How to Add Google AdSense to WordPress

How to Add Google AdSense to WordPress

Written by Nile Flores WordPress Expert

August 4, 2022

Wordpress

Once you’ve started your WordPress website and you’ve got enough content, it’s time to monetize your website. One way to monetize your site is with Google Adsense. In this article you’ll learn how to add Google Adsense to WordPress, with a plugin and manually.

What is Google Adsense?

Google Adsense is an ad platform where the ads are served by Google, and you can make money from those ads being displayed on your website. When a person visits your site that you’ve installed the Google Adsense code, the ads displayed are based on the user’s behavior and related to the content on the website.

With Google Adsense, you can show a few ads on each page, and usually in some type of banner format. The key to making money with Google Adsense, is if your website visitors click on the displayed ads. You can specify the size of the banner, and create as many ad display zones, in order to fine tune which ads are being clicked on, and making you the most money.

How to Create a Google Adsense Account

Before you create a Google Adsense account, hopefully you’ve already been tracking your website’s traffic using Google Analytics. Google Adsense won’t approve brand new websites, so you’ll want to make sure to have published content on your site. It’s best to do around 20 posts within a 90-day period.

If you haven’t been tracking your traffic using Google Analytics, it’s going to make it difficult for your website to be approved into the Google Adsense program.

Other than getting some content going, and tracking your traffic, once you’re ready to join, here are some things you need in order to use Google Adsense:

• A Google account

• Your phone number

• Your snail mail address

• Adding Google Adsense code to your website.

Go to the Google Adsense site and click the Start button. Fill out your information and the site that you want to display Google Adsense on. When you have done that, Google Adsense will give you a code to put on your website.

• With a WordPress Plugin

• Manually

With a Plugin

With WordPress, you can use the Insert Headers and Footers plugin, or if your theme has an option to add custom code. You’ll add the Google Adsense code to the header option of the Insert Headers and Footers plugin or your theme’s custom code area.

Manually

Manually, you’ll paste that code to your theme’s header.php file, right before the ending HTML tag. This method is super simple, but if you’re not comfortable handling any code, then you’ll want to fall back on using a plugin.

This code is to help verify your site and track your site, so they can determine whether or not to approve your site for the Google Adsense network. If in the case your site is not approved, Google will send you an email and explain why.

Some reasons why you might not be approved for Google Adsense site:

• Your site is too new and there’s not enough content.

• Your site contains malware.

• Your content quality is poor or may be plagiarized.

Your site is too new and there’s not enough content.

Your site needs to have enough content for your visitors, and for Google Adsense to place it in their system. You can join anytime, but if you just started your site within 3 months, it’s more than likely your website won’t be approved.

Your site contains malware.

Having a secure website is super important. If your WordPress website has been hacked, you need to clean and secure it. While Google Adsense doesn’t go too deep into where the malware is, you’ll need to scan your site to find what to clean. Once your website is cleaned up, you can re-submit your site to the program.

Your content quality is poor or may be plagiarized.

Just plopping any old thing or very little content won’t suffice. Also, if you’re going to be copying other people’s content, don’t be surprised when Google Adsense won’t approve your site.

Create your first Google AdSense ad zone

Once your site has been approved, you can now create Google Adsense ad zones. With each ad zone, you can create a specific size for different areas of your site.

Find your Overview tab under Ads.

This is where you can start creating the different ad zones.

Click on the By ad unit and then Display ads.

It’s best to start easy and create a simple ad unit that you only have to adjust the size.

Name your ad zone

Leave the settings under Ad size as responsive. This will allow your ad to adjust to the area of your website that you wish to place it.

Click the Create button

Clicking the blue Create button will generate the code for that specific ad zone. This is the code you will place exactly where you want that ad to be viewed on your website.

Now that you’ve got the got, time to get it placed on your website.

How to Add Google AdSense to WordPress Using a Plugin

In order to add Google AdSense to WordPress using a plugin, for this tutorial, you’ll use Advanced Ads. This plugin allows you to manage and place your ads where you want. You can add them to your sidebar, within your posts or pages, and more.

• Install and activate Advanced Ads.

• Select Google Adsense for the type of ads you want to insert into your site.

• Add your Google AdSense code.

• Adjust setting if you wish for specific visitors not to see the ad.

• Select where you want your ad to be seen.

Install and activate Advanced Ads.

To install the plugin, you’ll search for Advanced Ads. Once you’ve installed the plugin, make sure to click the activate button.

Select Google Adsense for the type of ads you want to insert into your site.

There are a few ways to insert ads, and this plugin can be used for more than just Google AdSense. You can even add your own banner and link advertisements, or even special messages.

Add your Google AdSense code.

You can either insert your copied AdSense code or connect to the platform. Either option will do.

Adjust setting if you wish for specific visitors not to see the ad.

This option to hide the ad from specific visitors is great, especially if you don’t want logged specific users to abuse clicking on the ads.

Select where you want your ad to be seen

If you select any option that deals with placing your ad within your content, the plugin will automatically display your Google AdSense there. If you choose to display your ad in a widget, you can use the Widgets area of your WordPress admin and choose Advanced Ads, and then the ad zone you want to use.

The great thing about the Advanced Ads plugin, is that they have a great wizard that you can follow along, as well as some video tutorials.

How to Add Google AdSense to WordPress Manually

The Gutenberg content block editor makes it easy to add Google AdSense manually.

• Open your post and add a new block.

• Type /html in the block’s search box.

• Paste your Google AdSense code into the content block’s field.

Open your post and add a new block.

Find a place within your post that you’d like to add your Google AdSense code.

Type /html in the block’s search box.

In order to successfully add your Google AdSense to WordPress, you’ll need to use a HTML content block. To do that, you’ll type /html and hit your enter button on your keyboard.

Note: Widgets also use the Gutenberg content block editor, so you can select an

Paste your Google AdSense code into the content block’s field.

The HTML content block is super simple and straightforward. All you need to do is paste you Google AdSense ad zone code in the field.

The ad will show up for your visitors when you’ve published your post or page, or wherever you’ve added the code.

In Summary

Now that you’ve learned about Google Adsense, it’s time to monetize! Hopefully this article is clear on how to add Google Adsense to WordPress, so you can be on the way to making some moolah. Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

Are WordPress plugins free?

WordPress has loads of plugins you can install, some of them are free, but some of them you will need to pay for. You can learn how to use WordPress Plugins on our blog.

Do I need to know how to code in order to use WordPress?

There isn’t a need for advanced coding knowledge to use WordPress. The platform offers plenty of plugins and themes which you can use to customize your website.

How much traffic can my WordPress site handle?

Most shared plans can manage around 1,000 to 2,000 visitors per day. If you expect more than this we’d recommend opting for VPS or dedicated WordPress hosting.

How do I promote my business?

Many find success with targeted Google and Facebook ads. Try and focus on a niche or local market to start off with.