John Chow talks about Peel away ads in his blog. But first, here’s an interesting finding.

Instead of buying the script, check out BlueSaru as they offer peel away ads for free. It works almost like Google Adsense because once you add the script to your page, you have nothing else to do. Better yet, if you don’t have any advertiser yet, you can how your own default message like “subscribe to my RSS feed” or anything else you prefer.

Anyhow, here’s what John has to say about peeling ads, proving once again how great they perform:

I’m sure by now many readers have noticed the new Peel Away Ad running at the upper right hand corner of the blog. This has to be one of the coolest ad units yet. It makes the blog look like a paper page and the ad is revealed when you “peel away” the page. The creator of the Peel Away Ad says the ad is non intrusive and super effective because it makes people want to peel the ad to see what’s hiding behind it. I can attest to the effectiveness of the ad. Since putting it up an hour ago, I’ve already received five new sign ups for TTZ Media (currently, the ad’s only advertiser).

How Do I Add Peel Away Ads To My Blog?

The Peel Away Ads script was created by Richard Osterude and Harris Fellman. The script normally sells for $127 but if you buy it right now, you can have it for only $37.00 (ya I know, classic sales page).

The script comes in several flavors and works on any site (not just Wordpress blogs). I’m using the Rotating Peels for the top right corner. There’s also a peel that will let you put ads on any corner and one that will put ads on every corner. There are also some templates with background images so you can create some peel ads. Lastly, there is a bonus “Spinning Popup” generator but I didn’t brother to download it.

Installation of the script is pretty simple. You need to edit to URL to reflect your site, change the banner image and destination URL, then upload to your server and it should work. There are step-by-step video tutorials for those who need extra help.

At only $37, this script is a no brainer. I’ve made more than my money back from it in less than an hour. I expect to see this type of advertising become more common in the future. Because it’s new and fresh, click rates are very high and as result you can charge more for the ad spot. Of course, you can also use the script to promote your own stuff.

Want To Buy a Peel Away Ad?

To launch the new Peel Away Ad, I’ve decided to sell them at a 50% discount. If you order an ad this month, the price is $500 per month and will stay at $500 per month for as long as you renew. Order placed after February will cost $1,000 per month. No more than five ad rotations will run at any one time.

Peel Away Ads required two creatives: one 100×100 pixel image for the teaser and a 500×500 pixel image for the main banner. Imagines can be jpg or gif. If you need help designing a Peel Away Ad, I recommend Banners Mall. They can create a Peel Away Ad for only $75.00 and have it ready in four days.

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From John Chow’s site:

This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson of The Rating Blog.

While I have covered the most common 10 ways to turn a website into a flop with my recent guest post, it’s time to analyze things from a different perspective and see how you can turn your website into a smashing hit:

1 - Establishing a solid foundation

One of the most common traits among successful webmasters is the fact that they start each project by establishing a solid foundation, in other words, by setting the right goals and only then working towards achieving them. Knowing exactly where you want to take things with your websites is definitely a must.

2 - Having a solid business model

One should never just launch a website just for the sake of it. It is highly recommended that you always know what type of audience you are targeting, what your contribution to the market is and what makes you better than competitors. Never underestimate the importance of a solid business model.

3 - Adding value to the Web

If you are interested in long-term success, adding value to the Web is the most important part of the equation. In the end, it all boils down to giving others a reason to visit your website in the first place on the one hand and a reason to come back on the other.

4 - Spreading the word

It is extremely important that you let people know you’re out there and that you do everything you can in order to make sure that your website doesn’t remain unnoticed. While adding value to the Web through your content is the key aspect here, spreading the word is also a must.

5 - Having the right priorities

You are only human and, no matter how productive you are, the day only has 24 hours and you will eventually reach a point when you will not be able to take care of every little task on your to-do list and, as such, setting priorities will be in order. If you don’t know where to start as far as the issue of setting priorities and becoming more productive is concerned, the article I’ve written regarding 123 ways to increase your productivity and manage time like the pros will be a great starting point.

6 - Playing the trial and error game

It’s impossible to know what works best for you right from the start and, as such, some serious experimenting will be in order. Actually, the trial&error game is never really over since, even after you’ve found something you are satisfied with, trying other options on for size never hurts, as here is always room for improvement.

7 - Not giving up

Things won’t always be easy and your reaction under such circumstances will, in the end, make or break you as an online entrepreneur. Never give up, always give it 110%, even when your goals will seem out of reach.

8 - Networking

No, you are not the only webmaster out there, why would you want to isolate yourself? In fact, you will be able to generate more than a few win-win situations by making good contacts and by keeping in touch with other online entrepreneurs. In the end, networking is one of the main perks the Web comes with, why not take advantage of it?

9 - Striving for excellence

You should always have the right attitude. No, you are not here just to be another webmasters and no, you should not settle with your current income level, as comfortable as it may be. You are here to be the best and you had better let others know as well.

10 - Thinking long-term

Sure, you might be doing fairly well today, but what about a year from now? It’s easy to fall into the trap of short-term thinking, of taking it one day at a time but in the end, such an attitude will get you nowhere and you never know when a reality check may ruin everything for you.

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From Blog about your blog, here are tips about using too many widgets.

I recently turned down an opportunity to publicize and receive reviews from Bloggers Showroom, because they require putting a widget on your blog. They require putting a widget on your blog. I respectfully declined, widgets just aren’t for me. Too many widgets scare me, I don’t even use the MyBlogLog Recent Readers widget anymore.

Are you addicted to widgets or guilty of “over widgetizing”?

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From John Chow’s blog, here’s an amazing list of tips to save money on your blog’s income tax.

Seeing how well my latest income tax tips (here, here and here) have gone over, I figure I would link to some of my older articles on blogging and income tax. Back in July, I did an entire series on how to avoid income tax. That series got a huge reaction as well, with some people saying what I wrote about was illegal. I can assure you it’s not. Tax avoidance is not illegal, tax evasion is. For those readers who were not around in July, you’ll find the following posts to be worth reading.

Remember, it’s not how much you make, it’s how much you keep!

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Here is an amazing video. I strongly advise you to watch it even if you know how to blog. There are many things to know in Wordpress and this video will show you many of them.

So, even if you think you’ve seen it all, I bet you will learn from it.

It’s 45 minutes long so get a coffee, a notepad and a pen and take notes!

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Starting your blog is quite easy. There are however several things to do to improve it. Here is a list of 16 very precise things you must do before you start using your blog.

On this list, you’ll learn how to find more templates and improve your blog. A must read even for pros!

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