6 Months Later: $300 Daily w/Adsense (Lessons Learned)

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by CaseWhitney

John,

First off, I wanted to thank you for publicly sharing your experiences and results with us on the forum of what you've learned by committing to your passions and focusing in on it everyday.

This part quoted above is the one thing I've seen many new people who soak up information about how to succeed in IM fails to grasp.

It's not one single key to unlocking success. It's having many working pieces all moving together in the same direction for your specific purpose.

In my experience, the process I go through is something like this:

hot product--> low hanging fruit (high demand/low comp.) keywords--> choose monetization (adsense/cpa/affiliate, other)--> build seo optimized infrastructure (hosting, domain, site coding, optimized layout)--> build and maintain traffic focused on each keyword --> check stats --> test for better conversions--> More targetted off page seo/traffic gen.

and Repeat.

Whichever tools, software and means you have for each of those steps doesn't matter so much as that they all work together.

In responding to this thread, you've laid out a plan that works for people to monetize with adsense. Well done.

My best,
Vanessa

Thanks for the excellent post Vanessa.

Pure Gold in my opinion.

- John

[Aristocratic]

Originally Posted by TeamGlobal

Hi John,

I've been following your thread with interest. It's very nice of you to share your insight with us.

I was wondering if the domain name extension matters, .com, .org, .info, etc?

Thanks and have a great weekend.

All The Very Best,


Tony

.coms will rank easier and faster than a .info most times, but both do fine as far as adsense earnings in my experiences. I have a mix of both and the only problem I have with .infos is that they can take a minute longer to get indexed. Some of my .infos though will pull in more adsense earnings than some even older .coms. It really is as the guy mentioned about the content, layout, and SEO and such. After all, if you are building your site so that the SEs will pick it up and bring you free traffic, your visitors are not really paying much attention to the fact that you are .info; they are really paying attention to the fact that your site has something they want to know more about.

[phil.wheatley]

Hi John

You method is great for one main reason, instead of sitting around like a lot of us do, loking for that one golden niche which will make 1000s a day, and also worrying about the technicalities of SEO too much, you just get as much stuff out there as you can...and something will happen. This is a good way also of stumbling across that golden niche. As from July, this is the approach I will take also, probably with affiliate marketing rather than adsense but the concept is similar.


Anyway, glad to read about your success. Again, it proves that if people just DO IT, then something will happen. I've forgotten the exact saying, but something about throwing it all in a pot and the cream will rise to the top.

p.s Can I assume that you outsource to get your high quality headers?

Phil

[kevinmarshall80]

Someone else asked the same question, but do you have a WSO on your methods, or are you planning to write a WSO on the steps to build a profitable website? If you decide to write a WSO, go ahead and sign me up. I'll buy it right now!

If you don't have a WSO, would you recommend a specific product that shows the step by step process to build a profitable site using similar methods to what you are doing? I'll buy that WSO right now if I know the method works.

Another person asked about using dashes "-" in a website domain. Have you found it makes a difference if you use dashes in a new site name if the keyword/product name you are targeting is already taken?

[kimaroc]

Hi XFactor !

some one told me that a lot of websites (ex :30 sites) will be smart priced, is it true ?!

[falcon_warrior]

Hi
It's really inspiring to see you work so hard (18 hour days wow) and finally you get rewarded. I'll remember your story

Nicholas

[Kay King]

If you don't have a WSO, would you recommend a specific product that shows the step by step process to build a profitable site using similar methods to what you are doing? I'll buy that WSO right now if I know the method works.

I followed the old thread that John linked in his first post in this thread because it's a method I've been using and I wanted to watch his progress.

This same question came up there and has been mentioned before in this thread - and I don't understand WHY anyone would ask for a WSO when John has freely shared all of the information in these two threads. He has repeatedly come back and answered every question asked and the entire method he uses is clearly explained.

