Video is one of the top technologies online right now. Everyone’s watching,
downloading, streaming, or creating it. You find video on a majority
of pages, and several services — including YouTube, GodTube, and Google
Video — make it possible for people to create and upload videos of interest
as well as find, watch, and/or download said videos.
No wonder AdSense is trying to tap into the video market. The popularity
of online video is almost as mind-boggling as the popularity of blogs or
podcasts or any other newer technology that no one expected to fly but
is taking the Web by storm. The draw is entertainment. The content
changes constantly and there are so many different types of video —
from those created by amateurs to professional documentaries to fulllength
television shows and movies — that there’s something to keep
everyone busy.
Add to the availability of a wide variety of videos the fact that Internet users
are logging on through broadband services more and more frequently, and
you have a mix that just works for video. To take advantage of it, AdSense is
monetizing videos in more ways than one, as this chapter makes clear.
When it comes to AdSense, consider another technology along with video:
AdSense for Google Gadgets. Google Gadgets are cool little programs and
downloads folks come up with that you can add to your Web site, blog, or
desktop that help you do stuff faster. For example, Google hosts a whole slew
of gadgets created by third parties that you can add to your iGoogle page —
your personalized Google page — that help you accomplish tasks faster. I
have an iGoogle page that features things like dictionaries, calculators, and
weather reports.
If you have some software-writing skills and can come up with your own
gadgets, you should strongly consider embedding AdSense ads into your gadgets
as one way to monetize the gadgets you create to share with others. If
you have a popular gadget like Weather Forecast by LabPixies or MP3 Player
by Mike Duffy, it could be a very lucrative way to create more AdSense
revenue.
Showing posts with label adsense with video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adsense with video. Show all posts
Go, Go Google Gadgets
If you’ve ever seen a personalized Google home page, you’ve seen Google
Gadgets in action. Google Gadgets are basically little programs that you (or
someone else) put together and upload to the Google Gadgets collection.
Users can then download those gadgets and add them to their iGoogle home
page or even to their Google desktop application.
Some serious confusion exists about how Google Gadgets works with AdSense,
though, and I clear that up for you. First, a little more about Google Gadgets,
what they do, and how they’re created.
What’s a gadget?
Google Gadgets are mini-applications that are created with XML, HTML,
or JavaScript. When you create a Google Gadget, it can do anything from
display the weather forecast to show you the Bible verse of the day or connect
you to a useful service on a company’s Web page. One example is the
Wikipedia Gadget, which sits on your iGoogle page and shows a search box
for Wikipedia. To perform a search, type your search string into the search
box, click Search, and you’re taken to the correct Wikipedia page. Cool, huh?
Gadgets are an excellent way to turn users onto your products and services
by giving them a sneak peak at what you have to offer. Gadgets can be in
the form of calculators, search boxes, useful tools, or whatever it is that you
have to offer. The thing to remember as you plan to create a Google Gadget is
that the more useful or entertaining it is, the more people will download and
install the gadget, which is the key to monetizing your gadgets.
When you create gadgets, think creatively about the audience that you want
to serve. What does that audience want that doesn’t already exist? When you
hit that sweet spot, you’ll know you’ve come up with the right idea by the
number of downloads of your gadgets.
Creating a gadget
If you have an idea for a gadget that you think will be wildly popular, create
it. You can create gadgets in XML, HTML, or JavaScript. Creating gadgets is
all about how you format the code that makes the gadget work.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t know XML or JavaScript, though. If you
know some basic HTML, Google provides all the additional information that
you need to create a gadget with the Google Gadgets Editor (GGE). You use
this program to write the code for the gadget. Alternatively, you can use any
text editor that you’re comfortable with, but GGE is specifically designed for
you to work with gadgets.
To access GGE, log in to http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/
docs/gs.html#GGE and scroll to the bottom of the page. That’s where the
editor,, makes its home — until you offer it a new
home on your computer.
One of the most basic gadgets that you can create is the same program that
everyone starts with when they’re figuring out how to program an HTML site
of any kind — Hello, world!
Hello, world! is a very simple program to write and requires only a few
lines of code, such as:
?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8”?>
Module>
ModulePrefs title=”hello world example” />
Content type=”html”>
![CDATA[Hello, world!]]>/Content>
/Module>
I explain this line by line as follows:
?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8”?>
The first line is a standard opening line of code that tells any processor
reading it that a program’s coming, and it’s written in this language
with that protocol. In this case, the language is XML version 1.0, and the
encoding protocol is UTF-8.
