If you’re interested in promoting a product or service online, you need all the free IM  tools you can get!  Today’s featured tool is HubPages.  Here’s what I like about this self-promotional and monetizing tool:

1. It’s like a free article site except that you don’t have to give anyone the right to re-publish it elsewhere.  While other article directory sites can give you great backlinks, they can get you the duplicate content wrist slap because other sites are promoting your content.
2. It has great SEO potential with the ability to put your RSS feeds, your links and tagged photos plus get you indexed in search engines for your targeted key phrases.
3. You can earn money through ad sharing from HubPages via Google Adsense and other publishers as well as put various affiliate links in the pages.
4. HubPages has a social aspect as well with the community that posts there which can help you get more exposure for your hub!

The more you have in your marketing arsenal, the better.  Tools like these can help you get noticed, get subscribers and make sales!

Have a most outstanding day.

Dana Prince
Internet Marketing Blog
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008

A lot of people are drooling for the fat Google cheques. Google Adsense can be a bit of a catch-22 in internet marketing.  When you display Adsense ads on your website or blog, you’re offering your competition a chance to grab your customers. When you use the ads to promote your own site, they’ll often be displayed for your competitors as well.  A lot of people sell affiliate marketing products on their site and therefore optimize their website for traffic in a specific niche with particular keywords. When you display Adsense ads on the same page, you’re competing with others who may grab the sale you worked so hard for just because their twenty word ad is more compelling than your whole page.   Should you use Google Adsense?

Internet Marketing Strategies

Many internet marketing experts do monetize some of their sites with Google Adsense ads in order to have multiple chances at income. They figure that if they don’t get the sale for a product advertised on the page, perhaps they’ll at least get some click revenue.  The choice is yours.  Some marketers are very strategic about what types of ads they’ll place on certain sites and reserve competing ads like contextual advertising for very specific types of internet marketing opportunities while leaving specific sites with nothing but internal links to avoid having people venture off to see their competitor.

The best site monetization advice? Research your options and closely watch your analytics to set your own strategy.  Multiple streams of income with varying strategies is always a good idea!

Have a most outstanding day.

Dana Prince
Internet Marketing Blog
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008

Internet marketers who use Google Adsense on their websites share a common fear of being ejected from the program due to click fraud. The common tale is for people to find out just before they expect to receive a check. This probably happens because Google protects their interests and the integrity of the program by looking closest at new program participants and how their account managed to achieve the magical $100 payout level. Many have heard stories of internet entrepreneurs that were waiting for a big fat check from Google only to be told that they were in violation of the Google TOS and then found themselves booted from the program with earnings forfeited.

Tips To Safeguard Your Google Adsense Account

To protect yourself and your online earnings, it’s important that you fully understand the terms of service. Do ensure you actually read the terms instead of simply scrolling and clicking to the “I agree” button. This way you’ll understand which subjects and actions are taboo.

Don’t ask for clicks. This may sound too obvious but really, even if you think you can get away with randomly asking a friend to click it will very likely catch up with you.

Don’t tell your family and friends that you are blogging for money or have a website for money because they might try to ‘help’ you. I once read on a forum that a particularly well-liked schoolteacher had told his students he was blogging and without his knowledge, the entire class tried to help him by clicking his ads. Needless to say Google saw the pattern by IP address and he lost his publisher status.  Best to keep it to yourself so that if someone does visit your site and decides to click an ad, they’re doing it out of natural curiosity.

If the unthinkable has happened and something has happened that you think will jeopardize your status, write to Google and explain. Hopefully your efforts will pay off.

Have a most outstanding day.

Dana Prince
Internet Marketing Blog
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008

When you’re trying to make money online with a blog, contextual or text links might be something you’re considering. In the early days of trying to find your way to making money with a blog, any advertising opportunity can seem like a good one.  Text link ads are popular but not everyone uses them because they can be considered overkill.

What are Text Link Ads?

Text link ads are very much like Google Adsense in that they are contextual and look at your content to come up with relevant ads. Only, instead of being displayed in a side bar or blending in with your design in unobtrusive ad blocks, text link advertisements exist within your text.

When specific words and phrases are used in your text, the text will become a link and be underlined. As the reader hovers over that link, a pop-up window will generally come up with an ad that will take the reader away from your page.

Some people find these types of ads too cluttered and if a lot of your web page looks like links, your readers may not click any links you already intend to put in your text. The advertising can become overwhelming.

If you really want to give these links a try, there are a few things you might consider including:

Use contextual ads in archives instead of on your home page.

This way, your post of the day looks like usual and posts past a particular age can show text links and you can have the landing page of your blog that makes the first impression do something other than scream “blatant advertising”.

Using these ads but having this be your sole advertising program.

This could be a great approach. Instead of having ads and banners all over the place, one program in place could be the best approach when using text link advertising. You may decide to experiment and do trial periods with several types of ad programs or with ad placement until you find what fits your blog and helps with blog monetization.

Have a most outstanding day.

Dana Prince
Internet Marketing Blog
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008

If you want to monetize your blog, Google Adsense is a great option. Once you have Google approval for one blog, you can add it to other sites without having to ask for approval each time.  You do need to be sure you’re following Google’s TOS (terms of service).

Getting Approval From Google

The fastest way to get approval from Google is to show them what your plans are.  Start a blog and post regularly in it before you apply for approval. Wait a few weeks before you apply so Google can see regular posting and content on your site. If you send in an application and don’t show Google that your website is valuable, you might not get approved. They do want to maintain integrity in their program and if you look like a spammer or splogger, you won’t get very far.

How much money can you make on Google?

Google doesn’t reveal their formula for money making potential but there are website owners and bloggers  that have significant Google earnings.  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by trying to make all your money from one online source but adding Google to your multiple streams of income is a great idea.

Have a most outstanding day.

Dana Prince
Internet Marketing Blog
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008