Google Adsense: The Basics

Using Internet search technology, Google will serve ads on web pages that are based on the specific content of that web page. For instance, if someone is on a webpage that's covering the latest golf tournament, Google will serve ads for golf clubs or golfing attire. If you own that site, you get paid every time someone clicks on that ad. Not too shabby. This is usually called CPC (Cost Per Click) advertising.

The Major Benefits of Google Ads
You may not even notice banner ads any more. As an Internet-savvy society, we have learned to filter them out. There is also banner filtering software available because banner ads can be very annoying, and that could harm your website readership. But Google Adsense is different:

• Google Ads are less intrusive, so they don't annoy people
• The content is RELATIVE, and therefore has more impact
• People trust Google Ads because people trust Google
• The payment model is generous and reliable
• It's possible to make a healthy living from Google Ads

That last point is paramount. How do you make a living from Google Ads? Well, with the right combination of traffic, content and users, you can make thousands of dollars every single month.

Making a Google Adsense Income
Let's be clear. You cannot expect to throw Google Ads onto your site, sit back and watch the money roll in. It doesn't work that way. Like anything in business, it takes an investment of your time to get a return that you can bank on. To understand the logistics of making money, you need to know the basic way Adsense works.

How it Works
Let's say you currently have a blog or website that gets 100,000 visitors every single month. That's over 1 million every year. Sounds like something that could make you money, right? Well, think of this:

1. You have 100,000 ad impressions (views)
2. You have a CTR (click through rate) of 1%, which is standard
3. 1% of 100,000 = 1000
4. If the CPC (cost per click) of the ad is $0.01, you make $10
5. If the CPC (cost per click) of the ad is $1.00, you make $1000

There's a big difference between the two, and obviously most ads do not pay out at the $1/click rate. The more obvious and widespread the keyword of the ad (which is what triggers the ad itself), the lower the CPC. And that is info you can use.
What You Can Do To Maximise Adsense Income
Whether you want to make money off the blog or website you already have, or you want to create a blog with the sole purpose of making Adsense money, there are several ways you can increase your revenue:

• Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) writing to maximize the keywords in your content.
• Write more. The more you write about your subject, the more keywords you have for Google to search and feed ads to.
• Write often. More content is everything, and the fresher the better.
• Post useful, accurate content. When you post garbage filled with keywords it is difficult to read and doesn't bring people back. You want your site to be sticky, so that it generates traffic.
• Find a niche. Talking about football is all well and good, but thousands of people are doing it. But movie soundtrack collections, that's another story.
• Don't create too much bad traffic. It's easier than you'd think to create a lot of traffic, but if it's not qualified, which means there to read your content, then it will be a flash in the pan. It also affects your CTR.
• Make use of Google Analytics. Google gives you the tools, for free, to make a profit.
• Think differently. Don't just write the same old boring content that everyone else is. Have a new take on Mad Men? Got a better angle on knitting? PlentyofFish.com, earns over $300,000 every month! But it's not just given away. You have to earn it. Now go, be successful.