AdSense

Well in creating this blog one of the first things I did was "monetise" the page.  Monetise the word Google uses for placing ads on the screen, in the hope that people click on the ads - and in fact they are simple urls which take you to a website, so google ads can often be great ways of navigating around the web on a set topic.

So, what do you get paid... well with Google AdSense this can vary quite widely from a few pence for a click to over a pound.  It is the company being linked through the ad who sets this price, but they can't be too stingy with their cash because AdSense users can block ad providers if they don't pay enough.

The trick with monetising is to make the ads fit your site, so that they don't become an inconvenience.  I have a number of sites and blogs, earning vastly different amounts.  For example, one site I have is called Instant Scores, which allows users to see live scores and league tables.  The larger AdSense ad is on the right-hand side, and the smaller ones placed to break up the text.

The type of blog or website you have is very important when looking to monetise a site.  Informative blogs and places of obtaining updated information often make the most money, so look to produce content that fits this remit.  Build your blog with advertising in mind, rather than an after thought and play with the layout to optimise the number of clicks you get.

AdSense used to have a referral programme but doesn't anymore - meaning you only earn for clicks on ads you get on your blog or website, but beware.  You can't encourage people to click your ads and you can't do it yourself.  If this happens you can lose all the money you've earned.

When you get to £10, you can have AdSense send you a cheque or transfer the money into your account.  AdSense can be used as the only advertiser on your site or as one of many.

I'm sure I'll come back to AdSense (and the alternatives) in the future, so I'll leave this for now and report how my AdSense earning mount up for this page.