Module>
The module> tag indicates that a program — the gadget — is within the
program.
ModulePrefs title=”hello world example” />
The third line is the module preferences tag, which indicates information
about the module, such as the title, the author, and other optional features
that might need to be taken into consideration.
Content type=”html”>
Just as it reads, this line tells you what the type of content for the gadget
is. In this case, the content type is HTML (which is why you can get away
with not knowing XML or JavaScript). If you can use the tags here to get
started and you know HTML, then you can use HTML as your content
type and write your gadget using HTML code.
![CDATA[Hello, world!]]>/Content>
The ![CDATA> tag is used to enclose HTML when a gadget’s content
type is HTML. This tag tells the browser that reads the code that the
text within the CDATA section shouldn’t be treated as XML. The CDATA
section typically contains HTML and JavaScript. /Content>, or the
closing tag, is another part to this line. The closing tag — in this case, the
/Content> closing tag — indicates where the content for the module
ends and is a signal that the program information is complete.
/Module>
If you play with it some more, you can tweak it considerably.
Here’s another closing tag. This one indicates that the module is
complete.
With that, you’re finished. This is a very simple gadget, but when done properly,
Obviously, you’ll want to do something a little more sophisticated than a
simple Hello, world! message, but I want to give you a feel for how easy it
is to work with Google Gadgets.
I’m sure you’re wondering where AdSense comes into this mix, though, right?
It’s simple. AdSense doesn’t have a module specifically for Google Gadgets.
However, you can program your AdSense ads directly into Google Gadgets.
Programming your AdSense ads into Google Gadgets is just like creating a
Google AdSense for Content ad. Generate the ad by using the same steps that
you would if you were putting the ad directly into the content on your Web
site, and then insert the AdSense code into your gadget code. (If you skipped
straight to this chapter and you don’t know how to create a content ad, you
can jump to Chapter 5 where I address that.) You may have to play with it a
little to get the styles and placement just right, but the end result is a gadget
that includes an AdSense ad for everyone to see.
Except for one small problem . . .
Creating gadgets sounds simple enough, and if doing so with AdSense ads
piques your interest, you’ll probably want to do a little more studying on the
topic because it’s more involved than I make it sound here. You can read
more about it by going to the Google Gadgets Web site at http://code.
google.com/apis/gadgets.
There’s one small issue of which you might want to be aware upfront. When
you’re creating a Google Gadget with the intent of embedding Google AdSense
code into it, you first need permission from AdSense. AdSense doesn’t usually
have a problem with granting that permission, but without it, your ad probably
won’t show up properly in the gadget.
To get permission, you have to e-mail Google AdSense with their support form
found at www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py. Enter
your contact information in the form, and then, in the text box provided for
questions or statements, write a brief request to use AdSense in your gadget.
If you already have an active gadget that is popular, be sure to include information
about it. If you’re creating a new gadget, include that information too. And
don’t forget a description of your gadget. Google will make the determination
to allow you to use AdSense in your gadget on a case-by-case basis.
You may have to wait a few days to get a response from AdSense, so think a
little ahead of the game if you’re trying to meet a specific deadline.
Another issue to keep in mind when you’re creating your gadgets with
AdSense embedded in them is that the combination of the two isn’t something
that Google came up with, so there are times when gadgets and
AdSense don’t play well together.
This can result in either the gadget that you’ve created not being shown or
the AdSense ad not being shown. There’s no known fix for this issue right
now. Google’s working on it, so you’ll see that your ads and gadgets display
well for a time and then they’ll crash. This is the nature of the beast, so be
prepared with alternative plans (maybe for a gadget without ads) in the event
that one program ticks off the other.
Ultimately, even without AdSense, Google Gadgets are a great investment
of your time because they’re a quick and easy way to draw a lot of users to
your site — especially if you can nail down your audience and provide a truly
useful gadget. If you can combine AdSense with your gadgets, you’ve really
created a winning combination.
Gadgets in action. Google Gadgets are basically little programs that you (or
someone else) put together and upload to the Google Gadgets collection.
Users can then download those gadgets and add them to their iGoogle home
page or even to their Google desktop application.
Some serious confusion exists about how Google Gadgets works with AdSense,
though, and I clear that up for you. First, a little more about Google Gadgets,
what they do, and how they’re created.
What’s a gadget?
