What are image ads?

Image ads are graphical ads.  Unlike traditional banner ads, image ads are also targeted to the appropriate audience, just like text ads.  A publisher that has a combination of image ads and text ads has a greater revenue generating potential.

Image ads are only for Adsense for Content pages and not available for Adsense for Search results pages.

There are 5 major formats of image ads.  The Leaderboard, which is about twice the size of a banner ad, the banner image ad, the skyscraper, the wide skyscraper and the medium rectangle. Google’s technology determines on a page by page basis whether image ads, text ads, or a combination of both will make you more money and then delivers the appropriate format.

You can choose to run only image ads, but Google recommends selecting both, thereby giving them a better chance to target the right advertising for your page, generating more revenue for you.

Bottom line: taking these two methods together will give you the best chance at making the most revenue.

How Does Google Adsense Program Work For Webmasters Wanting to Earn Income?

Advertisers pay Google when someone clicks on their ads which are placed on pages that contain text.  For example, if you write content about lawn mowers, you will likely see ads from lawn mower manufacturers and/or retailers on that page.  When someone clicks on those ads, the advertiser pays Google and Google pays you.  Of course, the advertiser is hoping the person that clicked on the add will actually purchase the lawn mower or whatever they’re offering.

In fact, Google is very strict about the integrity of this process.  You are forbidden to click on your own ads.  If you do, your Adsense account will be terminated and you might never get it back.  You are also prohibited from asking others to click on “your ads”.  It makes sense.  Why would advertisers want to pay just so your friends and family could click on your ads when no one is really interested in purchasing the lawn mower or subject of the ad.

The good news is that it’s not necessary to “cheat.”  Google Adsense is so easy you’ll make more money just going by the rules.  Have or write interesting content that will turn up in search engines and you have “targeted” the right people to read those ads.  Just think, somebody in Indiana buys a lawn mower and you get a commission!

What Not to Tell Others About the Google Adsense Program – The Most Important Rule

Sympathy only goes so far.  Not only is it against the Google Adsense Program Policies but if you rely on friends and family members to click on your ads instead of diligently working the program, you’re cheating yourself – and the Google Adsense Program.

The “help me out” wail may work when your kid is selling outrageously expensive candles for the end of the year school party but it has no place in the Google Adsense Program.

Besides, if you’re asking people to click on your ads, that means you’re not optimizing your site for valid clicks as well as referrals.  Use that same energy to polish your content and your site.  When family and friends ask what you’ve been up to, you can proudly show them your hard work.  When they see how excited you are, you’ll see your referral revenue go up.

The Google Adsense Report

When you log into your Google Adsense account, you are automatically taken to the page where you can view all your Adsense activity.  On the Reports tab, you’ll see “Today’s Earnings.”  This is the approximate amount you have earned today in your Google Adsense account.  Earnings are not final at this point and could be adjusted for invalid clicks or fees.

It’s interesting to look at the breakdown.  As you can see, Adsense for Content, which refers to the targeted ads appearing on the pages in which you have written content, is listed first.  Here you will see the number of page impressions listed in the first column.  While a page impression is generally the same as a page view, that is not always the case.  For a more detailed definition of a page impression, see Google Adsense support, click on Your Adsense Account and then click on Your Adsense Report.

Next, you’ll notice the number of clicks.  This refers to the number of times “your ads” were clicked on.

Page click through rate or CTR is in the next column shown as a percentage. It represents the percentage of the time an ad was clicked on after viewing your page.

Page eCPM which stands for effective cost per thousand impressions.  It is calculated by dividing total earnings by the number of page impressions in thousands.

Don’t be intimidated by these statistics.  The bottom line, your earnings, is what really counts.  As you become more familiar with Google Adsense, statistics will become like second nature.  First, just start.

Tips for Using Google Adsense

Like anything else, you’ll get out of Google Adsense what you put into it.  The following optimization tips can help you grow your Google Adsense dollars:

Write interesting content and write every day.

Have more than one site.  The more sites you have, the more ads have the potential
to get clicked.

Set up channels and monitor your statistics across all sites.  If one site is performing
poorly, consider changing the content or the ad layout.  Experiment!

Change the ad layout and notice which layout works the best for you.  There are
many different layout options and there’s no way you can know going in which
one will perform the best.

If you’re blogging, writingup.com has a list of profitable topics.  They state that
you don’t have to write on those topics but  you might give it a try or at least plug
some of them in to the search engines.

Google different key words and phrases and notice how much and what kinds of content and ads you see.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Keeping Your Adsense Account From Being Disabled

How Can I Make Sure That My Account Will Not Be Disabled?

Google Adsense Program Policies make no allowances for deceptive practices.  The most important thing a publisher can do to ensure the integrity of their site is to be aware of what is happening on your site.

Google has made it abundantly clear not to click on your own ads or ask others to do so.  But what about practices a publisher may not purposely carry out?

Make sure that ads associated with Google never appear in an unrequested pop-up.  Don’t be talked into purchasing traffic for your site that may contain adware.

