Google’s AdSense program is a totally free program that allows online publishers to earn revenue, simple as that. By signing on to the AdSense program, publishers agree to display relevant ads on their websites and for every click generated on said website Google pays a certain amount to that publisher.

But where is the money coming from you ask? Well AdSense is simply a derivation of Google’s very popular AdWords programme, where advertisers pay a certain amount based on the number of times their ad is clicked or showed across Google’s properties or network. By singing on to AdSense you in fact become a member of that network, and so if you are responsible for generating a click then Google will pay you accordingly.

AdSense can be applied to a whole host of online content but three major uses for AdSense are: websites, site search results, and mobile webpages and apps. As always Google is concerned with providing its users with relevant content, so Google uses a system called contextual targeting to decide which ad is shown on which site. This is by no means a perfect system but just understand that an ad for horse grooming products will not (or should not) show up on your website for video games.

Since this is a completely free program it could theoretically be used by anybody publishing content on the web. But sometimes theory does not match up with practice. Anybody considering using the AdSense programme should do their research first, understanding your websites role on the web and knowing your target audience is very very important. Here are a few things to consider. Is your website an ecommerce site? If so, do you want users distracted by ads and possibly navigating away from your site before completing a purchase? Probably not, I would say AdSense is much better suited for blogs and informational type websites where a user’s value isn’t being measured by defined actions on said site.  A secondly look at you traffic, you don’t have to be a big boy to be rolling with AdSense but if you consider CTR rates of less than one percent then a site getting a hundred visitors a day probably won’t see any benefit using AdSense. And from a simply aesthetic point of view, ads can detract away from you websites design, so just make sure the risk is worth the reward.

And finally, risk. Is there a risk associated with AdSense? No. Well let me qualify that no, there is no risk with using Google’s genuine version of AdSense. There are imitators out there who brazenly use Google’s trademarks to make a quick buck, so just know this is a free service, if you are ever asked for one red cent then you know it’s a scam! Speaking of scams, there are some who believe AdSense itself is a scam. This is absolutely incorrect. But there are wrong and right ways to use AdSense so be sure to do your research, use common sense, and follow best practices.

Please enjoy!

For more information on AdSense:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdSense

For more information on AdSense scams:

http://googleadsensescam.net/

For more information on AdSense alternatives:      

http://www.googleadsensescam.net/adsense-alternatives/