Google Gadgets are mini-applications that are created with XML, HTML,
or JavaScript. When you create a Google Gadget, it can do anything from
display the weather forecast to show you the Bible verse of the day or connect
you to a useful service on a company’s Web page. One example is the
Wikipedia Gadget, which sits on your iGoogle page and shows a search box
for Wikipedia. To perform a search, type your search string into the search
box, click Search, and you’re taken to the correct Wikipedia page. Cool, huh?
Gadgets are an excellent way to turn users onto your products and services
by giving them a sneak peak at what you have to offer. Gadgets can be in
the form of calculators, search boxes, useful tools, or whatever it is that you
have to offer. The thing to remember as you plan to create a Google Gadget is
that the more useful or entertaining it is, the more people will download and
install the gadget, which is the key to monetizing your gadgets.
When you create gadgets, think creatively about the audience that you want
to serve. What does that audience want that doesn’t already exist? When you
hit that sweet spot, you’ll know you’ve come up with the right idea by the
number of downloads of your gadgets.
Creating a gadget
If you have an idea for a gadget that you think will be wildly popular, create
it. You can create gadgets in XML, HTML, or JavaScript. Creating gadgets is
all about how you format the code that makes the gadget work.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t know XML or JavaScript, though. If you
know some basic HTML, Google provides all the additional information that
you need to create a gadget with the Google Gadgets Editor (GGE). You use
this program to write the code for the gadget. Alternatively, you can use any
text editor that you’re comfortable with, but GGE is specifically designed for
you to work with gadgets.
To access GGE, log in to http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/
docs/gs.html#GGE and scroll to the bottom of the page. That’s where the
editor,, makes its home — until you offer it a new
home on your computer.
One of the most basic gadgets that you can create is the same program that
everyone starts with when they’re figuring out how to program an HTML site
of any kind — Hello, world!
Hello, world! is a very simple program to write and requires only a few
lines of code, such as:
?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8”?>
Module>
ModulePrefs title=”hello world example” />
Content type=”html”>
![CDATA[Hello, world!]]>/Content>
/Module>
I explain this line by line as follows:
?xml version=”1.0” encoding=”UTF-8”?>
The first line is a standard opening line of code that tells any processor
reading it that a program’s coming, and it’s written in this language
with that protocol. In this case, the language is XML version 1.0, and the
encoding protocol is UTF-8.
Module>
The module> tag indicates that a program — the gadget — is within the
program.
ModulePrefs title=”hello world example” />
The third line is the module preferences tag, which indicates information
about the module, such as the title, the author, and other optional features
that might need to be taken into consideration.
Content type=”html”>
Just as it reads, this line tells you what the type of content for the gadget
is. In this case, the content type is HTML (which is why you can get away
with not knowing XML or JavaScript). If you can use the tags here to get
started and you know HTML, then you can use HTML as your content
type and write your gadget using HTML code.
![CDATA[Hello, world!]]>/Content>
The 
Getting Started with Video Units
Video units are a little more complicated than click-to-play ads. Video units
are actually ads shown along with YouTube videos that are displayed in a
specialized player you’ve added to your Web site.
You do have some control over what videos you choose to show in your
player. You can select the video content you want by picking content categories,
by selecting individual content providers, or by having video automatically
targeted to your site content.
Before you can do any of that, however, you have to have a YouTube account
that’s connected to your Web site.
Signing up with YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing service that’s owned by Google. With YouTube,
anyone can upload and share videos with others. Or, if you’re not the videoshooting-
and-sharing kind of person, you can browse YouTube videos to find
things that interest you. Since I’ve been using YouTube, I’ve watched movie
spoofs, instructional videos, and even sermons from church services. What
you watch is directed by your taste in videos.
You can also find videos and add them to your Web site or blog. You don’t
actually download the video and then store it on your Web server; instead,
you paste the code for a special URL into the code of your blog or Web site,
and the video is streamed from YouTube to your site whenever someone
comes to your site and starts the video.
