Blogging has become very popular in recent years and many people are creating their own blogs these days, but how exactly do bloggers make money from there? One of the most common ways that bloggers earn revenue is through advertising such as Google Adsense. There's no doubt that it's an excellent method to generate income if used correctly, however some users may not be aware of all the rules surrounding this.
This article will explain what makes up your daily earnings with AdSense ads placed on your blog, as well as how you can get your account verified so you'll start making real cash sooner rather than later!
For those who don't know me yet - Hi everyone! My name is Sarah, and I'm a new blogger just starting out on WordPress. Since I knew absolutely nothing about blogging or anything related at all (and still don't), I decided to check out AdSense and see if they would work for my site. Turns out they totally do- and now I've been working hard ever since to improve my content and try to build up some traffic so that we could both benefit from each other. If you're new to blogging too, then hopefully this information can help give you the jumpstart you need to get going and start earning more revenue yourself!
First things first, yes you can indeed use AdSense to make money off your Blogger blog. However, you may have noticed that there are limitations regarding where you can place them. On Blogspot blogs, you cannot place Ads anywhere except above the fold area which means any ad space below your header image and navigation bar isn't eligible for placement. This includes sidebar ads, banners, popups etc... If you run multiple sites using different domains, like sarahbarrblog1.blogspot.com and sarahbarrblog2.blogspot.com, then you won't be able to show ads on either domain because of this rule. So keep that in mind before placing your ads!
On Wordpress blogs, you can place ads anywhere you want including under "above the fold" areas, meaning everything visible without scrolling down. You can also add additional tabs along the top side of your page called widgets. These include categories, archives, comments, likes, RSS feeds, search bars, tags, pages, posts, custom fields, authorship links, pingbacks, trackbacks, email notifications, sitemaps, and contact forms.
Another cool feature that I love about Wordpress is the ability to set specific ad widths/heights for individual posts. For example, let's say you only want to display an 800x600 pixel wide banner within a 400px wide column next to the title of your post. In order to do this, simply go into settings > appearance > layout and change the Width setting to something smaller than your total screen width. Then once you click save changes, you should immediately see your ad appear right after the title of your post. It works perfectly fine if done properly, but unfortunately I haven't had time to test it thoroughly enough myself yet, so I'd recommend checking it out yourself if you decide to take advantage of this opportunity!
In addition to being limited on where you can place Ads on Blogger, there aren't really specific guidelines for choosing the proper category(s) to put your ads in either. Basically, choose whatever fits best, and if you want to maximize clicks, pick highly trafficked categories such as travel, health, entertainment, shopping, sports, relationships, parenting, fitness, food & drink, fashion, DIY, crafts, home decorating, and others. Or maybe you're trying to target certain niches, like pet lovers, music junkies, movie buffs, car enthusiasts, bookworms, etc. Whatever niche you fall into, focus on writing high quality informative posts that appeal to them specifically. The easiest way to determine whether a particular topic appeals to anyone is to ask yourself why someone might come across your blog looking for answers to questions pertaining to that subject. Once you've determined this, write accordingly.
As far as keywords go, it's generally suggested that you stick to long tail keyword phrases instead of broad terms. Broad terms tend to bring higher competition while long term phrases usually bring lower competition. Don't worry, however, because you can always optimize your titles and descriptions to rank better for less competitive keyphrases anyway. Just remember that you shouldn't overstuff your text with keywords either. Try to avoid doing this unless necessary. Also, don't forget to include your targeted phrase throughout your entire website, especially in anchor link texts.
Finally, if you're wondering how to actually select an appropriate location for your AdSense box itself, here's a little trick. Find a picture file online somewhere (preferably royalty free) and resize it to 600 pixels wide. Right click on the picture and hover over open menu item. A small window should pop up asking you to Save Image As.... Choose PNG format and rename the resulting file according to your preferred name. Now, upload this image onto your server via FTP and paste its URL code wherever you want your ad to appear. To clarify further, putting an image of your desired size directly into your theme files is NOT recommended due to security reasons.
Now that you know more about what goes into getting your ads accepted, let's talk about how to actually make money with them.
