What's one thing you wished you learned before you started?

[sjusc]

I'm just getting started and I would love to hear your tips. =)

[Frequent]

I wish I had never started checking my stats. ;)

Seriously, don't bother logging in to check your earnings more than once a day until you are making enough money that you would be afraid to loose the income. Spend all the time you can writing content to drive traffic.

Freq---

[Swebbie]

Put nearly all your working time into just two actions and you will definitely be more successful in a shorter period of time: add new content and get inbound links. That's it. Had someone conked me over the head with that simple advice in the early days, I'd have twice the income now.

[hunderdown]

Blend, don't contrast.

[Frequent]

Blend and contrast. ;)

Test placement, test colors, test pages.

But first write a LOT of content.

Freq---

[bnhall]

Plan for growth

[Zygoot]

Realize that the game doesn't end at $10-15/day.

[Musicarl]

Writing is important. I used to think people wanted bullet sentences when reading off the screen, so I didn't pay much attention to writing style. I've spent the last few years re-writing a lot of early content as a result.

But, the thing I really wish I knew:

Your website is not as important as your friends and loved ones. Not even close.

[berto]

Based on my experience:

First, focus on how to coax the best, most relevant, high-CTR, high-EPC ads from the Adsense ad server, using to best effect CSS divs; meta tags; h1s, h2s, ...; just the right mix of keywords; section targeting; etc.

After that, all the other optimizations--ad types, placements, colors, etc.--are only secondarily important.

[ann]

When my children were small I used to sew my little girl dresses just because I loved her and it gave me satisfaction. Well, on her dresses I used larger seams, doubled the hem size and put in stuff that could allow for growth. When the time came I would let out the seams etc. Not pretty so I used lace and decorations to doll it up, cover the hem/seam fades and made it look like a new dress.

What does this have to do with websites? I wish I had incorporated some hidden allowances for growth on my first sites.

I am doing just this now on the site I am currently doing. Adding hidden tables, collapsed is all a part of it.

Ann

[mgpapas]

First I wish I had know about adsense alot sooner.
Secondly back in february I applied to adsense and received the reply "I'm sorry yada yada, you have not been approved." In May I applied again and recieved the same response but this time I emailed again and asked for clarification or a review of the decision and included why I felt I should have been accepted and received an email stating "You have been approved sorry you were initially declined upon review your site meets our standards." So I wish I had followed up back in february.
I would suggest anyone who is not approved initially follow up so they don't regret it later.

[incrediBILL]

Realize that $100/$200/$300/etc. day are just a stepping stones and not a goals

If your goal is to just to make $100/day (or $50/day or whatever) that may be all you make if you're satisfied and become complacent with that number.

I was simply unaware of AdSense's potential and thought "eh, if I can get $100/day from this it's a nice addition to the bottom line" and let it languish there a couple of months. What a waste of income that was, but it took a while to wrap my brain around what had to be done to make adsense really shine and today I'd say the sky's the limit only limited by your creativity with your web site and SEO skills.

[Visit Thailand]

I wish that my oldest and main site had a lot more ad positions available through SSI.

All new sites are almost completely SSI driven.

[Heartlander]

This is a great thread, and this forum has been rejuvenated the last couple days without a doubt.
I think the "checking stats" ordeal is a no-brainer.
If you are only making a dollar a day, the odds are real good you won't be making even 2 bucks a day anytime soon....so stop looking for miracles!
Tell yourself that you are going to work real hard at creating something that meets your goals and check the stats no more than once a day.
Better yet- force yourself early on NOT to look at the stats every day and just work, work, work.
That time is better spent writing than reading. ; )

[mzanzig]

Install a click-tracker. Without, you are almost blind as to what works and what not.

[dibbern2]

Keep learning from your own mistakes.

When you look at even a $5/day account, you'll see some of your ideas are earning, and some are not. Stop doing what doesn't work; do more of what does work.

[sjusc]

Wow. Lots of great tips. I'm increasingly impressed by this board.

I love the candor =)

[adi_c]

Well, the single most important thing I wish I knew about, before I started messing with adsense, is THIS FORUM RIGHT HERE. ;)

[vartotojas]

Yeah, feel like wasting time visiting here.

It's not going to increase my earnings since I already know most of the advices. Could have added a page or two in the meanwhile.

But I still visit. What a waste..

[hunderdown]

vartotojas, since you already know so much, perhaps it is time to give something back and help the newbies?

[OptiRex]

For those with more than one site...install Adsense across them all and, in my experience since I am a niche widget reference site, on every page too.

I do know that some say this does not work for them however it works extremely well for my trade.

[aeiouy]

I wish I had never started checking my stats. ;)

Seriously, don't bother logging in to check your earnings more than once a day until you are making enough money that you would be afraid to loose the income. Spend all the time you can writing content to drive traffic.

This is excellent advice for newcomers... Too much time gets wasted looking at and obsessing over stats early on. One four day period I didn't check my stats at all and it made all the difference.

Now I give a quick glance in the morning as part of my daily routine where I reveiw everything, but other than that I do not look at my stats. It tends to take focus away from what you are doing...

As you noted unless you have substantial traffic the numbers are not significant anyways and can only lead you to make rash and unnecessary changes.

[conjo_guam]

Yesss,
I have PIP on my Payment history page.
This will be my first ever payment from my website.
Thanks adsense.