How to Make Money With Google Adsense

Over the last few years, Google has grown into a world-wide brand. Its name and logo are recognised everywhere. The company's turnover and profits are measured in millions. The people behind Google understand how business on the web works.

They understand that without people like us - people with websites we're passionate about - there would be no business on the net. They perfectly understand the win-win-win of internet business and their best win-win scenario for individual website publishers is the Adsense programme.

Google Adsense is a fast and easy way for website publishers to earn money from their website. Unless you're building your site to support an offline business, Adsense might well be your first attempt at monetisation.

So, how does it work? How do you make money with Google Adsense?

Simply, Google displays third party advertisements on your site and shares the revenue it receives from the advertisers with you. So all you need to make money is a website and a little bit of adsense code on each page - right? Not quite. There are a few provisos.

  • First - and most importantly - your website needs to be about an acceptable topic. Google is very strict about sites it accepts in to the programme. For example, sites that promote gambling, violence or sell weapons, alcohol, tobacco or replica designer goods are not accepted to display Google Adsense ads. Check out Google's Programme Policies (and especially the content guidelines) to see whether your site is suitable to make money with Google Adsense.

  • Next, you need to apply to Google for an Adsense Publisher Account. I recommend that you read and understand all the information Google provides very carefully. I know it's no fun reading endless pages of Terms and Conditions, but since you're trying to earn money here ... surely this is time well spent!

  • Once Google has accepted you into its Adsense programme, they'll give you all the help you need to set up Adsense ads on your site. Again, there is much to read, but if you follow the instructions, you'll be up and running in no time.

So that's the mechanics taken care of. What about the rest? How do you make money with Google Adsense? And do you have any control about how much money you can earn?

Content

The quality of your content drives the quality and relevancy of the adverts that are displayed on your page. If your page is about shoes, then you'll most likely see adverts from shoe retailers or shoe manufacturers. Adverts from holiday companies or cookery stores wouldn't be relevant to visitors reading a page about shoes.

You can improve the relevancy of the ads shown on your page and improve the way you make money with Google Adsense, by making sure each of your pages is about a single topic (or keyword).

Don't ramble. Don't start talking shoes, before moving on to describe your last holiday ... you know what I mean.

It makes it easier for your visitors, too. They come to find out about shoes. They won't be interested in your holiday snaps ... unless they're totally shoe-related.

Traffic

Like many things on the web, making money from Adsense is a numbers game. Not every visitor who reads your page will click on an advert. Many may be perfectly happy with the information you've given them.

Imagine that between 1% and 5% of your visitors will click on an Adsense ad. If your visitor numbers are low, then this will not add up to many clicks, which in turn will not bring in much money.  Work to improve your traffic numbers, by providing top content and linking to other relevant sites. Become the expert in your niche, and visitors will appreciate your site.

Ad Formats and Ad Placements

I'm no expert at this, but your conversion factor - i.e. the number of visitors who click on an ad out of all the visitors to your site - is also influenced by where you place the ads on your page and even by the format (square, skyscraper, banner or button).

Fortunately, Google has done A LOT of research to help you get the best results here, so make sure you read Google's optimisation tips once you've got the hang of the basics.

I know, there are many people out there who want to teach you (for a hefty sum) how to make money with Google Adsense. You can listen to them if you want, but I wouldn't part with my hard-earned. I'd rather listen to what the folks at Google have to say about the subject. It's their business, after all.

Most website publishers will eventually make money with Google Adsense. How much you earn depends on the quality of your site. The more visitors you attract with your top-quality, relevant, targeted content, the more chance you'll have that they'll find the adverts on your site of interest.

Remember the win-win scenario: give your visitors what they want, and they'll give you what you want.

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