The main objective of every blog post should be to provide value for readers, therefore whenever you create a new entry, consider adding a call to action towards the end of your piece. Something simple like "Check out our website [http://www.yoursiteurlhere] today!" or "Click Here to Read More!", will surely grab attention and encourage visitors to visit your site. Another great idea is to offer a free e-book download or newsletter subscription for those interested in learning more about your niche or gaining access to special offers. Providing good service and offering valuable products will definitely increase conversions and ultimately drive more traffic to your site.
Next, you must make sure that your chosen topics are interesting enough to engage curious minds, otherwise your audience probably wouldn't bother reading past the headline. If you're struggling to think of ideas, browse around some forums relating to your blog's niche. From there you'll likely discover tons of new topics that you can cover. Keep in mind that you shouldn't copy other peoples' work, but feel free to utilize parts of other peoples' posts to flesh out your unique style.
Additionally, make sure to regularly update your content with fresh new material. Readers expect regular updates, so don't disappoint them by neglecting your blog. Of course, sometimes life gets busy and finding the motivation to consistently produce new entries can prove quite challenging. That's okay. Sometimes inspiration strikes when least expected and you'll never know until you begin typing away. But just remember, consistency is crucial.
Lastly, remember that having lots of fresh content doesn't mean you necessarily have to constantly churn out 10 new posts every day. Instead, you can occasionally publish 2-3 important pieces of newsworthy information that will hold interest and entice readers back to read your latest article.
When creating new entries, try to incorporate social proof strategies. Social proof refers to the tendency of humans to follow groups or individuals whom they believe possess desirable attributes. Therefore, if your goal is to gain credibility as an expert in your field, portray qualities that support that fact in your headlines or introductory paragraphs. Do likewise in your body copy to reinforce your authority status. You can also establish personal connections with potential customers by sharing excerpts from previous conversations held between you and your clients. Finally, be sure to share testimonials from satisfied clients to convince readers that your product(s) truly deliver results.
One last tip worth mentioning is to stay consistent with posting times. Most professional marketers suggest publishing several new posts everyday because research shows that frequent updating keeps viewers coming back again and again. With that said, you should vary your intervals depending upon what type of blog you're running. Some websites are updated weekly, whereas others are published sporadically, monthly, biweekly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, etc.. Your choice will largely depend on your goals and objectives.
Also, another factor to consider is length. Generally speaking, short posts tend to perform better than lengthy ones. Why? Because shorter posts allow viewers to scan quickly for relevant information. Longer posts require patience, and often times readers will lose interest once they reach the middle of a longer post. Additionally, studies reveal that people spend roughly 40% more time scanning webpages versus actual reading.
After completing the steps mentioned previously, you'll receive a notice stating that your account has been qualified for AdSense. Congratulations!! Within 24 hours, you'll receive payment for the impressions of your newly submitted blog posts. Payments occur approximately two weeks following qualification, and Blogger credits them based on the number of unique visits received during that period. Usually, payments range from $0.25-$4.00 USD per 1,000 views.
For most of us, blogs are an escape into our own world where we can write anything that comes to mind and have it seen by people all over the globe. It’s also a great place for new entrepreneurs who want to start their journey with minimal investment or risk. But writing a good article takes time and effort and there isn't any guarantee your content will be popular enough to reach more than just yourself. That's why many bloggers turn to advertising to generate revenue and keep some cash flowing.
Google AdSense has become a huge success because it allows anyone to create a free account online which gives them access to millions of ad units across hundreds of websites worldwide. These ads appear at the top and right side of webpages as banners and text links. When visitors click on these advertisements, they get redirected to the advertiser's website where the company pays out according to what users see. So how exactly do you go about making this work for your particular niche? And how much can you expect to earn if you're running a small blog without too much popularity?
To answer those questions let's take a look at how advertisers use Google Adsense to display their products and services. Then we'll examine how earning money through AdSense works. At last, we'll discuss the basics of setting up a successful AdSense campaign and show you how much money you could potentially make using it.
When someone clicks on a banner or link within Google Adsense, they may end up going to another site entirely. The amount paid out depends on the country you reside in and whether or not the destination page contains advertising. For example, here in India, a user clicking on a banner would usually visit a retail store like Flipkart, Amazon etc., whereas clicking on a link means visiting a different webpage altogether.
