What is Google AdSense?

Google AdSense is an advertising network which allows content creators the opportunity to earn money on their website.

It’ll display text, image, video, and other interactive advertising banners targeted by page content and audience. There are two ways to earn money through Google AdSense:-

• Impressions – It’s based on the number of page views of pages or posts with ads
• Clicks – It’s based on how many people click on the ads

Google AdSense provides cost-per-click ads. It means you earn money every time a user clicks on an ad. The amount received through per click may differ because it depends on the content of the ad and your account.

It’s one of the most popular platforms to earn money through ads on blogs/websites. It has over 2 million online clients, those monitoring and providing quality service through ad placements.

Types of Ads –

Google offers a variety of ad types to run on your blog or website which includes:-

# Text – Text ads use words, either as an Ad unit or a Link unit and come in a variety of sizes

# Images – Images ads are graphic ads. They come in a variety of sizes, and you can choose an option that mixes both text and image ads.

# Rich Media – It includes HTML, Flash or other interactive feature.

# It’s also in other formats of such as Flash, Audio, and Video.

Google pays monthly through direct deposit or checks, with a minimum threshold limit of $100. When you reach the $100 threshold, Google will issue payment on the next payment period.

If you have a quality blog or website which has a high volume of traffic and engagement can be considered for website monetization.

Before deciding on what advertising platform to use on your website or blog, it’s important to examine what ads will be most relevant to your target readers and if the ad formats will fit naturally and seamlessly onto your website.

Eligibility for Google AdSense Account –

Google AdSense will review your website to ensure it is suitable for their services. Your blog should have enough content because Google will also review the visual quality of your blog/website, so you’ve to give a facelift to your blog.

Google will ask you to add some code to your website after verification. You can sign up for a Google AdSense account with your existing Gmail account to join.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive an email to confirm if you have passed the initial review process within 24 hours.

If you passed, you can log in to your Google AdSense account and start creating ads on your website. If you need any help setting up your Google AdSense account, you can reach the Google AdSense team on their support forum.

# If you’re a blogger – You can use the monetize tab to set up and manage the ads in Google AdSense account.

# If you use self-hosted WordPress – You can visit the Google AdSense website and can apply for an account. You’ll get a code that you can place wherever you’d like to show ads, or you can use a plugin to help with placement.

# How I can earn money with Adsense – Google AdSense is a blog/website monetization program in which website owners can earn money by displaying targeted Google ads on their websites.

In order to choose ad placement, Google matches text and display ads to your website based on your website content and your visitors.

You can also customize the look and feel of the display ads to match with your website. The relevant, engaging ads are being shown on your website while still fitting naturally into the theme of our website.

Creating a Google AdSense account and using your website for advertising is free. These ads are created and paid by the advertisers who want to promote their products in hopes to gain brand awareness.

Google will pay you for the ads that are displayed on your website based on user clicks (CPC) or ad impressions (CPM).

You can’t choose which specific ads show up on your website, but Google AdSense will automatically serve ads that are targeted to your specific content or audience.

If you see an ad on your website that you don’t want to be shown, you can choose not to show that ad on your page by navigating to the Allow & Block tab.

You can review individuals’ ads and choose if you’d like to show them on your page or not.

Setting-up Google AdSense –

# Activate your account – You can sign up for a Google AdSense account using a Gmail account. It usually takes less than a day, but in some cases can take longer.

Once you have taken the necessary actions, your application will be submitted to the Google AdSense moderators for review.

The review and the approval of your website for getting Google AdSense account might depend on the kind of content and user-experience provided by it.

It’s always better if you ensure that your website is putting out great content which is original and high on value. The waiting time for the Adsense approval review is usually less than a day.

If your account is approved, you’ll be able to get your Ad code by logging into your Google AdSense account.

# Configure the setting – Once your account is activated, you’ll be able to see the few areas activated in your Google AdSense Dashboard that will let you create Ads and choose the display design for your Ads.

When you create a New Ad with your Google AdSense dashboard, it’s important to select the apt design that suits the appearance of your website. You’ll be prompted to choose the following:-

• Ad Size – Recommended: Responsive, 336×280, and 300×250
• Ad Type – Recommended: Text & Display Ads
• Text and Style – Recommended: Sync it with your website appearance and color scheme
• Custom Channels – For tracking Ad performance
• Backup Ads – When Google fails to find any suitable Ads to display on your blog/website. You can either choose to put up your chosen Ad or collapse the Ad space.
• Once you select the choices for Ad specifications, simply click on Save and get the code. Copy this code and save it somewhere else as you may require it again.

# Integration WordPress with Google AdSense – Once your work is done on the Google AdSense dashboard, the next step would be about connecting your WordPress website with Google AdSense setting so that Ads would start showing up on your website in the chosen space.

• Login to your WordPress website’s Dashboard
• Navigate to Appearance > Widgets
• You’ll be required to locate the Custom HTML Widget and click on it. Next up, paste the code (from the previous step) by right click
• Click on Save and Done. The interface will take some time to start displaying the Ads, once you are done with the setup.

