Is Google AdSense Still Worth it in 2021?

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Is Google AdSense Still Worth it in 2020?

Google AdSense is one of the most popular ad networks that bloggers use for blog monetization. If you want to know whether or not Google AdSense is still worth using in 2021, then you’d figure it out after finish reading this article.

Don’t worry, I won’t tell you to quit Google AdSense or find a Google AdSense alternative. 

If you’ve worked your butt off to get your Google AdSense account, then who am I to tell you to quit it? I’ve used Google AdSense from 2010 to 2013, and then, I leaned toward freelancing. That’s why I stopped using it, but now maybe at the end of 2020 or at the beginning of 2021, I might get back to it for some experimentation.

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You’re perhaps looking for a 2-line answer to that question. So I’ll give you a brief answer:

Is Google AdSense Still Worth It in 2021?

Yes, of course, it’s still worth it in 2021. If you’ve been monetizing your blogs with Google AdSense, you could add up additional blog income streams to the mix. Don’t use a similar contextual ad network alongside Google AdSense because that might take you into the hot waters. You can sell your service or add affiliate links to your content instead. So long story short is that Google AdSense is worth using in 2021 and beyond.

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Let’s move forward and shed some light on why bloggers leave the Google AdSense program in the first place.

4 Reasons Why Bloggers Quit Google AdSense

1. Low-paying Niches

The most common reason why bloggers quit the AdSense program is that they see low ROI due to the low-paying blog niches. Every blogger who has been using the AdSense program for a while knows that blogging niches such as loans, mortgage, insurance, finance, banking, web hosting, tech, and a few more are high-paying niches from the publisher’s standpoint. It’s difficult to make a decent income from Google AdSense in other niches.

So bloggers who work in other niches or they have mostly non-US traffic, they end up frustrated with Google AdSense, and lean towards digital products, consultancy, or affiliate marketing.

2. Less Traffic on the Sites

Google AdSense program doesn’t necessarily require a ton of traffic to approve the account, which is why many bloggers get their accounts when they’re two or three months in. Since they don’t have much traffic on the site, so don’t make much money with ads. And that’s where they pivot in a different direction.

3. Pin Code Verification

One of the struggles of Google AdSense account holders is receiving the Pin code for verification purpose. Google provides AdSense users with multiple attempts to apply for the Pin code. If you don’t receive a Pin code via postal mail after attempting three times, then you’d have to look at the alternative method to verify an AdSense account.

4. Site Rejection

Google’s team could reject your site if it doesn’t fall in the criteria they’ve set for the site approval. You can’t monetize websites and blogs that have someone else copyrighted content or infringes the legal rights of others. Furthermore, there is a list of content categories that are not acceptable for the program.

So these were a few of the reasons why some bloggers leave Google AdSense and look out for alternative ad networks or monetization methods.

Google AdSense is Still Worth It: Here’s Why

High-paying Niches

If you want to crush it with Google AdSense in 2021

or beyond, go find ever-green blogging niches and choose the blog post topics wisely. What I mean is that there are certain high-paying niches that have high CPC. As a result, publishers who fall into those niches get high revenue per thousand impressions (RPM).

So you need to dig deeper and find those high-paying niches. Remember that choosing high-paying niches and targeting low-competition keywords are two separate things. For instance, loans, mortgage, finance, insurance, web hosting, and tech are comparatively high-paying niches. If you’re targeting these niches in blogging, you’re all set to make good money with your Google AdSense.

As far as low-competition keywords are concerned, they’re the keywords that are untapped or too narrow, meaning, fewer blogs or websites are targeting those keywords.

Ad Placement

One of the biggest challenges from earning from online ads whether it’s Google AdSense or any alternative network, ad placement matters a lot. Ad placement is a strategy of placing the ads on your website pages.

The wrong ad placement could significantly decrease your revenue from the PPC and CPM advertising no matter how much traffic you have. The locations of the ads play a huge role in the click-through rate. So play close attention to where you place your ads on the website or blog.

Content Quality

Content quality doesn’t only matter in the website approval process in Google AdSense, but it also matters in the readers’ retention and engagement. When readers find the content helpful and well-written, they stick to it for a long time, and some of them end up subscribing to the blog.

However, the content quality doesn’t only seem to be impacting the earning potential of a blog, but it also plays a role in the long term success of the blog. So don’t compromise on the quality of the content.

Search Analysis

You might have heard a lot about keyword research, but it turns out, it’s not effective in some cases. I always thought even while using Google Keyword Planner that why some keywords have a similar number of searches on Google. For instance, if a random keyword has 370 searches per month, you’d also find another keyword with the exact number of searches.

Since I wasn’t a big fan of keyword research through expensive keyword finding tools, I always paid attention to the topics that I know about. I’ve seen some positive results, but I wanted more.

The term “Search Analysis” was used by Income School guys (Ricky and Jim), and it suddenly resonated with me. I felt it so relatable because I was doing something similar. However, after listening to them about “Search Analysis” over and over again, I figured out how it’s done or I should say I learned it from those guys.

So search analysis is basically a strategy of understanding the topics and coming up with relevant blog post titles rather than focusing on the keywords. You should use the keywords in the blog post, but the blog post doesn’t revolve around the keyword. Instead, the blog post must answer the query you’re targeting through search analysis.

For instance, if your friend is targeting a keyword like “best DSLR camera stands” based on the number of searches of this exact phrase on Google. What you can do instead is create a blog post title like “What is the Best DSLR Camera Stand for Canon 70D Users?

This way, not only could you rank for the keyword “best DSLR camera stands,” but you could also get in front of the Canon 70D users who are looking for camera stands.

I’m hopeful that once you start creating content with search analysis, you’d increase your page views and organic traffic, which would eventually increase your Google AdSense earning.

Would You Use Google AdSense in 2021?

I’m very much interested in knowing about your plans regarding using Google AdSense.

Maybe, you haven’t made your Google AdSense account yet or you have an account but haven’t added your blog for approval.

Maybe, you aren’t getting any sales on your Amazon affiliate blog, and you’re looking for an Amazon Associates alternative. Therefore, Google AdSense becomes an obvious choice for many beginners.

I’m curious to know what your thoughts are on this.

If you’re someone like me who prefers selling a service or affiliate marketing over Google AdSense, then feel free to express your views in the comments below. The reason is that I don’t completely write-off Google AdSense. I stepped back a while ago, but I might try it again in the future.

Would you try Google AdSense in 2020 or 2021?

Let me know in the comments below.