5(+1) Critical Website Monetization Mistakes that Hurt Your Earnings
2020.03.19
If you have a website or blog, chances are you plan to make money with it. Maintaining a website or blog takes a lot of time and effort, so, of course, you want it to do well. Most people who take the time to do it right are able to make fairly decent money.
It is possible to try too hard, and there are a few simple mistakes that you could be making that could actually hurt the success of your blog and the amount of money you make from it. Here are a few monetization mistakes to avoid.
Ads That Trick Readers
You want your readers to click on the ads on your site. That’s how you make money. What you don’t want to do is trick them into clicking on them. If you use ads that are relevant to your content, most people will click on them without hesitation. You don’t want to try to trick your readers into thinking that an ad is part of the content.
You may get them to click on it, but you could be penalized by search engines for these types of practices. Readers may also get angry and avoid your website or blog. It’s OK to have ads on your site but make sure it’s clear that they are ads.
Ads That Are Annoying
If your ads are coming between your readers and your content, you could have a problem. There are certain types of ads that get in the way of the content. Ads that pop up in the middle of the screen, move across the screen, take up the entire screen, or otherwise make it hard to read the content could hurt your website.
Readers aren’t going to click on your ads if they find them intrusive. Instead, they are just going to close them as quickly as possible to get to the content. Some may not even bother reading the content or returning to the website because the ads are so aggravating.
Using Ads Prematurely
Most people don’t like seeing ads. They are willing to put up with them if they believe that the content they are reading is worth it. If you are not adding quality content to your website, people won’t be willing to look past the ads to read it. If your website or blog is new and doesn’t have an established audience, readers also may not be willing to look past the ads.
You should get your website up and running for a while before you put ads on it. The people who enjoy reading your content won’t mind the ads. Ads always do better on websites and blogs that have a good reputation.
Misleading Ads
You might think that you can just ask people to click on your ads over and over again. This might sound good in theory, but it doesn’t work that way. Google and other search engines have ways of knowing if clicks are legitimate, and they can easily notice a pattern or repeat clicks.
This won’t help and can actually hurt your earnings. Search engines will rank you lower as a result of these illegal practices, and some companies will no longer let you place their ads on your website. It’s always better to just get clicks the right way.
Too Many Ads
When you visit a website, you don’t want to be overwhelmed by ads and things that have nothing to do with that content. You want to read the content. While most people don’t mind ads and have gotten used to seeing them on almost every blog and website they visit, if there are too many ads, it could hurt your traffic.
People aren’t going to continue to visit your site if it is overrun with ads. You need to find a good balance between content and ads. Readers are more likely to click on an ad and stay on your page longer if they do not feel like they are being forced to view them.
Incorrect Ad Placement
Sometimes simply putting ads in the wrong place can cause big problems for your website. You need to make sure ads are placed out of the way of the content. Visitors don’t want to see them flashing all over the screen while they are trying to read. Readers also don’t want to have to scroll halfway down the page to find the content and have to pass dozens of ads in the process.
There are certain places where ads should go. A banner ad at the top of the page is one. You could also put ads on the bottom of the page or on the sides. Some people even use ads to break up the content. If you choose to do this, you must be careful not to put too many ads in your content. This can confuse readers and distract them. Not everyone wants to see ads.
Ad Usage Can Help or Hurt Your Website
Knowing how to use ads on your website can mean the difference between making money and having a failing blog. If you are new to the game, it can be a little confusing at first. The best thing to do is think about what you like to see when you click on a website. What would make you more likely to read the content of a blog, and what would make you want to navigate away from it?
By avoiding these mistakes, you can improve the readability of your website, increase your traffic, and make more money with your site.
It may take a while to learn how to use ads to help you make money online. You will have to use trial and error in many cases. Make sure to avoid the mistakes above, and give yourself an advantage by starting your website off right.
Monetize with MageNet to be certain that the ads you place look 100% naturally and don’t distract users.