The Basics of the Adsense Game

1.Do Not Violate the Adsense TOS (Terms of Service)

Whilst this list may not be totally comprehensive, you may not place Adsense ads on sites that promote the following;

◦Sales of beer or hard alcohol
◦Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products
◦Sales of prescription drugs
◦Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g., firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)
◦Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
◦Sites that link to casinos, gambling sites, prescription drug sites

You are urged to read through the Google AdSense Program Policies to ensure that you are playing by the rules to firstly get your account approved, & secondly to avoid having your account closed.

If your account is closed for violating the Adsense TOS there is virtually no way back.

By the way one of the biggest violations by Adsense publishers is clicking their own ads - obviously you must not do this, it's dishonest & called fraud and what's more Google's sophisticated software is capable of picking up far more intricate fraudulent activities so clicking your own ads will get you banned quicker than you can say knife.

Do not try & outsmart Google - rather acquaint yourself with the TOS & conduct your online activities with honesty & integrity.

Another worthwhile read is Google's Webmaster Guidelines »

2.Be Careful - The Adsense Rules Are Always Changing

One of the first things you are encouraged to do to get more clicks is to blend your ads in with your website's content.

However just lately one of Google's new policies state that Adsense publishers should not "format site content so that it is difficult to distinguish it from ads", which puts the blending issue into question.

So once again, the Adsense game is changing all the time so keep up to date with Google AdSense Program Policies here »

3.How Much Will You Earn from Adsense?

Google allows you to display either cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-1000-impressions (CPM) ads, while AdSense for search results pages show exclusively CPC ads.

What this means is that advertisers pay either when users click on ads (CPC), or when the advertiser's ad is shown on your site (CPM) and you'll receive a portion of the amount paid by the advertiser for the ad.

Google disclose the exact revenue share, but their goal is to enable publishers to make as much or more than they could with other advertising networks.

So once your application has been approved you can start displaying Adsense on your sites and you can keep track of your earnings at any time by logging in to your account.

Sometimes new Adsense publishers struggle to generate any meaningful income at all whilst others experiment & others remain clueless about optimizing their monetization strategy.

One thing's for sure though & that is if you want to earn something from Adsense you need to have a site or blog with original, compelling & interesting content on a fairly popular topic - everything else will follow.

4.Adsense: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

◦Q. Do I need to apply for a new account for each new/extra website I have?

A. No, once you have your Adsense account running, you can use it for any number of sites you own, provided they all follow Adsense guidelines.

◦Q. Do I need to contact Google every time I make a new web site?

A. No.

◦Q. When do I get paid?

A. Google will send your check or EFT payment within approximately 30 days of the end of the month after your balance is at least US$100.

◦Q. Should I worry if my CTR is high?

A. No, CTR is a variable factor that fluctuates depending on the type of site and how well it is optimized for Adsense ads but if you notice a sudden increase in clicks, it's wise to contact the Adsene team with the details.

◦Q. Can I have two separate Adsense accounts?

A. No, unless you sign up for additional accounts under separate business entities, however it's a good idea to email Google before you do.

◦Q. If y site's PR is low or even zero I will get low paying ads?

A. No, CPC of the ads served up on your site has nothing to do with it's PR (Page Rank) but depends on the site's topic, content & type of ads that are served on your pages.

◦Q. What do I do if I clicked my own ads by mistake?

A. It's best to let the AdSense team know and explain the situation at the following email:adsense-support@google.com

◦Q. Can Adsense be in pop-ups?

No Google ad or Google search box may be displayed on any domain parking websites, pop-ups, pop-unders, or in any email.

◦Q. Will having AdSense affect my Google listings or SE rankings?

A. AdSense does not affect either positively or negatively your site traffic or its ranking in the Google search results.

◦Q. Can affiliate text links be on the same page as AdSense?

A. Yes although if you join programs that look like AdSense, such as the Yahoo ad program, where the ads show content related to the page, you can't have them on the same page as your Google Adsense ads.

Google AdSense remains one of the hottest & most innovative online money making solutions there is and is arguably the easiest & most effective way to generate real income on the internet today.

Just remember this - to make real money from Adsense you must first get the basics right.