How to Integrate AdSense With WordPress in 3 Simple Steps

If you want to make money from your website, youve probably heard of  Google AdSense. Its one of the most popular advertising platforms online, its used by over 12 million active sites, and its an easy way to monetize your website. But to get the most out of it, youll need to learn how to integrate AdSense with WordPress.Fortunately, this is easy to do. Youll simply have to sign up for the service, wait to be approved, and then start placing ads on your site. WordPress provides a simple way to insert AdSense ads out of the box, but you can also find plugins that will help you optimize their placement and appearance.In this post, well introduce Google AdSense and talk about what makes it so useful. Then, well show you how to integrate AdSense with WordPress in three short steps. Lets take a look! If you are interested in earning a little extra revenue, Google AdSense is one of the first solutions to check out. AdSense enables you to easily insert ads on your website – you jus t include a small code snippet on your site and Google will handle the rest.  Your visitors will see relevant ads and youll get paid based on how many people view and/or click on your ads.This solution is great for beginners. Its easy to get started and integrates with just about any platform – including WordPress. To use it, youll just need to meet a few basic requirements, such as having an active site that complies with Googles program policies.Of course, there are alternatives to Google AdSense, and its worth taking a look at those solutions too. But most of the time, AdSense is a great first step in monetizing your website.How to integrate  AdSense with WordPress (in three steps)Signing up for the AdSense program and placing ads on your site is a pretty simple process. Lets walk through it together!Step 1: Sign up for Google AdSenseTo integrate AdSense with WordPress, youll first need two things:A websiteA Google accountWith those in hand, you can visit the website a nd click on the option to Sign up now.Youll be prompted to choose a Google account to connect to the program. Then, youll be taken to a simple sign-up form:Here, you need to provide the URL for your website, as well as your home country. You can also choose whether you want the program to send you customized suggestions. After this, check the Terms and Conditions box and select Create Account.It will take up to three days for your request to be approved and then youll get an email with instructions on how to activate your account. When thats done, youre ready to start creating ads.Step 2: Create your first adTo create ads for your site, youll need to be logged into your AdSense account. Then:Navigate to My adsSelect the Content optionClick on +New ad unitAt this point, youll need a name for your ad. Pick something descriptive and easy to identify. You can then set its dimensions under Ad size. To be safe, stick with the Recommended  sizes. The Responsive  option is usually a goo d starting point, though you can always experiment later on:Next, you can choose what type of ads youd like to use. Its advisable to pick the Text and display ads option, so you get access to as many ads as possible. However, you can stick to either text or display ads alone if one or the other feels right for your website.There are a few optional settings here, which you can use to tweak your ads further if youd like. Finally, select what youd like to see displayed if Google cant find any relevant ads from the If no ads available drop-down.Then, click on Save and get code. This will save your ad settings and provide you with an ad code. Copy this and save it somewhere safe, since youll need it for the next step:Step 3: Place your ad on your website with Custom HTML widgetIts finally time to integrate AdSense with WordPress. Just log into your WordPress dashboard, and navigate to Appearance Widgets. Add a new Custom HTML  widget by dragging one into your sites widget area:After t hat, you just need to paste in the ad code and save the widget:The code will pull all relevant information from your account and start displaying ads of the appropriate size and type. Make sure to check out what your ad looks like on the front end.Thats all you need to do to integrate AdSense with WordPress.However, for best results, there are a few extra steps that you might want to take. For one, you can apply some best practices to optimize your ads and earn more revenue.Beyond that, if you want more control over where your ads appear, you should consider using a dedicated WordPress AdSense plugin.Optional: Optimize your ads using pluginsPlacing your ads in your sites widget areas can be effective, but doesnt give you a lot of control. This is especially true if youre using a theme with limited options. Fortunately, you can find a plugin that will enable you to customize your AdSense ads further.One popular option is Ad Inserter: Ad Inserter Ad Manager AdSense Ads Author(s): Igor FunaCurrent Version: 2.5.7Last Updated: October 13, 2019ad-inserter.2.5.7.zip 98%Ratings 5,113,865Downloads WP 4.6+Requires This plugin lets you customize where your ads will be placed – such as above or below the header, before or after specific content, and so on. While its not the most beginner friendly option, you can use this plugin to produce nearly any result youd like.For a simpler approach, theres WP QUADS: AdSense Plugin WP QUADS Author(s): Rene Hermenau, WP-StagingCurrent Version: 1.8.7Last Updated: September 9, 2019quick-adsense-reloaded.1.8.7.zip 98%Ratings 1,386,162Downloads WP 3.6+Requires This is a more beginner-friendly option that requires less technical know-how, but is still very flexible. You can assign ad positions dynamically, insert ads within posts, and display up to ten ads on one page.Either of these plugins is a strong choice. The more time and care you put into how your ads are placed and displayed, the better your chances will be of increasing your income. Therefore, its worth spending a little extra time to get them just right.ConclusionMost sites need to monetize to sustain themselves, and yours is likely no different. However, figuring out how to create a decent income stream can be challenging, to say the least.  Google AdSense is a great option – a simple tool that enables you to create ads, place them on your site, and make a little cash (or possibly a lot) with almost no effort required.Whats more, its surprisingly easy to integrate AdSense with WordPress. Just follow these steps:Sign up for Google AdSense.Create your first ad.Place your ad on your website.Optionally, optimize your ads using plugins.Do you have any questions about how to integrate AdSense with WordPress effectively? Ask away in the comments section below! Here's how to integrate #AdSense with #WordPress