Let’s Talk AdSense in 2015 – Are You Earning Less?

Posted: 04 May 2015 07:55 AM PDT

I get quite a few questions about AdSense earnings, and a lot of people set their sights on earning a living with AdSense.

But how realistic is that today?

Can you make thousands of dollars per month with AdSense? Yes. I am. And I know of other bloggers who are doing so. Nevertheless, I would never set a goal to earn a living from AdSense alone.

It’s just too risky.

The Good Ole’ Days!

In March 2012, I had a record month of $10,000. That was the only month I ever hit the 5 figure mark.

Right after that, Penguin hit. Even though my site was not affected, AdWords spending declined. So that sent my earnings back to my usual $5,000-$7,000/month average.

Today I consider a $3,000-ish/month a standard for me, but I would still estimate that is above average for most people. I think it’s important for newcomers to know this because they jump into AdSense expecting to make a living quickly and easily.

If Your Earnings Are Down You’re Not Alone

Another reason I wanted to do this post is I keep getting questions from concerned readers about their drop in earnings over the last year. So if you are worried that it’s something with your site, don’t be.

There definitely seems to be a downward earning trend with a lot of Publishers.

Some are tweaking ads, adding more units, etc. Not me. AdSense is great, but just not the priority it was several years ago, and it feels good not to worry about it.

If your earnings are down drastically, check your rankings. It could be that you aren’t ranking for the keywords that were sending the traffic that converted. Also, advertisers in your niche could be spending less. There are many different reasons.

A Warning About Screenshots

This probably won’t apply to a lot of you because there would be no reason to show your earnings. But some bloggers who blog about Internet marketing do disclose, so I wanted to share.

I got a warning in my AdSense account last year for posting a screenshot of my earnings on a blog post.

In the past, you could display a screenshot of your earnings. And yes….I still have the email Google sent with permission from 2007! Uh huh… I was covering my butt big time!

I don’t know why I still have this since their terms have changed. Maybe I was just stunned to actually get a reply from The Big G.

This was back in the day when Google had an easily accessible contact link for everyone (not just top-earning Publishers like they do now).

Well the policy has changed a bit. You can still mention your ballpark earnings like I did in this post, but if you show a screenshot you must show your FINALIZED earnings.

And if you are concerned about losing your account, be on the safe side and don’t show anything.

There’s More Than Just AdSense

We all love the concept of AdSense because it’s easy to implement. I get it.

But it’s also not reliable. Earnings fluctuate and accounts get disabled all the time. Here’s a video I did last year where I held nothing back about my feelings toward AdSense.

Don’t forget there’s affiliate marketing, selling your own service, Kindle books, e-courses, P.O.D. programs like Zazzle, Spreadshirt (my favorite), etc.

Speaking of Spreadshirt, I’m working on a course. I’ve done really well with the program in the last year and have had so much fun with it. I’m looking forward to sharing what I know!

I’ve been kind of M.I.A. lately, but I just needed a break and have been spending more time working on course videos.

So What About You?

How have your AdSense earnings evolved over the years? The same? Earning more? Less? Let me know!

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05/05/2015