Real figures are the page impressions, clicks and earnings. Google updates these - usually - several times during the day Derived figures are the figures you can calculate yourself but Google displays for your convenience. These get automatically updated based on what the real figures are showing at any point in time.
What we've learnt since the program started:
1. Big picture You need to look at the big picture. The figures your stats give you at any point during the course of the day are likely to be inaccurate. If you check your stats several times during the day do it for amusement value (and negligible site monitoring value) and don't get concerned or ecstatic till a few hours after the end of the day.
2. Stats Updates/Speed of Updates Sometimes there are long delays in updating stats. If your stats update every two hours but one day you see no update for 12 hours - that is natural behaviour. There's no need to panic. Not even if other webmasters are seeing normal updates.
3. What's updated Google updates the real figures. The derived figures are just a local calculation based on the real figures. It's best to ignore the derived figures during the course of the day.
4. The Lag Google updates different real figures at different speeds during the course of the day. Let us take some examples and see how they pan out
- A. At 2.00 PM your stats get updated but what Google hasn't told you is that the page impression figure is the latest figure from 1.00 PM but your clicks and earnings figures are from 11 AM. This will appear to be a sharp drop in CTR, CPM and, of course, clicks and earnings. - B. At 10 PM your stats get updated but what Google hasn't told you is that the clicks and earnings are from 7 PM but the impressions figure is from 5 PM. This will appear, at first glance to suggest you've had a sharp rise in CTR etc. which is not necessarily the case.
So how do you monitor these figures? Ans: By ignoring odd looking figures during the day and seeing how they pan out by close of business.
5. Close of business figures It's midnight on the west coast of the US of A, 8 AM in London and you want to see the latest figures. note: You can't assume the figures you see there are the closing figures. Only when you start seeing some numbers for the new day can you assume that the previous days figures have all been updated and aren't going to change anymore.
6. Slow stats predate changes to program Usually when there are several consecutive days of extra slow stats updates there is an improvement or change to the adsense program imminent. We saw these delays before the introduction of channels, before Smart Pricing, before the introduction of various new versions of TOS, and at several other times that Google made changes to the program (even when they were just adding support for new languages). It's not cause to panic.
7. Some figures carried forward several days Following on from point 4 it has often been observed that Google carry some figures forward for several days. They may freeze some quantities of clicks (and the associated earnings) to examine in closer detail for clickfraud/tracking purposes. If they do this it is possible to see earnings shoot up sharply on a day when you least expect it to because they may credit you with several days worth of frozen clicks/earnings... all in one hour. Your mid day CTR could shoot up from 0.5 to 10%, your CPM could shoot up from $2.00 to $200... it will gradually drop over the course of the day but still end up higher than previous days. Make a note of the days this happens. It may be useful when you are doing long range analyses of your stats.
8. Because of point 7 above the closest you can get to a serious analysis of your figures is to look at them over the course of several days/weeks/months (and preferably excluding the last few days from your analysis). One method used to great effect by some members here is the rolling average (Google it if that's an unfamiliar term).
Common Issues Raised Here
EPC does matter/ EPC doesn't matter
It does and it doesn't. First, you have no control over EPC. Even Google has very little control over EPC. There is some evidence (based on Google earnings data published at time of IPO) that Google pays publishers 70% or more of what Adwords collects from advertisers but the EPC of your own ads are influenced by a lot of variables including advertiser budgets, seasonal changes, ad campaigns launched and ceased ... and many others. The productive thing to do is to concentrate on metrics that you do have control over like page impressions and - to a certain extent - clicks (by optimising the position/colour of your ads).
What's an average CTR/CPM/EPC? How do I know if I'm doing as well as I can? Personally I feel that any discussion of average CTR/CPM/EPC across different sites with different subjects, in different countries ... is a complete waste of time. First, there is no way of working out an average unless Google discloses the full figures that only they know. Any average calculated from figures disclosed by webmasters here is likely to be skewed because the people who do well won't disclose their figures so you have an incomplete picture. If there are only two categories of publisher who make either <$100 or >$10,000 then how will the knowledge that the average is $4,000 be of any benefit to anyone? It could drop to $1,500 if one or two of the multimillion dollar publishers pull out. And adding a million other sub $100 publishers may not move the average by more than a couple of dollars.
