Your Guide to Making Money with Google Ad Sense

Whether you’re trying to sell products or simply passionate about writing, having a blog or a website is a good place to start.

Not only will you have a place to showcase your goods and your talent, but you’ll also have the opportunity to earn money from the content you share.

One of the more efficient and proven ways to monetize a website is through Google’s very own advertising program called Google Ad Sense.

In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Google Ad Sense so you can start making money while doing something you love.

What Is Google Ad Sense?

As mentioned, Google Ad Sense is an advertising program that allows you to monetize your blog, website, or even your YouTube videos.

Considered by many as one of the most popular advertising programs on the internet today, Google Ad Sense was launched back in 2003 and is now being used by over 10 million websites.

Signing up for this program is free as long as you have a website and you are at least 18 years of age.

How Does Ad Sense Work?

While it’s free to sign up for a Google Ad Sense account, it’s worth noting that applications are still subject to Google’s approval.

Unfortunately, not much is known about the metrics Google uses to approve such applications. It’s safe to say, however, that you have a better chance at getting approved as long as your website’s content is high-quality and unique.

More importantly, it has to comply with Google Ad Sense’s policies.

Once approved, you’ll be given the opportunity to customize how ads will appear on your website. You can even choose the kind of ads you would like to run.

Not every advertiser’s ads can appear on every website though. This is because advertisers go through a bidding process based on the kind of content they share.

This is determined through the advertiser’s quality score, a diagnostic tool that determines how well an advertiser’s ad quality compares with those of other advertisers.

Making money through Ad Sense is determined by two factors. The Click Through Rate or CTR and the Cost-per-click or CPC.

The Click-through rate is the ratio of the users who clicked on a link to the total number of users who viewed or visited your blog or website.

Cost-per-click, on the other hand, is the amount you stand to earn each time someone clicks on an ad on your website. CPC is determined by the advertiser and may depend on the kind of product or service they are advertising.

To sum it up, the process is quite simple. You create an account then insert a code in your website that will make the ads appear. That’s it.

Your earnings will then depend on the number of people who visit your website. More specifically, the number of people who clicked on your ads.

How to Get Approved for Ad Sense

Getting approved for a Google Ad Sense account isn’t as complicated as well. As long as you meet Google’s eligibility requirements, your website is good to go.

So what are these requirements you need to meet? Below are some of them.

First, and perhaps the most important, is for you to have content that is original, high-quality, and has the ability to attract an audience. As long as your web pages have these qualities, it is considered Ad Sense ready.

Does your website have clear and easy-to-use navigation? Is the text easy to read? Are all the elements lined up correctly?

Does it have a comments section? Is your content unique and interesting enough to gain a following?

No one knows what Google’s exact criteria are but knowing the answers to these questions gives your website a better chance at getting approved.

You must also be more than 18 years of age for your application to be accepted based on Google Ad Sense’s terms and conditions.

Last but not least, your content should comply with Ad Sense program policies. Make sure to read them before signing up especially since Google may change these policies at any time.

How to Make Money with Ad Sense

We have now come to the most exciting part. While we’ve covered the basics of how ads can make you money, it will help to have some sort of strategy to make that happen.

Concentrate on One Niche

When it comes to monetizing a website, being a jack of all trades master of none won’t work.

If you want to make a decent income from your content, it needs to be focused on one topic and one topic alone which means you can’t sell stuff like hoodies while writing about personal development.

Well, technically you can but it would be wise to have separate sections for your online selling and personal development articles then run ads for just one of them.

Having focused content will help you appear in Google searches as well as establish you as an authority on that specific content.

Traffic is the name of the game when it comes to running ads on a website. The more specific your content is, the more specific your target audience becomes and the more targeted your audience is, the better the chances of getting views and your ads clicked on.

Use the Power of Social Media

As mentioned, website traffic plays a very important role in the success of any website advertising program which is why it’s essential to exert effort in driving as much traffic to your website as possible.

One of the more effective ways to do this is by promoting your website on social media given how most people are on social media almost all the time.

Having a social media presence and sharing your content over social media channels will help raise awareness and visibility for your website. You can even promote your content via a newsletter if your following is quite big enough.

Be Strategic with Your Ad Placement

Ad placement is equally important when it comes to site monetization. How can users click on your ads if they’re not fairly visible?

While it is important to highlight your content, it would go a long way if you can make both your ads and content visible enough which is why it’s important to put them in parts of the website where people can easily see them.

The use of different ad types can also become a factor. At the moment, there are 6 ad types you can choose from. It can be text, image, animated image, rich media, video, and Ad Sense for search.

The good news is you don’t have to take much of the effort because Google Ad Sense can do it for you. All you need to do is put the code on every page of your website (where relevant) and Ad Sense will show them in the best places possible.

Stick to the Rules

The last thing you need is for Google to disable Ad Sense on your website which will happen if you break the rules.

That being said, don’t try to cheat or game the system just to increase the number of clicks your ads get. Don’t encourage your friends or your family to click on your ads or click on your own ads for that matter because Google has an accurate and effective way of identifying click fraud.

You don’t want Google to suspend your account because they’re not very forgiving when it comes to rule breakers. This is the best time to keep in mind that honesty is the best policy.

How Much Can You Make with Ad Sense?

Determining how much you’ll earn from Google Ad Sense can be a bit difficult given the number of factors that need to be considered. The only thing we can confirm is that publishers get 68% of the revenue.

Commissions per click can go from $0.20 to $15 with an average of $3 per click for publishers. The cost per click also varies depending on the niche your content belongs to.

In the United States, the top-paying niches when it comes to cost per click belongs to Insurance ($16), online education ($12.08), and marketing and advertising ($6.45).

Hypothetically speaking, if you have an ad that pays $1.5 per click and you have 1000 visitors and a clickthrough rate of 1%, you’ll earn $15 per 1000 visitors.

As mentioned, the estimate varies depending on several factors. Website traffic, content type, ad type, and even people’s location can play a role in determining how much you’ll earn for a given period.

Conclusion

There are countless ways to earn money from a blog or a website and Google Ad Sense provides an easy and highly effective option. As effective as it is, however, it’s safe to say that you can’t make as much money from ads without decent or significant traffic which is why it is essential to promote your content through other platforms so you can reach and attract more people.

If you’re interested in having someone help you set up Google Ad Sense on your website, now is the perfect time to hire a freelancer who can get the job done.