Search Engine Roundtable's Barry Schwartz ran a poll in January on how much Google Adsense publishers made in 2007. Of the 471 responses, 37% said they make over $1,000, 25% made over $5,000 and 33% made less than $50.



Many have a great appreciation for Google's Adsense and for good reason - it works and most are content with the supplemental income it provides. It's hard to imagine however that using Adsense alone as a means to support your online affiliate business endeavors will ever yield any noteworthy profits. If you have a large website with a respectable amount of traffic there is simply no reason that you should be mixing these offers with Adsense. The reason is that Adsense is a distraction - and when value is leaked from your website your conversion rate on traditional offers will suffer. 

The Margins Are Too Small With Adsense Alone!
Think of it this way; if you market affiliate programs correctly (design an attractive website, develop compelling sales copy, network with others, etc.) you should be getting a conversion rate of between 3-5%. Even if you average a 1-2% conversion rate,  you could be making one or two sales which could mean (depending on the offer) way more than the pennies per click that Adsense is paying out. Some people mix both Adsense and a barrage of affiliate programs together as well with their sites, and that may very well help overall earnings, but leakage still occurs. The trick is in maximizing your conversion mastering and really monetizing your existing traffic and audience

Independent providers and large-scale affiliate networks are available in mass. Commission Junction, LinkConnector, ShareASale - more than could be listed on one page alone - are legitimate networks and can help affiliates organize and manage their affiliate marketing efforts. I encourage all WM readers to consider these options and use Adsense as it was meant - as a supplement to your online earnings and not as the sole source.