Google AdSense is a program managed by Google that uses online search technology to display ads on websites based on their content. The website owner earns a varying cost per click (CPC), which depends on how much the advertiser is willing to pay. Different products have different advertising costs, and some keywords are worth more than others depending on the industry. As a result, you can earn different amounts for ad space on the same page. You can also earn money through cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or cost per action when someone clicks the ad and makes a purchase on another site, for example. However, cost per action is usually more associated with affiliate advertising than with Google AdSense.
You want to monetize your website with Google Adsense, to increase the bottom line for your web page or business regardless of whether you sell a product or offer information and social interaction. This can be a great way to produce extra income because the ads are relevant to the content on your web pages should your readers should naturally find some interest in them.
A Basic Overview on Monetizing With Google Adsense
Start with quality keyword rich content, (even if you are selling a product, you still want to produce highly insightful quality content that consists of the basic SEO fundamentals). Then apply for an Adsense account, set up size, style and location of the ads, and then keep your content relevant and original to your audience.
Detailed Step By Step Instructions on How To Monetize With Google Adsense:
- Create high quality keyword rich content on your website or blog. You want a balance of valuable information, and a good ratio of keywords to attracted the search engines, and to have ads relevant to your web page. SEO optimization is important in order to be discovered by search engines in the first place, but please don’t over use or over optimize for any one keyword term or phrase. Keep your content natural, but still targeted toward a specific theme or topic.
- Start your account with Google Adsense. This is basically self guided at https://www.google.com/adsense/signup, you will need a valid postal address, a Google account, and of course a web page or website. If you are in China or India your page needs to be at least six months old.
- The next step is to tell Google about your content in a form, then fill out a short application online. It can take anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks for approval.
- Once approved, you have control over the location, and size, and color of the ads on your web page. You want the ads to be where people will naturally look. The process is very simple and self guided from this point on. Google makes it very easy for beginners to monetize their own web pages.
- Choosing a size for your ad is a matter of taste, however some ad size and placements seem to work better than others. You will have a choice between medium rectangle, large rectangle, (which can be placed anywhere on your page) and leader-board (work best placed on top of the page), and of course, the skyscraper ad (works well on the side of your web page).
- Choosing Colors for your ads is also a matter of taste. It is recommended that you go with the Google recommended color scheme for each ad if the background of your web page is white. You can choose from a list of predefined customizations, or if you are creative, and a little tech savvy, you can make your own. A lot of internet marketing specialists recommend blending the ad colors with your web page or making it stand out highly with a specific call to action. In my experience, I have had a lot better success in blending the ad colors with color schemes that are already on the web page.
- Choosing the locations for the Google Adsense ads depends on the web page, and the size of each ad. If your web page is selling a product, you will want to place your own products more accessible than the ads, while still allowing the ads to be viewed. If you are offering information, and your main revenue is through ads, then you will want the ads more obvious, yet not intrusive. It is all a balancing act and then definitely requires a lot of testing to be successful.
Most Successful Ad Styles and Units:
Studies show that they most successful ad styles are:
- 336 x 280 Large Rectangle
- 300 x 250 Medium Rectangle
- 160 x 600 Wide Skyscraper
- 780 x 90 Leaderboard
- Text Link Units
Here are visuals of some of my best performing adsense units, so you can understand where to implement them on your website.
Text Link Units blended to match the color scheme of the website.
Medium Rectangle placed in the middle of the page in between content as a resource.
Wide Skyscraper placed in the sidebar
How to Optimize Adsense Performance from Google.com
Things To Know:
- Your ads will be targeted to the keywords on your web page so plan on using this appropriately. Some market niches can pay a very high CPC of $3 – $6 and some can pay a very low CPC of $.01 – $.10. This usually depends on the competition in the advertising space or industry.
- Do not use any copied content. It is important that the content on your website is original. This is not just for ethics, your content will be overlooked by Google if it does not pass copyscape and you will not receive any traffic from the search engines.
- Do not add keywords that are not relevant. Sure, it is possible to stuff unrelated keywords in an SEO article. But your site will lose credibility and loyal return visitors. Go for quality content every time.
- Payments are sent out monthly once they clear a payment threshold, typically of one hundred dollars. You can change the threshold, but not the date of the payments. You may need to pay taxes on these earnings depending on the amount, and other factors listed in the details of your payment information.
- Use common sense. What do you want to see on a web page? What makes you stay, or leave within a few minutes? Do not “attack” your visitors with garish ads. People are used to seeing ads on web pages. Just use common sense and offer a solid product, and/or content and you will do great with Google Adsense.
Keep in mind that pretty much anyone can start a website, apply for Google Adsense and monetize their web pages. The level of success of your Adsense program depends on the demand and quality of the content on your page and how much traffic/visitors you are driving to your website. Probably, the most critical element to online marketing is how traffic you can generate to a website.