How to Start Earning Money with Google Adsense in 2025Learn how to join the Google AdSense program, how to include AdSense code in your blog and start making additional income from your website.
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Google AdSense is not just a way to monetise your website or blog, it's a gateway to additional income. By learning how to join the Google AdSense program and including the AdSense code in your blog, you can start earning from your website, potentially opening up a new stream of revenue.
Google Adsense, a powerful tool, has revolutionized the way site owners and bloggers monetize their content. With millions of advertisers purchasing traffic through pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, Adsense offers a unique opportunity to display these ads on your site and earn a commission with each click.
First, let's look at some of the terminology we will use, and learn the language of Adsense and monetisation.
| Term | Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Above the Fold | When referring to content, Above the Fold is what you can see on the page without scrolling. | |
| Ad Code | This is the short code snippet which Adsense provides, and you copy it into your web page. | |
| Ad Unit | A configuration for a type of advert, for example, a banner. The ad unit is configured with colours, fonts and various other settings. Google then generates the Ad Code, which you place on the page. | |
| Click Through Rate | CTR | The CTR is the number of clicks on an advert divided by the number of ad impressions expressed as a percentage. For example, if a Link Ad is delivered 100 times and receives one click, the click-through rate for that advertisement would be 1%. |
| Impressions | Number of times an advert was placed on a page. | |
| Revenue per thousand impressions | RPM | Ad revenue per thousand impressions (RPM) is calculated by dividing the estimated earnings by the number of ad impressions received and multiplying by 1000. |
| Cost Per Click | CPC | Cost Per Click is the amount earned by a publisher each time a user clicks on an ad. In AdSense reports, CPC is calculated by dividing the estimated earnings by the number of clicks received. |
| Estimated Earnings | Estimated earnings are the close estimates of your recent account activity, which will be finalised at the end of the month. This is to show you instantly the estimated earnings for the activities that happened on your account, which may not be the actual amount you will ultimately be paid. | |
| Unpaid Earnings | Unpaid finalised earnings are accurate earnings amounts that include all revenue you will be paid for validated clicks and impressions. |
Signing up to Google Adsense
To sign up and start using Adsense, you will need a website which meets Google's selection criteria. Your website must have content that is indexable and active. It must not be a site solely to show adverts (made for Adsense). Your website must have also been live for a while; newly created websites are rarely accepted. Google reviews each site manually, so you must show that your website is high quality and updated regularly. Do not try to register for sites under construction that are not publically accessible.
Once your website is up and running, you can sign up for the Adsense program. If you already have a Google Account (YouTube, Gmail), then sign into your account and head over to Adsense Registration page. From here, you will need to fill in a few details. Once that is completed successfully, they will give you some code which you must place on your site. This is to verify that you are the owner of the website. Once this is done, you can let Google know, and someone will review your site.
After submitting your site for review, it is important to be patient. The review process typically takes a couple of days. So, relax and wait for that email notifying you of your website's acceptance into the Adsense program.
Adding Google Adsense to your Website
Now that your website has been approved, you can set up your ad units and add the code to your pages.
Ad units are configured on the Adsense website. Once logged in, you can go to My Ads > Content > Ad Units. This will present a list of the currently active ad units you can configure or click New Ad Unit to create a new one.
When you create or edit an ad unit, you can pick the colours, size, shape and types of ads displayed to match your site's colours and layouts. You can copy the ad code into your site for each ad unit you create. Exactly how you add the code to your site depends on the platform you are using and is beyond the scope of this article.
Newly created Ad Units will not display immediately after they have been created. It generally takes between 5 to 15 minutes after you have created your AdSense unit before it starts showing on your website.
Never should you click on your own AdSense units. If you get caught, your AdSense account will be terminated immediately, and you will be banned from any further participation in the AdSense program forever.
If you accidentally click one of your ads, it's best to inform Google before banning you. If you do this, the click will be discarded, and you will be safe. If not, you risk being banned.
Google Adsense Ad Unit Placement
The placement of the adverts is very important. Ideally, placing adverts above the fold would be best as most visitors see these. Only some people will scroll to the bottom of the page, so ad units placed at the bottom will be less likely to be seen or clicked.
Place your ads near the content your users are interested in; also, make sure that users can easily find the content they are looking for. For example, if your site offers downloads, make sure the download links are above the fold and easy to find.
Google Adsense Reports
Google Adsense provides a suite of valuable reports that allow you to see how each of your ad units performs, which pages perform best, and, most importantly, your estimated earnings. Estimated earnings are finalised at the end of the month, at which point they are shown on the Transactions report page.
The default report gives much of the key information you will require. The top metrics you will be interested in are the estimated earnings, page views, impressions, clicks and page RPM. Below this, you can see a graph showing estimated earnings by day.
Along the top, you can see various tabs showing different views, from clicks and views to visitor engagement and sessions.
Golden Rules for Using Google Adsense
- DO read the Adsense terms of use, especially the section around content. Google is very strict about the content in which adverts are placed. For example, showing Adsense adverts on adult-orientated sites will get your entire site banned. If your content is even close to being questionable, don't place AdSense on it.
- DO NOT click your own adverts or encourage friends/family or anyone else to click adverts on your page. This is clicking fraud and WILL get you banned.
- DO NOT scrape content from other sites to include on your site. Google classifies this as duplicate content, and you will be penalised.
- DO NOT CLICK ON YOUR ADS!