The payout range between $0.01-$1 depending on several factors including size of the advertisement unit, location of the publisher (i.e. countries), type of product being advertised, number of times the ad appears on each given page, etc. There are three basic types of ads offered: Text Links, HTML5 Content Units & Video Player.
Text Link - This kind of ad shows up as "Sponsored Results" under search queries. Clicking on such results redirects viewers to pages containing related information. You can set the URL of your desired advert directly in the settings panel. A typical payout might be anywhere between 0.05-0.15 USD.
HTML5 Content Unit - Unlike the other two formats, HTML5 ads don't require any clicks before getting displayed. Instead, advertisers choose specific keywords which trigger displaying relevant ads. The price varies greatly based on the length of the video clip but ranges typically from 0.2-0.4 USD.
Video Player - Just like HTML5 ads, players aren't triggered by clicks but instead by certain keywords. However, unlike HTML5 ads, player ads come with additional features like auto-play and fullscreen mode. Therefore, they tend to cost more compared to regular text links. Typically, pricing starts around 0.25-0.35 USD per thousand impressions.
Once you've created accounts on both sites, you can begin placing your ads wherever you'd like while taking advantage of various placement options available. To learn more about optimizing your campaigns and maximizing earnings, check out Google's help center.
So now you've got your eyes set on starting a blog but you still haven't decided what niche you should focus on. Well, choosing something that already interests you is definitely a step in the right direction. Afterall, it makes sense to stick to things that interest you since chances are high that others share similar interests and passions. If you decide to venture into a subject area that seems unfamiliar, consider researching it thoroughly so that you can offer quality content that readers actually enjoy reading. With that said, finding a topic that suits your knowledge base is only part of the battle. Now you need to ensure that your audience exists somewhere. How big is it? What demographic is targeted? Are there any trends emerging? All these questions concern determining traffic levels. In short, the following formula helps determine the minimum number of monthly visits required to sustain a profitable blog: X = Clicks / Impressions * Conversion Rate
X = Number Of Monthly Visitors Required
Clicks/Impressions = Total No of Clicks Per Month x Average CPC
Conversion rate = Percentage of Pageviews Which Resulted in a Sale
Let's say you decide to write about fashion accessories and you estimate that 500 individuals read your posts every month. From your research, you discover that the average CPC for Fashion Accessories is $3 per 1000 impressions. Plugging everything together then yields approximately 1,000 visitors per month necessary for generating income via AdSense.
Now imagine that same accessory piece written by someone else who doesn't have nearly half the followership! Let's assume that person gets no more than 100 hits per month and his conversion rate for Fashion Accessories is 10%. Since he receives fewer than 50% of the total clicks, his monthly income drops significantly. He must receive 250 hits per month to break even.
This equation assumes that all visitors convert equally well. If you believe your content converts better, simply multiply the above numbers accordingly. Remember, you can optimize conversions by testing different headlines, descriptions, images, colors, fonts, etc.
Even if you manage to secure thousands of unique visitors every month, it won't mean much unless you can somehow translate that traffic into dollars. Fortunately, there are ways to measure AdSense performance and figure out how much money you earned during a certain period of time. Here are 3 major steps towards doing so:
Step #1: Create a report showing all your recent statistics. Go to 'My Account' section and select 'Reports'. Choose the date range that best represents your activity and fill in the fields provided. Once done, hit submit and Google will send you an email showing data pertaining to clicks, impressions, CTR, CPC, and clicks divided by impressions.
Step #2: Find the average CPC that you received for all your placements. Divide your overall earnings by the overall number of clicks to reveal your daily income. Don't forget to add promotions expenses, refunds, bonuses, commission fees, and any other costs incurred for marketing. Also include taxes and shipping charges.
Step #3: Look for patterns among clicks, impressions, and profits. Checkout the correlation between clicks and profit. Try to understand where mistakes were made so that you can avoid repeating them next time. By doing so, you'll eventually maximize your potential earnings.
Remember, the key to successfully implementing Google AdSense lies in diversifying your efforts. While focusing solely on AdSense is tempting, it often leads to mediocre results. On the contrary, having multiple sources of income enables you to continue publishing valuable content long after receiving your initial payout.
