I always like to start these posts by saying they aren’t meant to brag at all (many people make considerably more money than me) instead I’m trying to use this as a means to help motivate myself to reach my goal of $150k in 2010 while at the same time keeping me publicly accountable. There was a time I couldn’t even afford to pay for my server’s $200 a month cost with the money I made online so it’s been a long and arduous road. In this update I’m addressing my goals for 2010 based on Q1’s performance which will be continued after the break
Income Graph:
Income Analysis:
My biggest earner of the month again was of course the Amazon Associates program with $4,085.33 which took up 84% piece of the pie. This is a drop of about $600 from last month, which is primarily due to a softening of traffic across my network of websites. I’m in the process of putting together more info to share on how I earn money with Amazon’s Associates program so be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you don’t miss out. In the mean time, check out my article on how to improve your Amazon Associates earnings if you’re struggling to make progress with them and be sure to avoid these common pitfalls. My goal continues to be $5,000+ per month earnings with Amazon.
Google Adsense was about $100 higher than in March and I’m currently still testing a wide variety of placements, sizes and colors across my network of websites. Starting in April I’m going to be convert my ad units over to the highest paying placements, sizes and colors that I tested during the month of March and because of this I expect to earn at least $500 next month with Adsense. I really want to get another source of income earning more than $1,000 per month and it will be a race between Google Adsense and Private Advertisers so we’ll see how it turns out.
Private Advertisers:
I’m still trying to push this number higher and have started experimenting with using third parties to help sell advertising (i.e. BuySellAds.com and Technorati Media). As I’ve stated before, I believe my best chance at succeeding in my goal of earning over $150,000 in 2010 will require me to start making four figures a month from private advertisers. When I have my first $1,000+ month in a category other than Amazon’s affiliate program I’ll have a mini celebration.
Vibrant Media, Click Bank, eBay Partner Network and other Misc Earnings
This month I tried to add up every single program I made money on last month. I tested out Vibrant Media’s in text solution over Infolinks (see my Infolinks review) and I’m very pleased with the results. On the test website I used I earned about triple what Infolinks was paying. I’ll have an in depth review up later this month that provides more details. I’ve also started experimenting with using ClickBank products as you can see by the $100 I earned from them last month. eBay Partner Network only gave $32.89 which is so small it’s almost worth removing them from the few websites I use them on, but I’m not sure what else to replace them with. I tested out Yahoo Publisher Network in March on one website that usually earns about $80 from Adsense and as you can see the results were dismal. No wonder Yahoo decided to shut down their beta program. The payout is terrible!
Wrap up:
So my main focus points for April include removing the Google Adsense units that performed worse and tweaking the ones that performed best. I also need to sell more private advertising space. I currently use OIOpublisher to serve ads on my blogs and I use that plugin to help optimize and test my ad space. Without a doubt it’s the best $47 I’ve spent in this space. If you’re a blogger and don’t have it yet, buy it. I’ve also decided to open up advertising for sale on my blog here.
I have several more interesting case studies to share in April so be sure to subscribe to my blog so that you don’t miss out.
Hi Chris,
That’s amazing. I can’t wait to hit my first $100 from an affiliate site online. While not much money, that’ll give me a boost and push me to keep going.
You were featured on my blog today ๐
.-= Moon Hussain´s last blog ..Fun Friday Round-Up: Tasty Blogs For Your Yummy Brunch! =-.
What a earning you have here Chris. It inspire me to reach that state too. ๐
.-= Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..Should Read The Tag of Blog Post ๏ฟฝ Especially in April 1st =-.
It’s important to note I don’t make any of this money from this blog. Blogging about making money on the internet is not a very profitable venture unless you are already earning a lot of money online – otherwise what’s the point in talking about it?
What I suggest is that people search out niches that don’t have a lot of competition and dominate in those. That’s what I did to accomplish these earnings.
Again, I have several friends that earn WAY more money than I do so these posts aren’t meant to brag. I may discontinue doing them if people do not see value so let me know what you think.
Chris
I discovered your blog via someone else’s site and have been trawling through all the great and informative posts you have written.
I am blown away by the figures that you have been able to make via Amazon. I am trying to do the same thing and record my efforts in order to try and keep me focused and on schedule (very difficult – do we all know the word “procrastination”?)lol.
With regards to your Amazon Tips, I am happy to read that your research backed up my own thoughts about astores and banners. I never click on these things so I thought – why would i expect my prospective customers to do so.
At the moment I am writing hubpages and creating 5-10 page niche sites but I was wondering how many posts do you have on your websites in order to generate such a high income with so few actual sites?
I have now added this blog to my google reader and look forward to reading and learning more.
Thank you.
.-= Tiptopcat @ Money Making Experiment´s last blog ..Earnings For March 2010 =-.
