The web has become a complex “organism” that, for some, seems to have a life of its own. As the Internet has evolved, so have online marketers and publishers. The dot-com balloon is said to have burst, but smart publishers have taken over the Google search monster and are using Google AdSense on content-rich websites. Google AdSense, a pioneer in providing content-sensitive ads, has been a great help to webmasters looking for alternatives to amortize their web traffic.
How does Google AdSense work?
The concept is simple: the publisher or webmaster inserts a Java script on a website. Every time the page is accessed, the java script pulls ads from Google’s AdSense program. Ads are targeted and related to the content of the web page serving the ad. If a surfer clicks on an ad published by Google, the webmaster who publishes the ad earns a portion of the money that the advertiser pays Google for the click.
Google handles all tracking and payments, ultimately providing an easy way for webmasters to show targeted and content-sensitive ads, without the headache of soliciting advertisers, collecting funds, monitoring clicks, or tracking statistics, any of which could easily become a -work hour.
While Google AdSense, like many pay-per-click programs, is plagued with click fraud claims, it is clearly an effective source of income for many big-name web companies. There seems to be no shortage of advertisers in the AdWords program from which Google pulls the AdSense ads. Webmasters seem less concerned about the lack of information provided by Google and more interested in cashing their monthly checks from Google.
The evolution of AdSense
While Google’s initial system was fairly easy, only giving publishers the option to display a handful of ad formats, the technology behind the first few ads was anything but simplistic. The technology used to employ Google AdSense goes far beyond simple keyword or category matching. A complex algorithm is used to determine the content of the web page serving the ad. After the content is evaluated, the appropriate ads that contain related content are served.
Initially, Google implemented a system that allowed publishers to filter ads from competitors or sites that they deemed inappropriate. Google also allows providers to specify an alternate ad, in the unlikely event that Google is unable to serve ads for related content.
Google’s progression
Google has come a long way in understanding the needs of publishers and webmasters. Google now offers a system that allows full ad customization. Webmasters can choose from twelve text ad formats and can customize Google Ads to complement their website and fit the existing web page layout. The options provided allow webmasters to select and create custom color palettes that match the color scheme of an existing website, making ads fit much more naturally.
Many sites have been able to integrate ads into their site design using different ad formats.
Sample sites with integrated ads:
Investing partners – [http://www.investing-partners.com]
Podcasting Tools – http://www.podcasting-tools.com
RSS network: http://www.rss-network.com
Online reports
Recently, Google took a big step forward, giving publishers the ability to track their earnings based on channels defined by the webmaster. Recent improvements to Google AdSense reporting have resulted in webmasters having the ability to monitor an ad’s performance with customizable online reports that can detail page impressions, clicks, and click-through rates. Webmasters now have the ability to track specific ad formats, colors, and pages within a website. Webmasters can spot and track trends quickly. New flexible reporting tools allow webmasters to group web pages by URL, domain, ad type or category, providing webmasters with information on which pages, ads and domains are performing the best.
The reports are in real time, allowing webmasters to quickly assess the effectiveness of any change. The new reports make it much easier for webmasters to optimize and increase click-through rates. Optional reports allow webmasters to monitor traffic and view both ad impressions and page impressions.
Advertisers realize the benefits associated with running their ads on specific websites, increasing the likelihood that a potential surfer will have an interest in their product or service.
The truth has yet to be revealed
Google has yet to disclose what percentage of the ad revenue earned is paid to the webmaster who serves the ads, but it has come a long way on disclosure, recently lifting the ban that prevents webmasters from disclosing the amount they earn from serving Google ads.
