Forum Moderators: martinibuster
I'm not talking about scraper sites or sites which are nothing more than lists of links. I'm talking about a site with real content.
I'm also talking about publishing the site as a business rather than a hobby. A good writer should be able to research and write on almost any topic.
I'm also talking about a site with a long term outlook, not one designed to target the "keyword of the week".
So what topic would you pick to attract the most users and get the best paying AdSense ads - without getting too close to the type of sites which the AdSense TOS prohibit of course.
So what topic would you pick to attract the most users and get the best paying AdSense ads
Build a site that you are genuinely interested in without Adsense in mind, and you might find that you spend more time updating it and making it great because you are passionate about it, rather than it feeling like "work" because you want the best paying adsense ads.
My opinion is that if you are building a site "with Adsense in mind" and with the intention of getting "the best paying AdSense ads", then you are coming at it from the wrong direction.
That's just my opinion though :)
edit: BTW, Welcome to WebmasterWorld
[edited by: Rodney at 9:24 pm (utc) on Jan. 31, 2005]
The web doesn't need another mesothelioma site.
Earth to Sitebuilder.
If I had a topic I was going to build a site around why would I tell you so that you could compete with me?
I will give you a hint, sign up for AdWords then pick some keywords and see how much the top bids are per click. The higher the bid, the better the topic if you're just looking for cash. But a high paying keyword on a topic you know something about, where you can add a lot of value which will generate a lot of traffic, is probably your best bet.
If you have 3 or 4 topics in mind and can't decide, let AdWord be your guide. ;)
I'd suggest picking a topic that interests you a great deal and which has at least reasonable commercial potential (i.e., something that's likely to attract both targeted ads and an audience). It doesn't hurt if your topic lends itself to other revenue streams, too. And if you can focus on "evergreen" content that will remain useful with occasional updating, so much the better, because your traffic and income will then grow with your site.
what topic would you pick for the site?
I would then make an ordered list of these topics according to what I think the related keywords are paying (guesstimating by looking at Overture bids).
I would then make an ordered list of these topics sorted by how many relatively non-competitive keywords I can identify for them that I guesstimate would bring in at least a few visitors per day.
I would then make an ordered list of these topics sorted by what I call "keyword regeneration factor": how often do new keywords for this topic area reliably emerge? (Example: writing about sports cars has a good keyword regeneration factor, because I am absolutely sure that next year will bring new models to write about, and they will come with search terms that nobody is targetting today).
I would then make an ordered list of these topics sorted by "news blurbability". Set some Google Alerts for keywords related to each topic. Watch the alerts see how much easy-to-write-a-news-blurb-about news items gets delivered to your mailbox each day. That will be one way to easily and regularly expand both your website content and the wideness of your keyword net.
I would then make an ordered list of these topics based on "unique contributionability". For each topic, I would look at what top websites are doing with it, and assess how likely it is that I can make a unique contribution. E.g., if I look at top websites in this area and hardly any ideas spring to mind that I don't see anyone else doing, then I give that a low number for "unique contributionability".
Now I have a set of topics that has been sorted a bunch of different ways. I would stare at this set of lists, looking at just those that occur near the top of the most lists. From those, I would probably have a gut feel for which one I really have enough interest in to devote regular time to maintaining a website for.
I don't have an AdWords account, and don't know how to look up ads on Overture.
Do tourism / travel websites attract high paying ads?
Depends on the topic. Luxury yachting is more likely to attract high-paying ads than hitchhiking, for example. :-)
However, it's worth noting that the travel sector is extremely competitive, so the tough part is getting traffic. (In the search engines, you're often competing not only with content sites, but also with a zillion affiliate sites, travel-agency sites, etc.)
I don't have an AdWords account, and don't know how to look up ads on Overture.
Google for "overture bid tool". You will find a page where you can enter search terms and see what people are paying Overture for those search terms.
Fairly little effort or money is required to open an AdWords account. If you want to get serious about AdSense, the tiny effort is well worth it, IMO.
For example, just having a site on your favourite topic does not mean that you will make money. I am in India, and I know of a specific industry website which gets 5000 plus uniques every day, 15000 pageviews and - that pretty much means that the entire **** Indian industry - reads it, and still can't make money by way of ads or adsense.
Perhaps, it would be wiser to filter one's favourite topic through a does-it-make-money filter!
I live in New Zealand. I was thinking of touring the country with a notebook and digi cam, writing a page worth on, and taking photos of each of the unique and sometimes ecentric towns and places New Zealand has to offer.
I'll arrive home with a few hundred pages of content ready to go.
Good / bad idea?
For example, just having a site on your favourite topic does not mean that you will make money. I am in India, and I know of a specific industry website which gets 5000 plus uniques every day, 15000 pageviews and - that pretty much means that the entire **** Indian industry - reads it, and still can't make money by way of ads or adsense.
Any idea why?
