Google AdSense: How it Works, How Much it Pays, and How to Get Started

Nowadays, there are a variety of ways to make money with your blog or YouTube videos, but most of these strategies demand a lot of time, high-quality content, and never-ending work with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). But if you’re looking for an easier way to monetize your posts or YouTube channel, you can sign up for Google AdSense to profit from ads.

This doesn’t mean that you can stop creating the best content possible or quit your day job. AdSense is just a way to make a little side cash with your content.

So, let’s get down to business:

Understand what Google AdSense is, how it works, how much it pays, and what you need to get started right now!

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What is Google AdSense?

AdSense is a Google advertising program that lets you host third-party ads on your blog, website, and YouTube.

You know those ads on the top or side of the page you see on a website?

That blog is probably part of Google AdSense.

What do I need to sign up for AdSense?  

Signing up for Google AdSense is easier than you think. All you need is a Gmail account, a phone number, an address, and a site or YouTube channel to connect your AdSense account to. 

Who can sign up for Google AdSense?

Anyone over the age of 18 who meets the above-mentioned criteria can sign up and use AdSense to monetize with ads.

Of course, there are certain restrictions on what kind of content you share and host ads with. For example, blogs that incite violence, discrimination, or explicit sexual content are not permitted.

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How do I sign up for Google AdSense?

The Google AdSense registration process is so simple. Just follow the step-by-step instructions below.

1. Go to https://www.google.com/intl/en_in/adsense/start/ and hit “Get Started”.
2. Select the email account to connect with AdSense.  
3. Fill in the web address of your site or blog if you have one, your country of origin, and agree to the terms and conditions of use of the platform. Remember that to create an AdSense account you need to have your own domain because partners whose blogs are hosted in subdomains such as Tumblr , Blogspot, and WordPress are not accepted. If you don’t have your own domain, get yours at http://www.domain.com/.
4. Before accepting you to the program, Google needs to know if the content of your blog is in accordance with company guidelines. Ads will only start to appear on your page after this verification. Once your registration is approved, you can display ads on any page as long as it complies with Google’s policies.  
5. The final step is to add the account number to which you want Google to deposit the money you earn from clicks on ads.
6. At the end of the registration process, Google will send an envelope to your address with a verification code. This may take up to two weeks.

How do I set up AdSense with my YouTube channel?

To start monetizing your YouTube videos via Google AdSense, you need to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you’ll need:

• At least 1,000 subscribers.
• 4,000 public watch hours.
• 2-Step Verification.
• Zero active Community Guidelines strikes. 

Once you have an AdSense account registered and are qualified for Partner Program, go to the “Monetization” option in YouTube Studio on your desktop and follow the steps to start showing ads with your videos.  

Keep in mind that in order to monetize your channel, your content must be free of any third-party copyrights.  

For example, a recorded TV video or show that is made available without permission from the artists cannot be monetized, for example. Another popular reason your videos might not qualify for monetization is because of music royalties. 

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How do I make money with Google AdSense?

At this point, you might be wondering, “But how do I make money with AdSense?”

There are currently two ways to generate income with ads on your blog:

Cost-per-click (CPC): In this option, you get paid whenever someone clicks on an ad displayed on your page.

Cost per thousand impressions (CPM): You earn according to the number of visitors to your blog. It’s as if an ad were being printed every time someone visits your page.

The advantage of being an AdSense partner is that the algorithm used allows ads to appear according to the interests of your users. You only need to choose the type of advertising you want to be displayed on your site and the place where the ad appears that the tool does everything else.

Since your audience only views ads focused on their interests, the chances of clicks are greater, and it’s exactly this type of interaction that will generate revenue for you.  

How do I receive my Google AdSense earnings?

Remember that during the registration process, Google asks for your banking information? It is through this bank account that you will receive your payments.

Some important information:

• Payments are made in dollars by means of international transfer once a month for partners who have reached a balance of one hundred dollars or more, up to the 21st of each month.
• If you live outside the US, the amount is converted into your currency, according to the conversion rate of the day.  
• Pay close attention to the fees charged by your bank for this type of transaction. If they are high, you can opt for another bank that offers the same service at a lower cost.

How much can I earn with Google AdSense?

That’s the million-dollar question that most likely does not have a million-dollar answer. The amount depends on several factors such as the number of visitors your blog gets, the number of advertisers in your niche, the type of content you share on your site, etc.

In order to increase your profits with Google AdSense, you need to use the right keywords to attract qualified visitors to your page and of course, provide quality content to engage these users.

Also, be aware of the positioning of ads on your page and try to place them in places that are visible to your readers, being careful not to compromise the visitor’s experience.

To find the best place to display your ads, there’s no alternative other than testing: Place an ad at the top of the page one month, then test the ads on the side of the page or at the footer the next month. Then compare the number of clicks you get with each version.

Types of Ads

Text Ads

Text ads, also known as sponsored links, are the simplest you can display on your blog. They typically consist of a title, which is also a clickable link, pointing to the advertiser’s page, one or two lines of text describing the product or service and the address of a website displayed in green.

Display Ads

Display ads are banners that can be displayed on the top, side, or foot of your page. Overall, there are over 15 format options that you can select for your ads, such as horizontal, vertical, landscape, and square. Don’t forget to enable display ads for the block of ads or set a default preference for the entire account.

