Sunday, August 20, 2006 |
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Accidense
Google, the company that launched the number one search engine and a whole host of new services like Gmail, Google Desktop, Google Earth, and the all new Google Checkout, attracts its users with its great yet free products. Google makes money, and lots of it at that, mostly through targeted advertising. Its advertising model, called Adsense, is proven to be beneficial to both advertisers and users alike and has generated much relevant traffic for Adsense advertisers. However, something about the ads’ format has been causing some eyebrows to rise since they result in accidental click to ads and this in turn raises some questions as to how the accidental clicks affect the advertisers.
When searching in Google for certain keywords or key phrases targeted ads from sponsors appear on the top of the search engine results page (SERP). The targeted ads are clearly set apart from the ordinary search results by its blue background and the label Sponsored Links found on the top right corner of the blue area. They are so labeled so that users not interested in the advertisers’ products or services will not mistakenly click on the ads. However according to an article called Accidentally Clicking on Google’s Top Blue Ads, users still do routinely click on the links by mistake. This usually happens when users click on the blue space on the right of the links themselves. The blue space supposed by many to be a non-clickable area, is actually clickable and would lead the user to the advertiser’s site whose link is nearest to the left of the mouse click.
The accidental clicking of ads has actually been a problem noticed as early as November of last year and has lead to the coining of a new word – Accidense. In November 27th of last year TDavid wrote an article entitled "Accidense?". In his article he noticed that some Google ads had more white space that was clickable compared to others. Because of the larger clickable white space of some ads the chance for users of clicking on certain ads by accident is greater. People soon picked up on the word and started calling the accidental clicking on Google’s AdSense ads, Accidense. Note then that accidense is a phenomenon that happens not only on Google’s SERPs but in any of its service – like Gmail – or any website that has AdSense ads in them.
Effect on Google Users
Accidense is a source of irritation to Google users who have no intention of viewing the ads. Of course in comparison to pop-up ads the irritation AdSense ads bring pale in comparison. However, accidense still retracts from user experience and is mostly unproductive for the user. There may be occasions though wherein the accidental click brings users to advertising sites they are actually interested in. This should happen quite often since AdSense ads are targeted ads so that the chance of the user being interested in its contents is much higher than a user accidentally clicking on the usual static ads. But that would only be the case if the user sticks around long enough to know what the ad is actually about before hitting the back button. And since Internet users, especially search engine users, are usually extremely goal driven then the probability that the user will hit the back button even before the advertisers’ ad has fully loaded is greater than the chance that the user will stick around to find out what he had stumbled on accidentally.
Effect on Google AdSense Affiliates and Advertisers
Accidense may be a nuisance to users but is of greater to concern to advertisers. AdSense is a pay per click advertising program, which means that advertisers have to pay for each click their ads generate whether it was accidental or deliberate. Accidental clicks therefore automatically generate profit for both Google and its affiliate website carrying the ad but most often than not doesn’t translate to profit for the advertisers. People are therefore asking how much accidense really affects advertisers.
Commercial advertisers would do well to track just how much their AdSense campaign is benefiting them not only by the amount of clicks they receive. As pointed out in an article on clicks, “Clicks are not a failsafe method of proving anything. Clicks can be automated. Clicks can be fraudulent.”, and in accidense’ case clicks can be accidental. If clicks are therefore not reliable factor in determining the effectiveness of an ad campaign in a pay per click program, what then would be a good measure of the clicks’ actual productivity? As Scoble pondered in his tech blog advertisers ought to track their ads effectiveness by the amount of time the browser stays on their page. A constant stream of very short term visits – meaning a few seconds – could indicate that accidense is giving them illegitimate traffic and that they could be paying Google more than the ads are actually worth. On the other hand, it could also mean that their website just isn’t appealing enough and needs much improvement. It would also help advertisers track which keywords or key phrases generate more effective or genuine interest in their site and so could remove irrelevant keywords and thus lessen the illegitimate traffic and the expense of paying for the clicks that traffic brings.
