An Interview With Joel Comm

I sat down with Joel comm on Wednesday, January 31st, 2007, and asked him a bunch of questions that were submitted by the readers of my blog and my mailing list.

Here is the transcript of that interview:

jonathanlegerFirst, I'd like to welcome Joel Com. Thanks for coming Joel.
JoelCommthanks Jon.. glad to be here...
and glad to see my partner Kuruma, from Japan!
jonathanlegerWhy don't you start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
JoelCommI'm just a regular guy who has found good fortune in the age of technology :-)
entrpreneur at heart
recovering disc jockey :-)
former encyclopedia salesman!
now, I have a series of profitable web sites...
jonathanlegerlol
JoelCommand I enjoy teaching people how to make money online
oh... and...
I am immortalized on a little site known as Yahoo! Games :-)
lots of people sit at a game table and use the avatar of a guy with cap, glasses and goatee... that's me!
sold my game site to Yahoo! in 1997
jonathanlegerAwesome.
JoelCommso let's get it started!
jonathanlegerMost of us don't know you as the ex-DJ or encyclopedia-salesman. We know you as the AdSense Wizard. So here's the first question we have for you:
JoelCommand I will type fast, so please forgive hte typos ;-)
jonathanlegerIs AdSense a good option to monetize a site anymore? I hear it's not paying much now.
JoelCommAdSense rocks!
December 2006 was my best AdSense month EVER
so you tell me.. does AdSense still work?
Look...
Google took in over $10 BILLION in ad revenue last year..
that looks like...
$10,000,000,000
they are a giant!
and they are sharing a portion of that with people like you and me.
It isn't going away
and the opportunity is just getting better and better as more people and businesses get online.
jonathanlegerThanks Joel.
Next question:
What is an effective way to get started making money with AdSense?
JoelCommfirst, you have to open an account
easiest way to do that is to go to Blogger.com and set up a free blotg
then look for the text that says "make money with your blog"
you can apply for AdSense there, since Google owns Blogger
once you have your AdSense account, you can use it on as many sites as you want
one size fits all :-)
jonathanlegerGreat, next question:
Is it better to build one site and add content to it or building a network of different sites?
JoelCommit depends on how ADHD you are
haha
I like to multi task
so, I have multiple sites going
but if focus is an issue, let me put it this way
I know of several people that make more with AdSense than I do....
with ONE site each.
it's true.
it's not about the number of sites...
it is about the quality of your site... the depth of your site... SEO and AdSense implementation
and it is about building a business... not trying to make a quick buck
Attention Deficit Disorder
with a little hyperactivity for good measure ;-)
c'mon, Jon.. you've got it.. you know it.
jonathanlegerI have to admit it, I do!
JoelCommall the get-rich-quick schemes surrounding AdSense are just that.. schemes.
People need to look at making money online as a long-term proposition.
treat it like a business... grow it consistently by doing the right things again and again.
It' isn't rocket science
jonathanlegerGreat. Next question:
What can I do to earn more per click?
JoelCommi think that's the wrong question to ask.
It is focused on the revenue instead of site.
If you select a niche that actually matters to you...
whether it is your passion or area of knowledge...
and concentrate on building the BEST site you can build on that topic...
and continually add fresh ORIGINAL content to the site
(notice i said original?)
then it is like "field of dreams".. if you build it, they will come
instead of focusing on creating more per click...
focus on building the best site you can.. site that someone will want to visit...
to tell their friends about....
It's like this...
Imagine that you were going to open a store.
you wouldn't just open a trashy looking place hoping some people will stumble in and buy something
your presentation would be VERY important to you.
and you would want your store to stick out from the competition.. to be the best!
why would you treat your web sites and differently?
the biggest sites out there didn't get huge by rolling the dice.
they followed sound principles of building a business that would appeal to the customer
do likewise to find the success you seek
jonathanlegerGreat answer Joel, Thanks. Next question:
How long does it take to get a new site earning with AdSense?
JoelCommpages on a web site are like products
unless you have pages, you can't sell any product
in this case, you can't earn with AdSense.
If you have one page, you have one opportunity for the search engines to index you
if you have ten pages, there are ten opportunites
and so forth
you CAN earn with one page.. but you can't expect to make much
that's why it is critical to build a content-rich quality site that you continually grow over time
Rome wasn't built in a day...
and the shortcuts for building web sites that are filled with garbage do not work..
AdSense is NOT get rich quick
but with a system and proper business building, you can certainly get rich with AdSense
and not just AdSense! I monetize my sites in MULTIPLE ways.. I love multiple revenue streams
jonathanlegerNext question:
What's the best source of content for AdSense sites?
