Sales from the EDGE
Back Issue #038

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Sales from the EDGE Issue #038

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sales from the EDGE
Breaking Through the "White Noise" Of Selling on the Net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From time to time, the EDGE publishes important updates that
you need to SELL on the Net. Most "latest and greatest" Net
marketing & sales developments simply waste our time. Today's
"hot new technology" is tomorrow's "whatever happened to?"
 
Occasionally, though, something comes along that STICKS. It
might NOT even be NEW... but we need to be reminded. When
that happens, the EDGE cuts through all the "white noise" of
Web marketing.  It explains the issue and outlines clearly
how YOU can best take advantage of it.
 
SALES FROM THE EDGE is sent ONLY to SiteSell product owners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
July 16, 2003
Issue #038
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
o SITESELL NEWS...
 
  1) All AdSense, All Day
     THE News of the Year for Many SSBs
     Is the Perfect Fit for SBI! Users, Too!

  2) Webmasters Adopt SBI! in Record Numbers
 
 
 o FEATURED ARTICLE...
 
 1) Google's AdSense... 
    A Tailor-Made Way to Monetize Your Site!
       
       -   Introduction... Making Grime Pay
       -   Should *YOU* Participate?
       -   How To Get Started
       -   What If My Site is Not Accepted?
       -   What SBIers Are Saying About AdSense
       -   Integrating AdSense into Your SBI! Site
       -   Getting The Most out of AdSense
    
============================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NEWS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
>-News-
---1---
>-News-
 
All AdSense, All Day
THE News of the Year for Many SSBs
Is the Perfect Fit for SBI! Users, Too!


AdSense, *THE* big news story for "Small-Small-Businesses"
("SSBs"), rewards small publishers of quality, content-rich,
niche sites with a lucrative new revenue stream.  In the
same way that SBI! liberates Webmasters and SSBs to focus on
building great content while traffic builds on its own (for
free), Google's AdSense frees Webmasters from the drudgery
of monetizing all the free traffic that they build.

So there is a strong DOUBLE bottom-line reason to combine
Google's AdSense and SBI!...

Small publishers of great content focus on what they love to
do... create theme-based content on niches of passion and
knowledge.  The traffic, AND the income, now take care of
themselves.

And who wins?  Everyone...

Google, SBI!, Web surfers/searchers, advertisers, and
especially...

Webmasters and small businesses who create SBI! sites.

That's why, in this issue of the Edge, I'm reproducing the
best (and most important) article I've written in months. 
It's the AdSense article that appeared recently in the Site
Build It! Xpress (SBIX is the weekly newsletter sent only to
SBIers, with the "Xpress" purpose of helping them wr-r-ring
the most from their sites).  Although written for SBIers,
the material applies to anyone with a Web site.

This is a biggie, but it's extremely important.  So...

Print it and read in the comfort of your favorite chair...
it's that important! Once you've read it, and made notes 
and jotted down your action steps, then, as always...

Just do it.  :-)

-----SIDEBAR-----
Site Build It! Xpress (SBIX) is perhaps SBI's
most under-emphasized feature. Maybe that's
why SBI! owners are so pleasantly surprised
when they "Xperience Xpress."

What does SBIX do?

It delivers only the news and information
that helps SBIers wr-r-r-ring the most out of
Site Build It!. And there are no back issues.

Instead, we summarize and enter ALL IMPORTANT
INFORMATION into the various HQs in Site
Central (Search Engine HQ, Directories HQ,
Pay-Per-Click HQ, Paid SE HQ, Tips 'n
Techniques (TNT) HQ).

It's all part of the overall SBI! policy...
you should not have to focus on anything that
has to do with technology. Not even keeping
up-to-date with 100 e-zines. Because Xpress
does all that for you -- we boil it all down
to the key material and analysis that you
NEED to know... to BUILD your business.

Because growing your business is the only
thing you SHOULD focus upon.

SBIX does not cover fads or the latest "hot
secret strategy." It builds upon the solid
foundation that is SBI!, and it covers
hundreds of sources to bring you only the new
information, techniques and strategies that
promise to become "the new standards."

So.........................................

We decided to both showcase SBIX and share
this important AdSense information with you.
Keep in mind that this issue was written for
SBI! owners, so you can see the quality of
the information that it delivers. But at the
same time, you will see that this particular
issue's message applies to you, too.

NOTE: This issue is substantially longer than
normal. Most issues are short, punchy updates
that are then integrated into the HQs. But,
short or long, you simply won't have to read
100 other e-zines to "keep up to date." Sure,
keep your 3 best "desert island" e-zines
(although we likely review those, too). But
SBIX filters out all the noise for you,
freeing your mind and energy to build your
business.

