If you ask bloggers and webmasters what they think about Google AdSense, you’ll probably hear all sorts of answers. Some love it, some think it’s OK, and some hate it because they can’t seem to be able to make any money with it. I fall in the first group.
AdSense certainly is not suitable for all types of sites, and there are other monetization strategies that can be more profitable in some situations (e.g., selling your own products). That being said, and as far as monetizing your site with ads goes, I think AdSense is the best advertising network on the Internet. Here’s why:
1. It’s Easy to Setup and Get Started
Most ad networks require a minimum traffic level before you can join, and the application and setup process can be a pain.
AdSense, on the other hand, can be used even on small websites, and it has very few restrictions regarding where you can use it.
2. Huge Number of Advertisers
AdSense is by far the advertising network with the largest amount of advertisers. This means that you’ll get your units filled with ads pretty much every single time a visitor comes to your site.
On many other ad networks this is not true, and your earnings tend to get negatively affected.
3. Ads Are Really Targeted
Most advertising networks claim to only display ads that will match the content of your site, but few actually do it.
This is connected with the previous point. In order to be able to display targeted ads the network must have a huge collection of ads to choose from, and most networks don’t have it.
4. You Can Monetize Global Traffic
Another problem with most ad networks is that they tend to focus on US traffic. Some will pay pennies for impressions coming from outside the US, and others will not pay at all. If 50% or more of your traffic comes from other countries, you can guess that you’ll be losing money.
It’s true that on Google AdSense you also have some advertisers targeting US traffic exclusively, but there just as many targeting visitors from other countries and parts of the world.
5. The Earnings Are Pretty Good
I have seen ad networks that occasionally offered very high eCPMs (i.e., how much you actually earn for each page view on your site) but on average AdSense tends to beat most networks.
Another advatange is that AdSense earnings tend to be consistent all over the year (and over the years), while the rates you’ll get from CPM networks vary both with the season and with the overall economic climate.
6. The Ads Blend Well
Some people don’t like text links, but I think they are actually less intrusive than flashy banner ads, and it’s possible to integrate them with the design of your website without making it look ugly.
Some time ago AdSense started working with banner and video ads as well, but most of the ones you see around look very professional too.
7. Payments Are Always on Time
I had my share of problems trying to receive the money ad networks owed me. Sometimes they would pay 30 or 60 days late, other times they would pay only half of the money I was supposed to receive.
With Google AdSense I never had a problem in this regard. The payment is always sent directly to my bank account at the end of every month, and the amount is always accurate.
Over to the Readers
What is your relationship with Google AdSense? Do you love it? Hate it? Explain why with a comment below.
