So you wanna know about blogging and AdSense? Google’s advertising program is a great way to make a bit of money blogging. But, it’s no path to riches. There are also a few things you ought to know about this ad network before you start.
You want to make money blogging, and AdSense looks amazing. I’ve seen many bloggers struggle for approval and scheme out how to maximize their earnings. But sometimes misinformation floats around about AdSense, so I thought I’d throw out my experience.
I’ve been blogging with AdSense for months. I took over a year to prepare my blog so I wouldn’t have to struggle with rejection from Google. So here are my best tips for blogging and AdSense.
You Need to Have Plenty of Quality Content to Be Approved for Google Adsense
You can’t start a blog and expect to be approved by Google right away. Nobody can upload four short blog posts and get accepted. You need to have plenty of quality content on your site.
I built up a library of great posts before I got accepted. Fortunately, I got in on my first try! But other new bloggers apply too soon and get rejected.
Don’t panic if you get rejected, because you can always try again. But it’s not too hard to make a good first impression on Google.
Publish Plenty of Blog Posts…
You may be wondering: How many blog posts do I need to apply for Google AdSense? Truth is, there’s no magic number because Google evaluates your site based on a variety of factors. To give yourself a chance, publish at least five or more blog posts that are 500 words or longer.
This is the bare minimum I’d aim for. Google likes long-form content of 1000 words or longer. And five articles are just the beginning. So if you want more than the bare minimum chance of being accepted, I’d publish 10+ long-form posts or 20+ shorter posts.
And Make Them Good!
Don’t forget the other keyword: quality. Your posts should be well-written, with few grammar or spelling errors. Your content should be original and valuable to readers.
What does this mean? Spell-check and correct your writing thoroughly. Make sure your blog posts are more than just your diary or musings on different topics. Whether advice or entertainment, ensure your blog posts provide a reason for people to read them.
Most importantly, do not steal or copy other blogger’s content. Google will not accept “spun” content. Content spinners steal blog posts, reword them, and publish the content as their own. If your posts are too similar to others out there, Google will suspect you of content spinning.
Photo by Pavelescu Raluca from Pexels
So make your posts original! Not only will it make Google happy, but it’ll also please your readers. After all, if your content is the same as every other blog in your niche out there, why would they read yours?
How can you make your posts original? After all, there are a million other bloggers in your niche, most likely. There are only so many ways to write cake recipes or test acne cures or share credit card advice.
You need to use your voice and your personal experience. That’s the best way to make your blog posts unique. Write things in your own unique way, like you were speaking to readers. Weave your own stories and history into each post.
Once you have a fair bit of content and Google can see that it’s good, you’ve got a good chance of being accepted into the Google AdSense program.
Adsense Does Not Give a Huge Payout
Blogging and AdSense seem like peanut butter and jelly. So many blogs out there use Google AdSense to make money blogging. But, it’s not actually a big moneymaker for bloggers.
Google AdSense pays only a few dollars for thousands of views. Suffice to say, you’ll have to attract many thousands of viewers to get a good payout. That’s not easy for many bloggers.
I’ve made only a bit over a dollar after months with AdSense. That’s not even enough to make up for all the time I spent setting it up. So much getting rich blogging that way.
Plus, if your blog can attract thousands of readers, there are other, faster ways to make money. You could try affiliate links, selling products, or other tactics. Not to mention other ad networks!
I’ve seen plenty of bloggers suggest Mediavine as a great ad partner once you get enough readers. It requires 50,000 monthly sessions, but once, you get there, the payout is much better. They also require you to have good standing with AdSense, though, so don’t discount Google totally.
Enough money to pay for a latte now and then is still nice, so give Google AdSense a chance. Just keep your blogging expectations realistic and don’t expect it to help you dive into full-time blogging, either.
Adsense Allows You to Customize Everything
This is one of the big advantages AdSense offers. You can control where the ads go and how many you have.
Google lets you create customized ad slots so you can add scripts for ads wherever you want. This means your blog can appear how you like.
Of course, there are a few caveats. Some ad sizes and placements are more popular for advertisers. Your custom ad slots may not attract Google’s advertisers, leaving them empty and not getting you any money.
What if you don’t want to customize everything? That is a little overwhelming. Don’t worry! Just enable Google auto ads, and they’ll place ads automatically to work with your site.
Are you worried about what ads can appear on your website? Don’t want to be a home to shady clickbait? That was my worry when I signed up. I didn’t want to host creepy or scammy ads on my website. Fortunately, Google Adsense lets you exclude ads by category, so you can block all the miracle cancer cures and male enhancement pills from your sidebar.
The beauty of options! You can be lazy and let Google take the reins. Or, you can weave ads perfectly into your site’s setup. You also control the content of ads. It’s all up to you.
There Are Other Ad Networks You Can Work With
Don’t forget: Google AdSense isn’t a blogger’s only option. There are plenty of other ad networks out there you can partner with.
I already mentioned Mediavine is a blogger favorite. Media.net is another option from Bing and Yahoo. There’s Adthrive, Monumetric, Blog Her–suffice to say, you have options. This post gives a nice overview of blog ad networks.
So you know: Many ad networks require you to be in good standing with Google AdSense. This means you have to join AdSense, get approved, and not get banned before you try to join their network. So it’s likely AdSense will be your first ad network anyway, even if you move on to others. This leads to my next point…
Google Adsense Is an Advertising Juggernaut
Google Adsense is the industry standard. They attract the most advertisers and work with the most blogs.
You can trust they won’t shut down overnight (another ad network I was eyeing for my blog did). You know Google is going to pay in full and on time. Once you get the 100$ minimum payout, you’re getting paid.
As I stated earlier, many other ad networks require you to have good standing with Google before they’ll work with you. This is because they trust Google to vet sites and only approve blogs of decent quality. (If your blog can’t get approved by Google, you might have content quality issues.)
Working with AdSense helps you understand how an ad network works and how to set one up with your website. This gets you ready for any blogger-advertiser relationship you might have.
You can find other ad networks with looser standards than Google, but these won’t pay as much. And they might put pretty shady ads on your blog. Really, if you’re just starting out, Google AdSense is the way to go.
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Final Thoughts on Blogging and AdSense
AdSense isn’t the way to quit your job and make loads of money from your blog. But it is one way to start monetizing your blogging.
You might rather build up affiliate links or work with another network long term. But if you’re interested in adding ads to your site, then blogging with AdSense is your best start. It’s a good network for beginners to get started with blog advertising.
If you want to make a little money blogging and Adsense seems right for you, I absolutely recommend it as a way to dip your toes into monetizing your blog. Just don’t think it’s your only option or pathway to blogging riches. It’s only a step on your blogging journey.
Mint is a writer and digital marketing pro who lives in coastal Virginia with her family and one lovable pitbull. Her passions include helping people and businesses display their best side through the power of communication, buying her dog costumes he doesn’t want to wear, and talking all day about Batman.