And now, without further ado, I hope you
enjoy this important article.
-----SIDEBAR-----

If you have yet to try SBI!, Google's AdSense adds yet
another strong monetization reason to do so...

http://buildit.sitesell.com/

If you ARE an SBI! owner, the next news piece may be of
interest to you, too.  But you can skip the article. You've
already read it, and it will be updated regularly in the
Tips 'n Technique HQ.



>-News-
---2---
>-News-

Webmasters Adopt SBI! in Record Numbers


Are you a Webmaster?  Are you thinking about starting your
own Webmaster business?  Well...

If you have not yet tried SBI! for a small business client,
you're falling behind.  SBI! makes current Web hosting
obsolete -- all that work and tedium is needlessly painful
and time-consuming.

Since we launched the HTML Editor, it's been a bit nuts
around here.  That's what happens when you deliver the full
power and time-saving automation of SBI!, PLUS the
flexibility and productivity of the HTML Editor of your
choice (DreamWeaver, FrontPage, GoLive, etc.).

So, if you're a Webmaster, or looking to become one,
consider SBI! for these kinds of small business clients...

http://buildit.sitesell.com/sbi-businesses/

Use SBI!, together with your HTML Editor and graphic and
other software of choice, to build professional AND
successful Web sites for your SSB clients.

Full details at our new site, built just for Webmasters...

http://webmaster.sitesell.com/

And find out how to benefit from free exposure on SiteSell
by becoming an SBI! Certified Webmaster...

http://webmaster.sitesell.com/certified/


************************************************************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FEATURED ARTICLES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-------
---1--- 
-------

Google's AdSense...  
A Tailor-Made Way To Monetize Your SBI! Site!


********************************
Introduction... Making Grime Pay
********************************

Recently, Google released what can already be described as
the "revolutionary" AdSense program....

https://www.google.com/adsense/

Basically, you place Google AdWords on your site(s).  For
every ad clicked, you receive money.  AdSense ads are just
like the AdWords ads you see on the right-hand side of a
Google search results page... except they are on YOUR site.

Google uses its advanced, proprietary technology and
algorithms to determine the content of each of your site's
Web pages.  It then delivers ads that are contextually
relevant to your audience.  (As you'll soon see, the content
on the PAGE is more relevant to AdSense than the overall
SITE.)

Yes, relevant contextual advertising is indeed something
we've been preaching for years, way before this concept was
fashionable.  Please allow me the pleasure of saying...

"I told you so."  :-)

The results of Google's contextual TEXT ads?  SBI! users and
various forums and newsletters are reporting (in general
terms so as to avoid violating AdSense's confidentiality
terms and conditions) high click through rates and earnings.

How nice...

  o  no chasing of advertisers to place ads on your Web site

  o  reduced workload -- only need to manage the cream of 
     affiliate programs

  o  ongoing advertisers that will never run dry

  o  the "Google" name could very well enhance your 
     credibility. You've been accepted as a Google partner!  
     The first time ads may actually ADD credibility!  :-)

AdSense has the Net "buzzing" with excitement as Webmasters
and marketers the world over are attaining click through and
CPM rates not seen since dot-com "boom" times.

Allan Gardyne, not surprisingly, was one of the first to
write about his experiences with AdSense (as implemented on
AssociatePrograms.com, and on his assistant Rupert's SBI!
site, DJ-Tips-And-Tricks.com).  Although the Google
agreement prohibits Webmasters from providing specifics of
their program, Allan is pretty excited with the results so
far.  If you missed his article, here's the link...

http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/search/adsense.shtml

And while Allan was one of the first, the "guru lines" have
been buzzing and the verdict is unanimous... Google's
AdSense is very likely the most exciting thing EVER to
happen to "theme-based content sites." 

Hmmm... does that term ("theme-based content sites") sound
at all familiar?  Yes, it's as if Google has developed a
monetization model just for you!  :-)

-----SIDEBAR-----
Background Information...

What is Google AdSense?
https://www.google.com/adsense/faq#start1

Google's overview of the AdSense program is here...
https://www.google.com/adsense/overview

Is Google Right for Your Site?/Case Studies
https://www.google.com/adsense/success
-----SIDEBAR-----


In last week's SBIX, I quoted "GoogleGuy" (an anonymous
Google employee who posts on Webmasterworld.com)...