If you need "instructions" - open notepad or Word and copy/paste only John's posts from these two threads - and you'll have it. If you need a "1,2,3 model" you can easily write one to use going through these threads. With this type of business model you decide what type of site you build, how you do product and keyword research, etc.

These two threads are BETTER than 80% of the WSO's you see - and the info was offered free. What more could anyone ask?

kay

[kevinmarshall80]

It is very possible. It would take some work, but it can easily be done.

[AffiliateMax]

Originally Posted by Kay King

This same question came up there and has been mentioned before in this thread - and I don't understand WHY anyone would ask for a WSO when John has freely shared all of the information in these two threads. He has repeatedly come back and answered every question asked and the entire method he uses is clearly explained.

I was about to say exactly the same thing - if you are going to be self employed and earn a living online you do really need to think for yourself a bit and then just go out and do it. Nobody is going to find those niche keywords for you and build your sites for you. The best way to learn is just to do - it's not rocket science! If you really need exact instructions for every single little step then perhaps self employment is not the best option for you. Sure, people will have questions about specifics and John has willingly given his time to answer questions here, but all the basic info you need is here already and if anyone needs any particular technical info on using XSitePro or installing wordpress or whatever, that info is easily found online for free or by posting your question here in the forums (after searching to see if it has been asked and answered before).

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by phil.wheatley

Hi John

You method is great for one main reason, instead of sitting around like a lot of us do, loking for that one golden niche which will make 1000s a day, and also worrying about the technicalities of SEO too much, you just get as much stuff out there as you can...and something will happen. This is a good way also of stumbling across that golden niche. As from July, this is the approach I will take also, probably with affiliate marketing rather than adsense but the concept is similar.


Anyway, glad to read about your success. Again, it proves that if people just DO IT, then something will happen. I've forgotten the exact saying, but something about throwing it all in a pot and the cream will rise to the top.

p.s Can I assume that you outsource to get your high quality headers?

Phil

Phil,

You are right, and I have also had some golden gems profit from just taking action. But I refrain from posting such examples because I do not want anyone to get there hopes up on waiting for that one golden ticket. If you just expect small goals from each site then every now and again big winners will spring up.

About the headers, I use Xheader (it's free).

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by kevinmarshall80

Someone else asked the same question, but do you have a WSO on your methods, or are you planning to write a WSO on the steps to build a profitable website? If you decide to write a WSO, go ahead and sign me up. I'll buy it right now!

If you don't have a WSO, would you recommend a specific product that shows the step by step process to build a profitable site using similar methods to what you are doing? I'll buy that WSO right now if I know the method works.

Another person asked about using dashes "-" in a website domain. Have you found it makes a difference if you use dashes in a new site name if the keyword/product name you are targeting is already taken?

1) I am hesitant to put anything together because I do not want to take the chance of risking my Adsense account. I put together a little forum last year (before I refined my current methods), and between that and other stuff it really distracted me from my business.

2) The best advice that I can give you is to just take action. Find a tiny niche in a product area with a keyword that you can rank for (and that gets enough searches). Backlink and see what happens. Do this over and over until you develop you own personal approach.

3) I do not use dashes, but that is not based on some rule or law. I just prefer non-dashed domains. No real reason.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by falcon_warrior

Hi
It's really inspiring to see you work so hard (18 hour days wow) and finally you get rewarded. I'll remember your story

Nicholas

I'm down in my hours now, and I would actually work between 15 and 18 hours two to three times weekly in the past.

Still put in about 8 hours daily though.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by Kay King

I followed the old thread that John linked in his first post in this thread because it's a method I've been using and I wanted to watch his progress.

This same question came up there and has been mentioned before in this thread - and I don't understand WHY anyone would ask for a WSO when John has freely shared all of the information in these two threads. He has repeatedly come back and answered every question asked and the entire method he uses is clearly explained.

