By: Leon Edward

When deciding whether to incorporate Adsense into your blog there are several factors to consider. Many feel that it diminishes their brand, whilst others see it as a useful tool for visitors which creates revenues and makes their content profitable.

The choice can largely come down to the commercial goals and the purpose of your blog. Many businesses who sell products decide to place Adsense adverts within their blog. This would appear to be a strange choice, opening up opportunities for rivals to promote their service or product to your potential customer base.

Many publishers claim that they are only doing this to allow companies who provide ancillary services to advertise. These claims have some merit, as those who for example sell pillows could provide those who sell bedding with an opportunity to advertise.

Although this would make sense, there are still those online retailers who allow rivals to penetrate their audience. Many claim that there are still benefits in allowing your direct competitors to advertise within your blog. One of these is that ultimately if visitors wish to see your competitors they would be able to see them through a Google search regardless. This may be true however the thought of an established brand like coco-cola having a Pepsi advert in their blog is not even a possibility.

Another factor which is considered in this situation is that publishers do not feel that Adsense is effective in making conversions. They feel that visitors who would click on adverts are not highly qualified customers, as they would quickly navigate to the materials or products that interest them if they were.

Despite Adsense being a questionable choice for online retailers, it is surely a good supplementary service for other varieties of online publishers. For example, a blog which provides a free service like dictionary.com gets high levels of traffic, and is able to make their service profitable through adsense. This has been the case for Bloggers who originally provided content free of charge, being unable to reach the scale that is necessary to contract with advertisers directly.

This could also apply to other previously free services, including wider forms of information broadcast, and news for example. In 2006 a man who later published a selection of Videos claims to make $19,000 a month through adsense, claiming that he was also contacted through Google to help him increase the CTR (Click Through Rate) that he achieved. The thought of success like this has been a major factor in stimulating online publishers to opt for Adsense.

Many publishers also claim that adsense makes their blog look more professional. Those who are able to contract with advertisers are generally seen to provide a service with large appeal, and therefore those unfamiliar with the program may feel that the Adsense advertiser is in this position.

Adsense however, is also aligned with those publishers who use the service purely to provide links to adverts. Everyone has done a Google search, clicked on an Adwords advert and came into a blog which reads top ten resources. This is a major problem, as is generally something that surfers find frustrating. If people see that it says adverts by Google, and they then see adverts by Google on another site, they may align that site with consumer unfriendly practices. This is therefore an issue which Google has to address, to maintain Adsense as a reputable service.

Regardless of the disadvantages and the blogs for which the service may be inappropriate it is still a useful tool for blog visitors. Those who visit a blog, and click on a link provide revenues for the publisher, whilst those who provide free services are able to generate revenue.

The only fear that Google has, is that rival PPC programs offer better deals to publishers and they decide to go elsewhere, therefore taking advertisers with them. However, ultimately it is best for advertisers and publishers if they largely remain in same PPC circuit.

Make money blogging with these alternatives

Here are more great sources to help you make money from your blog.

Bidvertiser (http://www.bidvertiser.com/)
Like AdSense, Bidvertiser displays text ads in your page. But the difference lies in the fact that advertisers bid over your advertising space, ensuring you earn as much revenue as you possibly can. This also means that bids will increase over time, earning you even more cash. You also get a great way to customize your ads with a very easy to use tool and detailed reports on your site’s status.

Quigo AdSonar (http://www.quigo.com/adsonarpublishers.htm)
Quigo AdSonar achieves relevancy by placing a filter according to your site’s categories. It also offers you on-line reports of your site’s status and the possibility to add your own custom ads replacing ads that don’t gain you any revenue. The setup is very simple, in a similar fashion to AdSense’s and quite customizable as well.

Vibrant Media IntelliTXT (http://www.intellitxt.com/site/web_01a.html)
Vibrant Media IntelliTXT offers user-activated ads, highlighting certain words within the content of the page and presenting relevant ads when a user hovers his mouse over them. It uses a pay-for-performance pricing scheme and can easily be used along with other advertising methods, because it is unobtrusive. It places you in full control, allowing you to easily integrate it within your site with some simple JavaScript.

Nixie (http://www.nixxie.com/display.php?section=Partners)
Nixie claims to hold a technology that can read and understand your site, enabling it to display the most relevant content to your site. Besides text ads, Nixie also features price comparison listings as well as live auction advertising. It’s very easy to implement and has a good payment policy as well.