Someone else feel free to do a PART II covering "Search" and "Channels" or, if I have the time in a few days, I may attempt it. :)
Happy earnings ...and good mental health ;)
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Earn Money Quickly - How To Find Products To Make Cash Fast
Earn Money Quickly - How To Find Products To Make Cash Fast
We live in a time where an increasing number of people are living from paycheck to paycheck with little, if any, money remaining at the end of pay period. Few people have insufficient savings for emergency situations. Unforeseen circumstances often create a crisis where money is needed immediately. For example: During the winter months, it's common for someone to have a fender bender with their car. Insurance covers most of the repair but there is a deductible which can be $500, $1000, or more. So, how does one come up with an extra $1000 quickly? Some people look at the internet as a potential source to earn money quickly. The internet is a good source to make cash fast, however, there are two issues that must be resolved: (a) what to sell? and (b) how to advertise? This article will identify three ideas on what to sell to make cash fast. Additional resources for further information will also be provided.
1. Information Products Write and sell your own e-book:
One of the best ways to get started in online marketing is to sell information product e-books. An e-book is a document that is created as a file on the computer. The e-book communicates information others will want to read. Generally an e-book is 30 or more pages long. An e-book can be delivered via the internet as a Microsoft Word document or a Text document, but the preferred method is as an Adobe PDF-format document.
There are two barriers most people need to overcome.
The first is that they're not a writer. The second is that they lack information of value that others will want to buy. The chances are that both of these are perceptions but not truth. If one can write an email and send it to a friend or business colleague, they can write an e-book. The document will need to be free of spelling errors and major grammatical errors. This can be overcome either by using the computer's spell-check and grammar-check tools or with the help of a friend that can do the editing.
The second barrier is that they don't have information of value that others will want to buy. It is necessary to have marketable knowledge, skills, or experience. For example, a person with experience or special knowledge as a gardener, landscaper, fix-it person, sheet-rocker, deck builder, money manager, golf instructor, coach, or electrician likely has information of marketable value. A person with a knack for explaining something, that often confuses other people, can market that ability. Take some time and think through these things. Talk to a friend, relative, or professional colleague and ask their opinion. All of the ideas that surface are source material for e-books.
2. Affiliate Marketing Become an Affiliate:
Many businesses have an Affiliate Program that offers others the opportunity to sell their products. The "affiliate" promotes their products online and receives a commission on all sales. It shouldn't cost anything to become an affiliate. However, the affiliate will need a website to market the products.
Entering into an Affiliate Agreement is fast and provides quick access to a broad variety of products and services. The affiliate's challenge is to find ways to effectively market these products and services.
It's easy to find businesses that offer an affiliate program. Let's assume a person wants to sell JEWELRY. Go to Google and enter in the phrase "jewelry +affiliate". Google will list numerous companies that offer affiliate programs associated with the sale of jewelry. Click on the search engine listing, look at the company's Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions, and sign up. It's as simple as that. Get some promotional materials from the company and start the online marketing of their products.
3. Online Auctions Sell items in an online auction:
Many people have a storage space in their basement, attic, or closet where they put things that seldom or never get used. After awhile, they've got so much stuff they start looking for more space. They might think of these items as "junk". In reality, they are sources of cash. Why not sell these items on the internet in an online auction. In many cases these items are worth more than one would anticipate.
Online auctions are a real easy way to earn money quickly. It's probably one of the best ways to make cash fast. Once all the personal items have been sold, offer to sell items for friends and neighbors. Take a percentage of the sale (e.g. 25% - 40% of the sell price). The friends or neighbors benefit from making money on the sale and they benefit by freeing up space taken by their "junk". A person can further expand this into a business by purchasing excess inventory at highly discounted prices and then turning around and selling those items for a profit. In many cases, the excess inventory can be purchased in an online auction. Auctions are a quick way to bring in some money and a website is not needed to make it happen. Furthermore, it is not necessary to be a "business" to sell personal items online.
Ebay makes it very easy to set up an account at no charge. Once an account is set up, a person can sell most anything. There are multiple ways to receive payments with no up-front expense to the seller. Just list the item, download a digital photo of the item to be sold, and enter a description for the item. Another benefit of an online auction is that the search feature in the auction site makes it very easy for products to be found.
Conclusion:
There are multiple alternatives available to anyone that wants to sell products online and earn money quickly. You don't have to be wealthy or a college graduate to come up with a product to sell and to market that product online. It just takes a strong desire to make it happen and the discipline to stick with it once you've started.
Expert advice for individuals needing to earn money quickly and to help them find products that can be sold to make cash fast When unforeseen circumstances require you to earn money fast check out these resources.