If you need "instructions" - open notepad or Word and copy/paste only John's posts from these two threads - and you'll have it. If you need a "1,2,3 model" you can easily write one to use going through these threads. With this type of business model you decide what type of site you build, how you do product and keyword research, etc.

These two threads are BETTER than 80% of the WSO's you see - and the info was offered free. What more could anyone ask?

kay

Another excellent post, thanks Kay.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by AffiliateMax

I was about to say exactly the same thing - if you are going to be self employed and earn a living online you do really need to think for yourself a bit and then just go out and do it. Nobody is going to find those niche keywords for you and build your sites for you. The best way to learn is just to do - it's not rocket science! If you really need exact instructions for every single little step then perhaps self employment is not the best option for you. Sure, people will have questions about specifics and John has willingly given his time to answer questions here, but all the basic info you need is here already and if anyone needs any particular technical info on using XSitePro or installing wordpress or whatever, that info is easily found online for free or by posting your question here in the forums (after searching to see if it has been asked and answered before).

The thing about people new to trying to make money online is that they do not want to take action without knowing that anything they do will work.

I've been there. Everyone wants the perfect system, the perfect method, something that is guaranteed to work.

Nothing is guaranteed.

I still make sites that bomb. It's just the name of the game.

- John

[phil.wheatley]

John, very rarely do I get blown away...but after tons of people including myself asking about headers (I've been paying some people 40 odd bucks a time to make them), along you come out of the blue and mention xheader...for free!!!! John, for that alone, thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

Phil

[remodeler]

Originally Posted by phil.wheatley

John, very rarely do I get blown away...but after tons of people including myself asking about headers (I've been paying some people 40 odd bucks a time to make them), along you come out of the blue and mention xheader...for free!!!! John, for that alone, thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

Phil

XHeader is cool. You can easily add images and make some really nice looking headers for these kinds of sites. And the best thing is that it doesn't cost a penny. Another reason to love XSP.

[phil.wheatley]

I've just downloaded it but says needs .net 2.0#### - hvae downloaded but doesn't seem to want to play ball...any ideas? Uhhh, unless I need to re-boot ;-)

[kevinmarshall80]

Originally Posted by XFactor

1) I am hesitant to put anything together because I do not want to take the chance of risking my Adsense account. I put together a little forum last year (before I refined my current methods), and between that and other stuff it really distracted me from my business.

2) The best advice that I can give you is to just take action. Find a tiny niche in a product area with a keyword that you can rank for (and that gets enough searches). Backlink and see what happens. Do this over and over until you develop you own personal approach.

3) I do not use dashes, but that is not based on some rule or law. I just prefer non-dashed domains. No real reason.

- John

John I understand. I just figured I would ask. I am strongly considering going full time into IM now as my J.O.B. is killing me and IM on top of that is killing my family life too. I agree that it is best to just do it. If I quit my job that is definitely what I'm going to be doing!

Kevin

[Zukario]

Thanks for the tips xFactor.

[Finandom]

Hi John, it is great to hear from you!

Last year I read your long thread about adsense and from there I also learned about your way to setup your page.

At that time you are using picture to catch the attention of readers and let them click your adsense ads which is blue in colour and eye catching. Do you use the same page layout today?

[beamer1959]

Originally Posted by XFactor

You gotta find a flow, and ride that flow like a wave.

I have my flow.

- John

John, first off I'd like to thank you for this thread. Very motivational! And I'm going to put this quote on a sticky right on my desktop! LOL

I have a question, if you don't mind...

You've mentioned the colors in your adsense ads. Most IMers I've read have suggested that your colors blend with your page. Do you also recommend that approach or do yours contrast more so they stand out? I've tried it both ways but, as I'm still learning, my blogs are just now starting to get traffic so I haven't really seen a difference yet.

[dr nelton]

Originally Posted by XFactor

It's been 6 months since I've posted because I had gotten
Waaaay off track from my initial goals.


