Making Money Online With Google AdSense, My Journey To 500 Dollars A Month

When I started out with Google AdSense in November 2007, I could never have anticipated that I'd be earning $500 per month with it. Now that I am, it is satisfying to know that even if I don't do a thing going forward, that I can expect to earn around that much or more, consistently, month after month. The journey to 500 dollars per month hasn't been an easy one. There was a major setback along the way (which I'd discuss later in this article) - along with other minor difficulties. However, the fact that I persevered through all of those difficulties has ensured that I can now write this hub and share my success. Another reason for writing this hub is to encourage those of you out there who wish to make money online, yet are unsure if they have what it takes. Well, I can tell you this much - you most definitely can make money online with Google AdSense and I am a testament to that fact. Bear in mind also that I am not an expert in search engine optimization (SEO) or keyword research, so there is hope for those of you who are not experts but just ordinary individuals (like me).

I started with AdSense in November 2007. Not sure how I got to know about it. Certainly wasn't through HubPages, which I joined in January 2008. I guess I was just lucky to have gotten around to learning about what GA was and how one can make money using it. I did not have a website up and running for years. I created my website about 1 or 2 months before joining AdSense and so I did not have any head start in terms of existing traffic to my website that I could capitalize on. It was hard work initially to get word out on my website. I read up on articles on how to get traffic to my website and implemented a few of the basic strategies. I kept away from any paid programs or traffic exchange programs to drive traffic artificially. My goal was to get organic (search engine) traffic and I figured the best way to get that is to write quality content that people would be interested in and would find useful.

My AdSense earnings the first month (November 2007) was approx $8. Not much you'd think, but I thought it was a good start. Not bad for the first month, is it? My earnings for the next couple of months hovered about that range. February 2008 was a milestone month for me - For the first time ever, I crossed $50 in earnings for a single month.

At the end of my fifth month, my earnings had crossed the $100 payout threshold. Those of you who have reached the payout figure would know what I felt. It was a fantastic feeling to know that you'd be getting your first check from AdSense. And so it was - I received my first check from GA the following month for approx $110. It seemed everything was going along fine and I was looking forward to reaching my next payout. I reached the payout threshold earlier this time around - in just 3 months. I had about $150 plus due for payment. I was eagerly awaiting my next check when it happened.......

I surely didn't expect this to happen!! Here I was working hard towards getting the word out on my website, adding content, tweaking my website layouts, reading up on optimization tips on the AdSense Blog and implementing it, basically devoting a significant amount of time towards making the most of AdSense, and then I am told that my account is disabled!! I had done nothing to warrant this. I had been above board and been 100% honest.  Nothing could have been more disheartening and heartbreaking. It was a sinking feeling. I thought all was lost. I had done nothing wrong - followed the rules - so why??  Lots of questions, but no answers!!

As disheartened and down as I was, I knew I had done nothing wrong, and hence, I decided to appeal. People say the chances of reinstatement are slim and so I was anxious about being reinstated - even though I knew I had done nothing to deserve being banned. It was an anxious wait. Days turned into weeks and I was losing hope of being reinstated; however, truth finally prevailed and I received the good news of being reinstated back. It took approximately 5 weeks to hear back from GA, but I wasn't complaining. I had done nothing wrong and so justice was done, finally. The following month, I got approx $235 in earnings that were held due to my account being disabled. My perseverance had succeeded and I could now concentrate on the job at hand - optimizing my websites and writing useful content once again.

I was now receiving my AdSense checks once in 2 months, which was better than getting it in 3 months or 5 months, but obviously, the best thing would have been to get it monthly. So, that was my next goal. Getting traffic was the key and also optimizing AdSense ads on my website (non-HubPages obviously), and most importantly adding useful content that my audience would be interested in. I did all of the above and promoted my website some more - without automation, this was hard but I was determined to not take any shortcuts. Looking back, am glad I kept it clean and above board. Honestly, I don't know any other way - so it was a given in a sense that I would not use any dishonest methods at getting traffic.

I've tried other similar programs and affiliate programs, but nothing has come close to the performance of GA. It has worked the best for me. I've benefited immensely from their video tutorials and resource articles at their blogs and forums. Also, programs such as "Webmaster Tools," which is a wonderful resource that provides detailed reports about your website and helps improve your site's visibility in search results. I'd also recommend that you visit the GA blog for useful tips on optimization and updates on new features, case studies, etc.

In general, do everything that is recommended by GA on its official blogs/forums. Use due caution with advice offered by other users on various websites/forums. When possible, cross-check with GA help forums or write to GA and get your question directly answered from them, before implementing anything that seems suspicious.

Being patient pays!! If you start looking at shortcuts, you might not have a GA account in the long term. So, value your GA account and work towards optimizing your website and implementing above-board optimization tips to generate traffic and revenue.

Remember, there are no shortcuts to success with AdSense. As they rightly say, "Content is king," so concentrate on giving your readers/visitors useful, original content and the income would follow.