My big push for 2014 is going to be improved performance. My sites aren't coming up as fast as I'd like anymore, specially on mobile, and I'm going to be spending serious money on bringing them up.

Another thing I'm going to do - mailing lists for all sites. Now that FB has limited the reach for fan pages, it just makes more sense to take control back. I have one page with 8000 fans and the reach for one post was 26 views! That's riiiiidiculous.

So I polled the fans and asked if they'd sign up for a mailing list to get the same updates I was giving them on Facebook and got an overwhelming yes, so that's what we'll do. I'll still post to Facebook, but I'll also bring my little armies of evangelists in-house.

@NetMeg...I've thinking about doing the same for awhile now. A really good FB post gets less than 10% views for me. I'll probably keep posting as well as I use Hoot Suite and it makes it easy to post to multiple services at once.

As for me...I'm working on simplified site design, less crap to click on, and hopefully more page views so if AdSense ever bans me I can make up the lost revenue with increased views.

martinibuster optimizing the site for mobile is a double edged sword. I saw that because often a poorly designed site will result in more clicks...albeit "accidental" ones. But I've seen earning go in the opposite direction when the mobile design was clear what are ads and what are not. Let's be real - even on desktop and tablets most clicks are accidental. Not advocating bad UX or suggesting accidental clicks as an AdSense strategy, but something to think about that it could result in lower earnings. I've seen it.

Let's be real...

I'll be real and pragmatic. ;) Accidental clicks are not a business model for 2014 because sites that don't function well or otherwise have a poor user experience are likely going to have a tougher time in the mobile search algo (which will increasingly show preference to mobile friendly sites) and more misery from the payout side of AdSense. That's a double-slam. As traffic increases from the mobile side, if your site is not ready to meet it then that's a channel that's going to go away for you. Whacked from mobile traffic that dries up and whacked by earnings that shrink down to fractions.

- even on desktop and tablets most clicks are accidental.

I agree that on some sites most clicks are accidental. But that only happens when traffic does not align on the buy cycle. That's not the case on sites related to products in some way.

1. Accidental-type clicks are going to get smartpriced. If clicks consistently don't convert the earnings are going to drop through the floor.

2. Clicks that convert earn more.

3. Clicks that earn more are the incentive to cultivate the right kind of traffic.

...something to think about that it could result in lower earnings. I've seen it.

I agree with you 100%. If the site traffic is there for reasons outside of the buy-cycle, then yes, your experience is what will happen. I've seen this happen to others where they had over a million unique visitors per month on some great domains but only making under fifty bucks per day. That person fell under the sway of the notion that the more traffic he culrivated the more money he would make. Not so. Traffic does not necessarily equal money. It bears repeating:

Traffic does not necessarily equal money.

For 2014: Focus on sites with a strong a relationship to purchases somewhere along the buying/shopping cycle.

So many people poo-pooing social media. That is a shame. You have this great traffic source. Perhaps the idea should not be to move away from social media, but to wonder what you are doing wrong with your social media. My WORST posts get at least 10% views to the number of FB followers I have.

For me, the way I will make more money is to bring more value to my own site. I will be adding a new section of the site that I don't expect will directly bring in money, but will bring in a sense of more authority. Authority means more return visitors and more respect (which translates to moolah) from advertisers.

You know, in terms of helping others, it might be best to state what you did over the past year that made you more money?

Me personally, I invested more in promoting social followers on my site. It creates a return visitor cycle that advertisers like to see, I think.

I also tested, tested, tested my AdSense placements. Listened to advice from several places and implemented what worked best for my site.

What I did the past year:

Improved the mobile experience (but it'll be even better in 2014)

Greatly improved page load times.

Added video for some events.

Improved user experience for displaying cancelled and postponed events, and added a new section that goes directly to the current day's events.

Much more personal (unscheduled) engagement on Facebook.

Improved site search product.

I don't know if that stuff directly improved earnings, but I believe it directly improved the user experience. Return visits and shares were through the roof. Earnings close to twice last year's; both on a per day and a cumulative for the year basis.