10) I have changed up my template that now gets 50% CTR at times,
often reaching the 75% mark (mainly due to using product-only niches).

- John

Hi
congratulation on your progress and dedication.
I am new to IM, but I have some Adsense web site trying to make some money.
Can you do me a favor and define point # 10 about template & CTR ?
thank
Jose

[phil.wheatley]

Hi again John

Sorry, quick one, if you submit say 3-5 articles to different article directories, do you make each one unique are are they all identical?

Thanks,
Phil

[Joseph Johnson]

Great info as always. Question about the product description, how long of a product description you use? Meaning 200, 300 or 400+ words.


Joseph

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by Finandom

Hi John, it is great to hear from you!

Last year I read your long thread about adsense and from there I also learned about your way to setup your page.

At that time you are using picture to catch the attention of readers and let them click your adsense ads which is blue in colour and eye catching. Do you use the same page layout today?

No, I changed it up quite a bit. I may still use images, but in a different manner.

I now put a navigational menu on the center left, below the header and above
the title. It says Home, About Us, Contact, Privacy Policy, Menu.

Below that is the title.

Below that is the Big adsense block.

I keep everything white now, with images in the right menu area.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by beamer1959

John, first off I'd like to thank you for this thread. Very motivational! And I'm going to put this quote on a sticky right on my desktop! LOL

I have a question, if you don't mind...

You've mentioned the colors in your adsense ads. Most IMers I've read have suggested that your colors blend with your page. Do you also recommend that approach or do yours contrast more so they stand out? I've tried it both ways but, as I'm still learning, my blogs are just now starting to get traffic so I haven't really seen a difference yet.

First of all, you mention using a blog. My sites are not blog-like at
all and if you follow my advice with colors then you probably will not
get the same results.

On my sites, I make my ads stand out, but it does not look like I'm
pushing ads in the viewer's face because my sites look commercial-like,
not blog like.

So you have to test, test, test, test... and test again.

- John

[loybond]

Hi Xfactor, great to see that you're doing well. I have a couple of questions for you... I'm building some mini-sites myself, but so far, have seen pathetic CTR and also EPC, even though I've chosen niches and keyword phrases that are supposed to be high-paying. I'll wait and see what the reasons are for the low EPC (could be that the site is new etc.), but I'm told that the niches I've chosen are far too informative and not "buying" niches, hence the low CTR.

You mentioned that your sites are product-centric. Could you possibly give me some advice on how to choose niches that have good CTR (where people click because they're looking for deals, as you mentioned), or how you brainstorm niches while shopping at Wal-Mart?

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by dr nelton

Hi
congratulation on your progress and dedication.
I am new to IM, but I have some Adsense web site trying to make some money.
Can you do me a favor and define point # 10 about template & CTR ?
thank
Jose

Hi Jose,

The answer to your question is sprinkled all throughout this thread.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by phil.wheatley

Hi again John

Sorry, quick one, if you submit say 3-5 articles to different article directories, do you make each one unique are are they all identical?

Thanks,
Phil

I use all unique content. I basically will rewrite the same article
for other directories.

I like goarticles for fast approval and backlinks, but ezinearticles
tends to give my site more power.

I'm not sure why, or if this is even the case, but you just gotta
go by your gut on a lot of this stuff.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by Joseph Johnson

Great info as always. Question about the product description, how long of a product description you use? Meaning 200, 300 or 400+ words.


Joseph

There is no answer to this question. Sometimes my product descriptions
are long, sometimes short.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by loybond

Hi Xfactor, great to see that you're doing well. I have a couple of questions for you... I'm building some mini-sites myself, but so far, have seen pathetic CTR and also EPC, even though I've chosen niches and keyword phrases that are supposed to be high-paying. I'll wait and see what the reasons are for the low EPC (could be that the site is new etc.), but I'm told that the niches I've chosen are far too informative and not "buying" niches, hence the low CTR.

