Biggest AdSense Mistakes Most Bloggers Make, And How To Avoid Them!

As all of you might know, Google AdSense is the largest ad network on the internet, and is the primary source of income for many bloggers out there. There are, however, many others who are either unsuccessful at getting approved, or they simply fail to utilize the full potential of AdSense. In most of the cases, such bloggers are making some very basic mistakes. Today, we will discuss some most common mistakes, and how you can avoid them.

Applying too early

This one, I think, is a favourite among a lot of bloggers, especially beginners. New people, dreaming of earning online quickly, apply for AdSense too early, with only a handful of posts at their disposal. For one thing, this strategy normally wouldn’t get you accepted. That’s because Google has some tough terms and conditions, which most new blogs might not meet. Also, Google is looking for some content, quality and original content.

Even if you do get accepted, there’s this big question; will the ads bring in revenue? Generally, at start-up, using ad programs is a bad idea, and it does more harm than good. Why? Let me explain.

You go on big websites like Wikipedia and others for gaining some knowledge right? Well, blogs usually hold content as well, since they don’t offer powerful functionality like social networking (like Facebook etc). So Wikipedia. You check it out for information. But how would you feel if ads start appearing in Wikipedia articles all of a sudden from today? Would you be inclined to come to Wikipedia as frequently?

Wikipedia, after all, is a big website, able to retain its visitors. So it wouldn’t be hit much. But what if ads popped up on a blog created only yesterday, or last week? See my point? Many will laugh, and then leave the blog. So what little traffic you might have, don’t throw it away by forcing ads all of a sudden.

Trying to be smart? Well, Google is smarter!

Bear with me guys. This is important. A lot of people try to increase their revenue by clicking on their own ads! They even try to fool Google by using dynamic IPs. Most ask their friends to click regularly on their ads. Well, don’t forget that Google is the leader in website analytics. It knows where your audience is coming from, and can tell whether it’s you who is clicking, dynamic IP or not. For example, if 80% of my blog traffic is coming from outside my country, but 90% of clicks are from within my country, wouldn’t it be obvious?

People also click on their ads to ‘test’ the program. Take my word for it, it works! And leave it at that, please! Google is very strict about this. They can immediately ban you if you click on your own ad. I have a very close friend who set up AdSense on his blog very quickly, with very low traffic (somehow, he got through AdSense requirements). He told all his friends to click on his ads regularly. He also clicked a few times himself to ‘test’. He made more than $70 in a couple of days. But then, the inevitable happened. His account got banned, and his earnings ceased. I think you get my point fairly.

Don’t over-use ad blocks

This one is especially annoying, at least to me. Some people put ads literally everywhere on their blog! Main header, inside the content, side-bar, bottom, and inside the content again! You should only consider placing ads on the edges i.e. top, bottom, or the sides. Maybe one or maximum two within the content. But no more! Most readers get bummed out when they see more ads and less content.

Think well before choosing the colour

Now, some people might disagree with me on this. Some say that if you use ads the exact ad colour as your blog theme background, you might fool the reader into clicking it, thinking it’s part of the content. That might suit ruthless advertisers out there. But in my opinion, this doesn’t fair with the readers well. Many end up annoyed when they land on an advertising page they didn’t want to see. So while placing ads, online ethics must be considered. Otherwise, you will lose your credibility.

You should also not set up contrasting colours for your ads. That would give you a less click-through rate. What we suggest is, you use the same colour as the theme, but make ads discernible, say with borders and stuff.

Use ad link units

Advertising only through banners is not a good idea. Google lets you put up to three banner ads, and three links. You should utilize them as well. It would be a good idea to use a 786 x 16 ad link unit. But then again, it depends upon your blog design and other factors. So feel free to experiment out a little.

Track your changes and learn from them

Using advertising programs involves a lot of trial and error. And I believe that to some extent, blogging is as well. Keep changing your ad placements, colour combinations and other stuff and monitor the results. It’d be a good idea to keep statistical record. That way, you can figure out what is working out, and what isn’t. Some experimenting won’t hurt.

And now last, but not the least…

Stay persistent!

Determination is what a blogger needs the most, because blogging involves a lot of time, effort and frustration. But keep in mind that success only comes to those who works for it. There is NO quick formula to earn online. A lot of people give up or get demotivated when they aren’t getting the earnings they were hoping for, or were told about. You must not do the same. Otherwise all your efforts leading up to this point will go to waste.

Hope these points will help you earn a better earning online. See ya in the next post! Cheers 🙂