Additionally, it keeps you excited about exploring new topics since you never run out of ideas. Plus, working with lots of projects simultaneously reduces stress levels and frees up mental energy. In essence, diversification improves productivity and efficiency. Lastly, remember that your goal shouldn't be to make tons of money overnight but rather strive to maintain steady growth year upon year.
If you follow all of these tips, you stand a pretty good chance of succeeding with Google AdSense. As far as earning goes, the sky really is the limit as long as you remain consistent and patient. Good luck!
With the right mindset, dedication, hardwork, persistence, and patience, you can achieve virtually unlimited success with AdSense. Whether you prefer to pursue affiliate marketing, internet marketing, direct sales, ecommerce, multi level marketing, network marketing, home business, or opt to sell physical goods, digital products, or subscriptions, you can build a solid income stream once you master the fundamentals of marketing.
However, if you'd like to know how much you can realistically hope to earn from such channels, try calculating your ROI. Simply divide the net worth generated by your chosen method over its estimated lifespan and compare it to the returns you received from other methods. Do note that this calculation requires estimating the life span of a project and dividing the annual return into the anticipated capitalization point. For instance, if you plan to invest $10,000 into a project and it generates a 10% yearly return, you'll realize $1000 annually. Compare that against the projected lifespan of the project and you'll soon get an idea of how lucrative it truly is.
In conclusion, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from creating a highly successful blog powered by AdSense. Provided you adhere to the aforementioned guidelines, you can easily increase your earnings exponentially. Take action today and watch as your future blossoms with opportunities yet unseen.
Google Adsense pays people every time your content appears in an ad spot, and that means you can make money from your own website or blog without having to worry about traffic generation, SEO (search engine optimization) or any of those other things usually required to succeed online. The process of getting approved as a publisher is pretty easy but there are some issues worth considering before starting out.
AdSense has been around since 1996 so they have plenty of data on what works best for their publishers. If you're interested in using this method to generate income then let's look at how it all works.
In short, AdSense is a program developed by Google which allows webmasters to place ads on their site(s). Webmasters who want to use this feature simply sign up through Google's account creation page. Once signed up, the webmaster will be able to choose where he/she wants his/her ads placed - these include banners, text links or image links. You'll also need to decide whether or not you wish to display ads only within specific pages or across the entire site. This decision should be based upon the kind of information contained within each individual article. For instance if you write general news related posts then displaying them throughout the site would probably work well whereas writing more specialized topics may require restricting them to just the relevant sections.
When someone clicks on an advertisement displayed on your site, the user won't actually click directly onto another website like say Yahoo Answers because they've already arrived at your particular post by following the link embedded in the ad itself. Instead, they will see the actual webpage containing the ad and depending upon the type of advertising chosen, either stay on the current page or go somewhere else entirely. This makes sense because users generally don't expect websites to suddenly change location whenever they visit.
The amount paid for each view depends on several factors including popularity of both the advertiser and the topic being advertised. Popularity is determined by two different methods. First impressions count! More often than not, advertisers spend lots of money on high quality banner advertisements. Since they rely heavily on early impressions, Google takes note of how many times your advert shows up on others' sites prior to yours showing up. How often your ad displays on another person's site doesn't matter too much unless you happen to rank higher than they do. There are ways around this however, such as adding unique titles for each article or making sure your keyword density isn't too low.
Secondly, Google uses "click-through rate" as a measure of popularity. In essence, this refers to how likely visitors were to click on the ad after arriving at the author's page. A lower CTR indicates less popular subjects while a higher number suggests greater interest in whatever subject material you're posting.
Yes, provided that you meet certain criteria mentioned below. One important factor here is that the blogger must possess a valid credit card associated with said profile. If you haven't received an application email yet then head over to your Blogspot profile and check under Settings & Privacy " Applications & Payments. Under the Authorized applications tab, scroll down until you reach the end and click Edit next to Credit Card details. Enter your name, address and phone number into the fields provided and hit Save Changes. Now log back into your Blogspot profile and try again. It might take a few days but eventually you should receive an email asking you to verify your identity via a security code sent to your mobile device. When done, return to your settings once again and enter the verification code into the space provided. Finally, follow the instructions listed on the screen to complete setup.
