Summary
AdSense is one of many ways to earn money from the Web.
AdSense for content is a system of Google contextual ads
that you can place on your blog, search engine, or Web site. Google, in
return, will give you a portion of the revenue generated from these
ads. The rate you are paid varies, depending on the keywords on your Web
site used to generate the ads.
Text ads come from Google AdWords, which is Google's advertising program.
Advertisers bid in a silent auction to
advertise for each keyword, and then content providers get paid for the
ads they place in their content. Neither advertisers nor content
providers are in complete control over which ads go where. That's one of
the reasons why Google has restrictions on both content providers and
advertisers.
Restrictions
Google restricts AdSense to
non-pornographic Web sites. In addition, you may not use ads that may be
confused with Google ads on the same page.
If you use AdSense ads on search results, the search results must use the Google search engine.
You
may not click on your own ads or encourage others to click on your ads
with phrases like "Click on my ads." You must also avoid mechanical or
other methods of artificially inflating your page views or clicks. This
is considered to be click fraud.
Google also restricts you from disclosing AdSense details, such as how much you were paid for a keyword.
Google has additional restricts and may change their requirements at any time, so be sure to check their policies regularly.
How to Apply
You must apply, and Google must approve your site before you may earn money from AdSense.
You can fill out an AdSense application directly at
www.google.com/adsense
You can also apply from within your Blogger blog.
Learn how to ad AdSense to your Blogger.
The application process may take several days before approval.
Cost
It is free to place AdSense ads.
AdSense Locations
AdSense is divided into two basic locations.
- AdSense for Content
- AdSense for Search
AdSense for Content covers ads placed in blogs and Web sites. You can also place ads in the RSS or Atom feed from your blog.
AdSense
for Search covers ads placed within search engine results. Companies,
such as Blingo can create a custom search engine using Google search
results.
Payment Method
Google offers three payment methods.
- CPC, or cost per click ads pay every time someone clicks on an ad.
- CPM, or cost per thousand impressions ads pay for every thousand times a page is viewed.
- Cost per action,
or referral ads are software ads that pay for every time someone
follows a link and takes the advertised action, such as downloading
software.
Google for Search results only use CPC ads.
Payments
are generally monthly by either check or electronic funds transfer. US
residents must supply tax information to Google, and the income you
receive will be reported to the IRS.
Disadvantages
Google AdSense ads can potentially pay well.
There are people who earn in excess of $100,000 per year in AdSense
revenue alone. However, to earn money from AdSense, you really need to
attract a large audience. This takes time, quality content, search
engine optimization, and possibly advertising. It's possible for a new
AdSense user to spend more money on advertising and server fees than
they earn in revenue.
It's also possible to make content with
keywords that nobody has purchased through AdWords. When this happens,
you will only see Google public service ads, and those do not generate
income.
Advantages
AdSense ads are very unobtrusive, so it
provides a better user experience than flashy banner ads. Because the
ads are contextual, many people will want to click on them anyway, since
the results may be relevant.
You don't have to be big or famous
to start using AdSense, and the application process is simple. You can
even insert ads in your Blogger blog, so you don't need to host your own
Web site.
AdSense
acts like your own ad broker. You don't have to negotiate prices or
find appropriate advertisers. Google does that for you, so you can
concentrate on creating quality content and publicizing your Web site.