Patience is key to earning money with adsense. I just wish I started with adsense when it first came out. It was an open market.

[Robert Herrie]

would you mind me asking how much you made last year online?

[pearsonbrown]

Previous income is no guarantee of future income.

When Adsense first came out and when Google accepted software generated sites that we could literally put up by the thousands, it was possible to make massive sums. I know one guy who worked with his family and they made over one million dollars in one year doing this. Then Google changed its rules and he made almost nothing the next year.

Pearson

[Bob Willoughby]

Steve,
I have to say that my hat is off to you. This must be like running a race with a pack of dogs nipping at your heals.
There are many ways of doing everything. I see that you have your way and you are also open to new ideas. However some people think that their way is the only way.
I appreciate you taking the time to do this challenge. Most people are really enjoying and learning.
Thanks,
Bob

[Stephen Crooks]

I like your analogy Bob..

Originally Posted by Bob Willoughby

Steve,
I have to say that my hat is off to you. This must be like running a race with a pack of dogs nipping at your heals.
There are many ways of doing everything. I see that you have your way and you are also open to new ideas. However some people think that their way is the only way.
I appreciate you taking the time to do this challenge. Most people are really enjoying and learning.
Thanks,
Bob

[vacom]

Great tips, i'm so tired spend money for buy ebook about adsense but still not get $100 perday.

[onlinemoney00]

Good luck, hopefully alot of people will be able to learn from you

[Bob Willoughby]

Thanks Steve.
I did have a question about dates. I noticed that you do not show dates on the single post page, but you do on the categories page.
I guess that my thought process is that if I don't update for a while someone may think that they are looking at old information. So I have been slowly removing the dates from my blogs. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bob

[Stephen Crooks]

I don't think it would make any difference to the SEO side of things but maybe from visitors perspective then it could demonstrate whether the information is up to date or not. It also depends heavily on the newsworthyness of your posts. A news story needs to have a date to show relevance to today whereas an article on how to prune roses for example is timeless and therefore a date is unnecessary.

Originally Posted by Bob Willoughby

Thanks Steve.
I did have a question about dates. I noticed that you do not show dates on the single post page, but you do on the categories page.
I guess that my thought process is that if I don't update for a while someone may think that they are looking at old information. So I have been slowly removing the dates from my blogs. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bob

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Bob Willoughby

Thanks Steve.
I did have a question about dates. I noticed that you do not show dates on the single post page, but you do on the categories page.
I guess that my thought process is that if I don't update for a while someone may think that they are looking at old information. So I have been slowly removing the dates from my blogs. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Bob

I use dateless themes on almost all of my niche sites, primarily because the information is intended to be more or less timeless rather than current event info. The themes in my sig are dateless themes intended for niche market blogging and I should have several more coming up in a week or so.

[Michael Motley]

There are some blog communities and other social sites that wont accept you unless they have seen so many posts over a certain amount of time. Usually they require some kind of date on that so they can actually verify the amount of posting on a blog.

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by Michael Motley

There are some blog communities and other social sites that wont accept you unless they have seen so many posts over a certain amount of time. Usually they require some kind of date on that so they can actually verify the amount of posting on a blog.

If you're doing an Adsense site you don't want social (aka non-buying) traffic so this is of little or no importance. Also, it's quite easy to spoof dates in WordPress so anyone using them as a way to validate publishing date isn't too savvy.,

[hbsjcd3]

Originally Posted by Steve Crooks

I don't think it would make any difference to the SEO side of things but maybe from visitors perspective then it could demonstrate whether the information is up to date or not. It also depends heavily on the newsworthyness of your posts. A news story needs to have a date to show relevance to today whereas an article on how to prune roses for example is timeless and therefore a date is unnecessary.

Great advice and great thread! Anxious to hear your results at the end of the month.

I am toying with adding a similar strategy to my online business, using adsense. In order to get multiple sights out there, do you suggest the creation of

subdomains
OR
brand new domains
Or
to create subdirectories under one domain, with each subdirectory corresponding to a different niche?

