Steering Away from AdSense?

Google is changing, more rapidly than we’ve seen in the past.  Some of the changes make sense, shutting down services that weren’t popular enough. Some are a little confusing, like the number of AdSense accounts closed without explanation or recourse.

Other changes — like closing their iGoogle RSS feeder — seem odd, since I never saw them even try to monetize iGoogle.

Dear Google,

My RSS feeds, page by page, tell you exactly what interests me.  It’s a very clear profile of who I am and which ads I’m likely to respond to.

Why not make use of that instead of cancelling the iGoogle page that’s my computer homepage?  Could you at least try it, before making this kind of change?

Confused,
Me

This may all be part of the global chess game being played by Apple and Google.  Frankly, if CNBC and others are right, Google could be very busy and need all of its resources for the challenges ahead.

Some of us looked at how Google acquired its Motorola properties and scratched our heads.  Really…?  Motorola…?

Then, Apple went after Samsung’s use of hardware, when targeting the software was a vastly easier case to win.

*blink, blink*

CNBC hosts and guests, in some offhand remarks, brought several things to light.

If you go back to early Internet and PC history, it’s difficult to figure out who “borrowed” which technologies, and from whom. There’s a lot of “chicken or the egg?” involved, with Apple, IBM, and Motorola among the early players.

Then there were the early meltdowns of partnerships that had started as friendships, so legal boundaries were never clear.

So, for the case of speculation, let’s pretend that Apple borrowed ideas from Motorola, and then Google borrowed from Apple.  If Apple sues Google, how much clout do the Motorola properties give Google for a countersuit?  (Rhetorical question.  All of this is highly speculative, based only in my imagination, and only mentioned as an example of how murky this could get.)

My point is not a legal one.  I’m not an attorney and, frankly, I know just enough law to be dangerous in some arenas.

Here’s what you need to think about:  If Google’s resources are focused on the copyright case that (if CNBC is right) Apple may be leading up to, and depending on the outcome… well, I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one income source, right now.

I wouldn’t dump AdSense or my iTunes income stream, but I’d make diversifying a high priority, over the coming months.

My best advice?  Never put all your eggs in any basket, including Kindle, FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon), Clickbank, or anything that gurus are touting as a “sure thing.”

Your websites are virtual real estate.  People have been saying that for years.  Your websites are an investment.  They’ll grow, usually slowly, into something you can depend on… but only if — like most smart investors — you diversify.

I’m not telling you to spread yourself all over the universe, doing 20 different things.  Instead, I suggest focusing on three or four different sources of income, and then find a way to integrate them.

One basic model might include one pay-per-click program like AdSense, one product review program like Amazon Affiliates, and your own product (an app, a Kindle book, a WSO or a Clickbank product).

Another, different (not additional) model might be building websites with Clickbank affiliate links and AdSense ads, and selling them at Flippa or at your own storefront website.

Yet another, different (not additional) model could be a site with a Kindle book, an app, and some Commission Junction affiliate ads/links.

You get the idea.  I could fill pages with the mix-and-match options.

Start with one income source like AdSense or Kindle or whatever appeals to you, learn the ropes, and then — when it’s set up and running — add the next. Stop at four different income streams.  (Many people should probably stop at three.)

What’s key as we watch the Apple v. Google chess match being played, is not to put your eggs in any one basket.  If you’ve already lost an AdSense account, or your favorite smaller affiliate program closed, don’t cry yourself to sleep.  This kind of shuffle will become more routine as the Internet grows and changes.

The Apple v. Google game may take years.  Don’t look for a quick outcome.  No matter how the court cases play out, there are appeals and more appeals. Nobody knows where this will conclude.

As an individual, diversify.  That’s important if you’re an investor and, for most people, websites are an investment.  Treat them with the same objectivity and respect you’d treat your stock portfolio, keep an eye on business changes, and made gradual — not sudden — changes when the tides shift.