Respect the Google trademarks.  Don’t use any Google trademarks or logos without their consent.

Don’t change the Adsense code.  If you’re a pro at html, don’t assume you can add your own code.  If you’re new to html, simply copy and paste the offered code. Don’t mess with it.

Provide a good environment for advertisers and a positive user experience.  Don’t try to be deceptive in any way.  Google’s rules may sound strict, but believe me, protecting the integrity of the Google Adsense Program is in your best interest as well as Google’s.  After all, a positive, honest Google Adsense program means more money for all of us.

Useful Books About the Google Adsense Program

Do you need to buy a book to use Google Adsense?  Not necessarily. Google’s support page has a wealth of information. But you might consider it if you want to read a personal account of an Adsense wizard such as Eric Giguere or say, if you want to learn more about HTML.  ‘Who Let the Blogs Out: A Hyperconnected Peek at the World of Weblogs by Biz Stone has a lot of information on blogging as well as information about Google Adsense.  The following is just a few books you can find at amazon.com  on the subject:

Make Easy Money with Google: Using the Adsense Advertising Program By Eric Giguere

The Google Adsense Handbook By Angus McLeod

Google Advertising Tools: Cashing in with Adsense, Adwords, and the Google APIs by Harold Davis

Top-Paying Google Adsense and Adwords Keywords for Pharmaceuticals (In Digital Format) [Download: Adobe Reader] By W. Frederick Zimmerman

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Growing Your Business with Google By Dave Taylor

How to Write Great Blogs and Watch Your Adsense Dollars Add Up

The best thing about blogging is that there are no rules.  You can write about anything you want.  A self-publisher’s dream!   There are some things you can do though to maximize your Google Adsense profits.  Narrow your subject.  Don’t just write about shopping.  Write about shopping for antique dresser drawer pulls.  Write every day. Have a blog at more than one site. If you develop a readership, you’re more likely to increase your profits.

Write about something you know or want to know or at the very least care about. If you try to write a great blog based on a “hot keyword” yet it’s something you could care less about, you’ll likely not stay with it long. Experiment and see what works for you. You can write based on your own opinion or something factual. You can review a product or service or a movie.  Read other people’s blogs and notice how many reads they’re getting.  Above all, have fun.  After all, it’s free and if you’re persistent you’ll see your Google Adsense dollars adding up.

How to Apply to the Google Adsense Program

Applying for a Google Adsense account is quick and easy for any interested webmaster. Just point your browser to www.google.com/adsense and click on apply.  Click on the drop down arrow under account type and select whether you’re an individual or business.  If you’re not sure which one to choose, click on the question mark to the left. Next, select your country or territory.

Under website information, it asks for your primary URL.  If you have your own website, list it here.  If you are using a blogging site such as writingup.com or bloggingparty.com that URL goes here.

Select your website’s primary language. Google adsense supports Chinese (simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Select the product you want on your pages.  Adsense for Content means you will have advertising targeted to the content on your pages.  For instance, if you write about flooring, you might have carpet ads on your page.  Adsense for Search is for you to add a Google search box to your pages.  To maximize your Google Adsense earnings, you will want to have both.

After that, it’s just the regular contact information and you’re all set.  You should receive an email in 2 or 3 days letting you know if your application is approved.

Do I Have to Pay Taxes on My Google Adsense Earnings?

Google Adsense is required to collect tax information from those who participate in the program. If you’re a business, you’ll need to put your EIN number on your application.  If you’re an individual, all you’ll need is your social security number.  If you don’t have that information when you initially sign up, you can still apply for the Google Adsense program.  But be advised that Google Adsense will withhold payments to you until they receive your tax information.

While Google does not withhold taxes or provide any tax advice, they will send you a 1099 once your earnings reach a certain amount.  Of course, if you are a Non-US business and have no activity in the United States, you will not need to provide this information.  For more tax information regarding the Google Adsense program, visit the Google Adsense Support site.  For other tax-related questions or concerns, you can log onto www.irs.gov.

Will It Help Me to Buy Google Adsense “Secrets” E-books and Reports?

As with any money-making venture, there are pitfalls, pros and cons and some outright cons.  As popular as Google Adsense has become, it’s no surprise there is a wealth of information for sale.  Try it.  Google Google Adsense and you’ll see what I mean.  There are those promising they make thousands and thousands of dollars a month from Google Adsense and they are willing to share their “secrets” with you – for a price.

The fact is Google Adsense will tell you everything you need to know – for free. They have a support site that covers virtually everything you would need to know about the program and experience will teach you the rest, although I admit I have seen a couple of interesting books on amazon.com.

There are a lot of people out there in cyberspace who will gladly answer your questions for free and there are many forums where you can post questions.  You can even email the Google Adsense Support Staff if you have questions that their Support Site doesn’t answer.

Experience will probably be your best teacher anyway. And the good news is the Google Adsense program makes that experience painless in that you have nothing lose. So just take a chance on yourself for now.  Learn everything you can to maximize your earning potential.