Google Adsense is a cost-per-click (CPC) advertising placement service that is owned and operated by the search engine Google. This program enables website publishers who would like to have targeted ads (text, video or image) placed on their website in order to earn money whenever a visitor to the site views or clicks on the ads. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Google Adsense and explain how it works.
Owning a blog or a website can be a great way to make money; however, unless you are actually selling a physical product or you offer a service (and even if you do either), trying to figure out how to make money from it can be tricky at first. If you are looking for an easy (relatively) way to start making money with your website or blog, Google Adsense is an excellent option.
What is Google Adsense?
Owned and operated by Google, Adsense is an advertising platform that allows those who publish websites to monetize (make money from them) by having ads that are contextually relevant placed on them. Whenever a site visitor sees or clicks on the ads, the owner of the website receives a payment.
How Does Google Adsense Work?
There are two different ways that you can make money with Adsense:
- Clicks: This refers to the amount of people who actually click on a Google ad that is placed on a website or blog.
- Impressions: This refers to the number of views a page or posts that have ads placed on the have received.
The publisher of a website or blog (that’s you) creates an account with Google Adsense. Once you have created your account, you can log into your dashboard and create a code. This code considers the size and the type of ads you want to have placed on your site or blog. Google’s Adsense technology is highly intelligent and shows visitors to your site ads that they are interested in.
Once the code is created, you place it wherever it is that you want the ad to appear on your site. Once you place the code, Google will handle everything else. Because your visitors see ads that are based on things that they are interested in, they are much more likely to click on them, and when they do, you will make money. Even if people don’t actually click on the ads, you can still earn money based on impressions (views); however, you make more money from clicks than you do from impressions. It should also be noted that the more page views you receive, the more money you will make. As such, it is important to develop a large audience, which can be done by generating high-quality content and using search engine optimization.
Keyword Research is Important for Adsense
Effective search engine optimization practices will help draw people to your site, which will increase page views, and therefore increase the amount of money you will make. Keyword research is a staple in search engine optimization. In regard to monetizing a website with Google Adsense, not all keywords will give you the same ability to make money.
The key here is to use keyword research in order to locate the highest paying keywords. To do this, you have to be familiar with your audience and the keywords that they would use to find the type of content you have on your website or blog. For example, if you own an interior decorating business, you need to determine what type of keywords people would use to find your website.
Once you have researched and found high paying keywords, use them in your website content in a natural way. Note: never keyword stuff (use keywords excessively). Doing so does more harm than good.
Ad Placement is Important
A lot of people make the mistake of believing that they can place ads anywhere on their site. However, placing ads in a haphazard manner can actually harm your monetization efforts. The best placement for ads depends on the design of your website, as well as your business. Here are some important factors to consider when placing your ads:
- Make sure they don’t overwhelm your site. If you have too many ads, visitors can be turned off, click off of your site and never return. Too many ads also give your website an unprofessional appearance.
- Ad placement should help visitors. They should engage your readers and make them interested in clicking. Put them in locations where they will have a greater chance of attracting the attention of your audience.
- They should be easy to see. If visitors can’t see the ads, well, they aren’t going to do you any good.
Who is Eligible for Google Adsense?
Google Adsense can be used by anyone who owns a website, is 18 years of age and meets the qualifications. To qualify, your site must have original content that isn’t offensive, and that’s pretty much the only standards that apply.
Advantages of Google Adsense
Google Adsense offers several advantages. Some of the most notable advantages include:
- It’s free
- The eligibility requirements are easy
- There are various ad options and several ways to customize them so that they fit in with your site
- Ads can be run across several sites from a single Adsense account
- You receive a monthly payment via direct deposit, as long as you make the $100 minimum requirement
- Ads can be run on RSS feeds and mobile devices
Disadvantages of Google Adsense
Despite the positives, there are some disadvantages associated with Google Adsense, which include:
- If you don’t abide by the rules, your account can be terminated instantaneously
- It can take time and a lot of work to make any real money
- You need to generate targeted traffic to make money
Summing it Up
Google Adsense is an excellent way to monetize a website or blog. However, it is important to note that it isn’t a get rich quick scheme, and you can’t make money by doing nothing. But, with diligence, there is a substantial amount of money to be made.
