Adsense | The Blog Pros

March 5, 2020

How to Properly Add Google AdSense to Your WordPress Site

Google AdSense is one of the most popular ways to monetize your website.

It allows you to automatically sell your website’s ad space to advertisers and get paid. AdSense is one of the easiest way to start making money online with your website.

In this article, we will show you how to add Google AdSense in WordPress along with some best practices and tips to increase your earnings.

What is Google AdSense?

Google AdSense is an advertising network run by Google that allows bloggers and website owners an opportunity to earn money by showing text, image, video, and other interactive advertisement on their websites. These ads are targeted by site content and audience, so they’re highly relevant.

Google AdSense is hassle-free because you don’t have to deal with advertisers or worry about collecting money. Google administers and maintains relationships with advertisers. They collect the payment, take their management fee, and send the rest of the money to you.

AdSense offers cost-per-click ads (CPC) which means that you earn money every time a user clicks on the ad on your website. The amount received per click varies based on a variety of factors.

Video Tutorial

If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.

Getting Started with AdSense

First thing you need to do is sign up for a Google AdSense account. If you have a Gmail account, then you can use your existing account to sign up.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you will need to wait for the Google AdSense team to review it. This may take a few hours to a few weeks for some publishers.

Once it is approved, then you can log in to your AdSense account and get your ad code. This is the code that you need to place on your website to display ads.

Recently, Google AdSense announced auto ads, which means you paste just one piece of code and Google automatically decides when, where, and how many ads to show on each page.

However, most publishers are still using the manual method to individually place ads on their website.

We’ll show you both methods. We recommend starting with the manual ad placement first. Once you have started earning, then you can experiment with auto-ads to compare them yourself.

1. Manually Place Google AdSense Ad Code in WordPress

You’ll start by clicking on the Ads menu in the left column and then switching to the ‘By ad unit’ tab. From here you need to click on ‘Create New Ad’.

You will be asked to choose an ad type. You can select from ‘Display ads’, ‘In-feed ads’, and ‘In-article ads’.

If you are unsure, then start with the display ads.

Next, you need to provide a name for this ad unit and select the ad size and type.

The name of the Ad is only used for internal purposes, so you can name it anything like “SiteName Sidebar”.

The next option is choosing the Ad Size. While Google offers a wide variety of ad sizes, there are certain sizes that are listed under recommended because those are the most popular among advertisers.

You can also choose whether you want your ad to be responsive or fixed. We recommend choosing responsive ads as they work well on all devices and screen sizes.

Next, click on the Create button to continue.

AdSense will now generate the ad code for you. It contains the unique ad unit ID and your publisher ID.

If your website has a Google AMP version, then you can also copy the code for your AMP pages.

Simply copy your ad code and paste it in a plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. You will need it in the next step.

Adding Google AdSense in WordPress

You need to determine where you want to show the ad on your website. Ads are most commonly displayed in the sidebar. You can add Google Adsense in your sidebar by using WordPress widgets.

Simply go to Appearance » Widgets page in your WordPress admin area. Next, drag & drop the ‘Custom HTML’ widget to the appropriate widget area and paste your Google AdSense code in there.

For better placement control and tracking, we recommend that you check out AdSanity WordPress plugin. (See: Best Ad Management WordPress solutions)

2. Add Auto-Ads AdSense Code in WordPress

Adding individual ads to different areas of your website takes a lot of time. Most beginners struggle to find the best locations to display ads on their sites.

To solve this, Google has introduced auto-ads. This allows you to simply add one code snippet to your site and let Google AdSense figure out the highest paying location, ad-size, and type.

The disadvantage of this method is that you have less control over ad placement on your website.

If you want to add use auto-ads feature, then this is how you’ll add Google AdSense to your website.

First login to your Google AdSense account and click on the Ads tab. Next, you need to click on the Get Code button to generate the auto-ads code.

AdSense will now generate a code snippet with your publisher ID and show it on the screen. You can now copy and paste this code in a text editor.

Adding AdSense Auto-Ads Code in WordPress

The auto-ads code uses the single code snippet to generate ads everywhere on your WordPress website. This means you need to add the code to all the pages where you want to display the ad.

One way to do this is by adding the code in your WordPress theme’s header.php file. However, the disadvantage of this method is that your ad code will disappear if you update or change your theme.

The best way to add any site-wide code to your website is by using a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers.

First, you need to install and activate the Insert Headers and Footers plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to the Settings » Insert Headers and Footers page. From here, you need to paste your Google AdSense code in the header section.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save’ button to store your changes.