In order to take advantage of all the fun, you do need to sign up for a
YouTube account, which is a simple process. Start by going to the YouTube
Web site at www.youtube.com. After you’re there, click the Sign Up link in
the upper-right corner of the page. You see a simple form, like the one shown
in Figure 9-8. Fill it out, click the Sign Up button, and then wait for YouTube
to send you a confirmation e-mail. After you get your e-mail, respond to it to
create a YouTube account that you can use with AdSense.
note about the YouTube Partner program
YouTube has a Partner program that you can also use to monetize your
YouTube videos. With the YouTube partner program, you can allow ads
that are controlled by YouTube. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have
as much control over them as you would with a standard AdSense ad. The
ads are chosen for you, based on the videos that you choose to place on
YouTube. That means that you won’t necessarily be displaying the ads —
other people will, when they display videos that you have uploaded to the
YouTube service. This program can be a little confusing, and although it’s
not required for you to use video units with AdSense — in fact, the YouTube
Partner program is a completely different entity than AdSense for Video — I
want to take a minute to discuss its quirkier aspects.
To start with, signing up for the Partner program isn’t difficult, per se. To
sign up, fill out another form (see Figure 9-9) on the YouTube Web site (www.
youtube.com/partners).
The problem with this process isn’t in the Filling Out Yet Another Form part
or the Time You Spend Waiting to Find Out If You’ve Been Accepted into the
Program part. The problem lies in the requirements to be accepted. To be
accepted into the YouTube Partner program, you must meet the following
criteria:
You must create and upload original videos suitable for online streaming.
You must own (or have express permission to use and monetize) all
audio and video content that you upload — no exceptions.
You must regularly upload videos that are viewed by thousands of
YouTube users.
You must live in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
In all, the only real issue is with the third point: You must regularly upload
videos that are viewed by thousands of YouTube users. If you’re new
to YouTube, you’re not likely to meet this criterion, so you may not be
approved for the YouTube Partner program, which is frustrating when you
want to start using AdSense video units immediately.
If you do meet the criteria and you’re accepted into the YouTube Partner program,
you have yet another method for monetizing your YouTube videos — in
addition to using AdSense for Video. There is one little confusing part, though.
If you have more than one YouTube account, you could find yourself in AdSenseconnection
hell! In an effort to get out of that fiery Neverland, you may find that
you’re clicking from your AdSense account into your YouTube account, only to
be sent back to your AdSense account again as you try to connect the two.
Make very sure you’re logged in to your AdSense account and your YouTube
account with the exact same e-mail address before you begin the connection
process. If you’re not, you’ll be running in circles for hours trying to figure out
what you’ve done wrong. Take my advice on this, folks. I spent nearly a whole
day trying to figure out what I was doing wrong!
Creating your first video player
If you’ve made it this far, you deserve a medal. I don’t give you one, though;
instead, I show you how to create your first video player.
I make the assumption here that you’ve already connected your YouTube
account to your AdSense account, as I describe in the previous section.
That means you’ve received a nice confirmation message praising you for
your successful linking of your YouTube and AdSense accounts. If you scroll
down a bit in that message, you also see a line informing you that You Have
Not Created Any AdSense Players Yet. Next to that little bit of info you see a
Create AdSense Player button. Guess what I ask you to do?
1. Click the Create AdSense Player button.
The New AdSense Player page appears, Use this
page to build a customized AdSense player for your Web site.
2. In the New AdSense Player page, enter a name for your AdSense
player and, if you like, a short description in the text boxes provided.
Although the name and description are shown only to you, still enter something
that helps you remember the purpose of the player, rather than some
smart-alecky name whose meaning you might forget in a month or two.
3. In the Theme section of the New AdSense Player page, select a color
scheme for your player.
Make it something that matches well with your Web site.
4. In the Layout section of the page, choose a size that best suits your site.
Your choices here are Mini, Standard, and Full Size.
5. After you finish making your selections, scroll farther down the page
to make selections for what content you want to display in your
AdSense video player,
You can choose to either let YouTube automatically populate your
player with content, which is done by keywords — you enter the most
relevant keywords for your site — or if you’re like me and want more
control, you can choose from a list of categories or individual providers
that will be used to populate the player.
6. After you make your selections, scroll to the bottom of the page and
click the Generate Code button to get the code for your Web site.
When the page reloads, you’ll have to scroll to the bottom of it to copy
the code that’s provided.
All that’s left is to install the code on your Web site and then videos are fed
directly into the AdSense player.
You’re not limited to a single AdSense player on your Web site. You are,
however, limited to one per page. If you want to create new players for other
pages on your site, click the Create Player button on the left side of the
screen when you log in to AdSense Video Units. Each player that you’ve
created is then displayed on the Video Units page so that you can access it
for deleting or editing at any time.
Installing the code
Installing the code for the AdSense player is exactly like installing any other
AdSense code on your Web site. First highlight and copy the code and then
paste it into the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) for your Web site,
between the body> and /body> tags.