We live in a time where an increasing number of people are living from paycheck to paycheck with little, if any, money remaining at the end of pay period. Few people have insufficient savings for emergency situations. Unforeseen circumstances often create a crisis where money is needed immediately. For example: During the winter months, it's common for someone to have a fender bender with their car. Insurance covers most of the repair but there is a deductible which can be $500, $1000, or more. So, how does one come up with an extra $1000 quickly? Some people look at the internet as a potential source to earn money quickly. The internet is a good source to make cash fast, however, there are two issues that must be resolved: (a) what to sell? and (b) how to advertise? This article will identify three ideas on what to sell to make cash fast. Additional resources for further information will also be provided.
1. Information Products Write and sell your own e-book:
One of the best ways to get started in online marketing is to sell information product e-books. An e-book is a document that is created as a file on the computer. The e-book communicates information others will want to read. Generally an e-book is 30 or more pages long. An e-book can be delivered via the internet as a Microsoft Word document or a Text document, but the preferred method is as an Adobe PDF-format document.
There are two barriers most people need to overcome.
The first is that they're not a writer. The second is that they lack information of value that others will want to buy. The chances are that both of these are perceptions but not truth. If one can write an email and send it to a friend or business colleague, they can write an e-book. The document will need to be free of spelling errors and major grammatical errors. This can be overcome either by using the computer's spell-check and grammar-check tools or with the help of a friend that can do the editing.
The second barrier is that they don't have information of value that others will want to buy. It is necessary to have marketable knowledge, skills, or experience. For example, a person with experience or special knowledge as a gardener, landscaper, fix-it person, sheet-rocker, deck builder, money manager, golf instructor, coach, or electrician likely has information of marketable value. A person with a knack for explaining something, that often confuses other people, can market that ability. Take some time and think through these things. Talk to a friend, relative, or professional colleague and ask their opinion. All of the ideas that surface are source material for e-books.
2. Affiliate Marketing Become an Affiliate:
Many businesses have an Affiliate Program that offers others the opportunity to sell their products. The "affiliate" promotes their products online and receives a commission on all sales. It shouldn't cost anything to become an affiliate. However, the affiliate will need a website to market the products.
Entering into an Affiliate Agreement is fast and provides quick access to a broad variety of products and services. The affiliate's challenge is to find ways to effectively market these products and services.
It's easy to find businesses that offer an affiliate program. Let's assume a person wants to sell JEWELRY. Go to Google and enter in the phrase "jewelry +affiliate". Google will list numerous companies that offer affiliate programs associated with the sale of jewelry. Click on the search engine listing, look at the company's Affiliate Program Terms and Conditions, and sign up. It's as simple as that. Get some promotional materials from the company and start the online marketing of their products.
3. Online Auctions Sell items in an online auction:
Many people have a storage space in their basement, attic, or closet where they put things that seldom or never get used. After awhile, they've got so much stuff they start looking for more space. They might think of these items as "junk". In reality, they are sources of cash. Why not sell these items on the internet in an online auction. In many cases these items are worth more than one would anticipate.
Online auctions are a real easy way to earn money quickly. It's probably one of the best ways to make cash fast. Once all the personal items have been sold, offer to sell items for friends and neighbors. Take a percentage of the sale (e.g. 25% - 40% of the sell price). The friends or neighbors benefit from making money on the sale and they benefit by freeing up space taken by their "junk". A person can further expand this into a business by purchasing excess inventory at highly discounted prices and then turning around and selling those items for a profit. In many cases, the excess inventory can be purchased in an online auction. Auctions are a quick way to bring in some money and a website is not needed to make it happen. Furthermore, it is not necessary to be a "business" to sell personal items online.
Ebay makes it very easy to set up an account at no charge. Once an account is set up, a person can sell most anything. There are multiple ways to receive payments with no up-front expense to the seller. Just list the item, download a digital photo of the item to be sold, and enter a description for the item. Another benefit of an online auction is that the search feature in the auction site makes it very easy for products to be found.
Conclusion:
There are multiple alternatives available to anyone that wants to sell products online and earn money quickly. You don't have to be wealthy or a college graduate to come up with a product to sell and to market that product online. It just takes a strong desire to make it happen and the discipline to stick with it once you've started.
Expert advice for individuals needing to earn money quickly and to help them find products that can be sold to make cash fast When unforeseen circumstances require you to earn money fast check out these resources.
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