How to monetize your website with Google AdSense

Posted by Phil on Sep 10, 2010 in Google, Instructional / How-to | 2 comments

What is Google AdSense?

Have you ever noticed those tiny little ads all over Google products?  As we briefly explained in “Stretching your Advertising Dollar“, Google’s paid advertising (called “Google AdWords”) is not only how Google makes most of its money, but it’s also one of the most efficient advertising programs in the world.  It pre-qualifies a consumer before showing him your ad, the tracking analytics that come with it are first class, but… I digress.

Example of Inline Google AdSense Ad

We’re here to talk about making money with AdSense, not spending money on AdWords.  Google AdSense is the global advertising network through which Google displays the paid advertisements of Google AdWords customers.  Google’s advertising network includes all of Google’s own “properties”, search sites such as EarthLink, Netscape, and Compuserve, affiliate advertising networks in the Double-Click Exchange, and last but certainly not least, you.

That’s right – you can become a part of Google’s global advertising network.  But the question is… should you?  If you recall from the AdWords article, Google displays ads relevant to what the viewer is already looking for.  That means that if you run a website about microwavable organic pet treats, you can be reasonably sure Google will serve ads on your site that are also related to pet food.  If you’re a blogger devoted to sharing “Petcake” consumption with the world this could be a great way to make some extra cash from your site, but if you’re running an e-commerce site you could end up displaying ads for your competition!

You’ve decided AdSense is right for you… now what?

If you’ve decided Google AdSense would benefit you, head to http://www.google.com/adsense to begin the account setup process.  After applying, a Google employee will review your site to make sure it is complete, easily navigable, and has some substance to it.  If everything looks good and your site conforms to the AdSense Terms of Service you will be welcomed to the Google AdSense program via e-mail two or three days after your submission.

Once your account has been approved, you can start placing ads on your site.  Just login to your AdSense account and you’ll be able to copy the HTML code required to display all sorts of different ads – text-based ads, graphical ads, and more.  Then just paste the code onto your site where you want the ads to display and you’re off and running.

In summary, Google AdSense can be a great revenue generator for a popular website, but unless you already have a sizable readership you won’t see overnight results.  Keep working at building great content and eventually you will start seeing some paychecks.

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