Tue 20 Nov 2007
To Review or Not To Review, That is The Question!
Posted by tel under Blogging
The debate is still being hotly disputed amongst bloggers from all directions, flavours and niches. Do you carry on writing reviews in your blog and risk losing your page rank, or do you stop and find some other way to monetize your blog?
I was commenting in Liudmila’s Diary about this earlier today after reading her post about the ethics of writing reviews about online casinos. Should a blogger who initially stated that he’d never write a review about them turn tail and then take the money instead. Would that action devalue his blog and his reputation?
Was that post aimed at me?
Maybe. I do remember writing that while I’m happy to write reviews in this blog, I wouldn’t go off topic (which is broadly internet marketing based) and write about anything not in some way related to my niche. That would include the topics of online casinos and gambling, which I have to say carry a fair few paid reviews.
But I also stated that I wouldn’t write them in THIS blog.
I have other blogs.
Two of them were created specifically with a view to making money. They are even called Make Money and Make Money Blog respectively and their niche is purely how to make money online. Their reason for existing was for me to promote them until they reached maturity (three months is the standard acceptance period for paid review sites) and hopefully attracted some page rank in that time to make them eligible to carry higher paid reviews.
Well, they achieved exactly that in the time I set out for them and now I am doing exactly what I planned to do with them, and that is to write paid reviews to make money for me.
Sort of payback for all the hard work I’ve put into all of my blogs, websites and lenses and all the free information I’ve divulged since I got all this going nearly a year ago.
So I don’t feel guilty for reviewing online casinos on those two - it’s what they were created for. I’ll review anything that pays well on those two and thank the review sites that have approved them for their business.
Here, I’ll keep things to Internet Marketing, finance and online business related reviews and over time write fewer reviews and more informative and I like to think interesting normal posts.
So I haven’t sold this blog out - that’s for the ones which it was meant for.
November 21st, 2007 at 7:21 am
Good post regarding values and questions about whether to stop or not.
I guess you can do whatever you want on your blog but you have to understand that it might drive some readers away.
I also understand where you are coming from and since we are friends I do respect whatever you do. It won’t drive me away from you.
It is a hard call to make which will either loose you money (as for me not doing them anymore) or PR which is possible for you and therefore you might loose out even more.
Not an easy decision by far/
November 21st, 2007 at 7:25 am
To Review or Not To Review, That is The Question!…
Terry raises the question of values and whether it is wise to stop paid reviews asap or keep moving on in fear of loosing PR. Many existing bloggers have already lost 2 or more ranks from doing reviews and it is a widely discussed topic right now.
Sin…
November 21st, 2007 at 8:48 am
Thanks Monika I know I can count on you for support.
I have to disagree with you about it driving visitors away though. This month (since I increased the frequency of review writing) I’ve seen my visitor stats go through the roof. I’m averaging around 450 visitors a day compared with last months 330 and for some reason on the 15th I topped 840 for a single day!
I know I’m risking my PR, but let’s face it, I don’t rank any higher in the serps for the term Honest Way than I did when I was PR0 (I’m number 1) and I still rank on page 13 for the term Honest and nowhere for Make Money.
The only thing I can see that losing PR will cause me will be the loss of paid reviews!
I still have my niche blogs that I don’t write reviews in and it’ll stay that way.
I also think my point has been missed - the content of the reviews I write on The Honest Way will only be IM related.
All other content will be covered on other blogs I host, which have much lower visitor numbers and quite frankly were set up with a view to make money.
If they can’t do that, then there’s no point in having them.
Another post is needed I think!
Terry
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:46 am
Dear Terry and other friends that are interested in the topic, this is what appers today in “Smorty” (maybe you can explain me better the second point of the advise):
To prevent any future loss of page rank due to this issue you can take the following steps:
1. Remove all sponsored post tags on each of your posts. Google can follow these tags to determine if you are being paid for posts.
2. Remove any PayPerPost tags on your posts for “hire me” and “review me”. Any general affiliate banners are fine to keep.
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:58 am
Thanks Liudmila, I already saw it as I was up at 6 am this morning and straight to work!
This early bird managed to grab a nice paid review from PPP for $18.50!
I already removed what I could from all older reviews plus I added nofollow tags but the more recent ones that I haven’t yet been paid for must stay as they are unfortunately, to avoid breaking the TOS. I don’t want to lose out that way - especially as now my other blogs can take the brunt of my paid reviews.
If I survive this month with my PR intact, I might be able to clear out the closet some more, but I’m not going to lose any more sleep over it.
What will be will be.
November 22nd, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Dear Terry, thank you for your friendship. Don’t worry, pls, what will be -will be. I don’t want we play this black game more. And give them the pleasure to feel sooooooo important. It’s our life, I think we have accept it so as it is. We can’t change nothing with our worries. Thank you from all my heart once more.