14. How to Tracking and Reports
Tracking the results of your marketing efforts can help you focus your efforts and make adjustments to win.
Google offers a great free tracking feature known as 'Channels'. You can use these channels to track ads on specific URLs or to categorize ads based on their
Formats, keywords, location on web page and so on.
You can choose from two channel types offered by Google.
URL Channels
This will help you track the performance of your web pages without altering your ad code. All you need to do to track your performance is to enter a full or partial URL in the channel and you're done. A full page URL will track the performance of the specific page having that address. Lf you want to track all the pages on a specific domain, you need to enter a top-level domain name.
Custom Channels
Custom channels are used to track the performance of your webpage based on the criteria that you specify. You can choose what specific factor you would like to track and customize the channel according to your requirements.
As the name suggests, custom channels are very flexible, and if you have ever used any kind of data reporting tool, you will find setting them up easy and logical. You can have up to 50 custom channels!
You can compare the performance of different ad formats and the relevancy of ads. You can also compare how ads on one page are performing when compared with ads on other pages. You can do so by assigning each group of pages to a specific channel and eventually comparing results in your customized channel reports. You can also see where your clicks are coming from by assigning a channel to each of your separate pages. Also, it is a good idea to name your channel in such a way that it is easy to identify different channels in reports, especially if you are using a dozen or more.
Server Logs
In addition to the 'channel' program offered by Google to track your AdSense ads on your web pages, you can also use any of the various high quality external AdSense tracking software packages to track your performance in greater detail (except actual revenues - you need to get that from Google). One major advantage of such software is that it runs locally, which enables you to access specific information that Google doesn't track. Be aware that none of these third- party software solutions are "endorsed" by Google currently, but most of them guarantee to operate within AdSense guidelines. Just make sure they do, because you don't want to lose your account status over a technical violation by A third party.
Some of the information you can obtain by using tracking software:
You should use a combination of Google channels and a reliable AdSense tracking program so as to get comprehensive information about your AdSense account.
Part 3: Summary and Additional Resources
AdSense Do's and Don'ts
Now that you know what AdSense is all about, we can offer the following do's and don'ts - which more or less summarizes everything we've said so far.
Do's
The first rule of using AdSense is to follow their terms of service. Google has exceptional monitoring ability, and if they find any violation of their TOS, your account will be suspended, rendering all your efforts moot.
Consider having a number of informative pages about varying topics but with a consistent theme for your website. That way you will have more ads to choose from and can possibly maximize your CTR.
Use keywords to your advantage. Higher paying keywords will usually but not always yield more rewards. Think relevance. Also use variations of keywords for added advantage.
Provide unique information on your web pages. The more specific the content of your website is, the more targeted your ads will be, and the more effective. Always focus on providing good quality information!
Experiment with various ad formats on your web page and choose those that suite your website. You can choose to display ads with different formats on one page.
Position your ad block in such a way that the ad is visible and yet it does not put off the readers. Legally, place your ad in the top section of your webpage which can be viewed without scrolling down.
Use the Google AdSense preview toolbar to your advantage and see how the ads will appear on your website. Get a hands-on feel of how the visitor to your website will view your web page.
Use Google channels and other external tracking software to evaluate your performance on a routine basis.
Don'ts
Do not resort to fraudulent or deceptive means for generating clicks on the ads that are on your page. Some of the methods that are prohibited by Google AdSense are:
Don't have confusing layers of content. Content on your web page should not hide the ad text and URL. At the same time, it is advisable that you use same font type, size and color (background and font) for both the ads and the content on your web pages so that your ad does not announce itself as an outside ad. Legally, your ad should look and feel like a part of your website.
Don't have broken links on your site. Your website should not contain any broken links and should be easily navigable. Also, the content on your web pages Should be informative, of high quality and the ads should be relevant to the content.
Don't have old or illegal information on your site. Be careful about outdated information, plagiarized text and obscene or offensive material. Avoid using any of these on your web pages.
Two More AdSense Opportunities: RSS and Blogs
Adding Google Ads to your RSS feeds
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) has gained huge popularity on the Internet. RSS is an XML document format that organizes and stores news-like content from various sources into one source. Think of it like a newswire service, the kind of stuff that scrolls along the bottom of cable channels. A large percentage of the "news" items you find on any website that is not a major news portal got there through an RSS feed.
Google has introduced a specific program known as AdSense for RSS. Although, it is under beta testing currently (mid 2005), you can join this program now and start making money with it. RSS offers a variety of interesting content options
That most websites themselves can't match.
Google AdSense for feeds has its own set of policies. These can be accessed at: http://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py? Answer=20134 Like the AdSense program, you must follow all guidelines in order to be accepted for the AdSense for feeds program.