===========================================
....sites that provide solid content,
especially niche sites that don't want to
hunt down their own advertisers, should
really benefit ... there's a whole universe
of people who ... mostly produce
informational sites, and the chance to recoup
their costs without much effort is nice. I
hope AdSense does encourage more diversity
and voices on the web, because now smaller
sites can work on what they're interested in
the content of their sites without
worrying very much about the costs of
self-publishing information.
============================================

I have to say this publicly, just to squelch all the rumors
that arose after that post...

I am NOT GoogleGuy.  I did NOT write that.   ;-)

But I do, of course, concur 100%...

Building sites founded upon the solid precept of high-value,
focused content *IS* the core of the SBI! philosophy.  More
importantly, it's one of the fundamental laws that keeps the
Internet world spinning properly on its axis. It's the
fundamental law that keeps EVERYONE happy.

This program is a huge boon for small content publishers...
AND encourages higher quality content, helping the Net
overall.

It's the very OPPOSITE of tricks, of engine-spamming, of
creating useless, non-original, non-informing content...
"content for content's sake."  More than ever, success is
all about "keeping it REAL" -- do that and you'll be well
rewarded.  Better yet, do that and even GOOGLE rewards you!

It encourages ALL to play by the rules.  It fulfills the
needs of SEs (whose job it is to deliver quality,
content-rich, relevant sites to their searching customers).
It fulfills your visitor's needs.  And lastly, it fulfills
your needs by establishing your credibility and expertise.

WIN-WIN-WIN.  Google-searcher-you.

Isn't this what PREselling is all about?

Almost every SBIer is intent on monetizing his/her passion
and knowledge.  So it's wonderful to have one more
practical, positive monetization option, especially when it
comes from such a highly credible source like Google.

This is why AdSense is so important to SBIers -- it rewards
you for creating sites rich in high-quality, focused
content... the sort of sites that make the Net a better
place!  Of course, these are the sites that build trust,
establish credibility, and effectively PREsell the products
or services you represent.  In other words, Google AdSense
is encouraging the creation of the sort of sites that
already build a viable, profitable, vibrant Web business
(i.e., SBI! sites) -- it's even paying you to do it!

The AdSense program empowers you to "display" Google's
Adwords ads on your site (we'll get into the mechanics of
this later in the article).  Now there's no need to rely on
just any affiliate program.  This frees you up to represent
only the cream of affiliate programs.

Banners?  Forget them -- Google outperforms.  (You know, of 
course, what a non-banner-believer I've been since I first 
wrote MYSS!.  Yay!  Contextual text ads rule.)

Ad networks?  Not worth the bother (unless they raise their
payouts and make it easier for small-small businesses to
join, the way that Google does).  

In short, Google is going to grab a whole lot of business
away from those who try to "make crime pay" -- instead, it's
rewarding those who "make GRIME pay."

GRIME?  Yes, you've got to get your hands dirty to make
money on the Net.  Even with SBI!, it takes time and work --
although a whole lot less than anywhere else on the Net. 
And Google will pay you to get some grime under your
keyboard fingernails.

I told you this was great news, right?   :-)

There is, of course, a time and place to use AdSense.  For
example, some SBI! sites are right for it, and some are not.
And there are sites that Google will accept, and those it
will reject.  Let's take a look at the who-what-
when-where-why-and-how of Google... specifically, the "how"
so that you can get the most out of AdSense for your SBI!
site(s).


*************************
Should *YOU* Participate?
*************************

Participating in Google's AdSense program requires no long
term contract.  Want to STOP participating?  Simply remove
the code from your site and send Google a brief note. 
There's absolutely no risk in experimenting.

Since you are free to place the ads anywhere you like on
your site, it is easy to leverage the income-producing
potential of low-converting pages, without compromising the
PREselling efficiency of the pages that monetize well.

In short, there are very few reasons why one would NOT want
to participate in the AdSense program.  In most cases, it's
a true WIN-WIN-WIN (Google-visitor-you) situation.

-----SIDEBAR-----
Of course, if you're just getting started and
traffic is low (say less than 50 unique
visitors per day), then hold off on joining
and focus on building more, more, more great
content!  Then "do Google."   :-)
-----SIDEBAR-----


Even if you aren't entirely sure the AdSense program is
right for your business, Google has made it easy, and so
tempting, to test.  From the feedback we've gathered...

o  Click through rates are many times the industry average
-- some Webmasters report rates ranging as high as 10-20%.

o  It appears (at this point) that Google is paying a
generous percentage of a keyword's value, enough to beat the
income generated by many affiliate programs.  Translation?
Higher earnings for you.