Rich Media

Rich media are interactive ads: HTML, gifs, and video. Generally, they draw more attention because they require a visitor’s action, but they might also compromise your visitor’s experience when used in excess.

Block of links

Each block of links displays a list of relevant topics related to your site’s content. When users click on an item in the list they are directed to a Google ads page on that topic. You will be paid whenever the user clicks on any of the ads on the resulting page.

How to display your ads

As we’ve mentioned before, the positioning of your ads is one of the factors that influence your AdSense earnings the most. So let’s clarify a few doubts about that.

How many ads can be displayed on the page?

Google understands that excessive advertising can get in the way of the visitor’s browsing. Therefore, you can only show three ads per page.

Where should you place your ads?

The general rule is to place ads where they can be viewed by visitors, provided that they don’t violate Google AdSense guidelines.

How to position your ads

Google AdSense partners can select not only the type of advertising they want to display, but also the ad sizes, the image, and text color. At the end of this process, the platform generates a JavaScript code for you to place where the ad will appear on the site. This allows you to link only content that matches your persona’s preferences.

Sounds complicated? Just follow this Google tutorial.  

What are the criteria for selecting the ads to be displayed on your website?  

There are many factors to consider before an ad can be displayed, but you can rest easy because Google will only try to display ads relative to your content and your audience.

If you wish to block an ad from being displayed simply click on the Allow and block ads in your Google AdSense account.

How much money can I make with my YouTube videos?

YouTube pays between US$ 0.60 and US$ 5 per thousand views, which may vary depending on your niche. To give you an idea of ​​what this represents, a video with 100,000 views can generate up to US$ 500. 

The good news is that this amount only increases as more people view your content.

> Learn more about making money with videos

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Pros and Cons of being an AdSense partner

Like any business model, being a Google AdSense partner represents advantages and disadvantages for the entrepreneur. 

Pros

Various advertiser options

Advertisers who use Google AdWords have two options for displaying their campaigns: Search Network or Network Display ads on the pages that are affiliated with Google AdSense. This means that there are thousands of companies that are competing for the space that you have available on your site or channel.  

Affinity with your blog or channel’s theme  

Google AdSense differs from other advertising programs because it distributes ads according to the theme that is covered by each partner. This way you’re less likely to run an ad that your reader or viewer isn’t interested in.   

Variety of formats

Google AdSense offers a variety of ad formats, such as sponsored links, display, rich media, gifs, and videos. This variety of options gives you the freedom to select the most relevant ad type to display. You only need to determine the format and dimensions of your ad and AdSense selects the most appropriate ad to be displayed.  

You decide which ads will be displayed on your website

Google AdSense will not display anything that is inappropriate to your audience without your permission. If any advertiser or campaign selected by Google is not aligned with your content or violates its principles, you can prevent that advertiser from advertising on your page.  

You have the opportunity to monetize whenever someone sees your ad

Whenever your audience is interested in the ads that appear on your page or channel, you have a chance to generate revenue. In the case of entrepreneurs working with Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM), the amount is automatically transferred whenever someone visits the page/views the video. If you use the Cost-per-Click (CPC) model, clicks on the ad must be qualified, in other words, if someone clicks on the ad and closes the page shortly after, then you won’t be paid.  

Cons

It requires a lot of traffic

The amount you receive from Google AdSense depends on a number of factors, but the most decisive is the amount and type of traffic you receive, for one simple reason: The more visitors you have, the more users will see the ads and therefore, greater chances of clicking.

Therefore, beginning blogs can take a while to generate revenue for this business model, since they have fewer visitors.

You might compromise user experience

No one likes to go to a website and be bombarded with advertising without asking for it. Although AdSense has a limit on how many ads appear per page, this can still affect your visitor’s experience, especially if they are accessing the site from mobile devices.

AdSense partners might have to wait a while before receiving any money

Another disadvantage of working with AdSense is that you only withdraw the amount obtained from ad clicks if you’ve managed to exceed your US$100 balance by the 21st of each month. This factor can be discouraging if you are looking for a source of income with a fast and guaranteed return.

Is working with Google AdSense still worth it?

If you’ve gotten this far, you have probably realized that Google AdSense is a viable template for bloggers who wish to generate income. By the mid-2010s, the program was at its peak and many bloggers monetized their hits by displaying ads on their pages.

The fact is that many of them did not follow the best practices recommended by Google and ended up being banned. Others realized that in order to work with this model you had to bring a lot of traffic to your Blog/YouTube channel in order to have a lot of clicks.

The answer to the question, “Is working with Google AdSense still worth it?” is another question: Are you willing to work on your channel (blog or YouTube) in order to bring enough traffic?

If so, Google AdSense is worth it to make a little side income.

For this strategy to work, you’ll need to be careful so as not to affect your users’ experience and lose access because of the number of ads that appear on your page.

It’s worth noting that just because you’ve become an AdSense partner you can abandon your content production, because it will be critical in building authority and even selling products if you wish to make sponsored posts or work with online sales in the future.

Many YouTubers and bloggers work with more than one source of income in parallel: Google AdSense, partnerships with brands in exchange for commissions or products, recommendation of products (affiliates), and selling physical (e-commerce) or digital products (online courses).

 

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If you plan to work online only, we recommend that you study all the possibilities to understand which one better fits your profile. To do so, learn more about the creator economy. See you next time!