The plugin will now add the ad code on all pages of your website. It may take Google AdSense sometime to start showing ads.

AdSense Best Practices and Frequently Asked Questions

Over the years, we’ve answered several AdSense related questions. Having used AdSense on several of our sites in the past, we’ve learned a whole lot about optimizing. Below are some AdSense best practices and frequently asked questions.

What’s the best AdSense Ad Size?

Although ad placement is key, we’ve found that the best sizes are 336×280 and 300×250. These ads tend to fit on most screen sizes and have the best pay rate as well.

What’s the Best AdSense Placement?

This entirely depends on your layout. The goal is to get more clicks, so you want to place your ads in a more prominent spot. We have found that ads within post content towards the top of the screen tends to get the most clicks.

Several users have asked us about adding AdSense in a floating widget because it will be very prominent. We strongly recommend against that because it is not allowed by Google Terms of Service. If you violate their TOS, then you can get banned from the program.

Can I click on my own Google AdSense Ads?

Often beginners are tempted to click on their own ads or ask their family members to click on their ads. Please don’t do that. Google’s algorithm is very smart and knows when you’re clicking on your own ad. This can get you banned from the program.

What is Page RPM in Google AdSense?

RPM stands for Revenue per Mille meaning revenue per 1000 impressions. This is determined by multiplying the total number of clicks and cost per click and then dividing that by the total number of pageviews.

Can I use my Blogger or YouTube AdSense account with WordPress?

Yes, you can. If you started using AdSense on one of Google’s hosted platforms like Blogger or YouTube, then you can change your AdSense account type and use it with WordPress. You’ll need to provide Google AdSense with the URL of the site you want to monetize by filling out an application form.

Simply login to your AdSense account and then under ‘My Ads’ click on ‘Other Products’ option. Next, you need to click ‘Upgrade now’ and complete the application form.

What is CTR in Google AdSense?

CTR or click-through-rates differ vastly for different kind of websites. Your ad clicks depend on a lot of factors like your website’s topics, your audience type, ad placement on your site, and more. The ideal CTR for Google AdSense is really hard to define because you don’t have access to the click rates of other websites like your own.

However, Google AdSense has built-in tools that will start showing you messages if your site is not getting a good CTR. You can follow the optimization guides shown inside Google AdSense dashboard to improve your ad revenue.

When and how does Google AdSense pay publishers?

Each month, Google AdSense calculates your previous month’s earnings and shows them on your ‘Transactions’ page. If your earnings match the required threshold, then your payment is processed and released by the 21st of that month.

There are multiple payment methods available including direct electronic transfer, wire transfer, check, Western Union, and more.

Why Google AdSense rejected my application?

Google Adsense may reject your application if your website doesn’t meet the AdSense program policies or their terms and conditions.

What are the requirements to get Google AdSense application approved?

Here are the minimum requirements to get your Google AdSense account application approved.

Your website and all its content must comply with AdSense program policies and terms and conditions.
Your website should be at least 6 months old.
You, the applicant, must be over 18 years old.

Note: Even if your application meets all the requirements, Google AdSense still reserves the right to decline your application.

Can I add Google AdSense in my WordPress.com blog?

WordPress.com does not allow you to add Google AdSense to your website unless you upgrade to the Business plan. For more on this topic, please see our guide on the difference between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.

What is the difference between Google AdSense vs Google AdWords?

Google AdWords allows you to advertise on other websites including those participating in the Google AdSense program.

Google AdSense allows you to make money from your website by showing ads on your website.

We hope this article helped you add Google AdSense in your WordPress site. You may also want to check out our guide on how to increase your blog traffic, and the best email marketing services to grow your subscribers.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Properly Add Google AdSense to Your WordPress Site appeared first on WPBeginner.

October 21, 2019

13 Best AdSense Alternatives For Your WordPress Blog in 2020

Google AdSense is ‘THE’ advertising tool for monetizing your WordPress blog. But what if your account gets suspended, banned, or you can’t access it? Even worse, what if you’re not a fan of the Googs?

There has to be an alternative to Google AdSense – and lucky for you, we’ve found 13 of them.

But First…

When did the Google AdSense platform start, and why/how did it get so popular?

Because let’s face it, before you can choose a solid alternative to AdSense, you need to study the originator first.

What Is Google AdSense and How Does It Work?

Google adsense is one of the most popular ad networks on earth

AdSense is an online advertising program launched by Google back in 2003.

Initially there were some doubts about the platform, and in 2004 poor results and complaints forced Google to allow advertisers to opt out of the AdSense network.

But that’s where the trouble ended.