The sites that I earn good money from are not mini sites (yet)
I’ve found the best way to make money is to invest the time and effort to make something people would be happy to share with their friends as a valuable resource.
With that said, I’m busy developing other sites for the sole purpose of garnering search traffic with minimal content / effort.
Wow, your income is awesome. Goes to show how much a little hard work can do.
.-= Deneil Merritt´s last blog ..March 2010 Income Report =-.
I just haven’t had much luck with Amazon affiliate, do you dedicate entire sites to affiliate sales, or write reviews or information about products and embed amazon affiliate links in them. Your success is remarkable and a true inspiration.
.-= Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..Dragon Blogger Review of Surrogates =-.
I do a combination of both, but try to strike a healthy balance. So I daily monitor things like bounce rate and the earnings I generate too.
Chris,
I see great value in these reports so please dont stop. I’ve really started to get focused on Amazon in the past few weeks since I found your website as most of my income is from adsense and I need to make sure no to keep all my eggs in one basket.
Your reports are great because I’m now also working full-time at this since I lost me job and I know I can replace it and you’re really helping me and I’m sure many others.
Keep up the great work
Jim
That is a great income. I hope that someday I could earn that much.
.-= paul | entertainment tonight´s last blog ..Adam Corolla attacks the Filipino and Manny Pacquiao =-.
Buddy, you really rock! I think making money over 4K is still a dream for me!
Keep going, i will try to follow your steps!
.-= John – Daily Health Care Tips´s last blog ..Cover Your Bald Head With Drawings! =-.
I like the earnings reports. I make a similar amount online but less than 1 percent of it is through Amazon – maybe I should give them another try.
What do you make most of your earnings from then? Adsense?
Awesome income bro keep it up ๐
Chris you have a great income this month. I’m sure you’ve put a lot of effort in doing these. I’m sure you know make money online niche doesn’t really make money, but micro niche with less competition yes. You’re doing pretty well with Amazon, I’m a part time blogger right now and I only used to make money from pay per click program such as Google Adsense, and I sell banner ads well. I don’t earn as much as your, but it’s enough for me at this moment.
Keep it up Chris!
Cheers,
Lee
.-= Lee Ka Hoong´s last blog ..Ranking Authority Sites The Google Way =-.
Awesome earnings for the month, Chris. I’m yet to cracked the Amazon code. A big part of my earnings came from Adsense across a portfolio of niche sites. I’m hoping one day I could do well with Amazon as much as I do with Adsense..
Keep on keeping on, pal.
Yan
.-= Blogging Tips´s last blog ..How Blogging and Dropshipping Go Hand in Hand =-.
Hey Yan, it really depends on the niche. This niche specifically doesn’t do well with Amazon at all, but if you’re a tech blog or running a website focused on physical goods then it’s much easier to sell to this type of reader.
So you are not making any money through this blog? I actually want to make money but not really primarily through my blog rather through other web sites. I thought of creating some mini web sites?! What do you think? Do you think they are worth it? I would first of all only start one and try to go from there.
It’s interesting to see your earnings .. I would keep on stating them ๐
.-= Julius Kuhn-Regnier´s last blog ..How to Become More Productive =-.
No, I make very little if any money from this blog. When it starts to be like $500 a month or so then I’ll designate it on the blog. It’s not really worth me trying to make money as it is based on how large it is right now.
Mini websites can work the problem is the effort vs reward ratio. Since I’m earning about $5k per month or more now it’s tough for me to find niches that I can invest say 40 hours on over the course of a period of time to eventually earn $100+ per month form them.
The shortcut is to just buy websites which I might start doing.
Keep the earnings report. Its boss. Inspirational. I have been considering using OIOpublisher. I should get a custom logo made first though. I have been concentrating on cranking out content though. I did as you said and found a micro-niche I could sink my teeth into. I have been hammering two search terms that I know have Page 1 status on.
I read on a website that Adsense actually devalues your website (Why pay you when I can pay them and get my ad on a bunch of sites), which is why only one ad unit is active on my site for Adsense. What is your view on this? John Chow nor Rowse use them anymore.
What have you found to be the best placement for adsense ads?
.-= ProMovieBlogger´s last blog ..How to Set Up a Movie Website Sidebar: For Profit =-.
In content is the best I’ve found and the ad links the same color as the other links on the site.
Chris – please don’t stop your earnings reports! I need something to aspire to! Heck, I am listing income sources on my monthly report that only make a few dollars a month. I would love to get to your level. Keep it up!
MJ
.-= Michael-John Wolfe´s last blog ..April 2010 ๏ฟฝ Earnings Report =-.
I like the variety in your income streams. Also appreciate that you shared this info with us.
Jamie