I now have an entire ebook that will show you exactly how to get more money with AdSense. Get your copy of Dominate AdSense in 30 Days or Less today!
It wasn’t long ago when I was ready to throw in the towel with Google AdSense.
It seemed like no matter what I was doing, no progress was being made. I was literally on the verge of taking all of my ads down, but I got an inkling that I should give it at least one more fair shot before I pulled the plug.
That’s when I really started researching what I could do differently. After following that advice (as well as making some tweaks on my own), everything changed.
All of a sudden, I started to see REAL progress… and maybe Google AdSense was going to be worth it after all.
The Simple Google AdSense Tweaks I Made to See an Increase in Revenue
Honestly, there was no magic wand to wave here. I think my biggest issue was the fact that I didn’t truly do enough research in the beginning to understand how to make Google AdSense work for me.
So many people just throw up ads on their site and think that’s all they have to do.
Wrong.
There are legit steps that you need to make to really maximize your revenue.
Luckily, I’ve done most of the research for you! My goal is to keep these tips short and sweet so that you can start applying them right away.
After you’ve make these changes, let me know if you see any differences after about a week or so!
I just completed an entire ebook: Dominate AdSense in 30 Days or Less, so that you can start making more money, too! Get it at the link below!
1. Block All of the Sites on This List
I had no idea that you could actually increase your Google AdSense revenue by blocking certain sites from displaying ads on your site. I found this picture tutorial that shows you exactly where to enter this information so that these sites get blocked without messing up anything!
Since I don’t want to list out every site, go check out this list that has over 300 URLs you should block and then come right back here!
Why Do It?
Every site on these lists is known to have a low RPM. A low RPM means that clicks and any money you earn per 1,000 impressions are going to be worth mere pennies, and who wants that?!
By blocking ads from these sites, you are opening the door for higher RPM ads to step in, meaning that clicks and impressions will be worth more. Also, I’ve noticed that more relevant ads will display if you block these sites, and that’s a GREAT thing since your readers are more likely to click on ads that are similar to your post topics.
It creates a sense of continuity on your site and greatly reduces any ads that may seem ‘spammy’.
2. Get the Quick AdSense Plugin to Place Ads in Your Posts
Ok, real talk…
If you don’t have an ad placed in your posts somewhere, then odds are that you are missing out on some big revenue opportunities.
I failed to do this for far too long and I’m kicking myself for not changing my ad placement sooner.
In reality, I thought that it was going to be too hard for me to figure out the coding to get the ads in the middle of the posts (I operate off the Genesis Framework). Honestly, I should have just done a little research to find a plugin that allowed me to do just that. Instead, I gave up for the time being and just let my AdSense spaces sit in their original locations… and of course, nothing changed.
When I finally decided that it was time to make a change, I found the plugin that I should have used a long time ago: Quick AdSense
I quickly installed it and was impressed by how easy it was to use. You can choose how many ads to display, where you want them in the posts, and so much more. It literally transformed my AdSense approach and brought quick results.
3. Use the ‘Allow & Block Ads’ Feature Wisely
I think the initial reaction that a lot of people make is that they need to go in and block every category possible that they don’t like.
While there’s nothing wrong with taking control, the reality is that you won’t see your best Google AdSense revenue if you put your wants first.
Instead of going on a blocking rampage, take a step back and evaluate the data.
What data? It’s right in front of you… just click on the General Categories tab under the Allow & Block Ads feature. You should see two percentages next to each category:
- % Ad Impressions
- % Earnings
Both of these percentages reflect the past 30 days of activity and are a gold mine when it comes to figuring out which ads are bringing in the money and which ones aren’t.
The % Ad Impressions column shows you the percentage of ads that came from each category. So, if you see 10% next to apparel, then 10% of ads on your site were from that category.
In the % Earnings column, you’ll see what percentage of your Google AdSense revenue came from each category.
You’ll also notice that there are subcategories (denoted by the number in parentheses next to the category name). It’s good to pay attention to these as well because some might actually be performing well, even if the general category isn’t doing so hot.
How Do I Tell Which AdSense Categories to Keep and Which to Block?
Remember when I told you that these numbers were a gold mine? Well, this is why…
Take a look at both of your columns and see if there is a large discrepancy. If the earning percentage is almost equal or higher than the ad impression percentage, then you definitely want to keep that category because it’s performing well on your site.
If you notice that the earnings column is much less than the ad impressions column, then it’s time to consider blocking.
