Whether you are trying to make a little money on the side or simply cover your hosting costs, it is possible to make money with a blog using Google AdSense. If you are unfamiliar with AdSense or how it works, it would be behoove you to peruse the website and get a general understanding of the application and to get the most out of this article.
With that out of the way, let's examine some of the key components that go into making AdSense successfully work for you. The first of which is (and perhaps most importantly) generating a sufficient amount of traffic (if you haven't already!) It goes without saying that unique, interesting, high-quality content is critical for increasing and maintaining blog traffic. It also legitimizes your place in the blogosphere - for example, when you link to and comment on the blogs of others, they will likely respond back with links to your site if your content is up to snuff. Promoting your posts via Twitter and other social networking sites is another good way to bring yourself some positive attention. And last but certainly not least, your site must be optimized for search engines - ideally, you should get your blog as highly ranked as possible, as this another big key to getting traffic that you would otherwise not personally be capable of soliciting.
Another crucial component when using AdSense to make money with your blog is to find the ads that pay well. 7 Search has a very useful application called the Keyword Suggestion Tool. It gives you an idea of what rates people are paying per click, not just for AdSense, but also for Google competitors. Additionally, Word Tracker is a tool that is incredibly apt at reporting what keywords are being searched in the major engines, and will also reveal what other sites are targeting the same words. The more sites that are using your desired keywords, the more difficult it is to optimize for search engines.
Next, you should ensure your ads are relevant to your content. This sounds simple, and may be if you are using the correct keywords. If a search for your typical keywords do not reveal many ads, you may have to change the way you describe your content. For example, you may not find many ads for ping-pong tables, but by using some more general terms such as "indoor games" you may find a greater number of ads that relate to your content. The whole idea is to be creative with your keywords without changing the concept of your blog. In addition to this, develop the art of increasing keyword density without making your blog appear "spammy." Block ads that are questionable or irrelevant - sometimes Google straight up gets it wrong and you may end up with ads that aren't really prudent or relevant to your content. You be the judge.
Lastly, use your head when positioning ads. AdSense allows you to position ads and pick color schemes. You may want to consult a web designer if you have any reservations about your ability to optimize the look of your ads. Some bloggers use the blend approach, which make the ads less conspicuous in the context of the page, and therefore, less in-your-face advertising. Others make their ads stand out and are quite obvious. Many bloggers use their ads in the main body of their posts, and are therefore likely to be absorbed as readers peruse your content. Naturally, there is fine line between making sure the ads are relevantly embedded and blatantly peppering your blog with spam sites (as it may appear to some.) In order to make money online, you will likely have to experiment to see what method works best for your site, content, and readership.
Trever Clark is an inveterate gamer who writes for his own blog, as well as for other publications. He is a level 70 Warrior in WoW, but in real life, is terrified of spiders. Read more of his work at http://www.waystomakemoneyonlineblog.com.
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