Does AdSense Belong on my Blog?

So you're setting up a new blog and you have lots of decisions to make. Which design should you use? What plug-ins should you add? How do you monetize your blog?

When considering how to make money with your blog, the question always comes up about whether or not to place AdSense ads on your site. Let's go over the plusses and minuses of mixing ads with the content of your site.

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An easy way to monetize your blog, especially if you are a beginner blogger, is to place AdSense ads on it. You decide on the format, size, and color and AdSense walks you through the whole thing. Look around at other blogs to get ideas of what you like. Keep in mind, AdSense has restrictions as to the number of ads you can add, but you don't want to overdo it anyway.

Ads are passive income. You make money if people click on them (PPC). You just stick them up there and let them do their job. You don't presell or tell people to click on them. Experiment on placement, type, color, etc. and track which works best.

It's true that blogs are a creative outlet, but if you're not doing anything else to make money with your blog, why not use AdSense? The money you make may not replace your income, but it's still money coming in.

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Placing ads on your site may feel like a cop-out if you want your blog to remain a pure artistic creation. Your readers may not like it if you suddenly start throwing up ads. If your blog is already going strong before you start using AdSense, then make the ads small, unobtrusive, and few to start with.

AdSense may not make you much money. It depends on the amount of traffic coming your way and the relevancy of the ads. Sometimes there is a better use for that spot the ads are on, especially if that spot is above the fold.

When you put ads on your site you are asking people to click away. This is not a good idea on every site. For example, if you have a one page sales page where you are selling your product, you don't want people to click away, you want them to buy now.

It might be a big decision whether to put AdSense ads on your blog, but it's easier to put them on in the beginning and take them off later than to add them after the fact. Either way, though, your decision can be changed. Just remember your blog content should always be your main concern.