This doesn’t mean that you should block every category that has this problem, especially if the category relates to the topics you write about on your site. Besides, you only get 50 categories to block, and that includes subcategories. So if I’m looking at my stats and see that Health general category is performing badly, blocking this entire category would take up 22 of my 50 available block slots.
That’s a lot when you consider how many other categories there are that are affecting your AdSense revenue.
Instead of blocking the whole thing, I recommend clicking on the category so that you can see the subcategories. You should see more columns with stats (which often don’t match the percentages on the first page, but at least you get a little more info. If you notice that a subcategory is performing well in earnings, then keep that one and block some of the others.
Tip: If you see that a category has a very low number in the % Ad Impression column, I would advise you to not worry about blocking it since it has such a low impression rate anyway.
Why This Works
By blocking the less effective categories, you’re opening up the door for more ads to be displayed from categories that are actually earning money.
You may find that you need to tweak which categories you block over time, and that’s totally ok. I look at my stats all the time, but I usually wait about 30 days before I decide to make any changes. This gives me time to get a good view of which categories are performing well and which ones aren’t.
4. Work on Your Keywords
I’m sure you hear all the time about how important keywords are. Well, I hate to sound like a broken record, but it really is the truth.
If you aren’t using the Google Keyword Planner, then I encourage you to start.
If your keywords aren’t showing any value, or it’s very low, then odds are that your Adsense earnings are going to suffer.
I’m not saying that you should focus on just high paying keywords because that can really limit you and drain your inspiration. Instead, try to incorporate them hear and there and try to keep your topics relevant to these keywords so that you can get some higher paying ads to show up on your site.
There are plenty of great resources out there to help you refine this craft and become a successful keyword writer, so I’ll spare the space and let you go check those out for yourself.
5. Change the Color of Text Ads
Did you know that you can actually change the color of your text ads? You have control over border color, link color, and so much more! I made my text ads match the color of my site, but I encourage you to play around with it and see what looks best.
Your ultimate goal is to make AdSense work for you. By following these tips, I hope that you’ll notice some positive changes in your ads, including (hopefully) an increase in revenue.
I would love to hear if these tips work for you or if you have any additional tips to share! The comments section is open for feedback!
Great advice, I was about to also give up on adsense.
If only these instructions came WITH Adsense, there’d be a lot of much happier people. Thanks for the advice and tips!
I had no idea I could put adds in my posts. I’m going to have to figure that out. Thanks for the great tips!
I couldn’t figure out how to do it for the longest time, but I’m so glad I researched it and found out how!
This is some great advice! I can’t wait to implement it when I start adsense. http://www.littlemissfangirly.blogspot.com
Love these tips! I’m just starting with Adsense and its great to learn all the tips! Pinning for later!
Thanks for the pin 🙂 I really hope that these tips work for you. Let me know which ones you apply and whether they worked well for you!
I think I’m going to try this out right now!
I hope it works out for you, Hayli! Let me know if you see any improvements 🙂
Great tips. I hope these work. Saving this post! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! I hope they work for you as well. Keep me posted and let me know if you see any changes 🙂
great tips! I’m always looking for a way to improve my adsense revenue!
I am too! I finally got to a point where I was so fed up that I decided I needed to try something completely different, and voila! I continue to tweak colors in my text ads to see where the sweet spot is. I also recommend running experiments!
Thank you so much for sharing these tips. I’ve been making close to nothing with Google Adsense, but I’m going to try out your advice and hope it works for my site as well 🙂
I was in the exact same boat and was SUPER frustrated about it. Keep in mind that it may take a few days for things to start looking up. Also, traffic is going to have some type of impact as well, but you should definitely be seeing a difference of some sort! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I keep going back and forth on google adsense. I am not totally in love with ads showing and blinking on my blog. I am pinning these tips for future reference!
I think a lot of people are on the fence about whether to keep AdSense or not. I think that if you have relevant ads, it’s all fine and dandy, but when they are flashing a bunch of crazy random things, it takes away from the site. I hope you can find something that works for you! Thanks for the pin 🙂
Thanks for the tips. It seemed like it may take forever to get to the $100 threshold for the first check. I will try a couple of these and see if it gets better!
I know that feeling all too well! I keep researching ways to improve AdSense so that it actually does something for my site. These changes have really helped me so far and I hope they do the same for you!
I really needed this post, I was getting really frustrated. I’m getting great traffic, my ads just aren’t working for me. My site is kind of weird, my content is mostly images instead of writing, so my key word game is probably not on point. I really appreciate this post! Thank you!