However, keep in mind that the money YOU earn depends on the
competitiveness of your industry, the number of visitors to
your site, the number of impressions, click through rates
and the value level of your keywords.  In other words, it
depends on how well you have followed the SBI! Action Guide.

Remember... SBI! is not magic -- you have always had to
follow the guide and work.  Virtually every SBIer who DOES
that is profitable.

NOW.... you'll be MORE profitable.

-----

Before you even consider Google AdSense as a "monetizing"
option for your site, do a self-evaluation...

First of all, ensure that your site is high quality --
clean, with plenty of great information.  Google has to
answer to its advertisers, meaning it must maintain a high
standard of editorial quality.

If your site is one big sales pitch (i.e., if you ignored
the Action Guide), you'll be turned down.

If your site is loaded with tons of affiliate links (i.e., if
you ignored the Guide), there's no point in enrolling in the
program... you will be rejected by the Google spider and
algorithm without ever being seen by a human!   

-----SIDEBAR-----
My hunch is a human only looks at those sites
that an algorithm finds borderline.
-----SIDEBAR-----

A text-based affiliate link on a page is probably OK, but
if you scatter them all over the place... bye-bye.

Banners galore? (Gosh, I really hope NOT, I'd be so
ashamed!)  Hasta la vista.

So if you have many affiliate links, drop all the poor-
performing ones.  Keep only the cream of the cream, the few
programs that are generating income.  Trash the banners. 
Clean, scrub and polish.  :-)

--

Second, review Google's program policies...

https://www.google.com/adsense/policies

.... to ensure you are not inadvertently violating one or
more of them.  (More on how to handle rejection below.)

If your site passes YOUR OWN two preliminary tests (BEFORE
you submit to Google), congratulations!  It's time to move
on!  If not, it's time to follow the Action Guide and clean
up/improve your site.

--  

Assuming you met the above testing standards, let's move on
to other considerations.  There ARE occasions when AdSense
may *NOT* make sense for your business...

o  Do you target a sensitive audience?  Are you concerned
about the sort of image your business will portray by
running ads?  If so, test VERY carefully.

o  Is your absolute #1 priority getting YOUR message to YOUR
visitors to PREsell high-value returns?  For example, are
you selling your services, using SBI! to secure tens of
thousands of dollars in new client business?  Or, like
imaginge.com, have you sold over two million dollars worth
of equipment due to your SBI! site and do not want to upset
that apple cart?  Give AdSense a pass, or test VERY
carefully.  As imaginge.com owner Jerry Mack wrote...

--------------------------------------------      
Google AdSense on imaginge.com doesn't really
make sense because the whole purpose of this
site is to attract targeted customers for our
products.  Imaginge.com is not a site devoted
to generating money with affiliate marketing
or advertising.  The revenue we produce from
this site is all based on products we carry
in our inventory.  So, ads on the site would
probably be a distraction to the traffic we
capture using SBI!.

By the way I know you hear it a lot but, I
love SBI!  It is really the best tool I have
ever used in selling anything.

Thanks,
Jerry Mack 
www.imaginge.com
-------------------------------------------- 

o  Are the relevant keywords for your site of low value? 
Are click through rates low?  Depending on the purpose of
your site, AdWords may not be worthwhile.  However, see the
strategies below for how to turn this around.

o  Does your site already do an efficient job of monetizing
your traffic?  If so, Google's ads may distract your
visitors from more profitable avenues.

-- 

On the other hand, there are special circumstances where
Google Adwords may be especially tempting.  For example...

Have you been having trouble getting spidered or ranked
highly by Google?  Well, in case you are wondering, Google's
official public statement is that participating (or not
participating) in the AdSense program will not affect your
ranking in the Google search results...

https://www.google.com/adsense/faq#basics6

But heck... if your Spider Report is telling you that Google
spiders are just not visiting certain pages, put some
AdWords on them.  If certain pages are not scoring well, put
some Adwords on them.  Experiment.  See what happens.

------

Bottom line?...

If in doubt, give AdSense a try.  You can always pull down 
your ads if it does not make sense to continue.

Simple, right?


*******************
How To Get Started
*******************

Any site that is content-focused is eligible for the AdSense
program.  Of course, your application has to be accepted.
And Google wants content-rich sites (sites offering
information)... which means every SBI! site is eligible! :-)


STEP 1) Snse program on his SBI! site,
Diet-Supplement-Review.com...

http://www.diet-supplement-review.com/

.... and on his original, older, bigger pre-SBI!, site...

http://www.ultimatefatburner.com/

NOTE:  The AdSense HTML ad code is unique for your account
and is NOT site/page-specific.  You can place the code and
run ads on any page or site you own...

https://www.google.com/adsense/faq-tech#q5

.... but there's no way to tell which of the sites performs
better, or which of the many pages delivers the greatest
number of click throughs.  Google is bound to improve this
shortcoming.

