Now I recognize that there can be seasonal variations in online revenue and traffic. I suspect I am seeing some of that seasonal variation in addition to the changes at Google. At least I hope that is what I am seeing. It would make sense to me. With the majority of my traffic coming from the United States, it would make some sense.
April is the beginning of warmer weather in the Northern parts of the U.S. and people (including myself) are anxious to get outside. Yard work, walking the dog, jogging, and golf are all activities that haven't been enjoyed for many months so at the first signs of spring, everyone gets away from the computer to head outdoors. It seems logical and is what I am telling myself.
The next few months should really tell me a lot about what the future might hold for online income. It has been a struggle to stay motivated with so little revenue coming in. It seems like an entire year's worth of work has been for naught. Of course, it doesn't help that I have been incredibly busy or that the weather is nicer. Oh well, I will keep on working on my new site as I am able and add content. If I can get it to pay for itself, then I might take the plunge and do another one.
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Hi Kidgas. Sorry to hear your revenue is way down this month. I hope you stick with it (even if you are distracted a bit by the warm weather this summer...). April is actually likely going to be my best AdSense earning month ever, so I'm not too sure about the seasonal factors - although your sites may target a very different audience than mine. Still, I imagine ranking issues are likely a problem (especially with hubpages recently getting slapped). But if you continue working at it, your earnings should return in time.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel alone in the cut in earnings for April. My Google earnings, as well as all of my residual income earnings are down 50% or more this month. I realize that the changes at Google have a lot to do with it - but it is still hard to take. Hopefully we've hit the bottom and it can only go up from here. :)
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteI plan on sticking with it. I have been writing occasionally for my new site. Just put up a new article this past weekend and blog post today. I keep tabs on your weekly emails so I knew you were doing well. Congrats, keep it up.
Deanna,
I hope you are right and the bottom is nigh.
Kidgas, I’m sorry to hear about your drop in revenue. If I remember correctly, the bulk of your residual income comes from HubPages, right? If that is the case, panda’s paw swipe has far reaching consequences for us who write for content sites. We’re all seeing a decrease in residuals coming from the likes of HubPages, Suite 101 and other content farms.
ReplyDeleteBecause I’m so scattered around the internet (like dog poop on the bottom of a shoe), I’ve done okay with the panda changes. My content farm revenue is down but several of my sites have fared pretty well.
I know you’ve got a full-time job and a family to take care of and you only do this when time permits, but I think you have the right idea with your OptionsDude.com site. In your spare time (when you’re not working, golfing, writing, being a dad, walking the dog, etc., etc.) maybe you should create another blog on golf. A golf blog may appeal to a different audience than OptionsDude. In other words, spread yourself around a bit. I’ve got blogs on health, writing, technology, living green, travel, pools, products and so on.
You won’t always have the time or inclination to keep all of them up to date, but I’ve found that because my blogs/interests are so varied that when one tanks, there is always another one that picks up the slack. The good thing is that when I’m in the mood to write about technology, I do. When I’m in the mood to write about my latest battle in keeping the pool water clear, I add a post. If my compost pile is a smelling a bit funky, I write about how I fixed the problem.
Because of my adult onset attention deficit issues, I never stay on one topic too long (keeps me from getting bored). As a result, over the years each blog has accumulated enough quality content to keep Google, readers and my income happy.
Panda smacked the heck out of my content farm earnings, but I’m loving what it’s doing for my own sites.
Felicia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for weighing in. Your input is highly valued. I believe what you have suggested is a great idea. I have several varied topics which interest me and could easily write on different blogs in the manner you suggest.
I must admit that I am a little tentative about setting up my own blog on Wordpress. I am not that technically inclined although I have learned quite a bit and suspect I could work my way through it. I will definitely consider it and put some ideas down on paper.
Just a quick note. Setting up WordPress is easy. I use Hostgator and they do all the work. I click on an icon, insert some basic info like the name of the blog, my username and password and viola. It's done. WordPress really isn't bad at all.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed a similar thing. However, as has been mentioned by Felicia a diverse stream of revenue is good - I have actually seen my Infobarrel earnings increase. Furthermore, free blogger blogs seem to be doing really well! I hope Options Dude is coming along well!
ReplyDeleteFelicia,
ReplyDeleteThat surely is encouraging to hear. I had planned to use Hostgator when the time came. It might end up being sooner rather than later.
Bristolboy,
Congrats on the Infobarrel improvement. That is something given the Panda update.
Wordpress is a piece of cake, Kidgas. They make it so easy to choose a theme and make posts, etc. If you don't want to get into coding, you don't have to. So easy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement. I am thinking that I may have to go that route. Weebly has been easy but I really think I prefer the blogging format as I move around the web so my next site will have to be hosting and Wordpress.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the decrease in revenue, but you've got some great suggestions in these comments about carrying on. It's a shame HubPages was hit so hard. I also seem to find that some of my sites pick up with others drop off. It can be hard to stay motivated during the down times, but I am sure all the work you've been putting in when you can is still worth a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your condolences, Ruth. It is a shame that the impact on AdSense via HubPages got hit so hard. I am still working toward that $100 month online. I am making progress with my new site but it is difficult. I am thinking that a blog format will be better in the future.
ReplyDelete