JoelCommjust one thing about that before I answer this...
it's all about quality content and traffic.
ok.. best source of content... several ways to do this
1) write it yourself
I do this on my blog at
http://www.joelcomm.com
2) get volunteers
I did this when I started WorldVillage.com
sent people software to review and they wrote content in exchange for the software
3) outsource it
I love Elance.com
I can get fresh original articles written for $5/each
it's very inexpensive and you can find great writers out there
4) member-created content
forums are a great way to do this...
my forums at forums.dealofday.com contain members discussing online shopping.,..
every time they post, I have another page with AdSense...
and forums are easy to create... relatively speaking. PhPBB is free software
so there is a handful of ways to get started
there ARE a handful of ways? ;)
jonathanlegerLots of good ideas there Joel. Next question is a bit meatier:
JoelCommbring on the meat!
jonathanlegerI've been SmartPriced! How do I fix that?
JoelCommI'm a meat and potatoes guy
that's really an AdWords question
and I don't pretend to be an AdWords expert
you'll want to ask Perry Marshall or Mark Widawer about that
jonathanlegerno problem. moving on then.
JoelCommi focus on building content-rich sites and monetizing them with AdSense as best as possible
not only AdSense, but Kontera.. Chitika.. banner ads.. affiliate programs... paid links.. you name it
jonathanlegerGreat. Next question:
How niche is too niche for an AdSense site?
JoelCommno such thing as too niched, in my mind
in fact, if you can tap into a micro-niche that others are touching, you can become the dominant expert
for example...
several years ago, you would see sites focused on pets...
then you saw sites just for dog lovers
now you see sites for Yorkie lovers...
and being a yorkshire terrier owner, I am more likely to visit the latter than the others as it is targeted to my specific niche
you just have to analyze the possibilities and see what is an area that is a good fit for you
my mother is big into adventure travel
she does crazy stuff like camping at the base of Mt Everest
riding camels in the desert.. she's nuts...
but I encouraged her to blog about it.
so her site is very niched at
http://www.travelswithsheila.com
she loves to blog about her passion and make a few dollars/day with AdSense...
and it continues to grow as she adds more content.
an extremely niched site might not get as much traffic as a broader site...
but if you are doing what you love... its a good deal
and besides, she gets to write off all her travel as business expense!
jonathanlegerAwesome. Ok, next question:
Is there a good way to stop ads from showing that have the same spelling but are not related (i.e. Palm Tree ads showing for a Palm OS page)?
JoelCommideally, Google's AdSense bot should be able to analyze the entire page and determine correct ads to show..
but this does happen occasionally.
only thing you can do is make sure you have enough references to your main keywords and...
block individual specific URLS in the AdSense admin tool
other than that, Google hasn't developed more sophisticated tools yet.. I Wish they would
jonathanlegerMe, too.
Okay, next:
JoelCommit's coming.. they are smart.
jonathanlegerIs it advisable to open AdSense clicks in a new window so you don't lose your visitor after a single click?
JoelCommno, in fact it is a violation of terms of service I believe
its the price you pay for the click
Google is picky that way.. ;-)
jonathanlegerI thought so myself.
Okay, next:
Should I create pages that are a bit off topic but whose keyword bids look really good?
JoelCommonly if you plan on continually maintaining those sites... adding content regularly
I didn't marry a woman that I thought I might abandon if the marriage didn't work like I wanted...
by the same token..
I don't like to build sites that I don't plan on investing in and staying with
I've made that mistake and it is a time-waster
it is better to focus
again, its like any good business.
you have to be committed and focused on the long-term
if people would grasp that concept and realize that they are in this for the long haul, they would have more to show for their efforts down the road
jonathanlegerGood point.
Next question:
JoelCommfire when ready
jonathanlegerYou covered a little bit of this, but...
Do you earn your AdSense income more from a few large sites or from many small ones? Which method do you recommend most?
JoelCommI earn the majority of my AdSense income from 3 sites... and one is significantly larger than the others
I "dabble" with other sites cause I like to experiment... and I can afford the time to do so
it depends on the person
i don't recommend building 100 sites if that is what you mean
can't possibly keep up with that
remember, if your site isn't updated regularly and consistently, the search engine spiders won't visit often
so you want to focus on what you are able to accomplish.. and with excellence
jonathanlegerGreat to hear that Joel.
I'm sure your answer came as both a surprise and a relief to everybody. A lot of people think it takes hundreds of sites to do well. Glad to hear from you that it doesn't.
Okay, next question:
JoelCommnope.. like I said.. I have several friends that make more than I do with ONE site!
gopher it
jonathanlegerHow old are your top AdSense earning sites?
JoelComm7 years
but I would have made money with AdSense on it year #1 if AdSense had existed then
realize that Google didn't launch the program until 2003.. so my site was four years old
and I messed up for 9 months with AdSense.. didn't figure out how to do it properly until Spring 2004
that's when I "cracked" the Adsense Code ;)
jonathanlegerHaha. Cool. Next:
What is your criteria for deciding if it's worth creating a site or page on a certain topic?
JoelComm1) Do I give a rip about the topic?
If not, I probably won't be able to put my heart and soul into it.. not just for a buck
2) can I give it the time and attention it deserves?
If not, I prob need to focus on my existing projects
other than that, things like keyword values don't matter to me
In fact, my best paying AdSense sites has low paying keywords
I make up for it with volume of traffic
with the amount of traffic I get, I could probably make 5 times what I am making now if I had high paying keywords
oh well.. I love the site and so do my visitors
jonathanlegerGreat. Next question:
Do you have any comments on the new AdSense rule that third party advertisers cannot be made to look like AdSense?
