Don't use Google AdSense in South Africa

As stated in previous posts, I had Google AdSense clocking up some Rands and Cents in the background, not paying much attention to it. I even received the little postcard with my confirmation code which one receives after a couple of months.

Without any real in-depth explanation, my AdSense account was suspended just before I reached my payment threshold of R1000. they basically said they discovered irregularities that pose a risk to their clients advertising. Now, with irregularities I would presume they mean click fraud which, with making between R1.50 and R4 per day with AdSense seemed highly unlikely.

This is particularly annoying, as I put up with their ads on my websites for over 9 months. I didn't particularly like their ads, but thought I would have gotten rid of it as soon I received my first payment. I contacted them to explain themselves and they basically gave me the same answer.

This has happened before, as I had an AdSense account that was not that active, as I only really started experimenting with affiliate advertising in January this year. I had made a couple of Rands and the AdSense account became inactive. Together with the new account that was closed, I probably lost on on R1000.

Who knows how many people's accounts are closed daily before they reach payment threshold? AdSense is not really worth the hassle. Programs like TrafficSynergy and AdDynamo also run locally and pay almost at the same ratio. The difference is that their payment thresholds are lower, so you get paid more frequent - thus problems would be pointed out earlier, should they arise, and probably with a proper explanation.

I will probably update some more payment figures and screen shots soon. A new affiliate was added in the place of AdSense - AdDynamo. More on that later.

Go delete your AdSense account. It's not worth it.

PC Mall - Not such a great South African affiliate program

The PC Mall affiliate program seems to be not working at all and its freaking me out a bit. With 213477 impressions since January I generated 423 clicks through to their site and there was not one single sale. Over 200k impressions is really a shitload of traffic. I really don't get it. They have brilliant banners and their website seems user friendly and secure enough to use. Not one single sale of computer gadgetty things. What is even weirder is that some of my sales through Kalahari.net were PC-related sales. Stuff like LCD screens and flash disks! Kalahari is consistently making me more than R500 per month.

I will just leave the PC Mall banners until the end of the year and maybe I will get one lucky sale. After that I will take it down and make space for something else. Even Google AdSense at around R3 - R4 per day will eventually see me getting my R1000 payment around the end of the year. Out of all the affiliate programs I am trying out, PC Mall is really doing the worst. I even mad R12 on Silver Sands Casino - on which I am pulling the plug totally. Its just not worth it...

Linking to this blog

Someone e-mailed me and asked to link to this blog. Could that person please e-mail me again? I deleted the e-mail by accident.

Of course we can exchange links. Just leave a comment in the comments section and I will get your details.

My first six months of affiliate marketing earnings

Right, it's that time of the year where I do my second assessment and have a look at how the second quarter compares to how I did in my first quarter (Jan 2009 - March 2009). It will also be interesting to see how I did, compared to the expectations I laid out for myself in the beginning of the year.

I short, I was on an earning average of R950 for the first three months and was hoping to increase my earnings to an average of R1500 for the next three months. Did I manage to get it right?

Lets have a look at my totals for Jan 1 to June 30. I have included screenshots as proof at the end as well.

Google AdSense
R614.49
Adgator:
R332.84
R285.95
R193.32
R751.39
Total: R1563.50

Traffic Synergy:
R324.64

Mantality:
R1864.35

Kalahari:
R 3492.30

Rhythm Records:
R70

All these give me a total R7929.28 earned for the first 6 months. That gives me an average R1321.55 per month for the first 6 months. This is on average R178.45 per month short of the goal I set for myself to earn an average of R1500 per month three months ago, but we have to keep in mind that I joined Mantality at the end of January and Rhythm records towards the end of April.

I stated from the beginning that I believe that it's possible for the average South African blogger to earn between R1000 and R1500 per month on the internet and here is your proof.

I reckon I would be able to get my earnings up to an average of R1700 per month within the next three months and hopefully up to an average of R1900 per month by the end of the year. Let's revisit the figures then and see how close I managed to get.

In the meantime, keep popping in over here as I try out new programs, drop others and try new things on the internet. I have a cool idea to make some extra cash on the web that I am working on. Not wheelbarrows full of cash. Maybe an extra R300 to R500 per month which requires some work in the beginning and virtually no maintenance thereafter. All the small amounts add up in the end. If I didn't start playing around with affiliate earnings, I wouldn't have had the extra R8000 that I earned from January to June. Double it up to get an estimated year-end total of R16000, without taking growth into consideration. It is starting to look more and more like a 13th cheque to me, so keep visiting this blog to track my progress and share my thoughts.