Accidental Clicks on your Own Ads
Another issue of concern to advertisers is accidental clicks on their own ads. This is a serious issue since Google terminates AdSense accounts when they have determined that the advertiser clicks on their own ads. This is done to prevent fraud of course. However, accidense does happen and advertisers do click on their own ads especially while working on their AdSense page. When this happens it is best to relax and just let it go if it happens only a few times. Google will most probably not terminate an account for a few clicks. However, if you want to be on the safe side you can email Google and inform them the clicks were accidental. Preventing this form of accidense by making sure that no AdSense ads run in your browser, however, makes more sense than simply trying to avoid clicking on the ads themselves. Here’s a good article on how to Protect Yourself From Clicking Your Ads Accidentally.
About The Author:
http://www.theinternetone.net
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posted by Smile Community @ 4:19 PM
| Friday, August 18, 2006 |
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Google Sitemaps has been renamed to Google Webmaster Tools and there’s a new Google Webmaster Central Blog, your one stop source for information regarding crawling and indexing on Google.
Google Webmaster Tools provides tools and information to keep you informed and increase your crawl coverage and visibility on Google.
For example, if you notice your site is being indexed using both versions of your domain (www and non-www), you can now tell Google your preferred domain URL format for crawling and indexing. Check it out.
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posted by Smile Community @ 4:57 PM
| Thursday, August 17, 2006 |
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Earn Adsense income from your Blogs
Did you know you can use Google adsense on your blog? Don’t have a blog? Running, starting, and maintaining a blog is cheap, and in some cases free! So why haven’t you put Google adsense on your blog yet? Oh you don’t know how! Here’s why and how!
First if you are considering adding ads onto your blog, you should learn more about the specific rules Google has in regards to blogs, though it is very similar to the rules they have for sites.
Blog content is what Google likes
Using blogs for Google adsense plain makes sense! The content is original, and is considered high quality from Google’s concept, even though you and I know some of the Blogs on the net are plain idiotic! So qualifying a blog is often easier than a site!
Due to the nature of blogs, there is usually a lot of varying content, meaning on a Blog you can have thirteen different subjects, whereas on your site you are supposed to have only one or two. This makes getting very diverse and specific ads on your Blog, far easier than on your site!
A blog that invites feedback or interactivity with a user may attract a lot of clicks, because it attracts a lot of visitor’s. Your blog has the ability to attract a specific set of people who will be interested in your material. Thus your adsense ads will be even more specific!
You can also add a blog to your commercial site. Really! You can talk about your products or specific information that your customer’s might be interested in. You can talk about your company, or even get a little personal! Besides having the added benefit of getting you some adsense clicks, it might actually make people like you! Studies have shown that people will buy more from a person they find personable or that they know a little bit about. Tell them about you!
You can start a blog for free, like those on Yahoo! Or you can get software to start a blog on your site. The latter is best, because you will have the most control. Again you can visit Yahoo! web hosting and use the tool for free.
When you decide to get ads on your blog, remember there are a few ways to increase your click through rates, which are really about the same as on your site.
Optimize your Adsense ads
Make your ads as much a part of your website as possible. Use the same font, font-color and background for your Google ads.
DON’T use boxes, tables, or anything else that yells; Here are the ads for my site. Don’t hide the ads!Design your ads to closely resemble links for your site, or make them blend as part of your site. Use your preview toolbar when creating your ads, which will give you a clear indication of how your ads will look.
Remember, a good ad is one that does not distract, that blends in, but still arouses the interest of your visitors.
How long does it take to get a blog indexed with Google? Well unlike websites, blogs can be all-set with Google, in as little as three days or less in some cases!
Once you feel you are comfortable with Google adsense, you can then take the steps to get your blog to making you a little money! Go over all the rules for using the Adsense program, and remember, just because you are a blogger in this case, that doesn’t mean Google won’t remove your ads quicker than a dog can scratch a tick, if you are using profane, abusive, slanderous, or otherwise universally unaccepted public topics!
That in mind, the rest is easy. Google will explain the whole process, on the same site that I have already listed at the beginning of this article.
Use your blog to your advantage. Getting approved for ads on a blog is easier than a website, and if proper steps are taken to design your ad well, and provide interesting content, you can make some money with Google Adsense on your blog!
About The Author:
Andrew Perry makes it easy to maximize your adsense earnings and avoid the scams - visit here for your Adsense Maximizer Report: http://www.adsensefactfinder.com
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posted by Smile Community @ 4:56 PM
| Tuesday, August 15, 2006 |
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Many online sellers get frustrated with search engines regularly changing algorithms. But there are basic principles that haven't changed through the years. Apply these tips to increase your rankings:
1. Don't be too quick to change domain names. Google has an aging delay for any new domain - it can take up to a year for your keywords to start showing in the searches.