After you upload your Web site code to the server, your video units should
begin showing immediately, although in some rare cases, you could experience
a short delay. If your ads aren’t showing within about an hour of having
uploaded the new site with the AdSense code included, contact AdSense to
see if you’ve done something wrong.
Earning with video units
Your earnings with video units aren’t much different from the earnings that
you generate with other types of AdSense ad units. The difference is all in the
display.
With video units, you have two opportunities to earn from your placement.
The first involves the banner-type ads that appear at the top of the video
player, and the second comes from the text overlay ads that appear on the
bottom 20 percent of the video player. When your site visitors click either of
these ads, you get paid.
Some video units also have the cost-per-impression model — also called
a cost-per-thousand-impression model because payment is based on the
number of times an ad or video is viewed, divided by 1,000 — which means
all that’s necessary for you to get some earnings out of this is for someone
to view the video. Like all cost-per-impression ads, those are doled out by
AdSense to sites that generate very high levels of traffic and stringently meet
the requirements that advertisers have set forth.
You never know for sure when cost-per-impression ads are displayed, so all
you can do is steadily build your Web site traffic and hope that they’re displayed
when you’re having a nice spike in traffic. If you do happen to notice
when a cost-per-impression ad is displayed, you can always try to drive traffic
to your site. You never know how long the ad remains on your site though,
so whatever efforts you take should be ones that have quick results.
Reports for video units
After you connect your AdSense and YouTube accounts, a new report appears
on your Reports page. This report is for the video units, and it shows the same
information for video units that you see for other types of AdSense ads:
Page impressions
Clicks
Page click-through-rate (CTR)
Page cost-per-thousand impressions
Earnings
You have the same capabilities with this report that you have with any of the
other earnings reports that AdSense makes available, including the ability
to generate the report regularly and have it e-mailed to you. (For more on
AdSense reports, see Chapter 15.)
If you’re already using video on your Web site or blog, AdSense video units
are a good way to monetize on that video. After you work your way through
the confusing parts, you can add video with the click of a few buttons. The
earnings potential is there, so get started with it.
are actually ads shown along with YouTube videos that are displayed in a
specialized player you’ve added to your Web site.
You do have some control over what videos you choose to show in your
player. You can select the video content you want by picking content categories,
by selecting individual content providers, or by having video automatically
targeted to your site content.
Before you can do any of that, however, you have to have a YouTube account
that’s connected to your Web site.
Signing up with YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing service that’s owned by Google. With YouTube,
anyone can upload and share videos with others. Or, if you’re not the videoshooting-
and-sharing kind of person, you can browse YouTube videos to find
things that interest you. Since I’ve been using YouTube, I’ve watched movie
spoofs, instructional videos, and even sermons from church services. What
you watch is directed by your taste in videos.
You can also find videos and add them to your Web site or blog. You don’t
actually download the video and then store it on your Web server; instead,
you paste the code for a special URL into the code of your blog or Web site,
and the video is streamed from YouTube to your site whenever someone
comes to your site and starts the video.
In order to take advantage of all the fun, you do need to sign up for a
YouTube account, which is a simple process. Start by going to the YouTube
Web site at www.youtube.com. After you’re there, click the Sign Up link in
the upper-right corner of the page. You see a simple form, like the one shown
in Figure 9-8. Fill it out, click the Sign Up button, and then wait for YouTube
to send you a confirmation e-mail. After you get your e-mail, respond to it to
create a YouTube account that you can use with AdSense.
note about the YouTube Partner program
YouTube has a Partner program that you can also use to monetize your
YouTube videos. With the YouTube partner program, you can allow ads
that are controlled by YouTube. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have
as much control over them as you would with a standard AdSense ad. The
ads are chosen for you, based on the videos that you choose to place on
YouTube. That means that you won’t necessarily be displaying the ads —
other people will, when they display videos that you have uploaded to the
YouTube service. This program can be a little confusing, and although it’s
not required for you to use video units with AdSense — in fact, the YouTube
Partner program is a completely different entity than AdSense for Video — I
want to take a minute to discuss its quirkier aspects.
To start with, signing up for the Partner program isn’t difficult, per se. To
sign up, fill out another form (see Figure 9-9) on the YouTube Web site (www.
youtube.com/partners).
