Less is more (is your blog a pasar malam?)

28DEC

Yesterday, I gave my two blogs, i.e. personal blog and food blog a template change because I was using the Christmas theme and feel it is time to take away the snow and bring on something related to Chinese New Year which is on February 7th, 2008. Where I live, Chinese New Year is a BIG deal compared to Christmas.

I discovered something. I can actually live with less ads! I took away almost everything on my personal blog and I am now using a single column WordPress theme on single php and two columns on main. Woohoo, am I proud of myself! Previously, I used a FOUR columns wordpress theme because I was greedy for space.

However, now I realized that I make more money with only Google Adsense, Kontera and Nuffnang Ads. I use the Shylock Adsense plugin to insert ads into my posts and hence, I don’t need any sidebar ads. As for Kontera, they are built into the posts. And for Nuffnang Ads, I only use the CPC or the banner ads.

I suppose I have graduated from my noobiness and have come a full circle in blogging. Now, I blog for fun, self satisfaction and visual appearances. I.e. I want my template to be clean and not cluttered with ads like a cheap magazines.

As for this blog, I will hunt for some template and reduce some of the side bar clutters when I have time. However, I do need to experiment with some of the monetization program so that I know what to recommend.

Remember this – Less is more. This applies to local ads, especially. I have seen some blogs that have FOUR local flash ads! LOL, it is like walking into a pasar malam. Everyone is screaming for you to take a look at their stalls. Can you imagine putting Google Adsense, Adbrite,Clicksor and Auction Ads side by side? No, right? So, don’t commit the mistakes of the Old man and the donkey. Look around and see some of the top earners in the country and how they manage their blogs and how they monetize them. Ever notice that they use only one single local ad company and not all four of them? You know why? Because advertisers don’t want to peddle their stuffs in pasar malam. Don’t drown your blog image with too many ads and also those stupid referral buttons that never pays. *reminds self to remove them as well*

Translation : Pasar Malam or night market is like a flea market where cheap wares and pirated stuffs are sold.

Post Author: lilian

9 thoughts on “Less is more (is your blog a pasar malam?)”

sir jorge

(December 28, 2007 - 2:55 am)

good ideas, i’ll have to look into this.

pablopabla

(December 28, 2007 - 10:06 am)

I oredi became a snob and went minimalistic on my blogs a couple of months liao. LOL! But yes, it’s pleasant reading seriously. Moreover, those multiple ads rarely bring in the income. So, why have them to clutter the blog, hor?

Freethinker

(December 28, 2007 - 11:14 am)

The sad fact is… not alot will come to the senses of the logic behind it…

I’m sure we can expect more to ping with “The more the merrier”….

B4 they rant no ads

hanneng

(December 28, 2007 - 2:51 pm)

I agreed with you that less is more, don’t forget KISS. I changed to my current template 1 month already, and notice the loading speed is faster and getting more clicks :)