How to Properly Add Google AdSense to Your WordPress Site: An Expert‘s Guide

Adding Google AdSense to your WordPress site is one of the easiest ways to start earning revenue. With over 2 million publishers worldwide, AdSense allows you to quickly monetize your site by displaying targeted, high-quality ads.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my 15 years of experience as a webmaster to help you properly implement AdSense for maximum earnings.

A Quick Primer on How Google AdSense Works

Before we get into how to add AdSense to your WordPress site, let‘s first understand what AdSense is and how it works.

Google AdSense is an ad serving network where advertisers bid on keywords to display their ads on relevant sites.

• When a user visits your site, AdSense scans your page content and delivers ads targeted to that page.
• You earn money every time a user clicks on these ads.
• Google handles all the admin work like advertiser relationships, collecting payments, issuing your earnings, etc.

So AdSense allows you to automatically earn money from your site‘s existing traffic by monetizing your ad space, without any extra work finding advertisers or managing campaigns.

According to AdSense data, top performing publishers earn over $100 per day, with an average RPM (revenue per thousand pageviews) of $10 – $20.

Why AdSense is a Great Monetization Choice

There are many benefits that make Google AdSense a popular monetization option:

• Easy setup: You just need to copy-paste an ad code. No need for manual advertiser relationships.

• High relevance: The ads shown match your content, so users are more likely to click on them.

• Global reach: AdSense has advertisers across niches and countries, giving you wide access.

• Reliable payments: Google has a consistent payment system and sends earnings on time every month.

• Powerful performance data: The AdSense dashboard shows detailed analytics on impressions, clicks, CTR, revenues, etc. allowing you to optimize effectively.

• Works on any site: AdSense can monetize blogs, news sites, review sites – you name it. The only requirement is that your content complies with Google‘s policies.

• Completely free: There are no sign-up costs, monthly fees or minimum traffic requirements to use AdSense. You only need to get approved by Google.

So if you have a WordPress site with decent traffic, adding Google AdSense can be a relatively quick and hassle-free way to start earning revenue.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding AdSense in WordPress

Let me walk you through the complete step-by-step process of implementing AdSense properly on your WordPress site:

1. Sign up for an AdSense account

First, you need to sign up for a Google AdSense account. Here‘s how:

1. Go to https://www.google.com/adsense and click on "Apply Now".

2. Sign in with your Google account or create a new account if needed.

3. Accept the AdSense Terms & Conditions.

4. Fill in the application with your site details and payment information.

5. Submit the application and wait for approval from Google (usually takes a few days).

Once approved, you‘ll get an email confirmation from Google. Tip: Ensure your site complies with all of Google‘s publisher policies to avoid rejections.

2. Get your unique AdSense publisher ID

After approval, you need to find your unique AdSense publisher ID, which will be used to track your earnings:

1. Log in to your AdSense account.

2. Go to Admin Settings.

3. Scroll down to Account Information where you‘ll find your publisher ID.

4. Copy this ID to use in the ad code later.

3. Generate the AdSense ad code

Now it‘s time to generate the actual ad code:

1. In your AdSense account, click on Ads.

2. Choose the ad type you want – Auto ads work best for most sites.

3. Click on "Get Code" and copy the full code generated.

This code contains your unique publisher ID and allows AdSense to serve targeted ads.

4. Add the AdSense code to your WordPress site

Next, you need to add this ad code to your WordPress site. There are two ways to do this:

A) Using an Ad Manager Plugin

The easiest method is to use a plugin like Ad Inserter or Ad Manager Pro. Here‘s how:

1. Install and activate the plugin.

2. Go to the plugin‘s ad manager interface.

3. Create a new ad, paste your AdSense code into it and save.

4. Set the placement options depending on where you want the ad shown.

Pro tip: Use plugins to insert ads directly into your content for maximum views and clicks.

B) Manually placing code in theme

You can also directly add the code to your theme files:

1. Open your theme‘s header.php file.

2. Paste the ad code before the </head> tag.

3. Save the changes.

However, this method means you‘ll lose the code if you change your theme. Using a plugin is better.

5. Test the implementation before launch

The final step is to thoroughly test your AdSense implementation before officially launching it:

• Check if ads are loading correctly on all site pages.
• Confirm the ads are clickable and working.
• View your site on mobile to test responsiveness.
• Try different browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.
• Use incognito windows to simulate first-time visitors.

Once you‘ve confirmed everything is working well, go ahead and launch your AdSense ads! Initial earnings may be slow, but revenue will grow as traffic increases over time.

Strategies to Maximize Your AdSense Revenue

Now that you‘ve added AdSense code to your site, let‘s talk about how to optimize your setup for maximum possible earnings.

Here are some pro tips from my experience:

• Optimize ad positioning – Place ads in high-visibility areas like sidebars, content blocks, headers/footers rather than random low-view locations.

• Mind the ad density – Don‘t bombard users with too many ads per page. Start with 1-2 ads above the fold and monitor performance.

• Vary ad sizes – Use a mix of sizes like 300×250, 336×280, 728×90 instead of just one type for flexibility.

• Focus on site speed – Fast loading pages keep visitors longer, increasing clicks. Optimize images, minify CSS/JS, use caching.

• Keep a clean, user-friendly design – Good navigation and aesthetics results in higher engagement and more ad clicks.

• Avoid disruptive ads – Don‘t use animations or pop-ups. Stick to static image/text ads.

• Regularly review metrics – Keep optimizing based on data like RPM, CTR, impressions etc. Remove underperforming ad spots.

• Follow all AdSense policies – Ensure compliance to avoid sudden bans. Common issues include scraping content, excessive ads, invalid clicks etc.

• Consider complementary monetization – Beyond AdSense, try affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, selling ad space directly to advertisers for more revenue sources.

By continually optimizing your implementation and site design, you can maximize AdSense earnings from your existing traffic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions around using AdSense on WordPress sites:

How much can I earn from AdSense?

Earnings vary based on factors like niche, traffic volume, geography etc. Most publishers make around $10 – $20 per 1,000 pageviews. Top performers can make over $500 per day.

Can I use AdSense on a free WordPress.com site?

No, AdSense is only allowed on self-hosted WordPress sites with a .org domain. It is not permitted on free WordPress.com sites.

What are the requirements to get AdSense approval?

There are no stated minimum traffic requirements. But Google suggests having established organic traffic before applying. Your content should comply with all their publisher policies too.

My AdSense application was rejected – what next?

This usually happens when your site does not meet Google‘s guidelines. Common reasons include thin content, copyright violations, scrapped or duplicated content etc. Fix the issues and reapply.

How do I get paid by Google AdSense?

Google pays registered bank deposits, checks or Western Union once you cross the payment threshold (minimum $100). You can set this threshold in your AdSense account settings. Payments are made monthly.

Can I show AdSense ads on multiple sites?

Yes, you can monetize multiple sites through your single AdSense account once you get each site approved separately. The earnings will all be tracked together.

Is there a mobile optimization needed for AdSense?

AdSense automatically displays responsive ads on mobile devices if you use the responsive ad codes. However, having a fast loading, mobile-friendly site encourages more clicks and earnings.

I hope this detailed guide helped you learn how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress site! Let me know if you have any other questions.