As a blogger you have surely heard of the AdSense program from Google, one of the best contextual advertisement programs available.
In this post, I will demonstrate how you can create an AdSense account for your website.
There are many AdSense alternatives available,
but no matter what network you try, you will likely find that Adsense
is the best. If you have some marketing skills, however, you may also
want to look into affiliate marketing. My post on Affiliate vs AdSense will give you my personal insights on both networks.
When I started blogging, “Adsense” was a foreign concept to me. When I
initially signed up for Adsense, I needed help from my friends, and I
still was not sure I was doing everything right.
For beginners who are not familiar with Adsense, it is an advertisement program for publishers started by Google (See Wiki details), wherein contextual ads are placed on your blog, and you get paid when someone clicks on these ads.
In this blog post I present an essential guide for beginners who are not sure how to apply for Adsense.
There are few requirements which you must meet before you can apply
for Adsense. First, of course, you need to have a website. You also must
be above the age of 18, otherwise you will need to apply using the name
of a parent or guardian who gives you permission to do so.
Adsense has recently changed the account approval process to include the following steps:
- Sign up for Adsense
- Add Adsense ads to your blog
- Wait while your account is reviewed and either accepted or rejected
It is also important to make sure your blog or website is abiding by AdSense policies before applying.
Also, be sure to read the terms and conditions mentioned on the signup page to learn more about AdSense.
Following are the steps you need to take to sign up for Adsense:
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an AdSense Account:
First, go to the Signup page for AdSense, and you will see an option to create a new Google account, or you can choose to use your existing Google account. If you have a domain-specific email address, I suggest you use that to sign up for your AdSense account. Otherwise, use your existing gmail address.Note: To date I have seen many Shouters finding greater success using domain-specific email addresses.
This form is straight-forward, as you simply need to enter your website address and select the content language.
For the website URL use your blog address, and make sure to add it without HTTP://
This is the most important part, and I remember making a couple of mistakes while signing up which I hope to prevent you from making with the instructions in this guide.
The “payee name” is very important. Make sure to use the same name under which you have a bank account, as Adsense will be sending you a check or EFT payment under that name. If you make a mistake here, changing the payee name of your account would be difficult in many countries including India. Here is the list of countries which are not allowed to change the payee name after signing up. So ensure your bank account name and payee name are exactly the same.
Next add your contact information and fill in the other details.
Read the AdSense policies and put a checkmark in all three boxes.
Once done, click on “submit”, and on the next page you can review your details. Make sure that all the details are accurate and up to date.
You can use your current email address to sign up, or you can create a new gmail ID for Adsense. For fast approval, I would suggest you to use ZohoMail, and create a free domain-specific email address.
In my case, when I tried to sign up using a generic gmail address, I was rejected four times. However, when I later applied using a domain-specific email address, I got instant Adsense approval.
- Must read: Google Adsense new account approval process
Once you have signed up for Adsense, you need to add AdSense codes to your blog. The Adsense team will review your application again after you add the codes, and your account will be activated and you will be sent an Adsense Pin. All of this takes approximately 1-2 months depending upon your geographical location.
Once everything is set up, in order to get paid from Adsense you need to complete two further steps:
- Submit your tax information
- Enter your pin