The problem with this process isn’t in the Filling Out Yet Another Form part
or the Time You Spend Waiting to Find Out If You’ve Been Accepted into the
Program part. The problem lies in the requirements to be accepted. To be
accepted into the YouTube Partner program, you must meet the following
criteria:
You must create and upload original videos suitable for online streaming.
You must own (or have express permission to use and monetize) all
audio and video content that you upload — no exceptions.
You must regularly upload videos that are viewed by thousands of
YouTube users.
You must live in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
In all, the only real issue is with the third point: You must regularly upload
videos that are viewed by thousands of YouTube users. If you’re new
to YouTube, you’re not likely to meet this criterion, so you may not be
approved for the YouTube Partner program, which is frustrating when you
want to start using AdSense video units immediately.
If you do meet the criteria and you’re accepted into the YouTube Partner program,
you have yet another method for monetizing your YouTube videos — in
addition to using AdSense for Video. There is one little confusing part, though.
If you have more than one YouTube account, you could find yourself in AdSenseconnection
hell! In an effort to get out of that fiery Neverland, you may find that
you’re clicking from your AdSense account into your YouTube account, only to
be sent back to your AdSense account again as you try to connect the two.
Make very sure you’re logged in to your AdSense account and your YouTube
account with the exact same e-mail address before you begin the connection
process. If you’re not, you’ll be running in circles for hours trying to figure out
what you’ve done wrong. Take my advice on this, folks. I spent nearly a whole
day trying to figure out what I was doing wrong!
Creating your first video player
If you’ve made it this far, you deserve a medal. I don’t give you one, though;
instead, I show you how to create your first video player.
I make the assumption here that you’ve already connected your YouTube
account to your AdSense account, as I describe in the previous section.
That means you’ve received a nice confirmation message praising you for
your successful linking of your YouTube and AdSense accounts. If you scroll
down a bit in that message, you also see a line informing you that You Have
Not Created Any AdSense Players Yet. Next to that little bit of info you see a
Create AdSense Player button. Guess what I ask you to do?
1. Click the Create AdSense Player button.
The New AdSense Player page appears, Use this
page to build a customized AdSense player for your Web site.
2. In the New AdSense Player page, enter a name for your AdSense
player and, if you like, a short description in the text boxes provided.
Although the name and description are shown only to you, still enter something
that helps you remember the purpose of the player, rather than some
smart-alecky name whose meaning you might forget in a month or two.
3. In the Theme section of the New AdSense Player page, select a color
scheme for your player.
Make it something that matches well with your Web site.
4. In the Layout section of the page, choose a size that best suits your site.
Your choices here are Mini, Standard, and Full Size.
5. After you finish making your selections, scroll farther down the page
to make selections for what content you want to display in your
AdSense video player,
You can choose to either let YouTube automatically populate your
player with content, which is done by keywords — you enter the most
relevant keywords for your site — or if you’re like me and want more
control, you can choose from a list of categories or individual providers
that will be used to populate the player.
6. After you make your selections, scroll to the bottom of the page and
click the Generate Code button to get the code for your Web site.
When the page reloads, you’ll have to scroll to the bottom of it to copy
the code that’s provided.
All that’s left is to install the code on your Web site and then videos are fed
directly into the AdSense player.
You’re not limited to a single AdSense player on your Web site. You are,
however, limited to one per page. If you want to create new players for other
pages on your site, click the Create Player button on the left side of the
screen when you log in to AdSense Video Units. Each player that you’ve
created is then displayed on the Video Units page so that you can access it
for deleting or editing at any time.
Installing the code
Installing the code for the AdSense player is exactly like installing any other
AdSense code on your Web site. First highlight and copy the code and then
paste it into the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) for your Web site,
between the body> and /body> tags.
After you upload your Web site code to the server, your video units should
begin showing immediately, although in some rare cases, you could experience
a short delay. If your ads aren’t showing within about an hour of having
uploaded the new site with the AdSense code included, contact AdSense to
see if you’ve done something wrong.
Earning with video units
Your earnings with video units aren’t much different from the earnings that
you generate with other types of AdSense ad units. The difference is all in the
display.
With video units, you have two opportunities to earn from your placement.
The first involves the banner-type ads that appear at the top of the video
player, and the second comes from the text overlay ads that appear on the
bottom 20 percent of the video player. When your site visitors click either of
these ads, you get paid.
Some video units also have the cost-per-impression model — also called
a cost-per-thousand-impression model because payment is based on the
number of times an ad or video is viewed, divided by 1,000 — which means
all that’s necessary for you to get some earnings out of this is for someone
to view the video. Like all cost-per-impression ads, those are doled out by
AdSense to sites that generate very high levels of traffic and stringently meet
the requirements that advertisers have set forth.