I’m so glad you found it useful, Leslie! Keywords can definitely help out a lot, but the tip about blocking categories would probably be really beneficial for you as well, not to mention blocking those 300+ sites with low RPM.
Wow, what great advice! Pinning it for future reference!
Thanks for the pin, Cynthia! I hope that it helps you!
How did I not think to research all of this sooner? I have noticed most of the big sites have ads in the text – it makes sense that placement is critical. Thanks for sharing your research!
Glad to help, Lauren! I wish I had done the research sooner, but I guess better late than never!
This is awesome! I’ve been looking for some realistic ways to bump up adsense (even though I’m still in the early stages) but this might just be it! Thank you so much!
Happy to help! I wish I would have known these tips when I was just starting out. I probably would have seen much better results, but oh well!
Thank you so much for this! I too thought I’d just add it to my blog and sit back to collect revenue. I’ve earned about $1.61 in three months. I can’t even buy a tall latte with that! I’m definitely going to give your advice a try.
When I first started with AdSense, I didn’t think that I was going to have to put a lot of effort into making it work. After doing my research, I realized that you actually do need to make tweaks and monitor your stats frequently to see what’s working and what isn’t. I hope these tips help, Kathy! Come back soon and let me know if you notice a difference.
Love these tips!! I was thinking of never wasting my time with ads until I read this! Thank you for providing such valuable information!!
Thanks for the kind words, Iyanna! I’m thinking of creating an ebook to dive even deeper into this matter. Stay tuned!
Hi Tori, Great information, thank you!
Did you know that this post is Featured on The #OMHGWW on this weeks #Linkup for #Wordlesswednesday http://ohmyheartsiegirl.com/heartsie-girls-wordless-wednesday-27/ Hope you can stop by to see your feature!!
Have a beautiful week!
Karren
Hi Karren,
I DID see it and I’m so excited!!!! I’m glad that this article is helping others and reaching a larger audience. I appreciate all the support 🙂
I haven’t added any ads to my site yet. Not use I have enough traffic. But AdSense makes sense. I’m going to follow your advice and take the plunge. Thanks so much for this informative article. On the list for your e-book! 😉
Woohoo! I’m so glad that you found this information helpful 🙂
Great tips! I’m just getting started with Adsense, so I’m glad I came across this! Pinning this 🙂
I’m so glad I found this post! I was so frustrated with Adsense. I will try all of your tips. Thanks!
Happy to help, Laura. I hope these tips work just as well for you!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this…I’m definitely going to be doing this RIGHT NOW!
So glad you found this helpful, Taylor! Let me know how it works out for you!
Thank you for this helpful information! I am just starting out with Adsense (and my blog) and this is great stuff to start implementing right from the beginning!
So glad you found this post, Sam! Wishing you all the best as you begin your blogging endeavors 🙂
I’m go glad to have found this, thank you!
One question, though. When I click on the link of the 300 URLs to block, my browser is alerting me that the website is flagged as harmful due to malware?
Hi Angela! That’s so strange… I’ll have to look into that and see what’s up. I never got that notification myself, but you never know with the internet these days! I do know that there are several lists out there. If you google “AdSense URLs to block”, you should get several lists in the results!
Whoa, great stuff! I just signed up for AdSense tonight, I’m super new to blogging, but I love the idea of getting paid to be me. I didn’t even think about blocking sites to get better ones in their place. Thank you!
So glad you found it helpful, Sarah!
Nice tips. I tried to see the 300 websites to block but it seems to be broken.
I will take your adsense advice.
Hi Carlos,
Thanks for stopping by! I checked the link on my end and it seems to be working, but I’ll follow up again and see if I need to replace it. Sorry you weren’t able to access the list! I do hope the other tips help you out, though 🙂
I wasn’t able to access the list of websites either. But very helpful tips.
I have tried to access the list of websites, initially my computer would not let me open due to malicious content/unsafe URL. Once I broke down those barriers the link was no longer available. Would like to try this optimizing, can you help?
Hi Kim! I’m trying to find a list of another site that has them, but I just haven’t found one robust enough yet. I will update if I find one!
Adsense is the main traffic monetization tools and after reading tips to grow revenue I am going to apply all the tips that you have shared in the post will surely increase my revenue.
Thanks! for sharing
Adsense is like a passive income tools if you are using it carefully and consistently . After reading your post I will Apply these technique . Thank you for posting such a great article .