Google Adsense: The Google Adsense Report and Why the Program is Original

Understanding the Google Adsense Report

When you log into your Google Adsense account, you are automatically taken to the page where you can view all your Adsense activity.  On the Reports tab, you'll see "Today's Earnings".  This is the approximate amount you have earned today in your Google Adsense account.  Earnings are not final at this point and could be adjusted for invalid clicks or fees.

It's interesting to look at the breakdown.  As you can see, Adsense for Content, which refers to the targeted ads appearing on the pages in which you have written content, is listed first.  Here you will see the number of page impressions listed in the first column.  While a page impression is generally the same as a page view, that is not always the case.  For a more detailed definition of a page impression, see Google Adsense support, click on Your Adsense Account and then click on Your Adsense Report. 

Next, you'll notice the number of clicks.  This refers to the number of times "your ads" were clicked on.

Page click through rate or CTR is in the next column shown as a percentage. It represents the percentage of the time an ad was clicked on after viewing your page.

Page eCPM which stands for effective cost per thousand impressions.  It is calculated by dividing total earnings by the number of page impressions in thousands.

Don't be intimidated by these statistics.  The bottom line, your earnings, is what really counts.  As you become more familiar with Google Adsense, statistics will become like second nature.  First, just start.

How is Google Adsense Different From Other Ad Networks?

Primarily because it is Google and that carries a lot of clout just with name recognition alone.  But here are some advantages to being a part of the Google Adsense network:

Getting started is fast and easy and requires no technical knowledge.  Google Adsense even provides html code for easy implementation with clear instructions.

Google Adsense has both the Adsense for Content feature and the Adsense for Search feature.

Google Adsense not only provides keyword targeted ads but site targeted ads as well, maximizing your potential for revenue.

Google Adsense provides a filter so that you can choose not to run your competitorís ads on your pages as well as filter other unwanted ads.

Google Adsense provides an extensive support site that is easily understood.

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Google Adsense: Rules Surrounding Invalid Clicks and Being in Control

What Is So Important About An Invalid Click and How Will It Affect Me?

More than anything, an invalid click is a big no-no and it will get your account terminated faster than anything else.  Having said that, an invalid click is when a publisher clicks on their own ads to add to their earning potential .  It's also when a publisher asks others to click on their ads just to raise their revenue.  It also raises the advertiser's costs and Google wonít tolerate this.  Google Adsense has state of the art technology and they know what's going on.

Invalid clicks also happen when someone uses robots to click on ads or automated software.  It is any deceptive practice used to click on ads.

Invalid clicks are also unnecessary as there are plenty of money-making opportunities with valid clicks.  With an optimized website, useful content, and attractive ads, thereís no reason for anybody to even entertain the idea of using invalid clicks. 

Having Control Over Your Adsense Account

You the publisher, have complete control over the advertisement that runs on your site.  You can choose to run only image ads, only text ads, or a combination of both.  Google recommends that you choose a combination of both to maximize your earning potential, but the decision is yours.

When making your ad decision, you also have the freedom to choose which type of ads run across your entire account (image or text) or you can narrow that decision to what type of ad might run on a particular page.  

As of right now, you are not able to differentiate your image ad click rate from your text ad click rate.  You can of course, differentiate your click rate from one site as opposed to another site.  Say, for example, you run only image ads on one site and only text ads on another site.  By setting up channels to track both sites, you can see which site has the better click rate.  Of course, you have to take into consideration there would be more factors than whether you were running text or image ads.  The content, the placement of the ads in general, even the color could make a difference.

Refer to the Google Adsense Support Site for specific instructions on how to enable or disable image ads.  Remember, it's all up to you!

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