Is AdSense Right for You? The Pros and Cons of Having Ads on Your Site

Depending on your goals and how long you’ve been running your site, you may be considering placing ads to gain some financial return on your efforts. Although AdSense is the most popular option, it may not be your best choice. Additionally, there may be more effective alternatives to using ads.

In this article, we’ll take a look at why you might consider utilizing ads on your site, specifically via AdSense. We’ll also discuss the pros and cons of this strategy and whether any other ad programs are suitable. Let’s jump in!

A Brief Introduction to AdSense

Google Adsense is one of several online ad networks that can enable you to earn revenue on a per-click or per-impression basis. The entire process of implementing it on your site is fast and requires minimal knowledge to set up.

AdSense enables website owners to earn money from displaying ads relevant to their niche and target audience. You can choose from various ad types and formats to incorporate promotions that blend with your site’s native content.

Some ad types available with AdSense include:

• Display ads. These are image banners, which are available in dimensions such as full-page leaderboards and small buttons. Pure text ads, formerly in a standalone category, have now been combined under this type.
• In-feed native ads. You can display this type of ad in RSS and blog feeds. Note that you’ll need some development skills to use them as you can’t simply copy and paste the necessary code into the feed.
• In-article native ads. Similar to in-feed ads, you can intersperse these between paragraphs in your posts and display them as recommended reading or related content.

It’s important to consider these ad types carefully and choose the most appropriate option for your site so that the ads fit right in with your native content.

Is AdSense Right for You? The Pros and Cons of Having Ads on Your Site

Now that we’ve established what AdSense is, let’s discuss the pros and cons. We’ll also take a look at some alternatives so that you can have a well-rounded view of all your options.

The Pros of Using AdSense to Monetize Your Site

We’ll start with the advantages of using AdSense. First, it’s free, and your ads are created by Google. This saves you money as well as the time you might otherwise have to spend making your own designs and optimizing them.

Another advantage is that you can place ads on multiple sites from a single account. This can come in handy if you’re running several businesses and you want to monetize them all with ads. 

Note that you can also customize your ads’ looks, as well as choose how to display them. For example, they can be rich images or plain text.

Finally, since ads are a form of passive income, you don’t have to put in a lot of effort in order to see returns. Of course, this is contingent on a few factors, as you’ll see below.

The Cons of Using AdSense to Monetize Your Site

There are a few cons you’ll want to be aware of as well. One disadvantage of using AdSense is that you will only get paid after you’ve earned at least $100. You’re also limited to Google and can’t use any other ad network in conjunction with it.

Additionally, your account can be shut down at any time for reasons ranging from policy violations to click fraud. If you’re only monetizing your site with ads, this could result in a huge loss of income.

Notably, although ads can be a source of passive income, they require a lot of traffic to make decent money. Your site needs to rank highly on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to be visible enough to draw the amount of visitors you’ll need to start seeing returns.

Finally—and this may be the most important drawback—some visitors may see ads as unprofessional or annoying. You don’t want to lose out on opportunities to grow your audience. This is a key reason to consider monetizing your site in other ways.

Alternatives to Monetizing Your Website With AdSense

Having weighed the pros against the cons of using AdSense, you may be interested in learning about some alternative ad networks. Some of these include:

• PropellerAds, a self-serve platform featuring automated ad optimization.
• Revcontent, a native ads network which displays ads that look like related articles, enabling them to blend in well with your website.

Essentially, any site with decent traffic is well-suited to AdSense. However, if you’re having trouble getting your account approved, or just want to diversify your income, you may need to consider alternatives.

You’ll also want to note that slapping ads on your site and then waiting for the money to roll in may not be realistic. As we alluded to earlier, your goals, blog content, and more will determine whether or not AdSense—or ads in general—is the right choice for monetizing your site.

Some alternatives to ads can include affiliate or influencer marketing, sponsored posts and reviews, selling digital products, and more. You might even consider offering paid online courses. The important thing to realize here is there are multiple options available to you, and you’ll want to choose the one(s) tailored to your goals and audience.

Conclusion

Ads can be a useful means of monetizing your website. However, their effectiveness will depend on factors such as traffic levels, your target audience, and more. Additionally, although an ad network such as AdSense can come in handy, it’s important to consider alternatives and ensure you’re using the method that’s the best fit for you.

Do you have any questions about utilizing ads on your website, perhaps through a service such as AdSense? Let us know in the comments section below!