Free Website Content
Google AdSense Progression
The web has evolved into a complex "organism"
which, to some, appears to have a life of its own. As
the Internet has evolved, so too have online marketers
and publishers. The dot-com balloon is said to have
burst but savvy publishers have grabbed the coat tails
of the Google search monster and employ Google AdSense
on content-rich websites. Google AdSense, a pioneer
for providing content-sensitive advertisements, has
been a boon to webmasters looking for alternatives to
amortize their web trafffic.
How Does Google AdSense Work?
The concept is simple: The publisher or webmaster inserts
a java script into a website. Each time the page is
accessed, the java script pulls advertisements from
Google's AdSense program. The ads are targeted and related
to the content contained on the web page serving the
ad. If a web surfer clicks on an advertisement served
from Google, the webmaster serving the ad earns a portion
of the money that the advertiser is paying Google for
the click.
Google handles all the tracking and payments,
ultimately providing an easy way for webmasters to display
content-sensitive, targeted ads, without the headache
of having to solicit advertisers, collect funds, monitor
clicks or track statistics, any of which could easily
become a full-time job.
While Google AdSense, like many pay-per-click
programs, is plagued by claims of click-fraud, it is
clearly an effective revenue source for many reputable
web businesses. There seems to be no shortage of advertisers
in the AdWords program from which Google pulls the AdSense
ads. Webmasters seem less concerned by 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 rudimentary,
only providing publishers the option of displaying a
handful of advertising formats, the technology behind
even the first 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 contained on the web
page serving the ad. Once the content is assessed, and
appropriate ads that contain related content are served.
Early on, Google implemented a system
that allows publishers to filter advertisements from
competitors or sites which they deemed inappropriate.
Google also allows vendors to specify an alternative
advertisement, in the unlikely event that Google is
unable to provide related content ads.
The Progression of Google
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 advertisements to complement their website and
fit into existing webpage layout. The options provided
allow webmasters to select and create custom color palettes
that match an existing website's color scheme, making
the ads a much more natural fit.
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
Google recently took a huge step forward, providing
publishers the ability to track their earnings based
on webmaster-defined channels. Recent improvements to
the Google AdSense reporting have resulted in webmasters
having the capability 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 quickly spot
and track trends. The new flexible reporting tools allows
webmasters to group web pages by URL, domain, ad type
or category, providing webmasters insight into what
pages, ads and domains are performing the best.
Reporting is real-time, allowing webmasters
to quickly assess the effectiveness of any changes.
The new reporting makes it significantly easier for
webmasters to optimize and increase click-through rates.
Optional reporting allows webmasters to monitor traffic,
viewing both ad impressions and page impressions.
Advertisers realize the benefits associated
with having their ads served on targeted websites, increasing
the likelihood that a prospective web surfer will have
an interest in their product or service.
Truth Still Not Revealed
Google still does not reveal what percentage of
the advertising revenue earned is paid to the webmaster
serving the ads, but they have made strides related
to disclosure, recently lifting the ban preventing webmasters
from disclosing the amount they earn through serving
Google ads.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
NotePage http://www.notepage.net
a wireless text messaging software company.
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.
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