SEO and Google Adsense - what are you gonna choose?

Google describes its’ AdSense as, “a free program that empowers online publishers to earn revenue by displaying relevant ads on a wide variety of online content.” Basically, when you participate in Adsense you create a free account with Google and then place some code they you provide on your page(s). That code determines the advertisement content to display, in the form of text ads, on your real estate - your web or blog page. The ads are from vendors who have already paid Google advertising money to display their content on pages appropriate to what they are selling.

As a web site owner or blog owner you get paid from the Adsense program when one of your visitors clicks an ad displayed on your page and then buys something at that ad location. Sounds good right? What is the harm of putting text ads on your pages?

There are a couple of issues of using Adsense that hamper you, the web site or blog owner, from succeeding in your #1 goal - increasing your web site traffic. Adsense actually reduces your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and therefore hurts your pagerank. But, Adsense is great for Google since they have already been paid for something they will display on your pages(s) using the lure that you may be paid. Adsense reminds me of the lottery. A very small percentage of people win. I am sure the Google Adsense folks know the numbers behind their program.

1. Traffic
Adsense is a numbers game, like most of life is. One good example is the insurance business. If you have so many possibilities then there are bound to be so many occurrences with certain parameters. An example, if you have 5,000 visitors then there is X possibility that so many will click an ad and then so many of those will make a purchase. This is basic physics and this is what actuaries do, figure out the numbers. Do you think that Adsense is configured in favor of the website owner or Google?

Here is my theory on your traffic and using Adsense. On a site or blog with less than 350 web site visitors a day, there isn’t enough traffic to harvest any income from visitors clicking Adsense ads who then make a buy. You are better off using that page space to host material that increases the size of your email list or to sell your own products and services. Your short term and long term marketing goals are better served with sweat equity techniques, in my experience, than using the Adsense program.

2. SEO
Optimizing your page content to use your key words and key phrases is the very foundation for SEO. If you don’t get that tune just right then you are not receiving the boost you need to soar in search engine results. Working your key words and key phrases is an art that is never complete. You just get better and better, and your results are immediate - your traffic count increases.

My theory is that using Adsense dilutes your key words and key phrases which dampens the SEO fire you work so hard to stoke. Think about it, the text ads on your pages from Adsense get read by the search engines so the more words you have on your page the less concentration you have of your key words and key phrases - get my drift? 

3. PageRank
Pagerank is the gold standard to measure the viability of a web site. It’s provided by Google and they make no money from this ranking program. The values are NA to 10. Facebook is a 10 as it has high traffic volumes, many relevant and community links and a variety of geographic locations linking to it, and additional characteristics too.

One more theory, I think the allure of making advertising money actually reduces the space where you can be placing material/content that will enhance your pagerank. If you have less than 350 visitors a day on your site or blog, chances are your pagerank is 4 or less. For me, I consider a pagerank of 3 to be an average site. It makes more sense to focus your effort on enhancing your page rank than a trickle of income from Adsense, and Adsense does zero to enhance your pagerank.

My two cents here is to use all your page space to induce bonding with your visitors and have them come back to visit you often plus sign up to receive updates from you too. Build and install a quality subscriber program on your pages.

In summary, I think Sweat Equity Techniques (SET) stand head and shoulders above Adsense as proven income strategies on your site, when your visitor traffic is less than 350 visitors a day on a single site or blog.

SET #1
Optimize your keywords and key phrases on your pages until you see your pages show up in search engine results for those items. Then modify them and see some different results. Experience your power with controlling these essential variables that determine how people will find you. This effort will enable you to craft potent short and long term results.

SET #2
Creating an income stream from your web site or takes time and then some more time. It’s not going to happen over night. Start by increasing your traffic with a strategy of building a subscriber program and having repeat visitors. When you have that experience in your pocket, along with a steady stream of visitors, enjoy your success. Then build that visitor stream to over 350 folks a day. 

SET #3
Grow your pagerank. This is the culmination of all your work. To accomplish this you must practice the fundamentals successfully: get relevant or community reciprocal links, your key words and key phrases are optimized for specific marketing strategies, you have installed a subscriber program on your site that works easily, and you are participating in social networking programs. 

Web Site Design and SEO