$3.5 Million From AdSense Response

I posted this YouTube video just before leaving town to go on a trip with my family.  The video is about how I earned $3.5 Million in revenue from Google AdSense which I intended to use for an upcoming blog post when I got home.

While out of town with my family I talked to a friend of mine and he told me about all the activity surrounding the video.  I had asked some friends and employees to go check out the video before I left and some of them had bookmarked it. This apparently started an avalanche.  It’s gotten an amazing number of video plays, more than 10 YouTube honors so far, made the top of its category, lot’s of people started talking about it online and then people began linking to it.

Although still on vacation (I’m in my hotel room at the Grand Canyon in AZ right now), I decided to fire up my laptop and check out what was happening. There seemed to be two different groups of comments.  The first group of people liked the video, and went to my site and signed up for my newsletter. Many of them have sent me nice comments and acknowledgements. I’ve received a ton of traffic, sign-ups and people sending me questions in the last 48 hours (I’ll eventually get to answer them all).

The second group of people are shocked by the amount of money my AdSense 1099 tax form shows and are skeptical.  And without all the background data I had planned to put in the upcoming blog post I guess it makes sense.  $3.5 million is a lot of money.

However, that document is 100% authentic and unaltered.  I really did make $3.5 million last year in revenue from AdSense.

Here is my attempt to answer some of the questions and comments surrounding the video:

I’m not promoting some get rich quick scheme.  In fact, I don’t even have anything for sale on my site.  I’ve had the domain name billmcintosh.com for a while and I decided recently to start a site where I’ll give away free coaching, tips, advice, wordpress plugins and scripts.  Does that mean I’ll never sell an internet marketing product ever?  I can’t promise that, but I definitely don’t have plans to release any kind of get rich quick scheme through this site anytime in the future.

I have so many websites I can’t even count them. they’re spread across 15+ dedicated servers plus more virtual private servers and shared hosting accounts. I buy some sites, I build some, but my staff creates most of them. My AdSense income came from a variety of places: Organic SEO, membership sites where I displayed AdSense to members while they are visiting the paid content section, sites that I drive traffic to with PPC, and on pages where I send people who I feel will not convert into customers for my own products, but might be a good match for someone else’s.

During 2007 I drove a TON of traffic.  Some days I had 150,000 visitors on just one of my sites.

And although you can see that I’ve made a lot of money using AdSense, I do not recommend someone relying upon 100% AdSense earnings for a business.  AdSense is volatile and Google is not an easy company to partner with.  I know of several horror stories where someone started making a nice income from AdSense, then overnight…SLAP! Google pulls the rug out from under them and bans their account for a silly reason.  And just like that they have no business.  So AdSense is a good start, but definitely not the only way you should earn income.I’m not claiming I made $3.5 million bucks in pure profit from AdSense. Nor is AdSense my only income source.  I have more than 20 full-time employees and probably 20 more outside contractors working for my various companies.  That along with marketing and promotion eats up a chunk of my revenue.When I get home (or maybe earlier if I have time while away) I’ll make another video and post giving you guys more details.  I’ll also provide some more proof for the skeptics out there. So if you feel you can learn something from me, go check out my video and sign up to my site.  If not, that’s fine too.  Either way I wish you luck with your adventures in the world of Internet marketing.

25 thoughts on “$3.5 Million From AdSense Response”

  1. Hi Bill,

    To me you’re almost perfect as an adsense money maker. I really hope I could make just 10% of your achievements, but still it is too far away from me now.
    But you just give me more spirit not to give up and keep on trying and learning from somebody like you and the other achievers.
    If you have time please visit and take a look at my site : http://www.seekprofitonline.com and leave some comments.

  3. I really liked your blog! You have some great content. Check out my blog and give me some feedback… I just posted a great blog about the 36 Best WordPress plugins for 2009., thanks !

  4. If I am banned from adsense but I want something to monetize my site with just like adsense what would you recommend that I use?

    I need to start making money from the traffic that my blog is getting…

    thanks!

    David

  7. Remember folks what Bill is doing is a business and needs to be treated that way. he isn’t just making a blog site and throwing adsene up there.

    I am a student of IM and so far the stuff I’ve read from Mr. McIntosh is top notch.