And in the years since, it has become the go-to advertising platform for bloggers and website owners looking to monetize their websites.

How Does AdSense Work?

Here’s the simplified version:

You start by creating a Google AdSense account, selecting the type of ads you want to show on your site, and then pasting the HTML code where you’d like the ads to be shown.

Google does the rest, and automatically shows ads that are deemed relevant to the content of your website or blog.

From this point on, visitors to your website will see ads, and every time someone takes action (click, conversion, etc) you get a cut of the advertising revenue.

Straight From AdSense’s Mouth

I don’t think we could explain it any better than this:

*For more information on inserting ads into WordPress do check out our article: “11 Quick Ways to Insert Ads into WordPress… and Increase Your Income This Year.”

Phew!

Now all the (bori..) informative stuff’s out of the way, I think we’re ready to get into some AdSense Alternatives.

Here Are 13 Adsense Alternatives You Can Use To Monetize Your Website Or Blog Today:

1. Media.net

A look at the media.net Adsense alternative

First on our list is one of Adsense’s biggest direct competitors.

Media.net lets you to ride the wave of the Yahoo! Bing Network – one of the largest marketplaces for keyword targeted advertisers.

The company boasts one of the most advanced portfolios of advertising technology. Offering users a number of on-site ad solutions including search, display, native, video, and more.

Implementation is easy. All you have to do is drop a short snippet of code on your website or blog. Activating and running contextual, video, and native ads can also be done without extra code or integration work.

Because Media.net is a contextual ad network, the advertisements displayed on your website or blog are always relevant to your content.

So if your blog is all about cats… yep, your visitors are getting slapped with more cat ads than they can handle.

Without it feeling spammy of course.

Their customer support is also top notch. For example, once your website or blog has been approved, you’re immediately given a customer representative to help optimize your site’s ads.

2. Infolinks

Infolinks is the third largest publisher marketplace in the world, generating income for over 100,000 website and blog publishers across 128 countries.

The company also works with several big name brands including: Nike, Virgin Airlines, Target, and Netflix.

Infolinks lets you monetize your site without having to overhaul its look and style. Their ads blend in perfectly with your content and can be customized to increase engagement.

The ad types you can choose from include: InFold, InText, InArticle, and more. These ads and who they’re shown to are also supported by an intelligent algorithm. This helps the ads displayed on your website to be as relevant as possible.

Integrating Infolinks ads into your website is simple. Once your application has been approved you’ll receive a unique script you can add to your sites HTML. Paste the code anywhere on your website and you’re ready to start earning dollars.

Also, if you use Google Analytics or other JavaScript tools, the Infolinks JavaScript can be inserted right before their code.

3. Amazon Native Shopping Ads

Who wouldn’t want to leverage the behemoth that is Amazon?

After all, more than 197 million people from all around the world visit the eCommerce store.

To put this into perspective, that’s more than the entire population of Russia!

Amazon’s native shopping ads give your users direct access to the eCommerce giant’s millions of products.

Even better, they can be made to fit seamlessly with your content and all the products shown are highly relevant and appropriate.

The ad units Amazon offers fall into three different types:

1.Recommendation ads – These ads show recommended Amazon products at the bottom of your content. Of course, the products will be relevant and based on the pages content and it’s visitors. All of these units are also mobile responsive and will adapt based on the container.

2.Search ads – This ad unit allows your visitors to view search results from Amazon directly on your website. This includes recommended Amazon products based on search phrases and keywords.

3.Custom ads – Hand pick specific Amazon products you’d like to promote to your visitors. These units are highly flexible and can be personalised to feel more natural. E.g. “My favorite headphones to use in 2019.”

4. Propeller Ads

A look at the Propeller Ads Adsense alternative

More than 150,000 publishers use PropellerAds and the company has over eight years of market expertise and experience.

If you’re worried about your site showing annoying or spammy ads… the good news is, all their ads are moderated 24/7.

This ensures no viruses or inappropriate content gets through, and you’re showing clean and relevant ads only.

The ad units can also bypass ad blocking software. Even though this might seem a tad sneaky, getting passed ad blockers has been shown to increase ad revenue by 20%.

I mean, it’s sneaky of the visitor to be blocking ads in the first place, right?

To set up Propeller ads, simply register for an account, and then wait to hear your website has been checked and approved.

Once this is done, all you have to do is paste the shortcode of Propeller’s ad units on any page of your website.

The types of ad units you can display on your website include: push notifications, on-click ads, widgets, interstitials, and smart links.

The platform also offers decent payment terms. Giving users weekly payouts every Thursday, and a minimum withdrawal amount of $5.