You mentioned that your sites are product-centric. Could you possibly give me some advice on how to choose niches that have good CTR (where people click because they're looking for deals, as you mentioned), or how you brainstorm niches while shopping at Wal-Mart?

1) I do not focus on any high-paying niches, but they DO work. So just
because I stay away from them does not mean that you cannot find a
unique way of getting that traffic. I wish I could help you there but I
go a different route.

2) The only tool you really need is a pen and paper. Go online or just
browse through any store. You need not worry about some super secret
niche-finding formula. It's BS. Just get your ideas on paper, then go to
work trying to find the good keywords.

Here are some of my niche areas:

Toaster Machines
Ovens
Washers & Dryers
Stationary
Desks
Vacuum Cleaners
Grills
Tires
Granite Tile
Birthday Cards
Rugs

- John

[EmmaJames]

Thanks for the lessons learned...you did what you had to do and now you've got a steady income, which is what all of us want.

Congratulations!

[melanied]

Wow, you've definitely inspired me to focus more on products. I've been doing niche brainstorming and keyword research and MY GOD the possibilities are endless!

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by melanied

Wow, you've definitely inspired me to focus more on products. I've been doing niche brainstorming and keyword research and MY GOD the possibilities are endless!

This game is all about getting targeted traffic, and products
like the ones I mention are extremely easy to rank for.

It's very easy so long as you are willing to buckle down and
do the work.

- John

[Kay King]

John -

I had to laugh at your niche list - it's quite similar to some of mine!

kay

[W.P. Allen]

Brilliant post John. Some insanely valuable information here. Thanks for the heads up on Xheader. Keep on rockin it!

[Karen Connell]

I have read all this with interest - Thank you for so much valuable information.

Regards

Karen

[TeamGlobal]

Thanks for you input, John. Much appreciated.

Aristocrat, you made some interesting points. Thanks for sharing.

All The Very Best,


Tony

[mrtrance]

Originally Posted by XFactor

1) I do not focus on any high-paying niches, but they DO work. So just
because I stay away from them does not mean that you cannot find a
unique way of getting that traffic. I wish I could help you there but I
go a different route.

2) The only tool you really need is a pen and paper. Go online or just
browse through any store. You need not worry about some super secret
niche-finding formula. It's BS. Just get your ideas on paper, then go to
work trying to find the good keywords.

Here are some of my niche areas:

Toaster Machines
Ovens
Washers & Dryers
Stationary
Desks
Vacuum Cleaners
Grills
Tires
Granite Tile
Birthday Cards
Rugs

- John

Great info John. So within those niches do you go after the long tail keywords that have decent search volume and weak competition? Do you have any guidelines on what is the minimum search volume a keyword should have before going after it? Do you strive to get each site to #1 spot?

[Daniel Brock]

XFactor,

I have been doing about the same thing as you but have been getting more and more worried about being penalized for churning out review sites one after another.

What do you think about review sites and holding rankings?

I noticed that on a lot of my sites I have been losing SE traffic. Over the past week so I have become increasingly paranoid that google is slowly starting to uncover my network of sites and dropping their ranks because they are just another review website that every affiliate seems to be doing nowadays.

Even though my content is pretty solid(as in good reviews, decently written material), I am just thinking that they are going to start placing our review style websites into the same category of affiliate trash websites, know what I mean?

[jbgal]

Great job, John. You've just achieved my exact goal when it comes to adsense. I have about a hundred websites but not really earning as much as you though we have several niches in common. I think it's in my choice of keywords and a lot of .info domains which are not really doing well in the SEs. Like mrtrance, I'd like to know what you consider as low hanging fruit in terms of # of searches and competition. You mentioned you use Google keyword tool and Micro Niche Finder. Do you use broad or exact search when doing keyword research?

[alvanpilot]

Hello XFACTOR

I have been following and really learning from and seriously enjoying reading your ideas and posts on the Warrior Forum.

