Ever since Google changed its Terms of Service to allow publishers to place other ad programs on AdSense pages — provided those other ads don\’t look like Google\’s ad units — publishers have been wondering how to make the most of this bonanza.
It\’s like telling a child he can put as many different types of cake on his plate as he wants.
On my blog for example, I\’m using Kontera\’s text links to supplement my AdSense earnings. I love the way that their ads are both unobtrusive and complement my Adsense units.
But there\’s no reason why you couldn\’t go the whole nine yards and create a range of different ads that let you generate income through each of the different online earning systems.
So you could use AdSense to make sure that you were earning on a Cost-per-Click (CPC) basis. You could apply to one of the Cost-per-Mille (CPM) networks that will place banners on your site and pay you a small amount every time your web pages are viewed. And you could also sign up for an affiliate program such as Amazon\’s or Clickbank\’s to get commissions every time your users take a particular action, usually making a purchase.
Obviously, the more you combine different types of earning systems, the greater the chance that a user will do one of the things that bring you money. But you might also find that the different ads compete against each other. A user will either click an AdSense ad or surf to an affiliate site. He won\’t do both.
One solution then is to bring traffic in cleverly. Once you\’ve placed an affiliate ad, focus one branch of your traffic generation efforts on people who would be interested in buying that product. Focus another branch on people with a close interest in the sort of content that\’s generating your AdSense ads.
And keep a close eye too on the amount you\’re receiving per click to make sure that the affiliate traffic doesn\’t affect your Smart Price. (The extra traffic will only boost your income from your CPM ads.)
Combining earning systems can be a very effective way to maximize the revenue from your website… but you have to do it with care.
What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!