(AdSense has a threshold of $100 for reference).

You can add a “plug n play” payment integration to your account to help you keep track of your earnings.

Propeller Ads also play well with other ad networks, so you can diversify and add more income streams if you wish.

5. Revcontent

Revcontent specializes in “native” editorial content, which means the ads shown on your website will be relevant articles and blogs – as opposed to product or service ads.

As the name suggests, the idea behind these kinds of ads is they blend in with your content and are made to feel more natural.

In most cases, this means higher engagement rates as native ads tend not to interrupt the UX as much (as pop ups for example).

Another thing that sets Revcontent apart is their specialized ad system – which uses highly responsive widgets, gallery implementations, infinite scroll, and unlimited API customizations.

You also have a nice range of ad types to choose from including media, technology, and entertainment widgets.

However, one thing to be aware of is Revcontent has a minimum traffic requirement of 50,000 visits per month. Therefore it may not be suited to smaller blogs and websites.

When it comes to payment, Revcontent pays on Net 30 terms (the full amount is payable within 30 days). Their minimum payout threshold is $50 and can be paid via PayPal, wire, or ACH transfer.

6. Evadav

a look at the Evadav Adsense alternative

Evadav is an advertising network that offers you a number of different ad units – including video sliders, banners, native content, and more.

However, their speciality is push notifications.

Yep, we’ve all seen them… the automatic notifications that appear as small pop-up windows on your device screen – whether it’s your PC, tablet, or mobile phone.

Netflix for example, often uses push notifications to let users about newly released shows or films they might be interested in.

Visitors who agree to receive push notifications from your website will continually make you money every time they interact with an Evadav ad.

Another great thing about Evadav is it connects you with a global advertising exchange. Which means you can reach visitors all around the world.

The advertisements that appear on your site are also all verified and come from the Evadav’s own domain.

In terms of payments, they pay weekly, with a $25 minimum payout. You can also choose between CPM, CPA, and RevShare models.

Set up easy and you’re provided with a handy tutorial video to help you get started.

7. Adsterra

The Adsterra platform allows you to monetize your blog or website

Adsterra is a fast-growing advertising network for publishers that specializes in “popunder” ads.

After all, why be “okay” at everything when you can be awesome at one thing?

However, if you really need they do offer: video ads, direct links, push notifications, banners, pre-roll videos, and more. Ads can be run over both mobile and desktop devices.

You also don’t have to worry about showing your visitors spammy ads that send site visitors packing. Adsterra offer protection against malware and inappropriate ads through a third-party fraud detection system.

If you need assistance the team has your back ASAP. They have a ticket system and you’ll usually hear back from them within a day. If it’s urgent you can also get in touch with someone instantly through Skype.

In terms of how and when you’re paid…

You get a pay out every two weeks (NET15), but they do require a $100 minimum to be eligible. The payment integration options include: Bitcoin, PayPal, ePayments, and more.

As expected, the set up process is also super easy: Register – get approval – place code on site – start monetizing.

8. PopAds

A look at the Pop Ads Adsense alternative

With a name like PopAds it wouldn’t be a wild guess to say the ad types they specialize in probably include the word “pop” in them.

And if you guessed this you’d be right!

PopAds are an advertising network that specialise in “popunder” ads for publishers and advertisers.

As well as their love for popunders, they also offer popups, tab ups, tab unders, and more (yep, all the under and ups).

Something unique about PopAds (that you often don’t get from other platforms), is they can pay you daily providing you earn more than $5 each day. This means you don’t need a ton of traffic to meet their minimum payout limit.

Your ads can reach an audience spanning more than 50 countries using the PopAds network, and you can adjust their frequency if you want to give your visitors a break.

You can contact the support team anytime via email or instant messenger. If you’re not a fan of NET30, NET60 payment terms, you’ll also enjoy the fact you can request to withdraw your PopAds earnings at anytime.

9. ylliX

ylliX is a platform that lets you monetize your blog

ylliX advertising network serves up a hassle-free registration process and ultra-low payment thresholds for publishers looking to monetize their blogs or websites.

But first the all important ad unit selections… we’re talking: popunder ads, layer ads, full page ads, and more.

And yes, they also run across both desktop and mobile devices.

If patience isn’t your strong point, you’ll be pleased to know that your account will be activated immediately after you register. No waiting days for your website to be approved.

Once you’re signed up and ready to go, ylliX gives you direct access to a self-serve platform you have 100% control over when running your campaigns.