GREAT work. Thank you again for all you input into the subject of Google Sense Monetization.

Can you please tell me if there are any specific book/books or information that you would personally recommend for the study of Google Adsense monetization.

I think that you are one of only a few that has this nailed.

Thank you.

Alvanpilot

[superassassin]

XFactor, just wanted to say thank you very taking the time to post, it is much appreciated.

[penny_preston]

Fantastic! Good for you. Thanks for your lessons learned.

Do you use PPC or simply rely on SEO?

[MR2nice]

Thanks for sharing. I can learn from this.

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by mrtrance

Great info John. So within those niches do you go after the long tail keywords that have decent search volume and weak competition? Do you have any guidelines on what is the minimum search volume a keyword should have before going after it? Do you strive to get each site to #1 spot?

Sorry for getting back here late. I am trying not to get sucked
into spending too much time on the forums.

Right now it's 3:30 A.M. and I'm up for work, so my goal above
all else is to remain dedicated and disciplined.

Having said that, your question about minimum search and volume
guidelines is something I do work with based on my own experience.

You can never rule out a keyword just because it may not get a lot
of searches.

And you could always focus on a handful of keywords at one time
on a site, which when added up may come to a decent search
volume (but you have to try to rank for all of them).

I have, however, come up with a dollar amount that seems to
coincide with how many searches a keyword gets.

Between $20 and $50+ monthly for every 1,000 searches.

Of course everything else has to be in place, with the right template,
niche, and high rankings for these keywords, but in the end, I
know that any keywords I work with will earn me a minimum of
$20 per month for every 1,000 searches.

Sometimes a lot more though.

- John

[Oscar D]

Well done,

Thanks

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by dbbrock1

XFactor,

I have been doing about the same thing as you but have been getting more and more worried about being penalized for churning out review sites one after another.

What do you think about review sites and holding rankings?

I noticed that on a lot of my sites I have been losing SE traffic. Over the past week so I have become increasingly paranoid that google is slowly starting to uncover my network of sites and dropping their ranks because they are just another review website that every affiliate seems to be doing nowadays.

Even though my content is pretty solid(as in good reviews, decently written material), I am just thinking that they are going to start placing our review style websites into the same category of affiliate trash websites, know what I mean?

Anything can happen, especially with the Search Engines.

But...

If this is a big fear of yours, then you may want to focus on a
different business model, one that does not depend on SE rankings.

Nothing is guaranteed, ever.

About my personal view on the matter, it doesn't make sense to me
that Google would go after your websites just because they are
review sites.

But then again, I don't work for Google so I honestly could not give
you an accurate answer, or even an educated opinion for that matter.

- John

[XFactor]

Originally Posted by jbgal

Great job, John. You've just achieved my exact goal when it comes to adsense. I have about a hundred websites but not really earning as much as you though we have several niches in common. I think it's in my choice of keywords and a lot of .info domains which are not really doing well in the SEs. Like mrtrance, I'd like to know what you consider as low hanging fruit in terms of # of searches and competition. You mentioned you use Google keyword tool and Micro Niche Finder. Do you use broad or exact search when doing keyword research?

Yeah I do believe that .info domains are a bad idea. I have no
concrete evidence of this, but I do not use them myself.

About your 100 websites:

Did you work each with a proper keyword
plan?

Was your main keyword in your domain name?

Did you check to make sure the search numbers, competition
numbers, and SOC (strength of competition) was in a range
that you could rank and earn money with this keyword?

If not then I would just start from scratch, but that is not
your only option (just what I would do). You could go ahead
and work on these sites too and probably find a way to make
each of them profitable.

Oh, and I use "Exact" when researching my keywords.

- John

[JasonC.biz]

John - I really appreciate you freely sharing so much information. It's all very helpful and has given me some ideas to improve what I'm trying to do in my own plan.

So, thanks - and I have no questions. Simply, thanks.

Jason