Blogging

Google Ads: Should blogs have them or not?

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Lorelle VanFossen posts an interesting question, If I Had Ads Here, Would You Click Them?, this is very much an issue that IB has been struggling with as well.

Hosting Google Ads: Would you?
The more observant of you will have noticed that I did run Google Ads on this blog for quite a while, but in the end I have removed them. I actually liked them quite a lot because I felt that they added a certain legitimacy to my blog for a while, but then I read over the TOS from Google, and felt that they were too limiting for me:

* revenue is uncertain;
* ad quality isn’t always suitable;
* too many limits on what can be done;
* a click through rate on my blog that just was awful;
* I’d prefer not to have fraudulent click issues;
* I couldn’t use Blogmad or BlogExplosion to promote my blog (though many others do so, in contravention of Google’s TOS).
So, for the meantime, I have decided to remove ALL Google Ads from this blog. You may still see them by accident! Do let me know. Perhaps for other kinds of websites, I would still use them; in fact, on some of my other non-blog sites, I have actually retained the Google Ads. It’s just that I don’t find them effective on blogs. Any ideas why?…

Clicking on Google Ads: Would you?
I don’t have a problem clicking on Google Ads when I see them. I usually do that because I see something that catches my attention. I have an instant preference for ads that are relevant to the content I have been just reading. But I can’t stand some of the particular ads that occur from time to time. The big bugbear I have is ads like those here where the ads are wedged right up against the text. The other kind of ad that I hate is the Flash ads where the ads flash all the way; in fact they are so distracting that I have to navigate away from the page. In fact, I recently installed an ad blocking tool for FF2.0 only to get around those awful ads.

Hope this answers Lorelle’s question! Any comments?

Further Reading:

A Review of My First Year of Blogging provides some good follow up reading on Adsense on your blog. And a further article here quotes:

The more realistic conclusions here is that AdSense for bloggers sucks, the click-through rates are too low, the advertising is not relevant enough and readers of blogs are more accustomed to blocking-out the ads – all this results in a very low CPM rate.

Who can wait? I want my new mobile now!

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Well, there’s quite a hullabaloo about the Apple iPhone coming on the market, and it is indeed a cool looking phone, but who wants to wait until October 2007 just to have the privilege to queue up in line and wait for hours to purchase one! Indeed, the phone is technologically cool, quite expensive, and its full Internet access will entail a hefty bill, as well.

For those of us with neither the patience nor the money to wait for an Apple iPhone, I’d suggest finding a good deal at Mobile 360, where you’ll be able to find the latest AVAILABLE cool models and/or great deals with good calling plans. I’d think that this website would be a great place to buy.

I like the features that can help search for phones by the features. Last time I bought a phone, it was kind of a hit or miss affair, as I didn’t have much access to comparison features. The result was I bought one with an underpowered camera, and half an MP3 player. I think this search site could have helped me choose a better model.

Nowadays, I’d certainly be looking for a phone with features, such as email, browsing, SD card support, etc., like these phones, Wi-Fi and Windows OS capability so I can connect anywhere with networks! And more to the point, it’ll help an investorblogger keep up with email, investments, and even allow you to post on your blogs, with photos and text and movies! Now that would be a good investment.

This post has been sponsored by Mobile360. And boy! Am I drooling!

Payperpost: Posts do really ‘ad’ up to successful ‘ad’vertising!

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You have a great website with attractive products, good support and sales… but you do get people to visit your website? Where do you get traffic from?

That’s a question that has perplexed me from time to time as I slave away on my latest brainwave. One solution that I have been working with as a blogger is Payperpost.

Boost your PageRank
My experience with Payperpost has given me a great deal of confidence in them. It seems to be a great way to find bloggers who can write top quality posts that will drive traffic to your websites. With links from good quality blogs, you should find that your PR ranking in Google will increase as well, not to mention your Alexa ranking.

Payperpost is different
Payperpost model is different from, say ReviewME or some of the others. It is a marketplace where you can post your request and terms of acceptance. Bloggers log in to see what is available and find what they are interested in, or is suitable for their blog. The Opportunity allows you to specify the kind of posting, including length, tone (+/-), your link, any photographs and one or two other features that you may wish for.

If you are looking to increase your pagerank then I’d suggest choosing a permanent link, as nearly 100% of the bloggers will leave your posting in their archives, giving you a chance to build some extensive and deep links. You may, though, need a little help in placing your first opportunities to get the best value for your dollar.

Quality checks
There are many checks and balances in the system that prevent bloggers from submitting substandard postings, and advertisers from posting undesirable opportunities. So, quality standards are maintained by both system checks and a hands-on editor.

If you are on a tight budget, Payperpost may offer a more affordable, targetable and controllable way to reach readers than Google Adwords. The posts will be more extensive, longer lasting and more effective.

This is so NOT-A-SPONSORED page! 100% pure Investorblogger!