2. Optimize your site for your target audience, not the search engines. Always think about what impression your site gives your users — you'll create a better site the engines will like.
3. Do keyword research extensively. Everything else revolves around the keyword phrases you choose, so it's critical you choose the best ones. http://WordTracker.com and http://KeywordDiscovery.com are two information databases that show you what words people are searching for and suggest words you can use.
4. Design and categorize your site architecture and navigation based on your keyword research. Jill Whalen, founder of http://www.highrankings.com, says, "Your homepage should be optimized for the more general phrases...Your inner pages should be optimized for the more specific [ones]." If possible, use keyword phrases as your navigation words.
5. Program your site to be "crawler" friendly. Search engines send out "crawlers" to gather information from your site so they understand how to rank it.
* Create your links using HTML, not javascript. Crawlers can't follow javascript and won't be able to read your information.
* Don't design your site in Flash - there's nothing for the crawlers to read. If they can't interpret the information, they can't classify your site.
* Make sure your copy is HTML, not a graphic of a text. It may look like copy. But if you have a text graphic, all the crawlers will see is a blank page.
6. Label your internal text links and clickable image ALT attributes as descriptively as possible. Within the text links in your site, use the phrase that describes the page you're clicking to. For image links, make sure those phrases are contained in the image's code.
7. Write compelling copy for key pages of your site based on your chosen keyword phrases. Choose a few keyword phrases that apply to the particular page you're writing and work those phrases into the copy.
8. Incorporate your keyword phrases into each page's unique title tag. Title tags are given significant weight with search engines. The title tag is the information that shows up in the search engine results so it's crucial that it be enticing, not just crammed with keywords.
9. Make sure your site is link-worthy. Search engines judge a site's popularity by the number of links pointing to it. To make sure people will want to link to your site, you have to offer something worth linking to. Beyond your product or service, you need something that puts you over the top: an information service, a superior presentation, or great variety.
10. Don't be married to any one keyword or phrase. Optimize for all the relevant phrases. Says Whalen, "If you can rank highly for a good portion of them, they're going to add up to a lot more than just that one keyword phrase that you think is the good big money one."
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posted by Smile Community @ 9:46 PM
| Monday, August 14, 2006 |
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by: Ricardo Vidallon
If it doesn’t read quickly, It doesn’t work.
This rule applies to everyone -- from the lofty creative director to the junior designer to the boss who employs them. By "read" I mean a viewer’s ability to comprehend the advertisement or message in less than three seconds. That’s right! You have only three seconds to convey your message. If you have not successfully captured your reader or viewer by then, they will simply move on. Whether you're on TV or the Web, you are one simple click away from being ignored. In print, you're one turn away. Good design is essential whether you're creating a church newsletter or developing a multi-million dollar ad campaign for TV.
Reading broadcast and the Internet
Try this at home. Turn your TV to a news channel like CNN or MSNBC and mute the sound. Do the visuals communicate without sound? News channels rely heavily on graphics and visuals to tell their stories. The same is exceedingly true for the Web. The only exception is that the Web is user driven. That means your Web site visitor must click and navigate around your Web site to browse its information.
Does your navigation “read” well? Do your photos and graphics communicate quickly and clearly? If not, your site may be getting passed over by disinterested visitors.
Design is all around us. It permeates our lives from the subliminal to the intentional. The keyboard you’re typing on and the mouse you’re clicking were first developed and conceived by an industrial design team. The chair you’re sitting in was developed by an ergonomics design team. The box your chair was shipped in and its printing was developed by an advertising packaging team.
Design is critical to successfully selling your product to the public. Your Web site is literally your storefront or advertisement to the world. Make sure it’s designed to invite, inform and intrigue.
Do not covet thy neighbor’s concept
People tend to covet what they see. I know this because clients frequently bring me their ideas, hopes and dreams. And many times they’re of Web site concepts they’ve seen elsewhere. This is good creative fuel for inspiration, but it’s best to create a concept from the core of your own business branding.
Innovate, don’t regurgitate. Consult a design professional who will collaborate with you in building a Web site concept that conveys your message. A great concept leaves a memorable impression.
