Setting Up for AdSense

One misconception that I had when I wanted to start using AdSense was that
it would be difficult and time-consuming to set up. Boy, was I wrong! Setting
up the account doesn’t require your first born child or your signature in
blood. Setting up the account takes only a few minutes and a minimum of
information. But how you set up the account is determined by whether you
already have a Google account.
Having a Google account isn’t a requirement, but it can be useful. If you don’t
have a Google account, you’re missing out on other Google applications, like
Gmail (Google’s Web mail program), possibly AdWords (the other side of
AdSense; it’s a pay-per-click advertising program in which you only pay for
ads that users click), and Google Analytics (a Web site traffic measurement
program that tells you all kinds of cool information about who visits your site
and what they do while they’re there). A Google account makes connecting
all these applications considerably easier, too.
If you’re going to use AdSense, you most definitely want to have some kind of
Web site analytics program. A Web site analytics program tracks the number
of visitors to your site and some of their behaviors while they’re on your site.
You can use a program like AWStats or ClickTracks, but those programs are
nowhere near as easy to use as Google Analytics.
Google Analytics is free, and it integrates with AdWords and AdSense, so it
makes it easy to track your efforts in those programs. You may also want a
program that’s easy to understand and use. Google Analytics fits that bill,
too. And did I mention the program is free?
But I digress.
One reason that many people choose not to have a Google account is
because they don’t like the way that Google collects personal information.
People fear that because Google’s claim to fame is its ability to analyze the
heck out of online information, it’ll use its expertise to dredge up all the personal
information that it can about them. To some people it just feels far too
much like Big Brother is watching.
In my experience, however, Google hasn’t used my personal information for
anything more than what I want it used for. I have a Google account, multiple
Gmail accounts, a Google Analytics account, and accounts with Google
AdWords and AdSense (and a couple dozen other Google applications and
accounts that I won’t list here). Not once in the past decade has Google used
my information inappropriately. And I’m pretty careful about who I give my
information out to. If you’re still not convinced, Google has a pretty rigorous
Privacy policy in place to protect you. You can find that policy at www.
google.com/privacy.html.
If, after reading that document, you still don’t want to register with Google,
you can jump to the instructions for opening an AdSense account if you don’t
have a Google account. Otherwise, you can set up a Google account while
you’re setting up your AdSense account. And if you already have a Google
account, you’re one step ahead of everyone else.
One more note about setting up a Google AdSense account: Some experts
suggest that you should have an AdSense account that’s separate from your
other Google accounts. The purpose behind having them separate is so that
there are no repercussions should you accidentally end up in Google’s bad
graces with your AdSense efforts. I think that caution is unfounded.
Unless you plan to use your AdSense account in a manner that’s prohibited
by Google, you should run into no problems at all. And I find that it’s much
easier to have an AdSense account that’s as easy to access as all the other
Google applications that you use. One difficulty that I’ve discovered is the
frustration of not having your AdSense account connected to other accounts,
especially Google Analytics and AdWords.
You have to decide what you’re most comfortable doing: using your existing
Google account, creating a new Google account, or not using one at all. But
no matter what your preferences are, you can still get started with AdSense
(even if not effectively) as soon as you get the approval from Google.