-----SIDEBAR-----
Regarding Paul Crane having two sites on one
account... Google initially prohibited
Webmasters from opening separate accounts for
different domains.  While the AdSense
agreement still prohibits this...

Paragraph 1 
of AdSense Standard Terms and Conditions
https://www.google.com/adsense/terms

.... their FAQ seems to soften the stance...

FAQ...
https://www.google.com/adsense/faq#eligibility6

Also, the application form would seem to
imply that more than one account may be OK, 
inviting you to create an AdSense account 
with the same login...

https://www.google.com/adsense/application-1

Play it safe.  Write to Google and explain
why you need separate accounts, to be able to
track separate sites (especially if the sites
are of greatly different themes -- heck, you
need to know which site is working!).
-----SIDEBAR-----  


Shortcoming #2 -- Which keywords are earning?

Another example of something you'd love to know!  My
daughter, Nori, has put the AdSense code on some of her
anguilla-beaches.com pages...

http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/

http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/offshore-companies.html

I suspect that the "offshore" words are worth more than
words on the other pages, but a lack of reporting makes it
far more tedious to find out (I will, of course, tell you
how to do so below!).

    
Shortcoming #3 -- Which ad format is earning?

Ads can be displayed in two formats (you may only display
one unit of ads per page)...

o  The banner format, which displays 2 ads in the typical
horizontal "banner" format

o  The skyscraper format, where up to 4 ads can be displayed
vertically in the right or left hand margin of your page.
According to Google, ads in the skyscraper format tend to
"pull" better (especially on the right side of the page) so
this is the preferred format.

As I mentioned above, Google's contextual TEXT ads are
generating high click through rates and income.  But there's
no way to know which format is working best on your site.

And, finally, on the shortcomings list...

The Reporting shortcomings are bothersome, but not REALLY
serious.  I'm sure Google plans to upgrade with these
features.  It's in everyone's interest to do so.             


********************************
What If My Site is Not Accepted?
********************************

Is an SBI! site guaranteed to be accepted?

Only if you follow the Action Guide.  OK, OK, even then,
maybe not.  But most have been.  Google's criteria and goals
are so closely aligned with the SBI! philosophy, that you
SHOULD be accepted if you have followed the SBI! Action
Guide process.  But that's not a promise.

Let's review Google's site policies from...

https://www.google.com/adsense/policies

There are more obscure criteria outlined by Google in the 
above URL, but here are the important ones...

-----DIRECT GOOGLE QUOTE-----
Site may not include:

*Excessive profanity

*Hate, violence, racial intolerance, or
advocate against any individual, group, or
organization 

*Hacking/cracking content

*Drugs and drug paraphernalia

*Pornography

*Gambling or casino-related content

*Incentives of any kind for users to
click on ads

*Excessive advertising

*Other content-targeted and/or text-based
ads on the pages displaying AdWords ads

*Pop-ups that interfere with site
navigation or are for downloads

*Ads that mimic AdWords ads or appear to
be associated with AdWords ads on your site.

- Ads must not be displayed on any pop-ups,
pop-unders, error, registration, or "thank
you" pages, or in any email.

- Site must not contain broken links and must
be launched, functioning, and easily
navigable.

- Sites must respond adequately to support
requests and enquiries of their users.

- AdWords ads may not appear on personal pages.
-----DIRECT GOOGLE QUOTE-----

NOTE that "no ads in e-mail" restriction.  Do NOT put Google
ads in your HTML e-zine when you use MailOut to send your
e-zine.  That's a good one to remember.

And... I presume that "personal pages" means all those pages
or sites you see on free Web hosts (yet another example of
how those sites get no respect -- they ain't "free" if you
factor in the value of your time).  Let's look at it from
Google's point of view...

Do they want their advertisers to complain when their ad
turns up on some tripod or other free site (especially if
they are competition for Google)???  Which brings me to the
bigger point...

Google retains the exclusive right to approve sites it feels
are relevant to its advertising program.  I've heard from
several SBIers whose sites were rejected immediately with no
further explanation.  Clearly, they were cut by a spider and
an algorithm.

