How to Qualify for Google Adsense Contextual Advertising
by Mike Banks Valentine
Recently I wrote an article about Google Adsense contextualadvertising innovation that was introduced by the popularsearch engine to allow "Content" web sites to profit fromadvertising. Suddenly it has become possible for those whohave an intense interest in nearly any focused subject togather information, resources and commentary to publish aprofitable web site.
How? Well, that's the new buzz. Just what is content andwhat will Google approve for the Adsense program? I can'tspeak for Google, but after my recent article on the popularnew Adsense program ran in several high traffic web venues,I've received a string of notes from webmasters who havebeen turned down by Google for pariticipation in contextualadvertising programs.
I'm curious, what constitutes unacceptable content forAdsense? So I visited dozens of domains owned by those thathad sent me those emails to see if I could tell, A) WhyGoogle turned away a site that believed they qualified and,B) Whether I agreed with Google's assessment.
Without fail I found that those sites that had been turneddown by Google for participation in Adsense simply had nocontent! Since the key to contextual advertising is havingcontent within which to place advertising in context, whatconstitutes content?
Here's the http://www.Dictionary.com definition of "Content""Subject matter of a written work, as a book or magazine."
That definition puts web site content in context for me. Ifyou see your web site as an online written work that's likea print magazine or book, then you have a content web site.Emphasis on the first syllable. CONtent.
Again and again I looked at those sites that Google hadturned down for Adsense and see either sites entirely selffocused and promoting their own products, services andsubscriptions, or sites that were entirely outwardly focusedand promoting and linking to other sites without writinganything or having anything to say about those sites.
First a word about self focused sites. Those sites that existfor sales of their own product or service absolutely SHOULDNOT participate in Adsense contextual advertising becausetheir site content will always show Adsense advertising forcompetitors!
While Google has a filtering method that allows those showingAdsense ads to keep direct competitors advertisements fromappearing on their site, that method would filter most ofthose advertisements and leave those sites with no ads at all!When all of your content is about what you sell, you shouldprobably keep your attention focused on those sales and offof contextual ads.
Who should participate in Google Adsense then? Content sites -that is those that see themselves as sort of online magazinethat discusses, analyzes, comments, reviews or editorializes. Those who have extensive CONtent, not those who are conTENT.
A client contacted me recently after hearing of the Google Adsense program. He has about three articles on his web sitethat discuss and analyze issues of interest to those whomight buy his products. He'd done his homework by reviewinghis site visitor statistics and had discovered that thosearticles were responsible for the majority of referrals tohis site from the search engines. I basked in the warm glowof his praise as he excitedly told me how these pages (thatI had recommended he add to his site) were drawing fully athird of his web site traffic!
It always pleases me when clients see the positive resultsof implementing strategies that I've recommended to them.These pages increased traffic and sales of his products.
This client then leapt to the conclusion that if thosearticles were drawing most of his search engine traffic,then we should place the Google Adsense code on those pagesand capitalize on that traffic with contextual advertising!I had to let him down easily, explaining that three articlesdon't constitute significant content. When he asked me whatWOULD constitute substantial enough content to qualify forthe Adsense program, it made me stop and think.
My answer to him is likely to dismay many web site ownerswho believe their site might qualify for contextualadvertising. After a brief pause, I responded that Ithought it would take about fifty articles of 500 wordsor more to qualify for Adsense advertising.
As he silently digested that admittedly daunting number,it was suddenly crystal clear to me why so many web siteowners that don't write, don't qualify for Google Adsense.Web site owners that do write their own articles, opinionsand analysis on subject matter that is important to themwill have that much content on their site already. Myclient had struggled for weeks to research, distill andedit his thoughts into those three articles on his site.
During that pregnant pause, I digested the ramificationsof my own words, my client gave up immediately and saidsimply, "I can never write that many articles, so I'llnever qualify for contextual advertising on my web site.
Oh, you may not write, but you are wrong about qualifyingfor contextual advertising-if you really want to. And, bythe way, your search engine ranking will go through theroof if you reproduce 50 articles on that topic on yourweb site. On top of that, your web site traffic willincrease dramatically, your sales will go up and you willqualify easily for Google Adsense.
He paused as if I had spoken to him in a foreign languageand said, "If I don't write those articles to put on mysite, who will?"
I immediately responded with my favorite sources for freeweb content, one of which I've operated myself for nearlyfour years.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aabusiness/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/free-content/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/netwrite-publish-announce/
There are also literally hundreds of web sites that collectand distribute articles. Their policies and practices varywidely so I'll leave it to you to find those appropriate toyour site subject matter, but here a few that immediatelycome to mind.
http://www.goarticles.com
http://www.makingprofit.com
http://www.amazines.com/
http://www.ideamarketers.com/
Web publishers and authors regularly join these lists toexchange content on popular topics. Writers make theirarticles available to ezine, newsletter and web sitepublishers in exchange for that publisher running a smallbio at the end of their article with a link to the authorsweb site. This exchange offers value to both parties. Thepublisher gains content, the writer gains a web link andthat link increases her visibility and her web site searchengine ranking goes up due to link popularity.
The content is out there, you simply need to gather it,publish it and then apply to Google Adsense for contextualadvertising. You are benefitting those authors by linkingto them, your search engine ranking by increasing your ownsite content and relevance, and finally your bankbook byqualifying for contextual advertising and making all ofthat content pay.
Don't be conTENT, have CONtent! Then apply for Google Adsense.Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimizer specializing in ethical small business SEO http://searchengineoptimism.com/SEO_Tutorial/
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
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