OK. We have all read the hype.
You buy some hosting. Throw together a website (any site, content immaterial). Then you smear it with AdSense and affiliate schemes. Then you sit back and rake in the cash.
Oh, dreams and illusions.
It may be true that a few people have had spectacular success for little effort. Just as a few have won the lottery or dreamed up a wonderful invention in an afternoon.
But you and I know life is rarely like that. Sadly, making money usually involves hard work.
But even so, if you are prepared to put in the effort you can make money on the web and have fun as well.
I have several sites that I enjoy running and are profitable as well. While I'm not likely to throw in the day job any time soon it is still immensely satisfying when the Google electronic payment appears on the bank statement.
AdSense is a really good tool for producing a worthwhile income for a reasonable outlay of effort. Maybe with enough effort and dedication, who knows, maybe it could turn into a major income. Everything has to start somewhere.
It is worth a shot, but realism is the key. To get people to click on adverts you first need people to visit the site.
So how do you do that?
Simplistic as it may seem, the most important method of getting people to visit your site is to build a site that contains a lot of information on what these people are searching out.
This is the crux of the matter. Any fool can sling adverts on a page. What you need is a website with valid and authoritative content.
You need to give your audience something that will interest them and draw them in
Today, for the average person this means exploiting a niche. Or maybe several niches.
You may well feel that you know little or nothing about any niche topics, but really this is almost certainly far from the truth. You are underestimating yourself.
As an example, in my case I have built several sites each of which specifically targets a particular area of my locality or are about places I have visited. I targeted them because I know people want to know more about these places. Some are used for educational purposes. Others are holiday locations. Most of them have little information on them or their particular niche anywhere else.
People visit my sites to gain that information and I provide it - for free.
I also host AdSense, which I am pleased to say quite quickly became quite focussed on my sites themes. I feel the AdSense adverts actually complement my content and make it more approachable.
I do not make a fortune (yet!). But it more than pays its way and I also get the kudos of being a local expert.
It is also great fun. I continuously experiment with formats and content, just to see what makes a difference.
Remember, if you don't play you cannot win. But to play in the game you need some cards.
Your local knowledge and personal skills are important. Build an authoritative website on a poorly covered topic and you have a route into the game.
Use your local skills and local knowledge. Share your information freely. People will seek you out, and some of them will click on your ads!
Passive Income Part 5: Advertising Reviews