MIVA AdRevenue Xpress (http://www.miva.com/us/content/partners/arx.asp)
MIVA AdRevenue Xpress is targeted towards small and mid-sized publishers. It implements Search Box functionality and also features things like a Category Directory as well as the handling of 404 error pages. It can be integrated with your page using a simple on-line wizard.

Fastclick (http://www.fastclick.com/publish.html)
Fastclick offers you an impressive 65 percent of what it makes from a click on your website. Payments are done monthly, via PayPal or through checks. The ads can be formatted as you wish, and Fastclick even offers a free support serice for its members and no fees are required to register with the service.

contextWeb ContextAd (http://www.contextweb.com/Corporate/publisher/publisher.shtml)
ContextAd offers the possibility of contextual ads for dynamic pages, meaning ads will change as soon as your page does. It’s very easy to use and free to sing up for and offers a transparent payment policy. The ads are fully customizable and real-time reports are available 24/7.

AdBrite (http://www.adbrite.com/)
AdBrite offers publishers the possibility of integrating text ads in their pages. These are done on your own rates, with the websites you approve by hand so it bares some similarities with a classic advertising scheme. You also have the option of adding a “Your Add Here” button that buyers can immediately click to ad space on your page. It can also be used in conjunction with Google AdSense, maximizing your CTR and offering advertisers the possibility of showing their links in your Google AdSense space. You have full control over the look and feel of your adds and finally, you get an incredible 75% of what the advertiser pays for on every click.

So, as you can see there are many offers for this kind of advertising, and many hybrids based on AdSense like advertising. Also, a lot of services can work together with AdSense to earn you an even greater amount of revenue for your blogs ad space.

About the Author

Leon Edward presents a new way of blogging for you to learn that totally changes the way that you can make money blogging. This is a Hybrid form of blogging you’ve likely not seen before. Visit Leons website forMore online home business ideas,articles, free newsletter at his website Home Business IT

(ArticlesBase SC #244057)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Make Money Blogging With or Without Adsense? Some Options…

Finding a credible online survey provider that actually meets its promises of consistent jobs and strong profits is rare, so finding CashSurveyWizard was a breath of fresh air for us.

We have always been a bit skeptical towards survey affiliate networks in the past. After all there has got to be a catch to earning $25 for filling out a 10 minute survey, but as we browsed through CashSurveyWizard they quickly put us at ease in proving they were a credible network.

Beyond their $3,500 a month cashflow claims and connections to Sony, Ford and Nike, they made one point clear from the start: that they only want the best reviewers. Unlike typical sites who proclaim ‘all are welcome start filling out surveys today’ CashSurveyWizard ask that only individuals who are genuinely interested in committing to a few hours of work a week join their forum.

A claim that was remarkably refreshing, new and instantly set us at ease.

This point was further proved through their online member’s area, earning calculator and testimonials. For a one off joining fee of $59.95 (or currently $29.97 until February 26th) members can benefit from hundreds of new surveys every month priced between $20- $150 (latter price based on focus group surveys) or get their money back!

Their 8 week money back guarantee was particularly appetizing giving you the freedom to try their network, gain results and if you are not satisfied get your money back no questions asked.

Yet the real selling point for us has to be the other freedoms CashSurveyWizard can offer you as an affiliate: no skills, no website builds or maintenance, no products, no financial risk and no targets… filling out surveys can truly providing a supplemental income to your current salary for as little as a few hours a week.

Certainly a product worth promoting – it is incredibly easy to do.

By: Tim Stokes

Blogging is very popular because it’s fun and it is also an excellent way to make money. Many people have a blog, but are not earning a living from it like they could. Here are the top 4 ways to make money blogging today that anyone can do with a little bit of ingenuity and effort.

1. Start your blog around something you have a passion for. The reason this is important is because you will be more likely to stick with it until the income starts flowing in. Plus your blog will be more entertaining and offer useful information if it is something that you look forward to getting up and working on every day.

2. Create blogs that are lively and offer excitement. Today there are many blog themes available that make it very easy for the average blogger to do. These themes make it possible for you to add things to your blog such as graphics, video, audio, comments and other things to make it more interactive. These are all part of presenting a professional blog which will allow you to make more money.

3. Monetize your blog in multiple ways to increase your income. For example you can add affiliate products directly to the text of your blog articles. This makes it easy for your visitor to click on these and purchase products from you.