[discrat]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

I use dateless themes on almost all of my niche sites, primarily because the information is intended to be more or less timeless rather than current event info. The themes in my sig are dateless themes intended for niche market blogging and I should have several more coming up in a week or so.

If you Post regular at least once every week or two on your Blog then there is absolutely NO REASON that you should not post the date.

Quite honestly, I will skim over a Blog but chances are I will Click out of that Site almost immediately if I do not see the indication that the person is keeping up to date on things with fresh content and new and creative posts.

Then again, maybe in a roundabout way bgmacaw could have a point in that this may be a better reason for people to want to leave your blog and Click on Adsense as a way to exit. So maybe leaving the date off is an indirect strategy to get people to click on Adsense.
I will say bgmacaw's Site/Blog is really really good and I have spent some time reading the excellent info. there. However, I found my way to his Blog thru his credibility here on Warrior Forum. Honestly, If I would have found it thru Search Traffic I would have been less inclined to hang around. Timeless information or not.
Sometimes when we Sell ourselves to people ,first impressions can mean the difference in gaining a customer/reader for Life or not. And the fact is in general most people from the git go want to see updated,current and relevant info. And one of the first things they look at on a Blog is the Dates on your Posts. That is just a Fact. If they dont see this proof of timely info., many times they will go somewhere else.

But make no mistake about it for Affiliate Marketng NOT putting the date of your Blog Posts is just plain BAD business all the way around. It gives the impression that you may be trying to hide the fact that you have been lazy in your Posting . And this could be an indicator that others should stay away from someone who is not really serious or meticolous about their own business !!
Wouldn't you think that someone who really, really believed in the Product they are promoting , that they would be Posting at least once every week or so ?? And consequenty, it would seem to make sense for this person to put the date on a Post to reinforce to Vistors and Readers that they are truly excited about the utility of their own product ! Excited enough to Post very often.

Its just common sense stuff !!

[Stephen Crooks]

Definitely a fresh domain per niche.

Originally Posted by hbsjcd3

Great advice and great thread! Anxious to hear your results at the end of the month.

I am toying with adding a similar strategy to my online business, using adsense. In order to get multiple sights out there, do you suggest the creation of

subdomains
OR
brand new domains
Or
to create subdirectories under one domain, with each subdirectory corresponding to a different niche?

[bgmacaw]

Originally Posted by discrat

Quite honestly, I will skim over a Blog but chances are I will Click out of that Site almost immediately if I do not see the indication that the person is keeping up to date on things with fresh content and new and creative posts.

This is your typical social referral visitor's behavior. This isn't the visitor behavior that works best with Adsense. For Adsense, and some other affiliate marketing, you want a search visitor who's in a buying mood. They aren't in the mood to enjoy content but to cut to the chase. By making this opportunity easily available you'll make money. Now, there are times when you want to schmooze visitors into giving you their email address, being a regular returning visitor and so forth but that's a different monetization model.

Originally Posted by discrat

I will say bgmacaw's Site/Blog is really really good and I have spent some time reading the excellent info. there. However, I found my way to his Blog thru his credibility here on Warrior Forum. Honestly, If I would have found it thru Search Traffic I would have been less inclined to hang around. Timeless information or not.

Thanks. I appreciate it. Although I do have to ask which one. I have two in my sig plus over 100 others on various niche topics. Some might scare you off at first glance but they're just what the average targeted searcher is looking for and they make money. Of course, the two blogs in my sig are dated, unlike the majority of my niche sites.

Originally Posted by discrat

Sometimes when we Sell ourselves to people ,first impressions can mean the difference in gaining a customer/reader for Life or not. And the fact is in general most people from the git go want to see updated,current and relevant info. And one of the first things they look at on a Blog is the Dates on your Posts. That is just a Fact. If they dont see this proof of timely info., many times they will go somewhere else.

This is, once again, a characteristic of social blogging, not search niche market blogging. Social referral visitors simply aren't buyers in most cases but they do care about things like dates, constantly updated content and so forth. Search visitors, especially those who're in a buying mood, don't care so much about it. They're looking for an answer to a question they have and if they see it in an ad they'll click it.