You never know for sure when cost-per-impression ads are displayed, so all
you can do is steadily build your Web site traffic and hope that they’re displayed
when you’re having a nice spike in traffic. If you do happen to notice
when a cost-per-impression ad is displayed, you can always try to drive traffic
to your site. You never know how long the ad remains on your site though,
so whatever efforts you take should be ones that have quick results.
Reports for video units
After you connect your AdSense and YouTube accounts, a new report appears
on your Reports page. This report is for the video units, and it shows the same
information for video units that you see for other types of AdSense ads:
Page impressions
Clicks
Page click-through-rate (CTR)
Page cost-per-thousand impressions
Earnings
You have the same capabilities with this report that you have with any of the
other earnings reports that AdSense makes available, including the ability
to generate the report regularly and have it e-mailed to you. (For more on
AdSense reports, see Chapter 15.)
If you’re already using video on your Web site or blog, AdSense video units
are a good way to monetize on that video. After you work your way through
the confusing parts, you can add video with the click of a few buttons. The
earnings potential is there, so get started with it.
Enabling Click-to-Play Capabilities
Putting AdSense video capabilities into place on your Web site differs a little
with each different type of video capability AdSense offers. The simplest path
to take involves using click-to-play video ads, whereas AdSense for Video is
definitely a bit trickier.
Implementing click-to-play video ads is as simple as choosing the right format
(large rectangle, square, wide skyscraper, and so on) and enabling graphic
ad displays. Choosing the right format for video ads isn’t actually part of the
video setup that AdSense offers but is part of the AdSense for Content setup
If you made your way through Chapter 5, this choosing-an-ad-format business
sounds familiar. Here’s the shorthand version:
1. Point your browser to www.adsense.com, log on to your AdSense
account, and then click the AdSense Setup tab.
2. On the AdSense Setup tab select AdSense for Content.
The AdSense for Content Wizard appears.
3. In the first section of the wizard, select the Ad Unit radio button and
then select either Text and Image Ads or Image Ads Only from the
drop-down menu to the right
Continue to set up the ad as I show you in Chapter 5. When you’re finished,
copy and paste the code into your Web site, and you’re all set. All that
remains is to wait for AdSense to place a click-to-play ad on your site.
You have no control over what videos get placed beyond enabling the
graphic format that click-to-play video ads require. Ads are placed when
they’re appropriate for your site.
Earning with click-to-play ads is the same as earning with other AdSense for
Content ads. Site visitors must click the ad and be taken to the advertiser’s
Web site for you to earn your payment on the ad.
When you get right down to it, nothing much different is going on in click-toplay
video ads. You create and add the code for your ads in the same way you
do for AdSense for Content ads. The only real difference is in the way the ad
displays. If you’re looking to draw a little more attention to your ads, this video
format might be a good way to go about it. You can’t blend video ads as well
into your Web site as you can text ads, however, so test any video ads before
you commit to replacing text ads that have already proven how they perform.
with each different type of video capability AdSense offers. The simplest path
to take involves using click-to-play video ads, whereas AdSense for Video is
definitely a bit trickier.
Implementing click-to-play video ads is as simple as choosing the right format
(large rectangle, square, wide skyscraper, and so on) and enabling graphic
ad displays. Choosing the right format for video ads isn’t actually part of the
video setup that AdSense offers but is part of the AdSense for Content setup
If you made your way through Chapter 5, this choosing-an-ad-format business
sounds familiar. Here’s the shorthand version:
1. Point your browser to www.adsense.com, log on to your AdSense
account, and then click the AdSense Setup tab.
2. On the AdSense Setup tab select AdSense for Content.
The AdSense for Content Wizard appears.
3. In the first section of the wizard, select the Ad Unit radio button and
then select either Text and Image Ads or Image Ads Only from the
drop-down menu to the right
Continue to set up the ad as I show you in Chapter 5. When you’re finished,
copy and paste the code into your Web site, and you’re all set. All that
remains is to wait for AdSense to place a click-to-play ad on your site.
You have no control over what videos get placed beyond enabling the
graphic format that click-to-play video ads require. Ads are placed when
they’re appropriate for your site.
Earning with click-to-play ads is the same as earning with other AdSense for
Content ads. Site visitors must click the ad and be taken to the advertiser’s
Web site for you to earn your payment on the ad.
