Digital Marketing using Google Services
12 What is Google AdSense? Google AdSense
After a long walk along the roads of Digital Marketing we came across various processes through which your website can be made popular and how to display it to the entire world. Assuming that your website now has many visitors and you want to generate income through ads distributed by Google. That is when Google AdSense comes in. Google AdSense is a platform through which Google displays ads on websites registered with it.
Google Ads can be placed in any part of the website you wish. In the below example ( Snapshot 12.1), ads are placed at the right hand side and below the Company’s name. In order to place similar ads on your website, you have to register with Google AdSense.
Registering With Google AdSense:
Let us assume that we are going to register the site (Snapshot: 12.2), startupinindia.org in Google AdSense.
Snapshot: 12.2
Visit adsense.google.com, from where signing into it has to be done using your Gmail ID. In case you do not have an account the option of creating one is also made available when the ‘Get Started Now’ button is clicked. Click onGet Started Now.
There are three conditions to sign up for Google AdSense ( Snapshot 12.4).
1. Age>=18,
2. You should need to have a Website.
3. A Postal Address to receive your Bank Statements.
Click on “Yes proceed Google Account to Sign In” and sign in with your Gmail password
Snapshot 12.4
( Snapshot 12.5) In the text box next to the ‘I will Show Ads On’ field, enter your website address. Now select the preferred language from the drop down menu box and carry on to the next step by clicking continue.
And finally submitting the Google AdSense application with the required fields is to be carried out (Snapshot 12.6). Enter the Country or Territory from the drop down menu box. Doing this will automatically allocate the time zone.
Select the desired account type. If in case you select ‘Business’ as your account type, the payee name must be the Name of your business and the address must be the location of your workplace. If ‘Individual’ is the choice you go for, fill in your personal details.
Snapshot 12.6
-After filling in the requirements submit the AdSense Application.
-The next page asks you to verify the phone number given either through a text message or through a voice call (Snapshot 12.7).
-Select the desired option click on the ‘Send Verification Code’ button.
- Enter the verification code sent to your mobile in the next step and verify.
Snapshot: 12.8
Google thanks you for applying to AdSense, though the ads aren’t displayed right away on the website. Google analyses your website and comes to a conclusion on whether your website is AdSense friendly or not. The reply will be sent to the email address associated with the AdSense account within a week’s time.
Snapshot: 12.9
Visiting your AdSense account now would display a banner as shown below as your account is yet to approved. Wait for an approval email from Google.
Snapshot: 12.10
Working with Google AdSense:
Once your website is verified, logging into your AdSense account looks similar to the image displayed below (Snapshot: 12.11).
Snapshot: 12.11
You being the owner of your website, choosing spaces for the ads to be displayed fall on you. Besides the Ad space, sizes and types for the ads too can be chosen by you.
Creating an Ad Unit for your website:
The following steps are to be followed when creating an Ad.
Click on the ‘New ad unit’ button listed under the My Ads Tab (Snapshot: 12.11). In the next window (Snapshot 12.12) fill in the name you desire under the ‘Name’ text box.
Snapshot 12.12
Snapshot 12.12: Select the Ad size based on the space available in your website. (Recommended sizes are preferable, whereas you could change the sizes according to your wish from the drop down menu)
Snapshot 12.12: Select the Ad type. (Text Ads, Display Ads or Text and Display Ads)
Move on to the next section.
The next step is selecting the Text Ad Style ( Snapshot 12.13). Few predefined textures are present from which one could be selected. But the option of customizing the display ad too is made possible. Matching it according to the theme of your website is necessary. This step only applies if the case where ‘Text Ad type’ is designated.
Snapshot 12.13
Click on the ‘Save and get Code’.
An Ad code is generated (Snapshot 12.14), which requires its embedding in the source code of the respective webpage where you want Google to display ads.
Snapshot 12.14
An example on how the Ad code is placed in the source is displayed below for LocSea. (To verify, Right click on your webpage and click on Show Page Source or View Page Source or View Source from the dropdown (Snapshot 12.15))
Snapshot 12.15
Analysing the Ad:
After the Ad code is placed in the source code, it appears under the My Ads Tab with a status defining it as new.
Once Ad Serving has been approved by Google, your webpage will be showing Ads from Google (Snapshot: 12.16).
Please never click on Ads from your own AdSense account. Never ask anyone to click on Ads in your Website. It is a violation of policy. The clicks should happen naturally.
Snapshot: 12.16
Snapshot: 12.17
Now in order to view the reports of an ad, click on the view report which is displayed below the Ad Unit (or) click on the performance reports tab (Snapshot: 12.17).
The reports page is similar to the picture displayed below (Snapshot: 12.18).
Snapshot: 12.18
The reports page ( Snapshot: 12.18) consists of various attributes that define the behavior of that particular ad. Ranging from units to geographic locations (Snapshot 12.19), the flow of where the ads served well and the types of ads that served well can be analysed. Generating an Ad strategy based on this would enhance the performance of the ads.
Allow and Block Ads Tab: (Snapshot 12.20 & Snapshot 12.21)
Including and excluding categories, URL’s and sensitive categories of Ads that are being displayed is possible.
· Rejecting ads from websites that you or your customers dislike can be removed through the Advertiser URLs tab.
· Unwanted categories too can be blocked in Google AdSense. Based on the impressions obtained from the select category, one could either add or eliminate the categories. Or in order to make the ads relevant to the website content, all categories with the exception of the relevant category can be blocked.
· Ads relating to Sensitive categories such as Religion, Politics, Dating, Drugs and Supplements too can be eliminated or added to your Ads.
Snapshot 12.21
When Do I Get Paid?
After you acquire $10 through the Ads displayed in your account, Google AdSense will present you with address verification through post. Postal card will have verification code.
Snapshot: 12.22
Click on Gear Icon -> Payments (Snapshot 12.22) to enter the verification code.
Once you verify your address details, Google enables you to enter the payment details. When you acquire $100 through Ads, Google releases your payment.