How to Sign Up for and Use Google AdSense
This hub will show you how to sign up for Google's AdSense program, and how to run it on your site to make money.
What is AdSense?
Before I get into any detail, I’ll quickly explain what AdSense is, for those of you who aren’t entirely sure. AdSense is a program from Google which allows you to display ads on your blog or website. Every time someone clicks on one of those adverts, a small amount of money is paid to Google by the advertiser. But if the ad is displayed on your site or blog, you’ll be paid a percentage of that money. How much money you’re paid will depend on the type of advert and which website is displaying the ad. For example, on Hubpages, you keep 60% of revenue from ads on your hubs.
To signup up for Google AdSense simply follow this link. (If you don’t already have a Google account, sign up for one first). You’ll have to fill out a form, agree to the terms and conditions, and choose how you want to be paid. You’ll also have to select a blog or website you wish to display your ads on. Don’t worry if you have more than one site or blog, you can add others later.
Once you’ve completed this process, you’ll receive an email from Google telling you to verify your email address. Click on the link within the email and your application will be submitted for review. It usually takes no more than a few days for your application to be approved or rejected. You'll get an email from Google to tell you whether or not your application was successful and what you need to do next.
If your application is rejected, the email from Google should tell you why. If it's something you can fix - eg. you entered your website's URL incorrectly on the application form - feel free to try again. See here for Google's tips on how to get your application approved.
Are there any alternatives?
AdSense isn't for everyone. It can be easy to get banned unless you're extremely careful about complying with the Terms and Conditions. Moreover, a lot of people simply don't want to do business with Google, for a number of reasons. With this in mind, I think it's only fair that I give you a couple of alternatives to the AdSense program. Feel free to try these out in place of AdSense, or use them alongside it.
These programs all work a little differently from one another and from AdSense, as well as offering some different features, including ones AdSense doesn't provide. If you're not sure about which ad program to use, do a little research. Look at the other options available to you and try them out. You might find one that's a cut above the rest.
Once your account is approved, you’ll be able to display ads. If you’re using Google’s Blogger service, it’s very easy to set up your blog to display ads. All you have to do is select where you want the Google AdSense gadgets to go and what type of adverts you want them to display. If you want to display ads on your website, or your Tumblr or WordPress blogs, you’ll have to visit your Google Adsense account page to get the ad code to paste into the HTML of your website or blog.
Of course, you can also use Google AdSense on Hubpages too! Just visit your Earnings page to enable ads from AdSense.
Remember, never click on your own ads. I cannot stress this enough. Google will catch you and disable your AdSense account.
You most likely won't make a fortune with AdSense - or any other ad program - unless you put a lot of time and effort into it and have a great, popular site, but it is a fantastic way to make a little extra money on the side. And if you're blogging or publishing content on your site anyway, you might as well be paid a little something for doing it.
I hope this clears up any questions you have about what AdSense is and how to use it. If there's anything at all you don't understand, or anything you think I should have included, please leave a comment.
