AdSense is just a click away when a user searches for ways to make money online. It’s definitely among the most famous ways a person can make money online. But is it realistic? Is it enough for a person to make a living?
In this post, I’m going to give some honest answers on the basis of my own experience with AdSense. I’m also going to use instances from some successful websites using AdSense.
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What Is AdSense?
It’s hard to find an avid internet user not aware of what AdSense is. However, here’s a brief overview of Google AdSense for beginners who are unfamiliar with what it is.
Google Ads are one of the major income source for Google. From the statistics of 2018, Google’s ad revenue amounted to almost 116.3 billion US dollars in a year.
- Google Owns AdSense
- Publishers can use it for free.
- The Adwords program is meant for advertisers. They have to pay only when anyone clicks on an Ad. Advertisers can use this service to promote different products and services.
- Google receives 32% of the total revenue and publishers receive 68%. If any advertiser is paying $1 for each click, then Google gets 32 cents and the publisher gets 68.
- An auction type system is used to calculate the CPC also known as cost per click.
- It is extremely simple to use for beginners.
- It generates quite a massive amount of revenue for publishers and is one of the most secure and reliable platforms for advertising on the whole internet today.
- In addition to websites containing content, AdSense is also available for gaming, mobiles, videos, and search related products.
- You can check out the Google AdSense help center for more detailed information about the platform.
How To Make Money With Google AdSense?
Now, that we have understood that using AdSense is free-of-cost for publishers and that you receive 68% of the total revenue, let’s check out what you require to actually start making money with AdSense.
1. You Need a Website Rich In Content
One important thing to note about AdSense is that it loves websites rich in content. Any kind of content will do, as in the text, videos, and images. However, publishers should note that the content shouldn’t violate the content policies of AdSense.
Even though AdSense approaches different content formats, it is advisable to have some text on the site. It aids the crawlers in understanding the niche of the website and the type of content.
If you publish case studies, articles, blogs, and how-to articles and guides, AdSense is the way to go. However, there are other types of content sites that have their own success stories with Google AdSense.
2. The Quality of Your Website Should Be Top-Notch
Even if you are publishing content that is not a violation of AdSense policies, that is not enough. The website and the content on it should be high-quality. Advertisers pay money to get their ads on display. Google Adsense is liable to them for ensuring that their ads are displayed on high-quality websites.
In the past, sometimes websites with mediocre content got AdSense approval, but not anymore. The policies are stricter now on the kinds of websites you can run AdSense on.
3. You Need High Quality Constant Traffic
AdSense is one of the easiest ways to make money if you have a high-quality website. However, it is of no use if you have little to no traffic on your website on daily basis. But if you have good traffic to your website, AdSense is going to be a treat for you.
Since the earnings depend on Click Through Rate (CTR) and Earnings Per Click (EPC), it’s difficult to give a precise figure. However, if your sites have less than 300-400 unique visits per day, it isn’t profitable to run AdSense on those sites. Generally speaking, the more targeted traffic your site has, the higher the amount you can earn via AdSense.
4. Target Popular Keywords
If you wish to make a lot of money with AdSense or any other advertising network for that matter, targeting the correct and trending keywords is a must. But what exactly does the choosing of the right keywords mean? Let’s take a look at what right keywords are..
1. Advertisers use them to promote their popular products. This increases competition and enhances Earnings Per Click.
2. Use Action keywords – They are more useful as the users are likely to take some action. Moreover, it increases conversions after their click.
Let us understand this with the help of an example.
Suppose there are two websites that belong to the fat loss niche. They both run AdSense with ads in nearly the same position. Both of them receive equal organic traffic.
The first site gets traffic from keywords such as ‘fat loss tips’, ‘lose belly fat’, ‘how to lose fat fast’, etc. The keywords that are a source of traffic for the second website include ‘why drinking 8 glass of water is important’, ‘how many meals to eat daily’, ‘what should you eat after dinner’.
Since more advertisers would be interested in the keywords the first site gains traffic with, it is likely to earn more. Moreover, the number of ads available will also be greater.
Most users searching for information on how to lose weight fast are also more likely to click on related Ads rather than someone who is just looking for common information.
That’s why it is one of the main reason for the importance of organic traffic. The highly targeted nature results in better conversions.
Full Compliance With AdSense Policies Is a Must
Since AdSense accounts for about a quarter of Google revenues, they take it with utmost seriousness. Even though it’s not that tough to get an Google AdSense account. And remember if you don’t follow the rules, you will be at the risk of getting it disabled.
So, it doesn’t matter if you are a new publisher or an established one. It is important for you to read the policies before using Google AdSense on your site or blog.
Most users think that they can trick the system. If you are one of them, remove the idea of tricking AdSense. They have the best staff to ensure that no user can bypass the system.
Instead of Made For AdSense (MFA) Website, have a website with a purpose
Google doesn’t favour sites that are only made for the sole purpose of monetising with AdSense. A site or a blog should have a clear purpose for users. And that has to be beyond just to make money with AdSense. If you have an established website that has a lot of traffic already, you can use AdSense to monetize it.
You can also sell your own products or someone else’s products and services on a website and use AdSense to make some extra money. But making a blog and publishing low quality spun content only for making money via AdSense is not a smart move. There was a time when this model might have worked for lot of people, but not anymore.
Examples Of Niche Websites Using Google Adsense
Lemme give you some examples of websites making a good income from AdSense. While reading, try to relate with the points I have mentioned above and see how these sites have applied them.
Example 1: Calorie Secrets
Caloriesecrets.net also uses AdSense. They don’t charge for the products they offer including food tracker, calorie counter, diet plan. They use AdSense to monetize the content and provide the products for free.
Example 2 : Digital Photography School
The Australian Blogger Darren Rowse is the owner of DPS. He has been one of the first people to earn a living by making money online. On reading his complete story, you will understand the role of AdSense in his income. On DPS, he uses a number of ads on each page. He places ads above and below the folds along with the sidebar.
They use 3 AdSense ads on each page. One above and below the fold and one in the sidebar.
What is the common thing in all the above sites?
All the above-mentioned websites have quality content and a lot of traffic. They comply with Google Adsense policies and webmaster guidelines. They don’t hamper user experience even if they use ads above the fold. These sites have ads both in the sidebar as well as the main area. Click through Rate is more in the main content area if we compare it to that of the sidebar. This results in more clicks and thus helps in making more money via AdSense.
Is It Possible To Make a Living With Google AdSense?
The main question here is can you rely fully on AdSense to make a living? The answer is NO. Making income online is dynamic and it’s important to have multiple sources of income. Who knows whether AdSense might exist in the future too? Thus, it is always wise to spread out your risks and diversify your revenues. You can do affiliate marketing with Adsense too…
Top 5 Bloggers In The World (Using Adsense)
1. Huffpost – $41 Million Per Month
2. Engadget – $4.1 Million Per Month
3. Perez Hilton – $3.45 Million Per Month
4. Mashable – $3.30 Million Per Month
5. CopyBlogger – $2.80 Million Per Month
Conclusion
As long as your site complies with AdSense guidelines, it is one of the best ways to make money online. But you have got to have some other income source as well even though AdSense is great.
Video Source – John Crestani
If there’s anything you think I’ve missed – talk to me in the comments below!
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