I have several forms of advertising on this site, all aimed at bringing in a little bit of money. Most of them do. Through various different affiliate programs and other ad setups, I have earned almost $2000 from online advertising since I started advertising on my blog. Not much in the long run, but it more than covers the cost of my web hosting fees.
There is one exception. AdSense. Here are my stats for Google’s AdSense program:
Yes, that is right. 20,564 page impressions, and a total of 69 clicks. Net: $33.43.
Are they worth the page real estate that they take up? I don’t think so. I think they are ugly and obnoxious. Since they are content generated, I have no direct control over what ads come up on my page. Besides, when was the last time you intentionally clicked on a Google Ad? I can’t remember the last time I did. My eyes just glaze over them and treat them as non existent space.
I will say I never spent much time focusing on optimizing my Google Ad placement. I never thought they could become the ad revenue I desired. Maybe that is why they have failed me.
I am taking them completely off my site, and replacing them with ads I can control, of products and services I have used or can vouch for. Enjoy the new flashy “Click Me!” banners that now great you with every post! And if you are going to buy something from REI.com, please… do it through my link there on the side bar to your right!