How much traffic do you need to make money with Google AdSense?

Recently we have built quite a few sites that offer freeware software or free content on a subject matter with an advertiser monetized publishing model and the majority of these clients are looking to AdSense as their revenue source.  For those of you that don't know Google AdSense is:

"Google Ad Sense As defined by Google- An ad serving application run by Google Inc. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image, and video advertisements on their websites. These advertisements are administered by Google and generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis"

One question I often here is:

How much money will I make with AdSense?

With our clients permission we took a look at the Click Through Rates and the Cost Per Click on 3 different sites (Golf, Health and Wellness and Hunting) going back to 2007.  We averaged the Cost per click and the Click Through Rates across the three sites.  It is important to note that the placement of the ads and the color of the ads is different on each site but all 3 sites have ads on all the pages in very visible areas.

Year	Click Through Rate (CTR)	Clicks/ 20,000 Page Views	Cost Per Click	Earnings/20,000 Page Views
2011	1.13%	226	.30	$67.80
2010	1.58%	316	.32	$101.12
2009	1.22%	244	.28	$68.32
2008	1.93%	386	.21	$81.06
2007	3.00%	600	.18	$108.00

So what is this chart telling us?  For one thing people are clicking on far less ads today then they were in 2007.  The second big thing that jumped out to me is that cost per click is way up from .18 cents in 2007 to .30 cents in the first quarter of 2011 (Across these three sites anyway).

So back to the original question (How much money can I make with AdSense?)-  The three sites we looked at average around 3 pages per visit so it takes around 6,666 people to the site to generate 20,000 page views.  In 2011 that is about a penny per visitor.

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Why Facebook Fans are Valuable and How to Properly Supply Them with Marketing

They are as common in every day life now as eating, sleeping, and breathing. They are in magazines, on commercials, in stores; literally, everywhere we go. They are the begs and pleas from companies of all types to become a fan or "like" their Facebook page. Most people just tend to think, "What are we in high school again where everything is a popularity contest and the more people you know the better?" Well, in a way, yeah.

What good can having more Facebook "likes" do for you business? So, someone takes a mere 2 seconds out of their day to click "Like" on your page. Big deal, right? It is a big deal! These people are voluntarily electing to opt-in to your future posts.  This means they are subjecting themselves to your marketing efforts at your will. So every time you make a post or an update on a special, all of your fans are given the opportunity to see the special, and then they can easily, with just a few clicks, post it for their friends to see as well.

"Expand the reach of your business beyond the reaches of you location and much further than traditional advertising could ever take you with a Facebook Fan Campaign from Foremost Media"

If their friends like the deal that means a few things:
1) They'll more than likely participate in the deal and spend money with you
2) They'll "like" your page on Facebook, further expanding the reach of future posts
3) They'll share future deals or news with their friends, and the cycle continues.

• -On average, fans spend an extra $71.84 they would not otherwise spend on products they describe themselves fans of
• -Fans are 28% more likely than non-fans to continue using a specific brand
• -Fans are 41% more likely than non-fans to recommend a product they are a fan of to their friends

Keep Fans Interested!
Now that we know why these fans and likes are important to your online success, what are the best practices to continue to keep fans interested and entice other people to become fans.

1) Be Personable: You're running a business, but you're on Facebook, a SOCIAL network.  Make posts like you would on your own personal Facebook page. Make posts that aren't always about business.  Wish them a good weekend or a Happy Holiday! Be funny (without being offensive), be inviting, and most of all, just talk like you're a human and NOT marketing verbiage read off of a piece of paper.

For Example:
-Don't: "Our 3400 Series of Swing Sets are built with durable wood and quality metal parts. Visit our website to purchase today!"
-Do: "The weather this weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm!  Get your kids out of the house and try out our 3400 Series of Swing Sets. 10% this week only! Now that's what we call a great family weekend!"

2) Be Professional: After all, you are running a business. Make sure your spelling is accurate and you always present yourself as a high quality company. If I'm someone who's never heard of your company, what am I going to think the very first time I visit your page and read your posts?

3) Entice Interaction: The most successful Facebook campaigns are those that get fans to interact with the page. Ask questions about things having to do with your company, or be personable (again) and ask questions like "It's going to be a gorgeous weekend! What does everyone have planned?"  The more you can entice readers to respond and interact with you on a positive note, the more likely they'll remember you when they need your goods and services.

4) Be Interesting: Don't post things that don't make any sense to anyone that isn't in your industry.  Speak to people using the most understandable terms. Use things that are unique and interesting to catch their attention and again entice them to interact. Your company is special, make sure people can see why you're different than the rest.

5) Do NOT Overdo It:  People have chosen to be submitted to your marketing and thoughts at YOUR will. But this doesn't mean you want to flood their Facebook Pages with updates from your company. Making a schedule or at least a pattern of releasing posts or updates is very important.  Give people what they want, but don't force feed them. Making a schedule to post something new 2-3 times every week is good for some companies, but once a day may be more appropriate for others.  Getting a feel for the type of information people want and the frequency they want to receive it is essential.

Interested in Starting a Facebook Fan Campaign with us and Igniting your Facebook Page? Click Below!

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