Are majority of websites with revenue here just marketing tools?

[steiner]

I am not trying to knock on anyone. I am just reading and trying to pick up some new things here on SEO and marketing. So I follow people's websites when they mention it or have it tagged on their names.

Most websites seem very basic to me and provide almost very little useful content. But the owners all claim to be making good money. So either that's not their real website or they are just making things up.

Even if its not their real website, their other website that we can see is usually not that intricate either. They all look like very basic basic websites with almost no comments or little comments. I see more comments in basic iPhone blogs.

As a noob, am I missing something here? Are people using their sites as spamming sites? I don't even see much ads on them so I am not sure how they are using it to make any money. I don't see any popups either. Then again, I have NoScript on in my Firefox so most sites can't run any scripts without me okaying it.

:I

[snakeair]

Originally Posted by steiner

I am not trying to knock on anyone. I am just reading and trying to pick up some new things here on SEO and marketing. So I follow people's websites when they mention it or have it tagged on their names.

Most websites seem very basic to me and provide almost very little useful content. But the owners all claim to be making good money. So either that's not their real website or they are just making things up.

Even if its not their real website, their other website that we can see is usually not that intricate either. They all look like very basic basic websites with almost no comments or little comments. I see more comments in basic iPhone blogs.

As a noob, am I missing something here? Are people using their sites as spamming sites? I don't even see much ads on them so I am not sure how they are using it to make any money. I don't see any popups either. Then again, I have NoScript on in my Firefox so most sites can't run any scripts without me okaying it.

:I

I've seen a lot of blogs in my day proclaim that they make a living from there blog and tell you how to make money online and try to sell you a bunch of ebooks or link you to clickbank products with fake screenshots of account earning's. Those bloggers have no clue what they are doing but trying to make a cheap buck on newbies who will buy anything that says they could make x,xxx a month.

I do know of blogs that clearly make x,xxx a month or more but don't know them personally or network with them, I just wish I was in there shoe's. lmao

I'm thinking some of these blogs that you see with little ad's on them are autoblog's that basically promote affiliate links in there blog posts with spun content. I don't make a living from my blog and never said that nor post screenshot's of fake earning's. Remember back in the day when we could fake adsense screenshots with putting a script into the address bar in IE? I don't have photoshop so I can't use that to make one.

It's amazing how spammers can quickly ruin a industry with there spamming tactic's. They did this to the web directory industry a long time ago. Seem's blogs is next on the list as I see more blogs being created with duplicate content from other blog's.

Example: the mashable.com blog is very well known and yes, the owner makes a killing each month from it. People think "Hey, I'll create a social media/tech blog and just spin there content and cash in on the traffic". That method never works as Google isn't that stupid nor the everyday webmaster.

If you want to success with your blog, don't copy off other people, do your own thing, add your own revenue tactic's to it and keep tweaking the blog. Just be honest when you write content whether it's good information or bad information.

[NoAmazonhere]

Edit: I would of gave you links but apparently I have to have 20 posts to be able to do that. I do apologize for that.

I never divulge too much in the forums because if you do, you get copy cats and that means less money for you.
I will show you a few of my websites I make honest money at.
Most of my money though is made through launches and email lists.
just100aday is a totally free site although I will be having a paid part soon but I make good money from it. How do I do that, Money is in your list.
I make about 400 to 800 a month on this website,
reviewjustice

One wso launch earns me between 500 and thousands in just a couple of weeks.

I also do ad swaps, solo ads and jv with successful marketers to make other money.

Contrary to popular belief I believe in ppc for my traffic and other ways of paid traffic, Seo takes too much time for what I get back.

So don't put all your eggs in one basket, Now I usually do not do this but I have shown you several ways I make money on the net and they are honest ways to make money.

[alemcherry]

Most memebers who actually make money, do not reveal their income due to obvious reasons. Those who claim to make $x.xxx are most likely trying to sell you ebooks or promoting their money making websites, so take these claims with a pinch of salt.

The looks, content or ad blocks are again no sure fire way to calculate the money earned from a site. Affiliate links could make money, but they wont even look like advertising. One adsense block in right place that merge with content could get more clicks than 4 blocks placed everywhere.

Aexa, even though easy to cheat, should give you some idea about the traffic received by any site and that should be the best tool for a third party to make an assumption about the money earned by a site.

[billzo]

Originally Posted by steiner

Most websites seem very basic to me and provide almost very little useful content. But the owners all claim to be making good money. So either that's not their real website or they are just making things up.

You might want to consider that whatever level of money they are making that most of it comes from clicks from signature links such as the one you clicked on.

Originally Posted by steiner

As a noob, am I missing something here? Are people using their sites as spamming sites? I don't even see much ads on them so I am not sure how they are using it to make any money. I don't see any popups either. Then again, I have NoScript on in my Firefox so most sites can't run any scripts without me okaying it.

:I

Possibly they are spamming sites. And maybe they are non-English speakers with a limited grasp of the English language and thus don't have much useful to say.