Some screenshots of some of my money earners:

RIP Michael Jackson

Some interesting trivia:

• # Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV.
• # Jackson’s waxwork features in five Madame Tussauds museums across the world. Only Elvis Presley and Madonna have more Tussaud figures. They each have six.
• # Jackson’s total lifetime earnings from royalties, solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million.
• # Jackson received a Presidential Humanitarian Award from Ronald Reagan in 1984 for his support of charities helping people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.
• # Jackson fought fellow 50 year old Madonna on MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch. He lost.
• # MC Hammer once challenged Jackson to a dance-off. He was told to Beat It. Jackson reportedly responded, “I’ve seen your videos and every single dance move you use, you got off of me.”
• # An obsessed French Jackson superfan committed suicide in 1984 after his mother refused to allow him to undergo surgery to look like the star.
• # In 1984, a U.S. library accused Jackson of owing it over $1 million in overdue book fines. Officials said they would scrap the fines if he returned the books autographed.
• # Jackson is was a vegetarian.
• # Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Jackson 5 on May 6, 1997. He was inducted as a solo artist on March 19, 2001.
• # Jackson’s music video for Thriller was voted the greatest music video of all time in a recent Channel 4 (UK) poll.
• # Jackson’s double album HIStory is the biggest selling double album ever released in the U.S.
• # Jackson’s Blood on the Dance Floor is the biggest selling re-mix album of all time.
• # Movie star Macauley Culkin is godfather to Jackson’s two eldest children, Paris and Prince Michael.
• # Jackson shares the record for the most Grammy Awards won in one year with Carlos Santana and Norah Jones - they each won eight
• # Jackson’s performance during the 1993 SuperBowl half-time show drew the largest TV audience in American history.
• # Jackson provided a voiceover on The Simpsons - but it remained a secret for 12 years. He voiced a character in a mental institution in the Stark Raving Dad episode, which aired in 1991, but, because of a contractual problem, Jackson had to be credited as John Jay Smith. His contribution to the classic cartoon series remained a rumour among fans until The Simpsons creator Matt Groening confirmed it really was Jackson when the episode was released on DVD in 2003.

Why you should join Mantality, a South African men shop's affiliate program

Back in February 2009 (roughly a month after I started messing around with online affiliate awards programs) I discovered Mantality, an online shop for men, chockablock with gadgets, gifts and lifestyle products.

After only 3 sales I was standing on just over R200, including the R30 they gave me for just signing up with them. I was quiet for a month or so and I had to wait for the sales commission to get above the payout threshold of R470.

In April I was sent a shaving balm by post with the understanding that I write a short summary of the product. I wrote my little report, posted it on one of my websites and more or less 2 weeks after that, I had more sales, all of a sudden pushing my commission over R1400. Becasue of that my commission level also went up. Just over R1500 was promptly paid into my ABSA account.

So, after getting paid, I am just over R200 again and the cycle continues. Here is s screenshot from all my earnings to date (Feb 2000 - June 2009)



Mantality is now my second biggest earner next to Kalahari

Something you could start implementing straight away once you have joined Mantality's affiliate program is their free online men's magazine. It actually has useful information plus it is free.



I would suggest that you get in there as quick as you can. A lot of you guys have already missed out on AdGator, as they don't take any new bloggers on board for now (there is a waiting list). Another example is the online casino affiliate programs. If you did not join them two years ago, there is almost no need to join them now - but more about this at a later stage.

Mantality does not have that many bloggers signed up with them yet. Join now and get a big slice of the pie before too many people discover this and leave crumbs for the rest.

O, and as a last point - Mantality does not sell crap. Take some time and browse through their site. I am sure you will find someting that will interest you.

Google PSA's (public service ads) showing on webpage in stead of normal ads

For those of you who dabble in Google's AdSense program and discovered that your Google ads all of a sudden started displaying PSA's (public service ads), here are some tips and general pointers from personal experience:

* Google only requests your banking details for your profile once you have reached the $10 mark
* You are then required to enter a PIN number that Google will send to you by snail mail for reasons only know to Google. This PIN number will be valid for 6 weeks or so.
* If you have not received this pin (like in my case - thank you very much SA Postal Services), you can request it to mailed to you again. The pin can be requested twice, after which you will have to contact Google if you have not received it.
* There is no mystery as how to contact Google Ad-Sense support. Simply e-mail them at adsense-support@google.com with your AdSense code in as the subject. You will get an auto responder telling you how to fix the problem. Simply reply to this e-mail (and remember to replace the to address with adsense-support@google.com again) and tell them that their help-page does not help with your problem, although you have tried all their suggestions.
* In my case, my websites started showing PSA's because I have not updated my pin yet (becasue I have not received it). Google support responded to my e-mail and re-instated my normal AdSense with another 3 months, while I wait for my PIN to arrive in the post.

Example of Google's PSA: