Do you run a personal blog or have of website? Do you have a mobile app or a successful YouTube channel? If the answer is yes, you can start making money with Google Adsense.
When it comes to Google Adsense I hardly know where to begin because there's so much to cover. I've been using Google Adsense since April 2006 and I'm still learning new things about it each day. But in order to keep this tip simple and to the point, I broke it down to several key points and examples.
Explaining the concept
The concept is very very simple - there are advertisers, there are publishers and there is Google. The advertisers want people to hear about their products or services, and the publishers want to generate income from their content. Google makes the connection between the two, and that’s how the story begins.
To simplify, let’s talk about John & Bill.
John run a photography blog and shares product reviews, photography techniques and more. While John does this as a hobby and really enjoys it, he wants to start generating income as a way to compensate for the time he spends working on the blog posts.
Bill owns a photography shop and sells cameras, lens, lights and more. While Bill does enjoy a daily stream of customers to his shop, he would like to reach out to many more potential clients.
John turns to Google Adsense, Bill turns to Google Adwords.
► John & Google Adsense
John says to Google: “Hey Google, I'm running this photography blog and heard that you can help me generate income from it. Is that true?”
Google answers: “Yes John, that is true. If you place our ads on your blog we’ll pay you for it.”
As a result of their productive conversation, John signs up for Google Adsense, selects ad formats and places them on his blog.
► Bill & Google Adwords
Bill says to Google: “Hey Google, I have this store and want to reach out to many new potential customers. Can you help with that?"
Google answers: “Sure Bill, just sign up for Google Adwords, set your budget and create some ads. We'll make sure they reach the right people”.
More about Bill & Google Adwords tomorrow.
► When does Google pay John?
(1) Every time a visitor to his blog clicks on an ad (pay per click).
OR (2) Every time his blog displays a CPM ad (pay per 1000 view).
The two ad types compete against each other in an auction and Google displays the ad with the higher bid. PPC ads are more common, and they as well compete among themselves.
► Where does the money come from?
(1) Google places Bill’s ads on John’s blog.
(2) Bill pays Google for each time a user clicks on his ad.
(3) Google pays John a percentage of Bill’s payment for each click.
► How much money can you earn from Google Adsense?
This depends on many factors and is determined by things such as ad size, format, type, network, behaviour and more. It’s against the TOS to share Adsense earnings, but what I can say is that it varies and depends most on your blog’s topic, and the ad sizes & types you choose to use.
But in general an insurance ad will generate a lot more income than an ad for a ‘freebies’ website, and this is due to the competition and fact that insurance companies are willing to pay Google a lot for winning the auction which leads to displaying their ads on targeted websites.
► Optimization and best ads to use
There are 5 top recommended ad sizes on Google Adsense and these will be presented to you when you created a new ad. The more important thing though, is ad placement and blending.
A simple search on Google will results in tons of case studies about this matter, but in general the top recommendations are to blend the ads nicely into your content and to place the ads “above the fold” - in the upper half of the page.
► Examples
I considered sharing links to several of my blogs which have Adsense ads, but then thought it might seem as if I’m trying to promote my blogs opposed to using them as examples. So instead of sharing them here I'll share the links on my blog post (under this embeded post), and you can head over there if you're interested.
► YouTube Ads
If you have a YouTube channel and meet certain criterias set by YouTube, you can opt in to the Partners program and start monetizing your videos.
The type of ads displayed on YouTube are different than ads displayed on websites, but once you’re approved as a partner the concept is exactly the same. Advertisers pay Google for selling ads, you allow your videos & channel to run the ads, and then you get paid per click or view.
► Ads in Apps
If you have an app and want to generate income from it you can sign up for the Google Admob program which allows you to monetize your apps with ads. I’ve yet to try this, so can’t share much more about it..
If you have any questions about Google Adsense please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