Plugins for Google AdSense –

Here are a few plugins that can help you better integrate and manage your website with Google AdSense as:-

# Google AdSense Plugin – It’ll simply place ads on your WordPress website pages, posts, custom posts, search results, categories, tags, and widgets. It even supports Video Intelligence Integration and can let you display idle ads.

# Quick Adsense – It’s a plugin that allows you to insert Adsense or any Ads code into your blog/website’s posts. Its other features are to include Default Ads positioning and Flexible Ads placement among others.

How does Google AdSense Work –

# Select the Relevant Ads- You have the power to choose the ads which you’d like to display on your website.

The biggest advertisers usually bid the highest with Google AdSense, so you don’t have to worry about the content of the ad.

The content style and composition of the ad should be relevant to your website. It need not be the same as what you’re promoting on your website, but it would look better if the ads are related to your target online visitors.

This way, the ads will create interest in your visitors instead of annoying them.

# Selection of Ads – Your loyal readers doesn’t want to see the ads to be the first thing on your page. If you’d like to do it a little reserved, a little on the side so that your content should be the center of your page.

You can do it by copy and paste a code on your website HTML right where you want to place the ads.

# Ads Space Bidding – Once your online space will be up for bidding, advertisers will go head to head to secure that online space you’re offering.

It’s the process where you’ll see how these advertisers are willing to pay just to get more clicks.

# Google takes care of the billing – Once the ads are placed on your website, it’ll earn clicks from all your online visitors.

Its Google job to bill the advertisers, to monitor the number of clicks per day, to check if you’ve reached the minimum amount, and to pay you earned money based on clicks.

Ways to Maximize Your Google AdSense Earnings –

Now you’re set up with Adsense, the real work can begin. It can be incredibly beneficial to your blog/website with a few key strategies in order to get the most out of it which includes:-

# Placement of Ads – Placement of Ads is a key area for consideration because the right placement can give up different results.

Displaying ads in priority areas can increase the possibility of interaction with users. There are a number of placements that are considered effective like right below the initial heading of a page’s content, or in the middle of an article.

Google AdSense releases a heatmap of ideal locations to take the easy decision. Regardless of your chosen placements, it’s important to always bear the Adsense program policies in mind.

Otherwise, it’d result in a ban on your account. It’s important to ensure that your ad placement won’t affect the user experience of your website. Don’t overload your pages with ads. A few ads per page policy can go a long way.

# Maintains Content Quality – Google AdSense put the advertisements in places on your website on your content’s focus.

If you want appropriate ads to your audience, you’ll need to create well-targeted content. While it’s something you probably decided on when initially creating your website.

Google AdSense will provide ads that are more relevant to your website’s content. These ads are more likely to be clicked on by visitors and boost your income as a result.

Do’s and Don’ts for Google AdSense –

Google AdSense allows you to choose the space for displaying Ads. So, make it a point to not mess-up your website with too many Ads everywhere.

It’ll minimize your website’s user-experience and might slow down the speed and traffic at your website. You have to keep in mind as follow:-

• You don’t have to face any unfortunate issues with your Google AdSense account, abide by the Adsense program policies.
• You should value your published content over Ads on your blog/website. It’s so because if your audience is no longer provided with quality content, they would choose to dump the website.
• If you are running a WooCommerce website and are looking to earn extra revenue by targeting seller Ads on your website. Always use WooCommerce Help & resources for adopting the best website practices.
• Never indulge in fraudulent practices to get more Ad Clicks.

Difference between Google Ads (AdWords) and Google AdSense –

Both work in a similar style, they’re actually quite different.

# Google Ads (AdWords) is to set up a campaign for advertiser/businesses. Businesses may set up a free Google Ads (AdWords) account to create ads that will show up on a Google search engine results page (SERP).

This system will help you choose relevant keywords to ensure that your ads are being served to users who are searching for what you are offering.

AdWords is mostly used by a business looking to advertise a product and Adsense is a way for website owners’ to display relevant ads on their website and earn money.

# Google AdSense is a platform in which Google distributors’ ads are found through Google Ads (AdWords).

In Google AdSense, a Google’s advertising program, where the website owner has to insert an HTML code into their website targeting the relevant product according to the website’s content.

After inserting the HTML code to your website, Google will take a look and check out the content, whether relevant or not. It’s one of the easiest ways for all the webmasters or bloggers for earning money easily through their websites.

Google allows an advertiser to advertise their products or services through the Google Ads (AdWords) program on various platforms.

When your website, or YouTube channel, or blogs get Google AdSense approval, then Google shows ads on those websites, channel, or blogs and give you share of earning. Google is a channel between advertiser and publisher.

Major Differences Between AdWords and Adsense –

# Google AdSense is for Website Publishers, Google Ads (AdWords) is for Business – AdWords is for advertisers and Adsense is for publishers or website owners.

• AdWords allows businesses and advertisers to advertise on Google’s network (search, display, etc)
• Adsense enables publishers to reserve space for AdWords placements on their website (text, images, video).

Both AdWords and Adsense work together to complete Google’s greater advertising network: website owners put up space for Google’s Ads (Adsense) and businesses set budget and ads to display on Google’s advertising network (AdWords).

