Michelle Griep

View Original

Adsense Nonsense

I've been batting around the idea of using Adsense like a crazed feline hyped on catnip. Should I? Shouldn't I? Isn't wicked evil Republican-led commercialism the downfall of the entire human race? But what about the monetary opportunity smacking the knocker against my front door promising dollars, dollars, DOLLARS? And what the heck do I even know about economics anyway?

Whew. Tired myself out.

Now then, before I make a yay or nay decision, I figured I'd do a little research, and I'm yanking you along on your leash so you can learn a thing or two as well.

5 Reasons Why You SHOULD use Adsense
  • Not a huge time commitment. . . set it and forget it.
  • You can customize the look and feel of the ads used on your site.
  • There are no minimum traffic requirements so anyone can apply.
  • They've got a huge base of advertisers.
  • Its pay rate is better than any others.

5 Reasons Why You SHOULD NOT Use Adsense

  • Each click takes a reader away from your page.
  • You don't get to pick the ads, and as such, something might be put on your website that you'd never endorse in a bajillion years.
  • Rules, rules, and oh. . . did I mention rules? There are terms and conditions. You are not your own cowboy anymore.
  • You have to wait to get paid. You need to earn a minimum of $100 before they'll think about sending you a check, and then you have to wait weeks to receive it.
  • You can't just turn it on and off with a flick of the switch. You have to file to be approved. And if you don't follow those "terms and conditions" I already mentioned, you will be banned. For life. As in sit next to your dog dish until you die. Game's over.

Even after reading love/hate stories about Adsense, I'm still perched on top of a fence post. How do you feel about going to a blog and seeing ads? Personally, I zone them out, and I've never clicked on one. But obviously people do.

Anyone out there have any Adsense experience to share in the comment section? Do those ads annoy you, do you not even notice them, or are you an avid ad clicker?