It helps creators to monetize their content online. But, can you actually make money from it and Is it actually worth it?

No, Google Adsense is not worth it and I wouldn’t recommend it at all. The average cost per 1000 impressions (CPM) is really low when you compare it with other platforms like Ezoic and Mediavine. It’s better to switch over to other ad networks than to sign up for Adsense.

Anyway, let’s dive deep and find out why Adsense is not worth your time and you would be better off with other ad networks.

Adsense: The Hidden Truth

Google Adsense was one of the few reasons why I started blogging online. I wanted to make some money and I thought Adsense would make me rich.

Obviously, I was wrong!

This is the same notion that a lot of people have. They think that once you get approval from Adsense, you are all set to make heaps of money.

I had this same thought and I know a lot of people reading this might have had the same thought too.

So, if you are new to blogging with like 100 page views per day, you would be making mere cents every day. Even if you start getting 200-300 pageviews, you would only make about $1 per day.

The above calculation is based entirely on my experience. This may be lower or higher depending on other factors like niche, country-specific traffic, ad sizes, and formats, etc.

So, if you are getting very low pageviews, never even try applying for AdSense. It’s a waste of time and in the meantime will also offer a very bad user experience.

Your main focus during the initial phases of your blogging journey should be to get as much traffic as you can and not focus on the money!

If you do focus on money, I can guarantee you that you will be extremely disappointed.

Related Article – Is Blogging Still Profitable in 2021?

The Good Side of Adsense

So, let’s start with the good things about Adsense as there are hardly 1 or 2!

1. No minimum Traffic Requirements

Adsense does not have any minimum traffic requirements. Even if you get 5 pageviews/day or 1000 pageviews/day, it doesn’t matter.

However, it is hard getting approval from them. They look at a lot of other factors!

2. Easy to setup

Adsense is really easy to set up. You just need to add a code to your website and you are all done.

Once the code is added, Adsense verifies it and then they will start showing ads.

4 Reasons Why Adsense is Not Worth it

Now, let’s look at some of the negatives of Adsense.

1. Low CPM rates

This is the main thing why I hate Adsense. The CPM rates are too low. CPM is the cost per 1000 impressions or it is the amount paid to you per 1000 pageviews.

I was getting just around $2-$4.5 CPM when I was using Adsense. (The CPM rate that you get may be different)

That means, if you are getting about 10,000 pageviews/month, you will only earn anywhere from $20-$45 per month. This too can vary depending on a variety of other factors.

Related Article – How Much Does AdSense Pay Per 1000 Views?

2. Getting an Approval is Hard

Getting approved from Adsense is just too hard. A lot of people reading this would still be struggling from this.

They look at a lot of factors to approve your website. But the important ones are:-

• Good quality, original content.
• Website alignment and everything should be perfect.
• Should not display ads from other networks.
• No duplicate content
• Legal Pages are a must (Privacy policy, Terms etc)
• An about page and a contact us page are also necessary
• and a lot of other small factors that only Adsense knows of.

3. Payment methods and Threshold

Adsense only pays you once you reach $100 in your account. This can be highly discouraging if you are someone new and does not earn much each day.

In fact, when I was using AdSense back in the days, it took me 3 months to finally get that $100 in my bank account!

There is also just one form of payment and that’s wire transfer. No Paypal or anything else!

So, What Should You Do Instead?

If you receive more than 10,000 sessions per month, I recommend you try Ezoic instead of Adsense. Using AdSense is just not worth it.

But if you are someone who has just started and does not have much traffic, I suggest you wait till you hit 10,000 sessions.

Focus on improving your content till then rather than looking for ways to monetize.

Believe me, this was the mistake that I did! I used to look for ways to make money even before I had much traffic to my website. Keep creating more quality content and the money will come eventually!

Related Article – 10 Killer Tips To Write an Engaging Blog Post

Ezoic – Overview and My Results

Since moving to Ezoic I have earned more than 3 to 4 times what I used to earn from Adsense. It’s just so much better.

Ezoic is completely safe to use and it is really a great platform. My only regret is not knowing about it much earlier.

This is how much I used to earn from Adsense (June 2020).

And this is after I switched over to Ezoic (March 2021)

Notice the difference! Adsense just can’t compete with Ezoic. I was getting just about $2-$4.5 CPM on Adsense while for Ezoic, I am getting about $10-$18 CPM!

Ezoic also uses AI technology to place your ads so that you get the most money out of your blog/website. And it’s honestly quite impressive.

Like every other thing, Ezoic too has its own limitations and that is your website becomes slower. This is, however, the case with almost all other ad networks with a slight exception of Adsense.

I found using adsense to be quite faster than using Ezoic on my website.

There are other platforms like Ezoic such as Mediavine and Adthrive. But their requirements are quite high.

Conclusion

As I have said, Adsense is not worth your time if you are only getting low traffic. So, the best you can do during this time is to create high-quality content. That way you can improve your traffic and then eventually sign up for Ezoic.

I hope this article helped you decide whether or not to choose Adsense. Anyway, I hope you have a great day ahead!
Peace!