The Dawn of Adquarius, the arrival of a new era for the T-Shirt Strategy blog. I have just started to run Google AdSense ads on this blog, not as means to make money (but that would be nice) but more as a bit of an experiment.I'm considering utilizing Google ads and/or google AdSense ads for LadyUmbrella but before digging deep into my pocket I want to try ascertain click through rates one might expect - by having ads on this page I might be able to see what sort of click rates ads get and hopefully learn a thing or two about them. I will post updates on what I learn about Google Ads and AdSense as and when there I discover something.
From my own browsing experience I very rarely click on an ad however the PPC (pay per click) nature of them means that if no one clicks on your ad then you don't get charged so surely its win win? Even if they don't click on the ad they might still notice the ad and who knows what the subconscious might store - your company name or logo perhaps? This exposure, although limited, to the potential customer may "butter them up" and make them more receptive to any future marketing efforts embarked on by your company?
Any one currently using Google Ads or AdSense? What sort of click through rates do you get? and, more importantly, do Google Ads lead to a higher conversion rate for your business? And one other thought that has been on my mind - do AdSense Ads or Google Ads on a blog (or website) have an impact on a potential customers "opinion" of the shop owner/blogger? Does it in someway devalue the content that is on a blog? Or, does having ads on your web shop "lose" you any potential customers?
I would love to hear your thoughts on it so please leave a comment with your musings. And, hehe, and if you happen to see an ad that interests you your click will get me a fraction of a slice of bread closer to a loaf.
Personally, I think the whole google ads/adsense topic is quite interesting, they are playing a big part in the shift in advertising (and dare I say it society) from old school TV/Radio/printed media etc to the online world of social media, on demand video/everything and (ultimately hehe) Gary Vaynerchuk - the Dawn of Adquarius is upon us. Let me know what you think..
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Hey Rob we have tried google ads a little bit and I personally did not like it. However I think it quite depends on what your margins are as a tshirt seller. If you can pocket five or six dollars per tshirt sold then I think google adwords can be a really good investment if you know what you are doing. You also really need to read up on how adwords work. The first time I ran a campaign I didn't know all the little secrets. If I were to do it now I could run a better campaign.
ReplyDeleteAs for adsense we use it on our blog and shirt site and it makes us a bit of moneuy but it could be seen as a liability in the eyes of the public.Too many adds on one page can clog the buyers mind and turn them off.
USING IT TO MAKE MONEY...
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing to do is ask yourself what the site is for. Some people author blogs purely to make money online. The traffic to their posts are mostly from Google searches and therefore the AdSense that accompanies that post will often be beneficial to the browser - who may not find what they wanted from your post, but they may from one of those links.
As T-Shirt shop owners/managers, we're already online with the intent to make money through tee sales. Therefore, if the AdSense is going to detract from that, we need to be careful about using it.
The GritFX blog (or "Magazine") is designed for brand awareness - so we decided to only use a very small AdSense widget on it (with none on the home page). On the other hand, I think this blog lends itself to having the AdSense. It will grow with content that will be perfect for tee related ads - which in turn should further expose the Lady Umbrella Brand.
When you look to your main domain, I think that "sponsor" type adverts are better than any AdSense widgets. If you can get your PR and traffic up, I think that's a better option than AdSense.
USING IT TO ADVERTISE...
Google recently gave me $70 to test AdWords. I used part of it to advertise the last tee giveaway we ran. Traffic was definitely up, but there was no real indication of any conversions. Plus I noted a higher bounce rate for the period!
Sogeshirts is spot on - you really need to understand when and how to use a campaign! I decided to keep the AdWords balance I had and use it to promote the Magic Bullet range launch. I'll let you know if that campaign does any better.
Hey, thanks for the comments.. Ye, totally agree, studying before using google ads for advertising is a must. I came across Perry Marshall, http://www.perrymarshall.com, another "give me your email addres and I'll make you rich" kinda guy but he does provide some good free information which I've been reading..You say things didn't work out so rosey for you at Sogeshirts first time round - what do you think were your major mistakes?
ReplyDeleteAlso agree completely about the possibility of ads interfering with potential sales if on the main site. I don't think I'll ever put ads on the LadyUmbrella page (or even the LadyUmbrella blog) as thats not what they are about to me...so, like you said, it depends on the sites purpose..it might be a nice earner but I want the LU page to be just for LU. I think ads on this page could be a nice fit though and I'm really curious to see what sorta clicks I might get..A "sponsor" is an interesting idea alright and one that might have more, I don't know, "respect" than regular google ads and might not detract from the look, feel or tone of a site. Also, you'd have a lot more control over what is being displayed and a guaranteed fee for having which could provide steady cash flow - but then again, you have to have a site that people want to be a "sponsor" on but isn't a competitor..a balancing act...
Have also received a 50e coupon from Google for google ads which must be used by the end of this year so I'm just biding my time before unleashing it on an unsuspecting public..I'll report back whatever I find when using them..Thanks again for the comments...
Indeed it was a knowledgeable post. I want to know the importance of online marketing and that's why seriously thinking about the best marketing strategies for my new business to shake the business competitors and improve our own revenues. Would like to get started with Google Adwords Campaign Management and social media marketing services.
ReplyDelete