How to Monetize a Free Website


For some time now I have been aggressively marketing my Geocitieswebsite without the prospect of any financial return. The siteis content based so I did not expect to generate any productsales and neither was I able to lure potential sponsors.

But that has quietly changed. Google has decided to rewardwebmasters with quality free websites the chance to rake in somecash for their hard work.

Google's contextual advertising program Adsense has been aroundsince June 2003. Back then the program was open only towebmasters with their own domain names and many quickly took upthe opportunity to cash in on their labor of love sites.

When the Big G announced that they were expanding Adsense toaccommodate free sites, some people scoffed at the idea becausethey believe that freebie sites are full of junk.

I first learnt of this move while browsing around a few webmasterforums and to my surprise some persons were against this move byGoogle. I believe that Google's intention is to bring in as muchas possible quality websites under the Adsense umbrella.

My first application for Adsense was rejected and I got anexplanation stating that my site was still under construction. Ithought that this was a mistake so I reapplied the same day andgot accepted. Right away I was able to log in to my account andstart putting the code for the ads on my pages.

The control panel is easy to understand and Google provides statsand figures in order for you to track your performance. You canalso add Adsense for search where visitors can search the web oryour site and you get compensated everytime someone clicks on theads displayed.

Developing content sites is key to success in Adsense. Why?Because Google's technology uses the content of each page toguess which ads are most suitable. The higher the quality of thecontent, the higher quality and paying ads you will attract.

Please note that getting accepted into Adsense does not guaranteethat you will receive a check from them. Your success depends onmany factors.

Some of them include the number of visitors, the placement of theads, the value of the keywords on the page where the ads areshown and how many persons who will clickthru on the Adsense adpanel.

For those with unscrupulous minds, Google has ways and means tofind out where each ad click is originating from. Therefore noclick spamming.

Adsense is a win-win situation for all the players involved. Itbenefits the visitors with additional information, the searchengines because of higher quality websites and you with a checkevery month.

It makes perfect sense to make dollars withAdsense. With this source of revenue, you can upgraded yourwebsite and take it to it's full potential.

Copyright © Nicholas Dixon

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Nicholas Dixon is a Jamaican webmaster, writer and affiliatemarketer. Find out
how you too can create an online income with ourlist of highly recommended
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