I have been adding more content here and less answering questions so back to the questions.

Today’s question:

Mike, Two quick questions: What is the name of the drop down menu RSS subscribe plugin that you are using on this blog? I like it. The BIG one: I saw your wonderful interview with Liz Tomey. You said that you test different Adsense placements with different WP themes. In your testing, have you found that a certain theme and/or placement combination works well. So well, that you use it as a benchmark to start your other sites? Example: I got the Revolution Magazine theme (not cheap) and it is beautiful. Great content, good traffic – but the Adsense click thru is so very bad. Pretty ain’t always the best. Many thanks, and keep up the good work. Robert

The first part is easy. I use Subscribe Me plugin for the drop down feed buttons. I like it because it makes a one click to add to the reader’s preferred feed reader. For example I use Google Reader and if I click the Google button it adds it to my reader in a click (as long as I am logged in which for me is almost always).

The second part is much harder.

My best results for ctr on Adsense usually come from having the ads embedded in the post itself. There are plugins that will do that but I prefer to hard code the Adsense into the theme itself.

Sidebar Adsense has never done well for me for click throughs compared to having it in the article.

Now I don’t intentionally create Adsense blogs as a primary monetization. They come about by testing.

I start with Adsense and if that is converting I will start to test affiliate offers. As I am converting over though I will move the Adsense to the bottom of the post until I have proved out the affiliate promotions.

I use Adsense primarily for testing new niches as it does give me a good idea of how profitable it is. Adsense is never the primary monetization unless the niche does not prove out for affiliate marketing or my own products.

If it proves out then I switch to affiliate offers or create my own product as that is more profitable in the long run and the Adsense goes away. I will keep it up with Adsense only if it makes more that way than with affiliate offers.

If it is a dud I kill it and let the domain expire.

Hope that helps explain it better for you.

As always your questions and comments are welcomed.

Mike Paetzold

Technorati Tags: adsense, affiliate marketing, blogs, google, rss, wordpress

I did a session at the Affiliate Funnel seminar on goal setting and planning this past Saturday. It really is important for your business but one of the big takeaways from it is doing action items versus maintenance items.

This applies to your blog too.

Lets look at some of the things you probably overlook as action items for your blog. Adding some of these action items to your routine can be a big help in improving your blog.

First and foremost is always fresh content but most bloggers that are serious do that regularly.

The overlooked items though are just as important.

When is the last time you…

• submitted an article for back links
• bookmarked your posts
• commented on other blogs in your niche
• bookmarked the blog you commented on
• created a Web2.0 property that links to your blog (Squidoo, Hub Pages, WetPaint, etc.)

It is now a new year and adding some of those items to your regular to do list can make a huge difference in how well your blog performs.

Are you going to take action this year to improve your blog or just going to add your content occasionally?

How you answer that will go a long way towards the success of your blog.

Please take the time to add what you are going to do and the time frame in the comments. There are other action items you may be using so feel free to add them in the comments too.

Mike Paetzold

Technorati Tags: blogs, hub pages, squidoo, take action, web2.0, WetPaint