I've run ads on this site for about a year now. They're from Google as part of their Adsense program, and their content is driven by my content. For example, if I write about the Leafs, the ads will typically be about Toronto Maple Leafs tickets or memorabilia.
Last Monday taught me a great deal about this program. On that day, I almost earned as much as I did the previous six months. That was the day Slate.com featured their Crocs article which contained a link to my Crocs Conundrum entry. 10,000 page impressions later and Google's cutting me my biggest cheque to date.
Here's what I noticed. There's a core group of visitors who visit regularly but aren't clicking the ads. The Crocs people came in droves and the vast majority of them only hit that entry and didn't click another link on this site, indicating they will likely never return, but while they were here a number of them hit a Crocs ad on the left. It's a numbers game. Get enough eyeballs to a page with ads targeting their interests, and there's a great deal of money to be made.
Without the slate.com link, it would have been just another Monday. I didn't orchestrate the slate.com link, in fact, I only learnt of it when I saw the referrals last Friday, so how do I ensure it happens again?
The answer, is simple. I keep on keeping on. I'll write about whatever, whenever, because you never know what's going to strike a chord and blow up. Or maybe I'll keep writing about Crocs...
