MrSavage - 1:26 am on Aug 9, 2012 (gmt 0)

As the OP of this, I've since had a bit of time to think a bit more on the subject.

People are suggesting affiliate links are only suitable in some situation. I would think it affiliate links don't fit with what you're doing, then you're not building towards the future. I'm sure some will thrive in the future but to be reliant on Adsense and have a site that can't also incorporate affiliate links? I personally would much rather look at my sites and ask myself could these survive with affiliate links only. If the answer is yes, then I would be more inclined to invest time in working on that site.

I will say somebody made a good point about not being in the USA or not having enough traffic that can utilize affiliate links because of where their traffic resides. Fair enough. I go back to my own preference. If Adsense is my sole or next to only source of revenue, I'm moving on in most cases. I've had enough of a reality check in 2012 to know the future is far from stable regarding Adsense.

I will agree with kickaxe. I only wish I could put up what I felt would be a reasonable number but the reality is that I can't put what I want.

Overall my feeling is the same. My sites are better without having large ad units. Less ads is better for the user right? That's a fact. I'm willing to sacrifice some real estate if that pays off. With that said when I can make in one affiliate sale that would take a month worth of ad clicks or worse? It's whatever floats your boat. It's all about a tipping point. Most people can't wait for that one payday from an affiliate sale and would rather see a steady and daily stream of nickels. It's either or. I'm just saying that in my situation and analysis, Adsense is not what is was even in 2011 and I don't think it's just me or my sites or content or rankings.

The main point is that the better Adsense gets for the advertiser, the worse it gets for the publisher. If you're getting get paying clicks then in todays world, that would say you're missing out on great converting traffic that wants to buy something now. In a sense you might just know when it's time to float affiliate links and reduce an ad unit or two. Perhaps it's the wrong thing to say here, I'm not sure. We're publishers talking to other publishers so why can't we talk about strategy and what might be the future?