Another great thing about this platform is they offer daily payments along with a super small $1 minimum payout threshold (remember AdSense’s is $100).

They also operate using a RevShare (revenue share) model. So the more you earn, the more they earn (everybody wins!).

10. BuySellAds

BuySellAds is a great platform for running ads on your website

If you’re planning on spending a couple of hours a week monetizing your website or blog, BuySellAds probably isn’t the platform for you.

They focus exclusively on English-language ads for high-volume sites with 100,000+ engaged audiences.

(Yep, they ain’t messing around).

However, if you’re comfortably hitting that number, you may have found your AdSense alternative.

Also, since the (view) cost of entry is higher, you’ll also receive bigger payouts. Expect around 75 cents per every dollar earned by the ads on your site.

When it comes to actual product, BuySellAds offers everything you’d want from this type of platform – non-intrusive, relevant, and brand-safe ad placements. The ad units you can choose from include: display, native, emails, and sponsored content.

They also specialise in niche developer, designer, and tech audiences. So you’re in luck if your blog targets any of those niches.

Their native ads in particular are optimized for user experience and come in many different forms including: “Image + text,” “fancy bar,” “flex bar,” and “sticky box.”

11. PopCash

PopCash offers popunder advertising with a helpful UX twist.

The setup isn’t anything new… but it sure happens fast! Websites can be approved in just one hour on business days, and up to 12 hours on weekends.

Once your domain is approved, individual visitors are then shown a popunder ad once every 24 hours.

You might think limiting ad time limits revenue opportunities, but on the flipside it provides a better user experience, and ensures visitors don’t always have ads in their face.

If you want, you can use PopCash alongside other advertising platforms to diversify and bring in added income.

The platform also comes with a low minimum withdrawal limit ($10), and you can request to be paid through PayPal, Paxum, wire transfer, and more.

Transfers usually take around 24 to 48 hours. You also get to keep 80% of the revenue you earn from advertisers.

If you’re in need of assistance, staff are always on hand to offer fast support via email or Skype.

12. Bidvertiser

Bidvertiser offers website and blog owners an easy set up process, along with a unique payment model.

However, it does present users with a slight dilemma…

When you register for this platform you’ll be approved instantly so long as your website doesn’t breach any basic website standards (explicit, misleading, and spammy content etc.).

There is some bad news sadly, another reason it’s so easy to get approved is because the ads shown on your website won’t necessarily be related to your content.

Buuut, hold on, all is not lost.

Although the ads shown might not be relevant, they will be some of the top performing ads the platform has access to. So it’ll be largely up to you to decide whether it’s worth showing high performing ads that aren’t related to your website.

If you do choose to stick with Bidvertiser… something unique about the platform is the fact they mix CPM and CPA payments, along with the traditional CPC model.

This basically means you have the opportunity to earn, not only for per click, but per conversion as well.

The ad units you have access to include banners, popups, sliders, and more.

You can also easily integrate with payment providers like PayPal and Bitcoin, and the platform’s withdraw limit is a low $10.

The ads are also scanned 24/7 by a compliance team, as well as internal and third party tools. So you know your website is safe from Malware and inappropriate content.

13. OIO Publisher

OIO publisher can be installed as a WordPress plugin

OIO Publisher offers a PHP ad management script and a WordPress plugin to monetize your blog through ads.

Although, there are a couple of details you should be aware of when it comes to this plugin:

First, it does come with a small set up cost and isn’t free like the other AdSense alternatives on this list.

Second, to get the most out of OIO, you’ll need to be proactive in finding the best advertisers and deals yourself.

But aside from that, once everything is in motion this plugin is one of the most cost-effective AdSense alternatives.

Why?

Because with this plugin there are no middle people involved, and you keep 100% of the revenue.

As well as this, you’ll get paid up front and you won’t have to wait for payouts. You also don’t risk being banned or losing your earnings.

Once you’ve installed the plugin (you’ll find plenty of documentation on how to do this), you can search the OIO marketplace and begin reaching out to advertisers.

There’s Plenty Of Life Beyond AdSense

If you’ve been thinking about monetizing your blog or website, the best thing you can do is survey all of the options available to you.

Although AdSense is the top player in this department… any one of the platforms mentioned in this article would make a great alternative.

You could even argue that some may be better than AdSense depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

While the platform has been sitting at the top hill for some years, others have been quietly carving out their own niches and catering to specific customer needs.

For example, if you want to specifically run push notifications you might use a specialist platform like Evadav. Or if you want to only show native editorial content you might go with Revcontent.

What you choose will largely come down to the type of blog you’re trying to monetize and the content you’re publishing.