A misconception exists that Google Text Ad, or as it is more known AdSense, is bad for you blog earning! I think we absolutely MUST clear this mistaken misconception especially for people who are just joining the ranks of bloggers.
Blame the economy or rising awareness of the tools available to people but blogging to make money is becoming increasingly popular and people are on constant look out for the information to help them increase the potential, maximize the opportunity and actually become that 5% of the bloggers who succeed of getting a bit of extra from their blogs.
And while I don’t implement Google AdSense on this blog – there is a good reason behind it and I want to explain in detail “the why” and “the how”!

Did Google Text Ad Lost Its Usefulness?

I’m seeing multiple bloggers post about removing the AdSense from their blogs all together due to multitude of factors. And while I don’t even use it on this blog I believe that Google Text Ads are one of the best and simplest ways to do at least couple things:

• Monetize your Niche Blog using set and forget option
• Evaluate profit potential of the Niche you picked

In fact my partner and I use AdSense extensively on Niche blogs as it helps us to see if the Niche we got into and did a quick research on actually has a potential to deliver. When you do it enough times you can actually see how some Niche’s deliver results that far superseding others and becomes a good indicator if we should spend time on developing that niche or simply let it run its course on autopilot!
And AdSense can deliver a nice chunk of change, at the very least it will always cover your hosting expenses, even if you only put marginal effort!
You can maximize the blog earning potential via AdSense by implementing a few very small tweaks:

1. Minimize the number of ads but place them into locations that generate most clicks. Generally left top corner within content is superb location and top right corner of your blog (think sidebar) should get some attention. Less Ads Shown with same number of Clicks – higher CTR and as such higher earnings for you!
2. Blend your ads into content. Use same colors as your blog theme uses for text, url, etc. I know everyone tells you it needs to be done but that is because it works! Plain and simple.
3. Implement Section targeting. While there are plugins available for you to implement section targeting in WordPress – one of the simplest ways to do it is by inserting code into your theme files.

Google Section Ad Targeting allows you to tell Google Which Content should be evaluated for relevancy of the ads. This allows you to pull MOST relevant ads that greatly increase your Click Through Rate (CTR) and as such your earning.
Simply edit following files of your theme: single.php, index.php, page.php, archive.php. Your theme might have more template files responsible for controlling content but I take into account most common.
Insert section targeting before and after PHP code responcible for showing content:

<?php the_content(); ?>

So it looks like this:

<!-- google_ad_section_start --> 
<?php the_content(); ?> 
<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Code above implies just the most common theme and while yours might be slightly different – just find the code responsible for displaying content and wrap it into Google Ad Section tags.

Should AdSense Be Part Of Every Blog Earning Strategy?

Absolutely Not!
In fact I don’t even use it on this blog and I do it quite intentionally. I work hard on creating content that will pull readers in and help people. I work hard on getting new visitors and inviting my previous readers to revisit my blog and I’m not willing to send my visitors away in exchange for a few cents that Google will provide me for text ad click!
Plain and Simple – My Goal Doesn’t Include AdSense Monetization
Blog, just like any other site should be designed to help you accomplish your own MOST DESIRABLE ACTION, guide your visitors gently toward that action by placing it into relevant location and even asking for it.
But first you have to decide what your goals are. I have covered the idea in 2 blogging webinars you can watch and will not repeat myself.
And yes, earning via AdSense can be one of the goals and should be implemented then!