Now that we've got that taken care of, let's talk about how to set up your new Blogger blog properly.
It varies quite a bit. Some bloggers report waiting upwards of 2 weeks while others claim it took mere hours. As far as I'm concerned, I had mine approved within 3 days although sometimes I'm lucky to get them reviewed in 1 day. However, keep in mind that most blogs aren't very popular and therefore it could still take awhile. Also remember that you must have completed the initial steps above correctly in order to proceed further.
As previously discussed, AdSense bases its payout rates primarily on popularity. Therefore, it stands to reason that the more popular your blog becomes, the faster your earnings will occur. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Sometimes less known blogs tend to earn better due to their lack of competition. That's why it's good to consider targeting keywords relating to your niche market. Simply search for phrases relating to your specialty and run them past the AdWords tool located right beneath your Tools menu. From there, you can quickly determine how competitive a term is by looking at the bid amounts displayed alongside listings. Generally speaking, bids range anywhere between $0.01-$5 per click with the average hovering around $1.00. So if you find a highly searched phrase with a relatively modest price tag then that's definitely something worth pursuing.
Another tip regarding finding suitable terms relates to avoiding broad match types. Broad Match Type describes the maximum amount of flexibility allowed between your desired target audience and the words used in your title. For example, if you plan to write about dog grooming techniques then choosing a category such as Animals or Pets would allow for broader matches. On the other hand, if you intend to focus exclusively on cat owners then going with Cats or Feline may yield better results. Remember that the goal behind setting up a blog is to provide useful information pertaining to a given field. Using targeted keyphrases helps viewers navigate easily through your articles and gives them confidence knowing that they found exactly what they came searching for. Broad match types serve no purpose aside from allowing for generic searches.
Lastly, it's possible to request a manual review of your blog's status. To do so, open your Account Management section and select Review My Website. Fill out the form provided and wait patiently for approval. Keep in mind that this step is optional and you won't lose access to your account otherwise.
Here's a quick overview of what to do when requesting a manual review.
Select Request a Manual Review.
Enter the URL of your blog in the box labeled Site Domain. Make sure to add http://www.yourdomainname.com at the beginning of the address. Don't forget the www part!
Check the boxes beside Content Approval and Traffic Signals. These items help ensure accuracy when determining ad placement and ensuring proper formatting. Be aware that failing to comply with these guidelines may result in lost revenue opportunities.
Click Submit Form.
That's really all there is to it. Within a couple of business days, you'll receive a reply letting you know if your appeal succeeded or failed.
This question is answered yes...and no. Yes, you can technically register a domain and host it on BlogSpot but doing so requires additional effort. Why bother paying monthly fees for hosting when you can get away with it? No, you cannot use a custom domain name when registering on BlogSpot. Your options are limited to subdomains or domains registered elsewhere. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule and some top ranked blogs on AdSense use custom domains. Here's a list of 5 great examples.
First off, create a new account on Blogger. Then locate the Design dropdown menu and select Customise Theme. Next, tap on Appearance, followed by Change Background Image. Select a background image that represents the theme of your site. After selecting the correct color scheme, customize the sidebar layout by clicking Layout Options. Set width of header bar to 300px. Do the same for the left column. Lastly, enable Show Posts Slider to avoid losing precious real estate to static images. Click Update Page when ready. Repeat this procedure for each subsequent blog entry.
Next, switch gears and begin building your readership. Start off with attracting regular visitors by creating informative and interesting entries. Write original posts, participate in discussions and respond to comments. Eventually, you'll build enough momentum to attract more followers. At that point, you can rest assured that you'll be earning decent profits from your efforts.
If you'd rather use WordPress instead of BlogSpot then feel free to download our FREE Guide to Starting a Successful Online Business With WordPress. We believe that WordPress offers the easiest solution for anyone wishing to launch a personal or professional website. While there are benefits to BlogSpot, our research strongly supports the fact that WordPress provides a superior platform for establishing credibility online.
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to integrate Google AdSense into your BlogSpot blog. Please share us your thoughts on the subject matter in the comments section below.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.