How to Put Google Ads on Your Blog

If you are looking for guidance on how to implement Google Adsense on a blog/website for making an income, you are at the right place. From this article, you may learn practical ideas on having a blog/website and using the same for putting advertisements through Google AdSense for earning some money.

This article guides you to practically implement the Google Adsense program on your website. Remember, you must not compromise originality and creativity in your website/blog. Google just hates the thing if it is otherwise.

1. Get a Domain Name

I started this blog because I found a perfect domain available to register. It was a plain first name that was not yet registered through Nepal’s .np registration company- Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd. You must be super lucky to get a free .np domain name which consists of only the first name followed by the most popular ccTLD of Nepal- .com.np.

Registering a .np domain name is not a big deal for Nepalese. All you need to do is fill up the online application form, and present 2 key documents- a signed cover letter and an official certificate (citizenship/passport).

You can also buy domain names through other registrars. I would suggest you buy .com domains (as these are highly trusted TLDs) through Namecheap.

2. Host Your Website

Initially, I hosted my dot NP domain with Google’s Blogger with rather a painstaking effort.

After a few months, I was lured (by so-called SEO gurus) to believe that having a self-hosted WordPress website had an enormous SEO (Search Engine Optimization) advantage compared to that hosted in Blogger. I just followed their advice.

For this, I directed my dot NP domain to CloudFlare through the DNS edit feature available at Mercantile Communication’s dashboard.

Then, I bought a reliable hosting service from a web hosting company. They provided a dedicated IP for my websites. Finally, I pointed the IP of the same domain to my host through CloudFlare by editing the A records and CNAME records.

3. (Optional) Install WordPress or Another CMS

Installing WordPress in a traditional CPanel access provided by a web host company is more than a convenient process. However, if you buy a cloud-based hosting service, the companies may have different terminologies for installing WordPress on your website.

These platforms are not difficult too, it is their business also to educate their customers. For example, Cloudways have many short videos (for example- How to install WordPress in CloudWays) to educate the customers about their Cloud.

Remember, you do not always need WordPress to run a blog, it is just a platform like many others. For example, Blogger is another platform to write blog posts on.

4. SEO Settings and Customization

I customized my WordPress-based website after installing a free version of the Kadence theme. I installed the necessary plugins too. I suggest you follow Key2Blogging to learn the customization of a WordPress-based site.

RankMath is one of the SEO plugins that you may want to have on your WordPress-based website.

As you know, I am again back to the Blogger platform. Though there are certain renowned Blogger themes for AdSense implementation, there are certain ways of customizing the settings for SEO. Do comment below, if you need a separate article on optimizing SEO in the Blogger platform.

5. Start Writing and Generate Organic Traffic

I have been writing my blogs with readers in mind. If you do so, you are closer to a large ocean of readership.

Saying so, we must not forget that getting organic traffic from search engines is also an outcome of SEO. These days, SEO is getting more and more complex. Hence, I am continually learning SEO while I continue writing blogs.

Basically, you need to look SEO of your website from 3 angles- on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO. If you need, a separate article on best SEO practices of the website, do comment below.

6. Implement Google Adsense

I did a little hurry when I applied for Google Adsense. I think that I applied for it when I had daily 40 organic visitors. You can wait a little bit more till you make it daily 100 or more. To see the nature and trend of your organic traffic, you can use Google Search Console, and/or Google Analytics.

After applying to Google Adsense, they confirmed that my site is eligible for the Google Adsense program. There are many people who have been struggling for getting their websites approved for Google Adsense. If you want guidance from me on this, please comment below.

After approval, Google asks us to verify that we are the owners of the website. I verified myself as an owner of the site by putting the given code in the ads.txt file.

Later, when I moved my website to Blogger platform, I used the special area in Blogger Dashboard to put information in ads.txt file.

When all indicators turned green, I started putting ad codes in various places on my WordPress-based website. If you are using prebuilt themes like the Jannah theme, placing ad codes from Google Adsense is not a big deal.

In the case of Blogger-based site, I had to 1) edit HTML to ensure better reporting of Adsense income, and 2) Use AdSense-friendly Blogger template/theme with enough places for putting Google ads.

In the case of the WordPress site, I used a plugin to insert advertisement codes in various places on my website. I put it in such a manner that my website retained its reputation as a professional website and kept adhering to Google AdSense policies. Some deemed malpractices may be penalized with ad limits or AdSense account suspension/termination. The most notorious practice is invalid clicks.

7. Pay Attention to the First 10 USD

You can register for Google Adsense in any country. However, the currency may differ country-wise. For example, in an EU country with Euro as currency, the income can be shown in Euros.

Nevertheless, let me mention the standard USD 10 threshold after which Google wants to verify you as a natural person in 2 steps. After reaching the 10 USD income threshold. you will first see a message in your AdSense dashboard that asks for identification verification. You can upload an identification document for identity verification.

After the identification verification, Google will send you a letter consisting of a 6-digit PIN code. When you receive it, put the same code in the Google Adsense dashboard where they have been waiting for an action to be done on your behalf. This step is called address verification.

My story of getting PIN CODE letter from Google: I knew that there are very few postmen in Nepal. Their job is complicated with the increasing city population. If there were many villages, people in village would know each other by name and sending the letter would be more convenient. Even the road maps in the cities and towns are not apparently clear to understand. In my case, I had put my phone number in my address. The postman phoned me and asked me if I would come to collect the letter. I did so and got my letter from the nearest post office in my town. Surprisingly, there were many other envelopes from Google to people of my town. Now, imagine the number of content creators in Nepal!

After you put in the right code, your identification is completely verified.

8. Continue Writing and Earning

You may continue writing on WordPress-based blogs/websites and earning with Google AdSense Program implemented in your website. Remember to reach out to the wider audience with the use of newsletters, social media, etc. Otherwise, a graceful appearance on the first page among the SERPs works just fine to draw a large number of visitors to your blog/website.

9. Provide Tax Information and Bank Details to Google

When your income from Google Adsense Implementation Program begins to reach the payment threshold, Google asks you to provide the tax information and bank details. These can be done in the dashboard of Google Adsense itself. You do not need to visit any office should you have all the necessary documents and have duly filled out the tax-related forms and submitted them to Google.

Update: I again came back to Blogger, leaving WordPress. You may ask- Why did I do so? Well, that demands another blog post. Just keep on visiting my website. I have rather many more purposes than what contemporary back-to-Blogger activists say.