If your site is refused... put yourself in Google's shoes
and review the criteria outlined above.  You may very well
see what's wrong (Google won't tell you, no time), make
corrections, and apply again, explaining how you've improved
the site (please let me know if you manage to get a refusal
overturned).

o  Example... clean up all those affiliate links by removing
the 90% of merchants that produce no income.  Do you have 20
Amazon links on every page?  Chop to the best 1 or 2 (unless
this is working well for you, of course).


o  Example... do you have a page with contextual ads from 
another company (ex., About.com/Sprinks or soon, Overture)?
Make a choice.


o  Example... move the sales pitch for your service or
e-book off the main track.  It should not be there anyway --
PREsell, then sell.  Create great content, and lots of it.
THAT is how you'll get found, in any event.

One of your buttons should be "My Services" or for your
product, most certainly.  But when a site starts with a huge
sales pitch, you're dead with Google before you get going. 
I would not be surprised if Google's algorithm is sensitive
enough to detect "hype."


o  Example... is your SBI! site mostly graphics?  Mostly
FLASH?  Sorry, AdSense is a text-based technology.


o  Example... do you serve banner ads from an ad network? 
I'll bet Google just hates those, even if they are not too
specific on it.  Get rid of those banners -- unless you have
a rather unique, lucrative CPM deal (almost unheard of), go
Google.


o  Example... if you are already advertising for an
advertiser of Google's, the algorithm will probably drop you.


o  Example... size.  I doubt if any site with less than 20
pages is likely to be accepted.  Also age... if you're brand
new, try again in 3 months.  Create 50 pages of great
content in the meantime -- it will be worth it.


o  Example... traffic.  If I was Google, and if I had a nice
partner like Alexa (which Google does), I'd check at Alexa
to get a rough idea of traffic (yes, I know it's not exact,
but a site scoring more than 2,000,000 at Alexa is not
getting any traffic).  So Google could certainly do this.

-----SIDEBAR-----
If you are not getting good traffic after a
few months with SBI!, you are doing something
wrong -- over half of SBI! owners rank in the
Top 6%, some of them are a mere month or two
old.  So get back to the Action Guide and
figure out what's wrong.

Watch for the imminent launch of SBI! Expert
Consulting -- these folks know SBI! and will
help you figure out what's wrong, if you're
having trouble.  (You may have chosen the
wrong niche or you may be misunderstanding
something.  All you likely need is some
direction from someone who knows SBI!.)

Obviously, while SiteSell provides top-notch
technical support, it's just not possible to
provide consulting.  The SBI! process, if
followed, should take you there, because...

SBI! works.  It works the same way that the
best set of power tools on the planet work...
if YOU work them.  So if you need some
consulting help with your power tools, the
"super tool(wo)men" are on the way.
-----SIDEBAR-----


Bottom line?  

I'm more and more impressed with how Google's "criteria for
inclusion" match the advice and process that are outlined in
the Action Guide.  Follow it to get in.

--

IMPORTANT:  We have received e-mails from several SBIers
whose sites have actually been refused.  Usually, it's easy
to see why, by measuring them against the above criteria.
However, a couple of excellent sites HAVE been rejected.

One example of "rejected excellence" is...

http://www.chile-pepper-sauces.com/

Super content.  A site that I personally really enjoy.  I
learned a lot about chile peppers.  It gets decent traffic
(Alexa score of 150,000).  About the only thing we can spot
is that he has some Amazon links.  If that's enough to get
you kicked out, ouch!  Decision time.  Stick with Amazon or
switch?  But first, we need to know.

Danny Sullivan of SearchEngineWatch fame, has quoted a Google 
executive as saying...

--------------------------------------------
Not all the sites that apply are going to be
accepted. We have a strict way of measuring
whether or not we think a site will grow well
and whether advertisers will want to be on
those sites.
--------------------------------------------

So...

We need to hear from YOU if your SBI! site has been
rejected.  Include domain name and details of how quickly
you were rejected.  There seems to be two levels...
immediate or within 24 hours.  The former is definitely by
an algorithm, and the latter is probably by a human
who reviews cases that the algorithm scores as "borderline."  

If you get a "human-24-hour" refusal, make appropriate
changes and e-mail back to try and make your case.  (Do that
anyway, but especially if you receive a delayed rejection.) 
Some folks are already claiming to have succeeded on appeal.

The more rejected sites we can accumulate, the easier it
will be to detect patterns as to why Google accepts and
rejects the sites that seem excellent.  You probably won't
like the answers we determine, so remember it's not OUR
decision! ;-)

But it will give YOU, in an upcoming SBIX article, the info
you need to adjust, IF you want to.  (Info which will be
available ONLY to SBIers -- our unique database of sites and
Search Engine activity/results is going to yield more
and more tremendous articles that you won't read anywhere
else.)