Other things you can do to make money blogging include adding affiliate products to your sidebar in the form of banners. Still a third thing you can do is sell traffic to other businesses once you have developed a blog that is generating meaningful traffic.

4. One final thing we want to mention is building your RSS subscriber feed list as large as possible. Make it easy for people to subscribe either through your feed or by email.

The larger your list becomes the more money you can make blogging. This allows you to easily keep in touch with all of your subscribers every time you make an update to your blog. This also makes it easy for them to come back to your blog and read it and purchase products from you whenever they are in the mood.

There certainly are other things you can do to make money blogging. However today these are four of the top ways to make money blogging that professional bloggers do every day. With a little bit of effort you can join them and make as much money as you want as well.

About the Author

The author, Tim Stokes, has several affiliate earning ideas and opportunities for those wanting to start a marketing business online. Visit NetBusinessDirect today and get your own affiliate marketing website for free.

(ArticlesBase SC #824959)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Top 4 Ways To Make Money Blogging

I’ve been working for online affiliate programs in one form or another for several years now. Back in January a new one started up and its been a pretty good source so far for advertising dollars. Even better now that Pepperjam Network is Now Offering a $10 Affiliate Sign On Bonus. Thats right. $10 for signing up with PepperJam.

PepperJam is a quickly growing ad network with advertisers like MGM, Cartoon Network, JellyBelly, BBC America and more. You can advertise through Text links or banner ads and their affiliate center is one of the coolest I’ve seen yet.

Pepperjam is the industry’s leading full-service internet marketing agency, assisting businesses launch and optimize three of the most important revenue channels for today’s e-commerce companies, search-engine marketing, affiliate marketing, and media planning and management. With a unique expertise in the unparalleled medium of search, an unyielding mastery of the pay-for-performance based world of affiliate marketing, and the most cutting-edge media buying capability anywhere, Pepperjam has the power to take your e-commerce strategy to the cutting-edge and beyond. What separates Pepperjam from the competition is years of consistent, proven success. The Pepperjam service model is built on a tradition of unrivaled results, which makes partnering with Pepperjam an aggressive yet fiscally sound choice for online businesses looking to substantially increase online sales and exposure.

There always seem to be support staff online to help with any questions and the advertiser offerings are some of the easiest to find and some of the most varied online. If you’ve been looking for an affiliate network to help monetize your blog or other websites, I’d give PepperJam a good hard look I mean after all, Pepperjam Network is Now Offering a $10 Affiliate Sign On Bonus. Join Today.

Investor Blogging has an article up at the moment looking at how Adsense Sucks for blogs. You’ll notice that there are place holders for adsense on this site currently. I haven’t decided if I am going to add them or add kontera ads instead. I think it really depends on the target audience and the content on your site. It took awhile for adsense ads to be beneficial on linuxtracker, however, now they’re covering the monthly hosting bills and allowing for a little bit of advertising as well. What do you think?

Mashable has a really, really GOOD LIST of over 250 web dev tools. Everything from ajax loaders to scripts and how to’s to useful software. I highly recommend you check it out. A lot of the stuff there is good stuff that everyone needs to know about.

raj over at performancing.com has 41 reasons why your blog sucks. I read through them and chances are we all suffer from a couple of them. I could pick at least three…

Anthony over at bloggingdosh has an article up right now asking if its time to upgrade to wp 2.3. So far, I have one blog running the new 2.3 code and I’m not too impressed. The functional gain isn’t too much compared with other versions and the functionality that is gained was already covered by several wp plugins which actually do the job a little better.

Not only that, but I’ve heard that upgrading from 2.x to 2.3 is a pain in the ass (I don’t know of anyone who has had an easy go of it…) for now, I’ll stick with what I’ve got.

There’s a fairly cool plugin for firefox that adds the ability to check the social news sites (digg, reddit…) from your browser with out opening them up. You should really check out Social Media for Firefox plugin. It rocks.

Over at BloggingDosh, there’s a good post on Using Forums to promote your blog. Its something that if done right can be highly valuable (as the number of possible incoming hits rises with the number of backlinks you have). It does require more than just lurking in the shadows though, in order for it to be a useful tool you DO have to engage the communities in some good dialog that would make them want to check out your site to begin with.

However, forums provide a good source of traffic and a good way to promote a post you feel is worthy of news.