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Affiliate Programs vs. Adsense

Linda Buquet

New Member
affiliate
Affiliate Programs Vs Google Adsense - always a hot topic. Everyone has a different answer and can get varying results depending on the site, type of products and skill sets of the webmaster. Adsense can be the safest, easiest way to go, but if you want to make more money, smart affiliate marketing can pay much better. Take into consideration average order size and conversion rates with affiliate programs. Sometimes you need to do some split tests. But with some affiliate programs that have good conversion rates, you can make a ton more than you could make on Adsense. Drastic is writing some well thought out articles over at WMW about affiliate programs vs. contextual advertising like Adsense. He just published Part 1. Drastic says:
"Enter the current wave of AdSense and contextual advertising. Back to the days of slapping up some code and earning double digit cpm, no problem. And many people are happy... Meanwhile, the real affiliate marketers are still methodically and quietly cranking out new sites and promotions daily. If you listen, you can even hear their keystrokes late into the night... So today, to take the easy road and slap up some code, call it a day, and watch the stats - AdSense is probably your best bet. If you're ready to make more, and don't mind spending the time to do it (yes it may require w*rk), affiliate programs can produce much more, in many cases."
It's a great read and a good discussion is starting to brew. Can't wait to read part 2!

So what do you guys think?
 
I tend to prefer the combination of AdSense and affiliate. It's not always easy to find the right affiliate program for a page, so AdSense can find the right topics for me. If the AdSense ads are producing good clicks, then it might be worth looking at what is being promoted and see if there's a good affiliate program with the site or one similar to it. So AdSense can be something of a research tool too, I suppose.

Of course, some sites it's obviously best to go with affiliate programs. I'm talking with my dad on some ideas he has for websites, and I really think his topics will do best through affiliate programs. He's really looking forward to getting started.
 
Steph,

That's so cool that you are teaching your Dad the ropes and helping him get started. AM is a great biz for seniors or people that have retired and still want to make some money - IF they have someone like you to show them how to get started off on the right foot!
 
I'm not a fan of Adsense for a number of reasons, I do use it on my sites but try and tuck it away so the ad is only clicked on as a last resort if the visitors hasn't found what they are looking for.
I can't see the point of placing adsense right in the prime viewing spots which is what most people seem to do, all that does is take the visitors away from your site before they get a chance to find anything relevant.
If you have something to sell or have affiliate links all you are doing is sending your potential customer to a competitor. You make a few cents but lose out on the dollars......pretty pointless.

From another side of the fence, as an Adwords advertiser I really don't like adsense. In fact I do not use the content option and more and more advertisers are turning it off. I feel adsense has been abused so much that there is no longer any value to the advertiser.

Sites are coming online hourly built expressly for adsense revenue and nothing more. How many come up when you do a search for something, it's really frustrating.
Just take a look at any place that has websites for sale, they are predominantly, built for adsense sites and the first question asked is how much does the site make from adsense.

Google is cracking down on Affiliate sites and duplicate content but a site built just for adsense is fine...read that sentence and draw your own conclusions as to why this is...... who benefits.
 
Linda Buquet said:
Steph,

That's so cool that you are teaching your Dad the ropes and helping him get started. AM is a great biz for seniors or people that have retired and still want to make some money - IF they have someone like you to show them how to get started off on the right foot!
Looks like my dad's even going to come down for a visit finally, which I've been trying to get him to do since my son was born. He was teasing me that I'll do anything to get him to visit, even start earning money to make him curious!
 
Cool! Hope he makes it down.


Hey just had a meeting with the great folks at AffiliatePrograms.com to plan our 1st SoCall affiliate event. We are now looking at a 3-5 happy hour & networking group the last Saturday of August. Then if anyone wants to stay longer and have dinner together for more networking then can. But we figure if it's 3 - 5 people can surf or play with family or what they like to do during the day, and still have time to make other events - if they have Sat dinner or evening plans.

Will keep you guys posted.
 
I've experimented with just about every AdSense clone there is on my site and AdSense outperforms them all hands down. I also agree that the type site dictates whether or not to use AdSense. If you have hundreds or thousands of web pages than AdSense is probably your best bet. If you have a highly targeted niche you will definately want to promote affiliate programs instead and use AdSense as an alternative.
 
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