After I debuted my blog’s new look last weekend, the feedback was positive. However, the number one question that was asked of me was, “Why don’t you have any advertising?”
It’s an interesting question. Why wouldn’t a cheapo like me use a free WordPress or Blogger account and slap advertisements all around it to earn some money? The answer is, even before I started writing my blog, I knew I wanted to own my intellectual property. I also know myself very well. When I buy something, I try to get my money’s worth. Paying upfront for a year of web hosting is definitely an incentive to continue writing!
I took your comments into consideration and I applied for a Google AdSense account. I don’t expect much to happen because I am not doing all the things necessary to make a quick buck, such as cross-linking multiple blogs or writing specifically with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Trust me, I’ve looked into it but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I feel almost guilty posting advertisements, however, owning my domain, hosting this blog myself, and paying for a professional to redesign my site costs money. So we’ll see how this turns out.
What do you think about the ads? Are they unsightly or a necessary evil?
I don’t think they are unsightly but there are some sites I go to and they go OTT with advertisements and pop-ups it actually drives me away. That was also feedback I received from a fan just the other day about what they would like to see for my new site. In the end, it’s your site, you make the call. I would ask myself what my goals are and go from there. Great new look! Cheers Mr.CBB
Thanks for the comment, Mr. CBB. You don’t have any ads on your site, do you ever get asked why? Maybe I shouldn’t have caved in to the pressure but I’m having fun with the experiment. As for the goals, I’m still trying to figure that part out!