Google AdSense - How to Put Ads Onto Your Website

We have been getting questions about how to make money on your website. Now I want to let you know, we do not make that much money from our website.  I know there are people out there, that make lots of money from the advertising on their website, because they usually have tons of pages, usually by doing a blog and writing a paragraph or two on each page about some interesting subject. But my pages are longer, it is just the way I work. But I usually make about $100 a year, from either Google or Yahoo, maybe a little through Amazon, and that is about it. I planned on taking some of the ads off as well, I am no longer an affiliate with many of the companies. But let's go through the process of what I did.

If you have more questions, please send us an email: Email@Laura-n-Sasha.com

1. Website: Before you can even have a Google AdSense account, you need to have a website.

Now some people use Blogger and other portals for their website, but the big thing is, you can NOT have your website be something like a subdomain of the portal site. It is better to have your own domain, like Laura-n-Sasha.com or Google.com. These are domain names. You do not want: laura-n-sasha.blogspot.com, even though I put ads there, and I have seen others do it, it is confusing and not worth the time.

Your website should not be just one or two pages, it should be relevant to what you want to say, whether that is about your travels, your life, your business or your family. But the big thing is, YOU are writing it, not a webmaster that you have to go to every time you want to make a change. There - I said it - a Webmistress is shooting herself in the foot! But it is true, especially for a personal website.

I have found 1and1.com to be the best as far as hosting is concerned. They are always on, do not ask for putting their own advertising on your website, and I have been with them since I started my own business back in 2003, they are the best. And yes, if you click on the link, and buy something through them, I get a cut - that is called an affiliate link. You also see the banner on the side; if you click on that banner, and buy through them, I also get a cut, that is called an affiliate banner.

2. Physical Address: Before you can even be part of Google AdSense, you need to have a physical address, NOT a PO Box. A PO Box will not work. This is imperative and of course a major cause of frustration when I was setting this up. The first time I applied to Google, I got rejected. It took quite a while to get that corrected, and by the time I did, we were no longer living in a house. So make sure that you have a physical address before you even apply. It is important.

3. Cell Phone: You also need to have a cell phone and a time that they will call you. The reason about #2 & #3 is that they want to make sure you are a law-abiding citizen of the United States. When you start making tons of money with the ads (HA HA), you will have to pay taxes on that money. Therefore you need to have your social security number ready for them as well. They will send a pin to your home address that you will use for when they call you.

I know this is confusing, but this is what they do.

4. Account with Google: Have an account with Google. This is just a good idea for many reasons. Google has all types of good stuff, and having an account with Google will make the other stuff lots easier. I would get the account with Google before I do the AdSense, I think it would make it work that much smoother.

5. Knowing the code: Knowing HTML code is always a good idea, even though companies say it is not necessary anymore. I find it is useful so that I can place the ads in correctly. That is why I use Microsoft Frontpage as there is a way to look behind the scenes while still having the interface up - it is called a split view. However, Microsoft has decided not to continue with this software package, of course, as most web designers do not use it anymore. I guess people want flashier websites and so Microsoft decided to abandon Frontpage. I have no idea what I will do if I can not use Frontpage, I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it. So again, knowing HTML will help you out.

Now 1and1.com does have some different ways to create a website, including doing a blog with WordPress. They are pretty good, similar to Blogger. You do not have to use HTML, but like I said, it is good to know how to make a website up with HTML.

You can get a couple of books about HTML, I always found the For Dummies Books) to be the best. I also like the In a Weekend Books and sometimes I was able to learn something in a weekend as well.

But I learned HTML from teaching it to others way back when I was a trainer the first time around. So it is a little different from now. That is why having an HTML editor like Frontpage is so nice: I am writing this website in a split screen, so I can see the HTML code and the regular interface as well.

Just so you know, those links in the page are also affiliate links, if you buy the books, I will get a cut I think it is around 4%. Just you clicking on the ads on this page would also help me out. That way I do not have to ask for donations to keep this website going.

6. A Checking Account: You need a checking account as Google will do a direct deposit to a checking account. It has to be a checking, not savings account. You have to know the Routing number and your checking account number.

6. Other advertisers: Right now, I do have other advertisers on some of our older web pages. They are on there because I was an affiliate of a company called Performics and Double Click, both of which were bought out by Google.

Now I can not seem to get into those websites, and will have to shut it down somehow. I NEVER made any money off of those affiliate links, never! I suppose that if I had really spent the time, sending the emails and continually updating the ads on the website, that I would have made the money. But I do not think so.

7. Amazon: Amazon is the only real place that I have made affiliate banner money and it really was not that much. Amazon works the same type of way as Google, where you have to be a citizen of the US, have a physical address, and a checking account etc. but it is really easy to become a member of Amazon. You do not make any money UNLESS someone buys something. 

8. The MOST Important Tip: This is probably the hardest one to do, but it is the most important one. Once you have done all of the stuff above, gotten everything that you need and have set up your account with Google AdSense, and you have put the ads into the website...

*** DO NOT CLICK on your own ads! ****

This will get you banned from Google and Amazon and Yahoo. All of them can tell if you click on your own ads. So don't do it!