GETTING STARTED WITH ADSENSE (1) ADSENSE BASICS GOOGLE ADSENSE FOR DUMMIES

 

GOOGLE ADSENSE FOR DUMMIES PART 1. ADSENSE BASICS CHAPTER 2. GETTING STARTED WITH ADSENSE (1)

 

Setting Up for AdSense One misconception that I had when I wanted to start using AdSense was that it would be difficult and time-consuming to set up. Boy, was I wrong! Setting up the account doesn’t require your first born child or your signature in blood. Setting up the account takes only a few minutes and a minimum of information. But how you set up the account is determined by whether you already have a Google account. Having a Google account isn’t a requirement, but it can be useful. If you don’t have a Google account, you’re missing out on other Google applications, like Gmail (Google’s Web mail program), possibly AdWords (the other side of AdSense; it’s a pay-per-click advertising program in which you only pay for ads that users click), and Google Analytics (a Web site traffic measurement program that tells you all kinds of cool information about who visits your site and what they do while they’re there). A Google account makes connecting all these applications considerably easier, too. If you’re going to use AdSense, you most definitely want to have some kind of Web site analytics program. A Web site analytics program tracks the number of visitors to your site and some of their behaviors while they’re on your site. You can use a program like AWStats or ClickTracks, but those programs are nowhere near as easy to use as Google Analytics. Google Analytics is free, and it integrates with AdWords and AdSense, so it makes it easy to track your efforts in those programs. You may also want a program that’s easy to understand and use. Google Analytics fits that bill, too. And did I mention the program is free? But I digress. One reason that many people choose not to have a Google account is because they don’t like the way that Google collects personal information. People fear that because Google’s claim to fame is its ability to analyze the heck out of online information, it’ll use its expertise to dredge up all the personal information that it can about them. To some people it just feels far too much like Big Brother is watching. AdSense only Web sites You need to know one more detail before you even start to set up your AdSense account. Many people set up AdSense strictly to build Web pages with the singular purpose of enticing users to click the ads. You’ve seen these pages on the Web; they’re all similar to the one shown below. The pages contain a small amount of text and lots of links, ads, and search boxes — all of which are usually linked to AdSense or a service like it. If this is the type of page that you’re planning to construct and connect to your AdSense account, don’t bother. The page may stay up for a few weeks or even a couple of months, but Google will find it, and when they do, that’s it. Google will ban you from the AdSense program. If you’re truly interested in making a little money with AdSense, don’t try to cheat the system. Working within Google’s guidelines is a perfectly profitable way to make some extra cash that you can depend on for a long time to come. It’s also not as difficult as it might seem when you first read through the guidelines and program policies. One more note about setting up a Google AdSense account: Some experts suggest that you should have an AdSense account that’s separate from your other Google accounts. The purpose behind having them separate is so that there are no repercussions should you accidentally end up in Google’s bad graces with your AdSense efforts. I think that caution is unfounded. Unless you plan to use your AdSense account in a manner that’s prohibited by Google, you should run into no problems at all. And I find that it’s much easier to have an AdSense account that’s as easy to access as all the other Google applications that you use. One difficulty that I’ve discovered is the frustration of not having your AdSense account connected to other accounts, especially Google Analytics and AdWords. You have to decide what you’re most comfortable doing: using your existing Google account, creating a new Google account, or not using one at all. But no matter what your preferences are, you can still get started with AdSense (even if not effectively) as soon as you get the approval from Google.