************************************
What SBIers Are Saying About AdSense 
************************************

To date, every SBI! AdSense participant has been absolutely
thrilled with Google's new program.  And that matches our
review of the guru forums/mailing lists.  Here's some
feedback from just a few SBIers who are already reporting
results...

--------------------------------------------
I've been using AdSense for 4 days now. The
results are absolutely amazing, to say the
least. Pursuant to the terms and conditions,
as you know, we are not allowed to share any
statistics that appear in our Log-In area,
but let's just say that after 4 days, my
effective CPM is floating around the 3 digit
mark!

Like I said, pretty incredible stuff. :)

Now before implementing AdSense, I was
worried that it would divert click throughs away
from my Xtend-Life links, but surprisingly
this has not happened! I continue to generate
the same level of traffic and extremely high
conversion rates to my Xtend-Life links as I
did before.

What this tells me is that I am now
effectively monetizing all the traffic that
was not interested in my Xtend-Life
recommendations.

It has added an entirely new and significant
revenue dimension to my site with seemingly
no drawbacks.

It's almost as if Google created AdSense
specifically for SBI webmasters! ;)

Dan Ho
http://www.nutritional-supplement-info.com/
--------------------------------------------

Ho-ho-ho!  Merry Christmas, Dan.  I love it.  :-)


Next...

--------------------------------------------
I had to look twice and start counting the
possibilities on my fingers... what if I
could get the traffic numbers up to where
they should be?
 
So far the money isn't huge but the numbers
tell me the potential of using AdSense... but
even if I do nothing and this rate of return
continues, the site would earn approximately
$400/month, or $5000/yr.  With probably 6-10
hours work I could quadruple the traffic and
turn this into a $20,000 /yr site.
 
This opens up a whole a lot of website
possibilities.

So it's foot to the pedal to increase the
traffic...

all the best
Ross
http://www.227unusualbusinessideas.com/
--------------------------------------------

Ross, push the pedal to the metal.  We're already seeing
SBIers buying multiple copies of SBI! to devote to this.

Remember, though... KEEP IT REAL.  Don't create schlock
content.  It's all about loving what you do, knowing what
you write about (or learning/researching it first), creating
high-value content that readers will value.  Do that...

.... and Google will embrace you with open arms, and a
regular check.  :-)

Next, from my very first hero of Net marketing, way back
when Audri Lanford owned and ran Netrageous.  Audri had this
to say about her SBI! site...

http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/

--------------------------------------------
It has been doing quite well.  We're not
allowed to give specifics according to
Google, but I can tell you this...

We have put ads up on all our pages except
the home page. Here's an example...

http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/chocolate-quotes.html

We started adding AdSense the day we got
accepted to the program (which was the day
after the program was announced when we
applied).

We have noticed NO decrease in other revenue
from the site. Although this site doesn't
have high-paying keywords, the click through
rate is excellent, and it will provide some
nice income each month.  We're very happy
with the program, especially since it took
very little time to add the Google AdSense
code to each page of the site.

Audri
http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/ 
--------------------------------------------

On a different note, Audri and her husband Jim have just put
up a brand new must-visit site dedicated to helping YOU
wring the most from the AdSense program...

http://www.about-adsense.com/

And don't miss their AdSense Web Tool...

http://www.about-adsense.com/adsense-web-tool.html

Talk about grabbing a NEW niche fast!  Now that's smart Net
marketing.  :-)

--------------------------------------------


Next, Martin Brock from Copenhagen who just bought three new
SBI! sites -- he's so excited about SBI!...

--------------------------------------------
It does indeed look VERY promising. I have
run some tests on a number of sites, and in
most cases the results have by far exceeded
my expectations.

I started out testing AdSense on a few pages,
then decided to try it out on all my pages. 
Actual results for my site were very
good the first few days, but since I haven't
quite seen the same results for that
particular site (average revenue per click
has decreased and clickthrough rates haven't
been quite as high either, but it still
delivers an effective CPM that is far
superior to any other advertising network).
Google's Adwords will remain much better than
the other ad networks like Burst, Fastclick
and others. 

I know from other webmasters, especially in
industries such as web hosting, internet
marketing and other areas with extremely high
ppc bids the payout from AdSense has been $5
per click and up, which is why I'll try some
different topics for my new sites.

A good thing is that it does not seem to
affect my affiliate commissions in a negative
way, so for now I will keep the Ads on my
site even if the clickthrough doesn't pick up
again.

