Over five years of blogging has taught me a thing or two about Google Adsense, the program responsible for the ads you see on the left of this page. I closely monitor traffic trends and how it relates to monies earned from Google Adsense and I now believe I know where the cash comes from..
Before I tell all, let's break traffic into two distinct groups: The Regulars and The One Hit Wonders.
The Regulars - The Regulars are those who return on a regular basis because they like the content. Most have this site bookmarked or click on over from the same blog as part of a routine. It's not unusual for a regular reader to visit ten times in a single week.
The One Hit Wonders - The One Hit Wonders account for the bulk of traffic to this site. In fact, about 90% of visits are by these folks who have clicked through following a Google search or via a link on a site they read regularly. It's likely they were seeking the Edgefest 2008 lineup, Bill Barilko's statistics or perhaps good songs for a wedding, and they've clicked through to grab what they wanted and then disappeared in cyberspace. They won't be heard from again.
I get paid by Google every time somebody clicks an ad on the left, and when the amount owed to me exceeds $100, Google mails me a cheque. In my experience, almost all cash made from this blog has come from The One Hit Wonders. The Regulars simply don't covert.
When you stop and think about it, this isn't surprising. The Regulars are just here for the content, so why would they click an ad? The One Hit Wonders, however, are looking for something, and if I don't have what they're looking for, they very well may find it in a Google ad served up on my site.