# Adsense pays to website owners and businesses pay to AdWords – AdWords is to buy advertising from Google, where Adsense is to sell advertising space to Google.

• With AdWords, businesses are buying Google to place their ads on Google’s search and display network.
• With Adsense, website owners are getting paid by Google to offer up precious website real for AdWords placements.

Businesses that use AdWords will pay Google a sum based on their campaign budget. Adsense allows publishers to monetize their blog/website by displaying relevant ads. Publishers will get paid when any visitor clicks on the ads.

Process for Setting-up AdWords and Adsense  –

You’ll need to sign up for a separate account for each.

# To sign up for AdWords, you can set up an account begin advertising in just minutes. All you need to start is –

• Your Google account
• Sign in to Google Ads (AdWords) using your email and password
• Set your preferences

Now, you’re ready to create campaigns and place your ads across Google’s advertising network.

# To sign up for Adsense, Google requires information about you and your blog/website. All you need is:-

• Your website URL
• Language
• Account type
• Your name and address
• Phone number

After you’ve registered with Adsense, you’ll be able to:

• You can select the type of ads you want to display on your blog/website (text, image, video)
• You can select where on your page/posts want the ads to display

Adsense is the ease and automated, once it’s set up. Google will automatically pick the most relevant and highest paying ads for your blog/website.

Issues in Past with Google AdSense –

Few publishers noticed that the cost per click (CPC revenue) from ads is declining. They were not earning much despite the number of ads being placed strategically on their blogs/websites.

Once the ad is clicked it remain on the same page instead of landing to another URL. Some advertisers had placed the free ads by exploiting the parameters by blocking destination URLs.

They made fake URLs only to showcase their ads. When some publishers’ complaints reached to the Google AdSense and then Google released a statement that they have blacklisted the advertisers.

It’s shown the weakness of the Google AdSense system regarding security. This type of scams never passes the tight security of Google, considering that most big publishers rely on their system.

Alternatives of Google AdSense –

Google AdSense is a contextual and display networking program. A few of the Google AdSense alternatives which are non-contextual ads programs are described here:-

# Adsterra – It’s a slick advertising network with innovative ad formats and a growing number of large brands using the platform.

Adsterra is a fast-growing ad network and respected brand in the online advertising space.

Monetization of traffic is easy with Adsterra with a user-friendly platform and give publishers a 100% fill rate along with industry highest CPM.

Here are some stats on Adsterra which includes:-

• It serves 10 billion+ ad impressions per month
• It has 20k ad campaigns presently
• It covers over 190 countries
• The minimum payout amount is $100

# Meridian at Sovrn.com – It’s a CPM ad network that accepts publishers of any size. This network pays publishers per ad impression.

It allows you to set a minimum price of ad space for your blog/website. There might be times when this network can’t fill all your ad impressions, so they allow you to set up what’s called backfill.

It means you can give them instructions for an alternative ad to display.

You can use Google AdSense account as backfill, which means that Adsense ads will display on your website at times when Meridian isn’t able to fill your ad impressions.

• It pays publishers on a net 30%
• The payment threshold is $25.00

# Easy Monetizer at Monetizeasite.com – Easy Monetizer is a tool that allows you to automate affiliate linking. It allows you to get started monetizing with to upload and enable a WordPress plugin on your blog/website.

This tool will take over the tasks of finding the best products to show your visitors, creating your affiliate links, placing the links where you want them in your blog posts, making sure the links don’t break, and the prices are all accurate.

This tool is powered by Amazon.com’s proprietary algorithms. It offers publishers a lucrative affiliate program that includes recurring commissions. It has an upfront cost. The cost is minimal and reasonable.

# OIO Publisher – It’s a WordPress plugin that allows you to monetize your website by managing your own ads.

If you’re a motivated sales person, and your blog or website is attractive to advertise, this tool offers many advantages that make it an excellent Adsense alternative.

You can get an upfront payment from advertisers, without having to wait for payouts. You can negotiate directly with your advertisers. There is an upfront cost for OIO Publisher. It also offers an affiliate program.

# Blogher.com – It’s a CPM ad network. It’s specialized in monetizing blogs targeted at a female audience. They also offer sponsored posts and paid product reviews.

# Bidvertiser – It’s a cost-per-click ad network that also offers conversion incentives to publishers. It also offers a referral program which pays for referrals of both advertisers and publishers.

# Infolinks – It’s several monetization options to publishers. It’s an intext option that takes your existing content and inserts text ads into it wherever they have an appropriate as to show your visitors.

If any visitor’s mouse hovers over the text link, an ad will pop up for the visitor to view.

# Media.net – It’s a contextual ad network and a direct Adsense competitor operated by Bing and Yahoo!

Conclusion – Nobody can deny the fact that Google AdSense is a wonderful platform that lets bloggers and website owners earn extra revenue while they focus on growing their blog or website and provides relevant content to their audience. It’s still worth every blogger or publisher’s money. Its benefits, as well as its reach, are enough for you to trust its cost per click system.