  8. Bill? Without noting the amount you paid out to Adwords and other advertising the 3.5 million has very little meaning. Since you leave this number out I’m assuming it is about …. 3.5 million for a net profit on adsense of $0

  9. Unless Bill was paying for traffic, in the way of arbitrage… or heavily involved in paid link acquisition, then AdSense is mostly profit.

    With the obvious exception, that is, of all the domain names needed to make it big in AdSense; at this level, AdSense is very much a massive volume operation.

    You can, of course, dampen the costs of domains by using sub-domains, but it’s nowhere near as practical or SEO friendly.

    That said, AdSense is (once again) usually a mostly profitable operation at very high margin.

  10. Dear Bill, many thanks for your willingness sharing to the world. I believe GIVE and TAKE in this world. I am 30years old, from Penang Island Malaysia. I am doing research since 5 years ago about internet marketing. Till today, I am running my own business at http://www.JuneGift.com, gift and premium companies in Malaysia. Our marketing is purely on MALAYSIA internet only. This is because our products only able to target on Malayasia market. AND, this is our home based business.
    Besides, I am exploring myself in XanGo business, with its professional movie presentation, myjetstream recruiting system by Mr Corey, great products and excellent management team.
    Yet, I am still in struggling mode in driving traffic to my website and convert to customers.
    I found out that Web2.0 and social media marketing are the best marketing strategies currently.
    May be it is too much about my story, hope I can learn from you.
    Thanks
    Best regards
    TJ

  12. Thanks for creating this site Bill. Its always great to learn from someone who has been there and done it 🙂

    Looking forward to learning more on how you’ve made $3.5 mil

    Haroun

  13. Yes, you should definately try to do what Bill has done. But please remember there is no short cut to success. You have work smart and hard. You should follow what Google does i.e. provide best of content or best of what you want to showcase or sell. The point is that if a visitor comes to your website she should get what she is looking for, only then would your website work wonders. Like for eg. check out the website we have.

  14. Bill – I like your no nonsense, zero flash, blue collar approach to internet marketing – at least how you let on… All part of an intricate strategy scribbled onto a napkin in the middle of the night for sure…

    I have 2 online companies, one about 1 year old generating steady revenue, and 2 brand new with lots of potential. We feel we are very close to cracking the nut here – and KNOW the internet will produce wealth for me and future generations.

    I have always steered away from adsense – asking why I should allow competing products to invade my web space and encourage exit clicks? Hopefully your sites sole purpose was to draw people in – and then have them click out… nice reward 3.5M

    Keep the Chevy theme rolling – It is working great…

    Looking forward to learning a few of your secrets.

    Ted

    PS – A launching a private jet group that manages shiny fast executive transport for high net worth individuals and their friends – email me if you are interested in learning how affordable private jet travel can be…

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  18. Bill,

    I think the video is really interesting and gives people hope and something to aspire to.

    I’m really looking forward to seeing what else you have to say on this matter.

    When I checked out Youtube and saw all the negative comments, I really felt for you so it’s nice to see that people have come to your site and posted some positive comments.

    Keep your head up!

  19. Bill.

    Certainly an eye catching title for your video, bound to generate a lot of traffic. I wonder how much of that amount was profit!
    I will be keeping an eye your site from now on.

    Bruce

  20. Greetings!

    I would like to know with Adsense, once you have an account what do you do? Do you place the ads on your site or does google? Do you have blogs and links for people to by things? How much time and money would you say a person should spend to get a decent living from adsense?

    Thanks!
    Appreciate the help!
    Linda Cross

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  22. Watch your presentation at U tube. You are full of enthusiasm.I am over 55 and have been sitting at home since last year.Has been browsing the internet. Heard a lot of the online business.
    I am not to sure whether those are helpful, should I decide to join.
    I am keen to past my time to learn something fruitful and thereafter past on the trade to those whe needed.

  23. Hi Bill, I caught your adsense video on youtube and was very impressed. As someone relatively new to adsense I’m at the trickle stage at the moment, and a dollar a day but your really showing that it can be done.

    Thanks for the inspiration

    [email protected]

  25. Hey man I’m just a dude trying 2 get something happening on the web, + would appreciate the advice. I’m in Iowa now but have lived in AZ in the past + would reccommend Checking out the waterfalls at the Havasupaii end of the canyon, but make sure you have a buddie + tell people about your plans because 1 can easily become lost! thanx-chris.

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