Some of my most heavily trafficked sites haven't been significantly updated since 2007.

[brixxyx]

steve: updates to blog soon?

[discrat]

Originally Posted by bgmacaw

This is your typical social referral visitor's behavior. This isn't the visitor behavior that works best with Adsense. For Adsense, and some other affiliate marketing, you want a search visitor who's in a buying mood. They aren't in the mood to enjoy content but to cut to the chase. By making this opportunity easily available you'll make money. Now, there are times when you want to schmooze visitors into giving you their email address, being a regular returning visitor and so forth but that's a different monetization model.



Thanks. I appreciate it. Although I do have to ask which one. I have two in my sig plus over 100 others on various niche topics. Some might scare you off at first glance but they're just what the average targeted searcher is looking for and they make money. Of course, the two blogs in my sig are dated, unlike the majority of my niche sites.



This is, once again, a characteristic of social blogging, not search niche market blogging. Social referral visitors simply aren't buyers in most cases but they do care about things like dates, constantly updated content and so forth. Search visitors, especially those who're in a buying mood, don't care so much about it. They're looking for an answer to a question they have and if they see it in an ad they'll click it.

Some of my most heavily trafficked sites haven't been significantly updated since 2007.

bgmacaw, couldn't agree with you more. I follow Griz for last year as I have a feeling you do to. Your Site I really like is I think the one with the keyword phrase, 'earn cash online' throughout it. I guess that is probably the equivalent of Grizes Makemoneyonlineforbeginners blogspot. Where you actually focus on good content and attract other 'bloggers'. I would love to see your Niche Sites sometime where your Adesnse is made. With your grasp of Adsense and IM I am sure you are pulling in some very nice amounts.

[Bob Willoughby]

Wow, I guess that it is true. Opinions are like that thing that we sit on, everybody has one!
I use wordpress because it is one of the best platforms out there. Easy to use, plenty of support and extras.
However, with that being said, all web sites are not blogs. And they certainly do not have dates. For some sites I want them to have more of a web site feel than a blog. The date seems to scream "blog".
Some days I might be on a roll and put up 3 posts. Then I might have other projects and not get back for a few weeks. Or maybe I just feel like not working on a particular site for a while. I don't want that to be obvious to the visitor.
And as Steve said some information is timeless. So the date doesn't matter.
If someone found a page on my site from doing a search, I have a hard time believing that the first thing they will notice is that there is no date, and automatically assume that I am trying to hide something, which in turn will make them leave.
Just my opinion, but I strongly believe that content will always be king. If the visitor finds useful information, they will poke around or even come back!
Bob

[Stephen Crooks]

Yes, updates are on there way..

Originally Posted by brixxyx

steve: updates to blog soon?

[jhn2001]

very nice info Steve

thanks Jhn2001

[hbsjcd3]

Originally Posted by Bob Willoughby

Wow, I guess that it is true. Opinions are like that thing that we sit on, everybody has one!
I use wordpress because it is one of the best platforms out there. Easy to use, plenty of support and extras.
However, with that being said, all web sites are not blogs. And they certainly do not have dates. For some sites I want them to have more of a web site feel than a blog. The date seems to scream "blog".
Some days I might be on a roll and put up 3 posts. Then I might have other projects and not get back for a few weeks. Or maybe I just feel like not working on a particular site for a while. I don't want that to be obvious to the visitor.
And as Steve said some information is timeless. So the date doesn't matter.
If someone found a page on my site from doing a search, I have a hard time believing that the first thing they will notice is that there is no date, and automatically assume that I am trying to hide something, which in turn will make them leave.
Just my opinion, but I strongly believe that content will always be king. If the visitor finds useful information, they will poke around or even come back!
Bob

Good post!

Quick, question. I am fairly new to blogging with Wordpress.

Is there a way to hide the dates on a blog? Or is there a plugin that does that?

Want to create some "static" blogs, will the dates still show?

Thanks in advance