Designer AdSense Ads

While we’re speaking about Blog Design I’d like to point you over to one of my favorite blogs in terms of it’s design - Karen Cheng - Snippets of Life.

Karen regularly features in the

finalists of all kinds of blog awards, usually in the design category. She’s also an Aussie.

The reason I wanted to point you over to her is not just because her design is pretty special but because she’s just decided to put AdSense ads on her blog.

Ok - not an earth shattering thing in and of itself - but the interesting thing is that Karen has decided to put her designer thinking into the design of her Adsense ads also.

There are two AdSense units in her sidebar and in each case she’s cleverly put a border around them that makes them look…. well… they look incredible! (screen caps above and below).

Now when i first saw the ads after an email from Karen asking what I thought I had two immediate reactions. Firstly started drooling - the ads integrate so well into her design and are incredibly tasteful (I want me some Karen!)

But secondly I found myself asking ‘are they within the AdSense rules?’ I passed these thoughts onto Karen and suggested that she email AdSense to find out.

Today she’s emailed me to say that AdSense have reviewed the ads and they are legal as long as she doesn’t alter the Ad code. As Karen has not done this she’s in the clear and the ads are approved.

It is worth noting that if you want to experiment with doing something similar that there are two main things from the AdSense Policy guidelines that you need to keep in mind:

1. You may not change the ad code itself. The wording in the policies is:

‘Any AdSense ad code, search box code, or referral code must be pasted directly into Web pages without modification. AdSense participants are not allowed to alter any portion of the ad code or change the layout, behavior, targeting, or delivery of ads for any reason.’

2. You can not be seen to be drawing undue attention to ads, either with text or images. The wording in their policy says:

‘Web pages may not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. This includes encouraging users to click on the ads or to visit the advertisers’ sites as well as drawing any undue attention to the ads.’

One strategy that some publishers have used that is similar (but much less subtle than Karen’s strategy) is to put images directly next to, above or below ads (directly in line with them) to make the images look like they are part of the ad. Google has ruled on many occasions that if you put images next to ads in this way that you need to have a clear border between the image and the ad.

Of course, the interpretation of this second rule is somewhat subjective and there must be a line somewhere between what people did with images (without borders) and what Karen is doing.

When in doubt I would highly recommend that you shoot AdSense an email. Politely ask if they would take a quick look at your ads to make sure you’re within their guidelines. I find that they usually respond quickly and with reasonable advice and requests. If you approach them with a question they always seem to give you the opportunity to make changes if you’ve broken the rules as long as you’re polite and make it clear that you’re approaching them because you want to operate in the rules.

About the Author:
Darren Rowse
Written on February 17, 2006
Article Source: problogger

Earth To Adsense Newbies: Slow Down!

The Washington Post recently published an article featuring many ordinary people who’ve become financially successful due to displaying Google Adsense ads on their web site. These folks are pulling in $10,000 to $40,000 a month. They are definitely stars in the world of Adsense publishers.

Web publishing newbies read stories like this and start salivating over the possibility of pulling in big bucks. If those people can do it, why not me? Is their reasoning. And, there’s nothing wrong with that kind of thinking. Everyone’s looking for a way to make money from the Internet. These types of stories are great motivators.

But let’s look a little deeper into what it takes to make $10,000 a month or more this way.

Each one of the people featured in the article has a niche they are working in, and not just any niche, but a great niche that brings in lots of traffic. Andrew Leyden has a podcasting directory. David Miles Jr. and Kato Leonard give away MySpace design pages. Jock Friedly specializes in free public documents. Matther Daimler researches the best airline seats.

Funny. No MFA scraper sites were featured. Maybe because these people are all focused on long-term success, not short-term gains. Please resist clogging up the Internet with thousands of auto-generated sites with contextual ads thrown on a few pages to make a quick buck. Search engines are cracking down on these so you’ll find it hard to get rich this way.

The big earners found a niche that interested them and put a lot of long hours and work into making their sites user friendly and informative. Some may even have spent good money bringing in traffic as well. What you’re reading in the WAPO story is the end result of much dreaming, planning, and slaving over a computer for hours at a time.

Unless you have a gazillion dollars to spend on buying technical resources and hiring people to create content, there is no quick and easy way to make big bucks with your web site, especially if it’s brand new.

If your goal is to build an online empire, plan to spend at least two years doing research, writing, SEO, publicity, tweaking, and learning how to make the best web site possible. That’s right. Two years. It took all of those ordinary folks TIME to get their sites to the point where they created buzz and traffic, and yes, earning great money.

It will take you time too, just like the rest of us. If you want to make the big bucks faster, then work longer and harder. Now, that’s the real story behind those success stories. So, slow down and don’t get discouraged if you’re not an overnight sensation - nobody is. Remember that old saying:

Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

About the Author:
© Donna Monday Fantastic selection of great tasting recipes www.best-free-cooking-recipes.com
Article Source: ArticleToGo.com

Build Adsense Websites Fast | How To Buy Website Generating Software

There's no denying that Google's Adsense program is one of the hottest ways to make money on the internet today. You don't have to look very far to find internet marketers hawking the latest and greatest way to make a fortune online. Some of the hottest new products are website generating software programs that are designed to build adsense websites fast. Some software programs claim to build a website in less than 5 minutes. But how do you separate fact from fiction and choose the best website generating software for your needs?

You might think that your first requirement would be, "How fast can this software build my adsense website?" Not so! The first requirement for choosing website generating software should be the ease of use in relation to your computer skills and knowledge. The most fabulous website generating software in the world is completely useless if the person attempting to run the program lacks the computer skills to execute it successfully. Be honest with yourself when evaluating your own computer skills and choose a software program that matches your current skills. Remember, you can always upgrade as you learn and earn.

The second thing you should do is evaluate the claims made on the sales pages. If a website is offering a program that promises to build an adsense website fast, you must ask yourself the following 5 questions:

1. How believable is the claim?
If the program can generate the site in under 5 minutes, rest assured there will be a significant amount of prep work to do beforehand if the program is worth purchasing. Prep work isn't a bad thing, but it does add significantly to the amount of time that it takes to complete a website.

2. What is the percentage, if any, of scraped content?
Scraped content can give you a good starting point for your chosen keywords, but don't rely on it for good long term search engine rankings or adsense earnings. They say that content is king, but unique content is what will bring you the motherload of cash.

3. How much room is there for alteration in the look and feel of the website that is generated?
Search engines like unique sites with unique content. Be certain the website generating software program you buy either has options to give each site its own look and feel, or that you have enough programming experience and literary skills to sufficiently alter the code and content.

4. Will you have to make additional purchases in order to keep using your software?
Some website generating software programs are set up so that in order to continue making full use of the program you must make additional purchases. That could mean that your software will only generate an adsense website if you use a template purchased from the same company. You may also have to purchase upgrades to the software itself or purchase the instructional manual or videos.

5. Is the software program affordable given my current financial situation?
You can find every kind price range for website generating software on the internet from completely free to outrageously expensive. The key is not to go overboard in the beginning. It takes time to build your Adsense earnings up to a decent level, so pace yourself and your expenses until you begin earning a steady income.

Every internet marketer wants to build adsense websites fast and website generating software programs are a great way to give yourself a head start. After all, the more sites you have, the greater your earning potential. However, don't allow your enthusiasm and excitement to override your common sense. Start slowly and treat your online business with the same care and attention you would a brick and mortar business. You'll be glad you did.

About the Author:
Rebecca Welch is a successful webmaster and publishes Internet Marketing Resource. Download free website generating software! The easy way to build Adsense websites fast
Posted: 06-09-2006
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com