Chapter 2 How To Work With Google
Once you have your blog created in Blogger, signing up for AdSense is a very easy thing for you to do. The first thing you will want to do is go to the AdSense Console located online at:
https://www.google.com/adsense/
On the AdSense starting page you will want to click on the “Click Here to Apply” button.
Clicking on the “Apply” button will take you to a second sign-up screen where you will enter the URL of your blog, your name, address, phone number and the other usual basic information about yourself.
You will also have to check the boxes agreeing that you will not ever click on your own Google AdSense ads, that you will not put ads on sites which include incentives to click on the ads, that you will not place ads on sites with any pornographic content, that you can have checks made out in your own name, and that you have read and agree to the AdSense Program Policies. Remember to take the time here to read and understand the Program Policies!
The last selection, the AdSense Program Policies, is very important for you to read and make sure you fully understand it. Google is very vigilant about compliance to their rules and regulations when it comes to AdSense. You cannot ever click on your own ads, you cannot ask your readers to click on the ads hosted on your sites, and you need to understand where you can place the ads and where you cannot. Understanding the AdSense policies and rules will potentially save you a lot of hassle in the future.
Once you have applied to host AdSense on your blog you will be asked to confirm your request via the e-mail address you have provided on your application. To do this, simply open your e-mail client, and click on the link to confirm that you did indeed apply for AdSense in the message Google has sent to you. This step insures Google that you are who you say you are.
Once you have confirmed your request by clicking on the e-mail link you were sent, then you will need to wait to be approved by Google. Google generally takes about two to three business days to get back to you.
Generally AdSense is approved for anyone who applies. They are mostly just making sure you have the site which you say you do and that you do not have another AdSense account already. They are not really looking at your site itself and what’s on it. Even if your blog has a single post on it that’s fine and they will approve you for AdSense hosting.
During the waiting period there is nothing you can do with AdSense other than think about where you would like their ads to show up on your blog. Because of this waiting period, it is best to apply for AdSense right after you have created your blog – even if you have yet to post a single message to it. After you have applied then the first thing you should do is make a post to your blog so that Google can see you are making a blog and what it is basically about for the approval process.
Once You Are Approved for AdSense
Once your blog has been approved to host AdSense ads on it, you will want to add in the three blocks of ads into your Blogger template. How and where you do this is vitally important as to how well you will generate income from AdSense. You want the ads to blend in with your template and you want them to not look like obvious ads to your readers.
Reading the terms and conditions of AdSense you find that you are allowed to host three separate AdSense ad blocks per website. For a Blogger blog, you will want one at the top of the page, one within your message text and another on the sidebar with your links. These have been proven locations for many bloggers and are generally the known preferred places for anyone who wishes to make money from AdSense.
Your number one goal with these three ad blocks is to make them blend in with the rest of your blog and not appear to your readers as ads. Google has helped you out with this by providing you with the ability to “blend” your ads with your chosen template. To do this you will go to the Dashboard in Blogger and click on Settings -> AdSense.
Notice where it says “Blend Template” under “Select Colors,” this is the selection you will always want to use! It is very important to have your AdSense ads blend in with the rest of your content. While other colors might look better, people will not click on them as often if they scream “ads” to them. Better to stick with what has worked for other bloggers and just blend the ads into your template.
To the left of that is the “Select Ad Format” drop-down box. This allows you choose the size of your AdSense ad block. The size of the block you choose will be determined by where you want the AdSense ads to appear on your blog and how you want them to look arranged on the page.
AdSense Block Locations
You will want to place all three blocks which Google allows you to have onto your blog. The best location to place the first ad block is at the top of your message. In the “Select Ad Format” field choose the “468 x 15 Horizontal Row” format. This format will blend in nicely with your blog and will appear as if it were a menu bar of a traditional website. Google will automatically place this ad block for you at the top of your blog. Leave it where Google puts it.
For your second AdSense block you will want to place it on the sidebar of your blog. (You will need to generate this code using the AdSense Console, which I will show you how to easily do, in the next chapter of this eBook.)
Generally, right under your “links” section is a good place to put this second block. If you choose the same font and text size as your links you can make your AdSense look just like additional links for your blog. To ad in this block choose a vertical rectangle, whichever works best for the space you have, and paste the code into your template right after where it says:
<h2 class="sidebar-title">Links</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.test.com/">Edit Me</a></li> <li><a
href="http://www.test.com/">Edit Me</a></li> </ul>
By placing your AdSense block at the end of your links, it will blend in nicely with them.
Your third AdSense block should be added so that it shows up in the text of your posted messages. Again, you will need to generate the code in the AdSense Console and then you will want to paste it here in your blog template:
</BlogItem Title>
<div class=”post-body”>
<div>
By pasting your third block within your posted message content you will put it in the reader’s view enough that they will invariably click on the links. This can be the most profitable place of all for AdSense ads to appear.
If you do not like the ad block in your posted message area, consider adding it in right above the footer of your posted messages. By adding the ad block here your readers will see the links and assume you are offering them suggested reading on the same subject of your message. And remember, the more they look like your recommendations, the more your readers will respond and click on them! And ultimately the more clicks you get the more money you will make.
Graphics and AdSense
Another good AdSense money making trick of experienced bloggers is to add a picture or graphic file directly above the Google AdSense ads. Google requires you to have a border separating the image from the ads and to make them not look like they belong together. However, by placing the ads directly under the graphic your reader’s eye is drawn to the graphic and then naturally to the ads. This can be one of the most effective ways to place AdSense on your blog! Just make sure you adhere to Google’s requirement that you clearly separate the ads from the graphics.