Google Adsense Accountant
The first step in the preparation process is to have your initial website properly prepared. Please pay attention to the word “properly.” Google has very definite guidelines for websites so reviewing their Terms of Service is crucial to being accepted into the program. If your website does not fall within their established guidelines it will be unceremoniously rejected.
Look specifically for Google’s Program Policies. One item of importance is that Google only accepts completed websites. You are not allowed to have any pages “Under Construction.” Furthermore, check all your links and graphics making sure that all hyperlinks and source links are functioning as they should. Broken links can be a cause for rejecting your website.
Google also has a set of Quality Guidelines to which you must adhere in order to gain an approval. The Quality Guidelines and Program Policies lay forth exactly what is expected regarding your website’s content and other qualifications for membership into Google AdSense. All of these are easily accessible on the Google AdSense website. Granted not many people enjoy reading anyone’s terms of service and policies, but in the case of AdSense it is a necessity.
Second, you need to decide whether you’re signing up as an individual or business. The revenue you generate is taxable and you are advised to seek the counsel of an accountant in making this decision. Google asks whether you are registering as an individual or business.
Third, you need to open a checking account. In the application process Google will ask for information on where they can send your commission checks. It is advised that once you have your AdSense account setup that you switch to automatic deposit.
Once you have taken these three steps you are ready to make your request for a Google AdSense account. One mistake that so many aspiring AdSense publishers make is that they do not read the Terms of Service. Google is very specific about the requirements and they are very diligent in seeing that they are obeyed. If you’re sloppy in the application process and after, you’re experience with AdSense will be very unfulfilling. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to generate income because of laziness or a nonchalant attitude.
Your approval is based only on the initial website submission. After you are approved you can submit as many websites as you like on a variety of topics. This does not mean that you can publish websites contrary to Google’s Terms and Service, but you are given a little more latitude in publishing your websites.
Maybe you don’t have a website but you wish to have an account. If this is the case Google allows you to sign up for a free blog at the company owned website http://blogger.com, allowing you to use this for your website submission. For an easy approval it is suggested that you take this route. Once you are approved then you can begin submitting your other websites.
Don’t spend a lot of money on web hosting services, as there are some great deals on the Internet. A recommended hosting company is Equus Hosting. As part of a good AdSense strategy you want to have a great number of websites. Equus Hosting has a plan that allows you to have unlimited sites for one very low monthly price. In addition, they offer over 50 additional products and have 24/7 customer support.
Internet Marketer & Personal Preference
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Two of the most important axioms of Internet marketing are to know your advertising medium and know your audience. If your AdSense ad design and placement is driven by emotion and personal preference rather than facts, then you will ultimately fail as an Internet marketer. It is imperative to use ad designs that are effective while taking into account what you know about your audience.
Let’s first talk specifically about ad design. When using Google’s text ads you do not want to use borders. Many people believe the borders make their Adsense ads stand out, and they would be correct. Therein lays the problem. You do not want your ads to stick out like a sore thumb. You’re sending a signal that this is an ad and most people have an aversion to being solicited. Therefore their reaction, in a sense, is to dodge or ignore the ad. However, if your Adsense ads look like they’re a regular part of your web page visitors to your website are more apt to scan the ads and hopefully click on them.
What about ad color? This may insult your artistic proclivities, but stay with the regular Google ad colors which consists of the blue link and black text. The reason for using this color scheme is because people are conditioned to recognize the blue text as hyperlinks and that they should click on them. Because of the blue link, your visitor’s subconscious mind is telling them that some action needs to take place. If you use some other color like bright green or pink, you are disrupting your visitor’s normal surfing habits.
Also, stay with the white background. There’s a reason why we typically write on white paper – it’s easier to read. A colored background makes the ad stand out, which is not what you want. Remember, you want the ad to blend in with the rest of your web page. Furthermore, colored backgrounds make the ad more difficult to read. Now there has been some discussion in the marketplace as to the effectiveness of using red as your link color. If you wish to give it a try that is your prerogative, but you are encouraged to stay with blue.
Regarding ad design and color, you want your AdSense ads to blend well with your site. You want them to compliment your site and appear as if they’re providing additional content. You do not want them to appear as though they are contrasting with your website. When your AdSense ads contrast with your site it creates a condition known as ad blindness. That’s right, the more your ad stands out the less likely visitors will see it.
Now that we have addressed ad color let’s talk about ad size. The best performing ad sizes according to Google are the following:
336×280 large rectangle (four ads)
300×250 medium rectangle (four ads)
160×600 wide skyscraper (five ads)
When designing your website keep these facts in mind. However, you do not want to arbitrarily squeeze certain AdSense ads into your site just because they have been designated as the best performing. The other ad sizes have value as well. The purpose of revealing these facts is to let you now that the wider formats tend to perform better. The reason is because they are more readable.
Currently Google allows you to place three text ads on each page of your site. It is suggested that you strategically max out your allotment of ads on each page. But this raises the question of “Where?”
The content of your page determines the best location to place your AdSense ads. When placing your ads there are certain things to consider.
Where is my visitor’s attention likely to be focused?
How can I place ads into an area without getting the user’s way?
How can I keep the web page clean and uncluttered?
Google provides an ad placement schematic to which they refer as their “heat map.” This is a diagram of the most productive ad placements. Here are their most productive ad locations:
> Top of the web page.
> Bottom of the web page.
> Upper left-hand corner.
> In the middle-left of your page content.
This serves only as a guideline. Put your users first when deciding on ad location. Consider their viewing habits and what will be most interesting and useful to them.
If you follow these simple guidelines regarding your AdSense ads you will discover that you will have a better response to your ads and therefore a higher click through rate. Do not allow emotions and personal preferences to determine ad design, color and placement. Your goal is to make money from your AdSense ads. If you can’t help yourself and wish to get personally creative and emotionally involved, give up Internet marketing and become an artist.
