Should You Join Google AdSense?

I had someone ask me the other day about what the difference between Google AdWords and AdSense was. They have similar sounding names but are pretty much total opposites. AdWords is where you can set up and run ads on Google's website or on other sites that run Google ads on them. AdSense are those other sites that run AdWords ads on them.

He was wondering if he should join Google AdSense and put ads on his site. He also wanted to know how much could be made with AdSense. I'll answer the 2nd part first... you can make some decent money with AdSense if you have the right kind of website. The kind of website that this person had was not the right kind of website to put AdSense ads on...

The thing about AdSense ads is that when people click on them, people are taken off of your site and they go to another site. Sure, you make some money, which you split with Google (and the amount per click varies and is not specified, which oddly nobody cares about) but if your website is set up to sell your product, I'd be willing to bet that you make more money when people use your product or service than a few cents or a buck when they click on an ad, right?

So if your website is selling something or promoting your service, you do not want people to leave your website and go to a competitor and get that product or service somewhere else - and you should therefore not run AdSense ads on your website. If the purpose of your website is to get people off of your website and on to something else, then yes - run AdSense ads. What? Get people off your site? What are you talking about, Tony? Well here are some good examples of those kinds of websites:

• Website Directories (like MadisonClick.com, for example - my site)
• Domain park pages
• Phone book listing type websites (like MadisonClick.net, for example - my site)
• Websites built specifically for AdSense ads (create a topice, write content and run ads - a good money maker with a large quantity of these sites)
• Blogs

For nearly 100% of our clients, you should not be running Google AdSense ads on your website. I can't think of any current client that should be, but maybe one will come back to mind later. If you think that running AdSense ads along with your store will help bring in extra income, I'd probably argue that you're actually sending people away from your website and in fact, losing money even if you are getting a check from Google.

The bottom line is that you make more money with your own products and services than promoting your competitors. You wouldn't put advertisements for your competitors in your retail store, right?

-Tony

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