With the extra sites I've bought, I have
plenty of work for quite a while. I think
though, for the sites that I want to build -
affiliate commissions will still be the
primary source of income

I believe we're looking at a potential
renaissance of online advertising here, and
unlike every other advertising network we're
looking at a strong competitor to affiliate
programs. The strengths of the program are
Google's large advertiser base, (automatic)
keyword targeted text ads and high bids on
keywords. This simply translates into a very
nice bottomline due to high CTRs and high
payouts per click.

Martin
http://www.online-dog-store.com/
--------------------------------------------


On the home front (well, the Caribbean home front anyway),
Nori's (my daughter's) Anguilla Beaches site...

http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/

.... is going to put a few hundred dollars in her jeans each
month, easily, thanks to the AdSense program.  Excellent
click through rate and CPM.

-----SIDEBAR-----
If you have a teenager doing SBI!, be sure to
tell him/her NOT to sit in front of the
computer, clicking on the Adword links over
and over and over again...

How do you prevent click and impression spam?
https://www.google.com/adsense/faq#basics9

Paragraph 6 of AdSense Standard Terms and Conditions
https://www.google.com/adsense/terms
-----SIDEBAR-----


And Paul Crane's sites...

http://www.ultimatefatburner.com/
http://www.diet-supplement-review.com/

.... are doing even better -- he has some pretty high-value
words in his two sites.  And hundreds of pages.

I asked Paul for his comments...

--------------------------------------------
For ages I've been looking for some way to
better "monetize" the traffic to these sites.
With over 300 content pages listed in the SEs
working to draw targeted traffic, my traffic
stats are significant.  However, a HUGE
percentage of those visitors don't convert
into customers of anything, which is
extremely frustrating.  In the week I've had
the program in operation, I've seen AdSense
outperform every affiliate program but one. 
Some days, it even outperforms profits from
my Yahoo Store...

http://www.ultimatefatburner-store.com/

In other words, I'm a few short steps away
from getting "Google" tatooed on my bicep!

Bottom line?

If you've followed the recommendations of the
Action Guide, and have built a site packed
with quality Keyword Focused Content Pages,
AdSense provides you with a fantastic way to
add a viable source of revenue to your site
-- you can expect to earn anywhere from a few
hundred to a few thousand extra dollars a
month depending on the keywords your site
targets, the traffic it receives, and the
clickthrough rates it generates.
--------------------------------------------


***************************************
Integrating AdSense Into Your SBI! Site
***************************************

As mentioned earlier in this article, AdSense ads are
displayed in two formats...


1) The "Banner" format... 

  o  Displays 3 lines of text
  
  o  Requires a 468x60 space
  
  o  Shows up to 2 ads on a given page, horizontally


2) The "Skyscraper" format...
 
  o  Displays 4 lines of text
  
  o  Requires a 120x600 space
  
  o  Shows up to 4 ads per page
  
  o  Generally produces better results on pages


Once you're accepted into the program, you'll be able to
log in to your account.  Google generates the appropriate
JavaScript code to cut and paste into your Web pages.

If you are using SBI!'s HTML Editor Compatibility Module to
build your pages, simply place your Javascript code within a
TABLE of the appropriate size (468 X 60 for banners, 120 X
600 for skyscraper), exactly on the page where you want the
ads to appear.  For more tech details...

https://www.google.com/adsense/faq-tech

That's about as much tech info as you'll need, if you are
already HTML-savvy and using your own HTML Editor to build
SBI! pages.  :-)

-----

OK, the rest of this technical "how-to" is for those using
SiteBuilder.  If you're using SBI!'s block-by-block
builder...

You always start a page with a headline block, right?  OK,
we'll paste our HTML code into the first text block.  

But first, let's prepare it...

STEP 1)  Log in to your AdSense account.


STEP 2)  Click into the box that contains Google's
javascript code for a skyscraper ad.   Select it all
(control+a).


STEP 3) Copy the javascript code into your clipboard
(control+c).


STEP 4) Because Google explains the next step badly, we have
prepared a small snippet of HTML for you...

 

<>
 

This snippet will put the skyscraper where it works best, on
the right side of your page.

See that tag <>?  That's
where you paste the javascript from Google, REPLACING the
"<>" tag.

So your final HTML/javascript code, that will now position 
the ad correctly, will look something like this (don't copy 
this one unless you want my daughter to gain from it!)...

-------------------------------------------------------------
 
-------------------------------------------------------------


STEP 5) At the very beginning of your FIRST TEXT BLOCK AFTER
YOUR HEADLINE BLOCK (or in the position that you wish to
place your skyscraper ad), copy and paste the above code,
(all of it, from the opening TABLE tag to the closing tag