JoelCommthat rule has been there all along!
the good news is that Google has clarified some things that allow publishers to take on new opportunities
for example, we know that you can't run YPN on the same pages with AdSense...
though you CAN run them on different pages...
but now they have told us that other contextual services, such as Chitika, Kontera, Intellitxt, Amazon Omakase and others like it CAN coexist on the same pages as AdSense!
I added Kontera to my forums last week and instantly increased my income $70/day without taking anything away from my AdSense earnings!
Kontera is cool
and they have had a steep requirement for their program... 500,000 impressions/month
however, if you follow this link, you can apply and tell them I sent you... they are willing to work with small publishers that I refer
http://www.adsense-secrets.com/kontera.html
jonathanlegerGreat Joel, thanks!
Next question:
How can you protect from invalid clicks, or somebody trying to sabotage your AdSense account?
JoelCommI know of two excellent programs Jon.. one is yours and one is mine!
AdSense Tracker... install it on your server and watch your clicks
I assume tracker watches all IPs, right?
jonathanlegerYup.
JoelCommMy program is AdSenseDetective.com
it is server -based.. paste the code on your pages and we track all ads that are clicked as well as their origination
I recently heard from someone that had their account closed due to "invalid clicks"
they went to their AdSEnse Detective and found multiple clicks from a foreign IP
they sent the logs to Google and got their account reinstated.
It's a no-brainer way to secure your account
either product will do the trick
other than that, never click your own ads
and don't ask anyone to click your ads...
not worth it
jonathanlegerI'll add: RUN from those "click sharing" scam sites that promise a big ring of people clicking your ads for you.
Ok, next question:
JoelCommbig time
jonathanlegerWhat methods do you use to get people to your AdSense sites?
JoelCommthreaten to steal their candy
haha
I don't look at it as "AdSense" sites, first of all
they are my web sites... one way I monetize them is with AdSEnse.
but we don't build sites JUST to make money with AdSense.
that said...
quality content is key... it will automatically make people want to bookmark and visit again, right?
proper search engine optimization on your pages is important so the search engines can find and index you
getting links from niche-related sites is a good thing for pagerank and incoming traffic
blogging and pinging (the RIGHT way) on a regular basis is a great method
creating press release via PRWeb.com or similar service... especially if you can embed keyword links in your release... great tool
writing and syndicating articles at places like ezinearticles.com
can be very beneficial
viral campaigns where people are encouraged to tell-a-friend
contests... sweepstakes... word of mouth
those are just some of the ways... be creative!
jonathanlegerSome great ideas there Joel. Next question:
What's your opinion of creating subdomains for various keywords / topics?
JoelCommgood thing I can type fast!
varies site to site... hard to say which is best.
On one hand...
one domain with subdomains keep everything on one site.
on the other, if they site falls out of favor with search engines, there goes the neighborhood
If you are doing it for keyword optimization, I wouldn't bother.
but if you are doing it because it makes sense... like mail.google.com and news.google.com, it is fine
in my humble opinion
jonathanlegerCool.
Well, we're running out of time folks.
JoelCommyeah, sorry about that.. I've got a call with my coaching club shortly
jonathanlegerI wanted to make sure that everybody knew that you can get Joel's wisdom compiled into a fat ebook that answers so many more questions than we have time to cover here.
Joel, we're all just glad you made it!
JoelCommit's not just fat.. it's phat! ;-)
jonathanlegerMy last question to you is: have you lost your mind??? You're book is only $20 now. Why?
JoelCommlol
it's true.. I'm nuts.
My 199-page ebook has sold for $97 for two years now.
it is in its third edition...
and I decided I wanted to make this info as accessible as possible to as many people as possible
so they get one chance to snag the ebook and bonuses for $19.95...
that includes a 30-page case study report
the AdSense Buddy PC stat tracking software
a free month of AdSense Detective
and a one-month trial to my coaching club..
crazy, eh?
jonathanlegerVery! Here's the link:
http://www.jonathanleger.com/recommends/joel.php
JoelCommwarning! you can only view the page ONE time
if you leave the page or refresh it, you will see the $97 price
don't believe me? try it... but I'd buy the book first..
jonathanlegerI have, of course, read your book--and highly recommend it.
Well thank you so very, very much for coming Joel. I know you're a busy guy, and I take it as a personal honor that you were willing to come today.
JoelCommit's my pleasure Jon.. I follow your work closely and appreciate all you do to help people
and I appreciate the questions as well..
sorry I didn't have time to answer all of them...
jonathanlegerThanks. I appreciate it.
JoelCommbut its actually snowing here in Oklahoma and roads are getting bad...
so my wife wants me to head home
jonathanlegerNo problem. You did us a world of good!
Believe it or not, it snowed here in Dallas, too.
There will be a transcript emailed to everybody.
JoelCommSo long everyone!!!!
jonathanlegerby Joel!