Here’s an example. Let’s say client “A” sells shoes. Simple enough. Post the logo, Web copy and pictures of some great looking shoes. Maybe even some bold, snazzy sales copy like, “Super Sale on Brown Shoes”. Client “B” decides to take a different approach. He gets a photo of a businessman in a nice suit with his legs crossed at a meeting, exposing the bottom of one of his shoes. The exposed shoe sole has a hole in it. That’s a concept!
Template Web site services
Companies that offer template Web services are fine for businesses on a shoestring budget, but be advised, what you see is not necessarily what you get. These are “closed template” systems that do not offer much scalability in terms of customization. That means your Web site will have a cookie-cutter appearance that does little to help you stand out among your competitors. These Web sites are a breeding ground for bad design, especially when it comes to typography. Use of type styles by itself is one of the purist forms of design.
Get to the goal
Get online and look at your competitors. Make a list of goals that you wish to achieve with your new Web site or your redesigned Web site. Prioritize your list and invite multiple Web design companies to bid for your project. Be sure to ask them about their design process. Ask questions such as: Does your price include multiple design concepts? If so, how many designs and revisions am I allowed? In the end, you want a Web site that you can talk about enthusiastically and take great pride in. After all, it’s you storefront 24/7 on the Internet.
About The Author
Ricardo Vidallon is owner and creative director for http://www.visionefx.net a Virginia based web design company.
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posted by Smile Community @ 12:00 AM
| Wednesday, August 09, 2006 |
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Francesca Soleil
1. Offer other web sites free content to post on their web site. Include your link on all of your content. The content should related to your web site because it will be in front of your target audience.
2. When you visit a web site you've enjoyed a lot, write a review for the site. Write about the benefits you gain from the web site. Tell them they can publish it on their web site if they link to your web site.
3. Allow other people to publish your e-zine on their web site. Include your web site's ad and link in each issue you publish. This may also help you increase the number of people that subscribe to your e-zine.
4. Market your web site as a free web book. Design your web site with a title page, table of contents, chapters, etc. Just allow other people to give away the web book by linking to your web site.
5. Give your visitors an instant article directory. Tell your visitors they can instantly add a free article directory to their web site by linking to yours. Just place your ad or banner ad on top of the article directory for your main web site.
6. Allow other web sites to use your discussion board for their web site visitors. Just have them link directly to the discussion board. Include your web sites ad or banner ad at the top of the discussion board.
7. Start a members only web site. Tell visitors what's in your members only site and what it costs to gain access. Offer them a free membership if, in exchange, they link to your web site.
8. Offer your visitors a free sign up to your affiliate program. Pay them commission to sell your products or services. Just give them an affiliate link to track their sales. People will link to your web site to make extra money.
9. Create your own award site for other web sites. Give the winners a graphic or text link to place on their web site when they win. This will link your web site to theirs and draw more traffic to your web site.
10. Are you an expert on a particular subject? Offer people free consulting via e-mail if, in exchange, they either link to your site. People will consider this a huge value because consulting fees can be very expensive.
11. When you purchase a product and it exceeds your expectations e-mail the business a testimonial. Make sure your statement is detailed. Give them permission to publish it on their web site if they link to your site.
12. Create a directory of web sites on a specific topic. Give people the option of adding the directory to their web site by linking to it. Put your business ad at the top of the directory's home page.
13. Exchange content with other web sites. You could trade articles, top ten lists, etc. Both parties could include a resource box at the end of the content.
14. Allow people to download software at no charge from your web site, if they link to your web site. The software could be freeware, shareware or demos.
15. Trade other forms of advertising to people that link to your web site. You could trade e-zine ads, print ads, autoresponder ads, classified ads, ebook ads, etc.
16. Give away web space to people for free. Since you are giving it away for free, request they link to your site by placing your ad or banner to the site.
17. Join or create a web ring. A web ring is a group of web sites on a similar subject agreeing to link together. To find a web ring to join type keywords "web rings" into your search engine of choice.
18. Create an online club or association. Tell your visitors what's included in the membership and what it costs to join. Offer them a free membership if, in exchange, they link to your web site.
19. Allow people to use an online service or utilities from your web site if, in exchange, they link to your web site. The online service could be an e-mail account, search engine submission, web page design, copywriting, proofreading, etc.
20. Offer a free e-book to your web site visitors. The ebook should be related to your target audience. Allow them to give the e-book to their own web site visitors by linking directly to your web site.
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posted by Smile Community @ 9:53 PM
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