When you get right down to it, nothing much different is going on in click-toplay
video ads. You create and add the code for your ads in the same way you
do for AdSense for Content ads. The only real difference is in the way the ad
displays. If you’re looking to draw a little more attention to your ads, this video
format might be a good way to go about it. You can’t blend video ads as well
into your Web site as you can text ads, however, so test any video ads before
you commit to replacing text ads that have already proven how they perform.
Video and AdSense: Choosing the Right Product
has three options available for video. Each of these options is targeted to a
different aspect of video — aspects that reach both those who create videos
and those who want to advertise on a text site with video. The three types of
video are
Click-to-play video ads: Video ads are a type of ad displayed on your
Web site. You must opt into image ads when you create your first
AdSense for Content ads and use one of the supported formats to add
click-to-play video ads to your site. The supported formats are
• 336x280 (Large rectangle)
• 300x250 (Medium rectangle)
• 250x250 (Square)
• 200x200 (Small square)
• 728x90 (Leaderboard)
• 120x600 (Skyscraper)
• 160x600 (Wide skyscraper)
Video units: This feature allows you to add video content from YouTube
partners to your Web site in a customizable player. The video comes
to you packaged with text overlay ads and a companion banner above
the video — that’s the AdSense part. Note: You must have an Englishlanguage
site to use AdSense video units.
AdSense for Video: This product delivers text overlay and InVideo ads
into your existing video streams. (InVideo ads are ads that actually play
within videos that are embedded on your Web site.) If you have your
own online video content, AdSense for Video can help you earn revenue
from that content. The rub here is that AdSense for Video is in beta
testing, so it’s only available to a limited number of users at this time. It
shouldn’t be long (maybe even before you finish reading this chapter)
before it’s open to the general public, though.
All three of these options are viable for different types of AdSense users, and
each has different uses and capabilities. How do you know which one to use
for your site? That depends on how you want your site visitors to interact
with the ads. (To some extent, it also depends on whether AdSense lets you
use a certain type of video ad, but I get to that in a bit.)
Click-to-play
Click-to-play ads actually take the place of graphic ads on your site, but you
can’t control when that happens. You place a compatible graphic ad on your
Web site, and when AdSense has a click-to-play video ad that fits your site,
it’s shown in place of the static ad. The videos don’t show all the time, and
there is currently no way to make videos replace static images all the time.
See, it’s based on the availability of videos that are appropriate to your site,
but AdSense may not always have advertisers placing ads that match your
site. It’s only when there are matching video ads that your content ads will
be replaced.
The ad formats that accommodate these click-to-play ads are
336x280 (Large rectangle)
300x250 (Medium rectangle)
250x250 (Square)
200x200 (Small square)
728x90 (Leaderboard)
120x600 (Skyscraper)
160x600 (Wide skyscraper)
If you already have one of these ads sizes on your Web site, but it’s not
image-enabled — meaning it’s a text only ad — you can edit the settings
under the Manage Ads option. To edit existing ads, follow these steps:
1. Log into your AdSense account and go to the AdSense Setup tab.
2. Click the Manage Ads link.
3. Click Edit Ad Settings for the ad that you want to change.
The editing page for that ad appears, as shown in Figure 9-2.
4. Use the Format drop-down menu (indicated in Figure 9-2) to select
either Text and Image Ads or Image Ads Only.
5. Click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
Within a couple of hours, your ads should be showing images, which can
then be replaced by videos when they are available.
Video units
Video units are ads that are partnered with YouTube videos. Such ads are
displayed within your YouTube videos — both videos that you’ve created
and videos that others have created that you have embedded on your Web
site — in a couple different ways within the video player. They appear both as
a banner at the top of the video player and as a pop-up link within the video
place in the beginning. If you’re using video on your site already, the integrations
of video units are relatively smooth, and it’s a great way to monetize
the video content that your visitors are accustomed to.
Keep in mind that you have to have an active YouTube account to use this
type of video ad and you also have to link your YouTube account to your
AdSense account.
It only takes a few steps to link the two accounts:
1. Open two browser windows and then log in to your YouTube account
in one window and your AdSense account in the other.
2. In the window in which you have your AdSense account open, go to
the AdSense Setup tab and then choose Video Units as the product.
Basically, act as if you’re setting up a video unit for your Web site
3. When you get to the Video Setup page, click the Visit AdSense Video
Units button.
Doing so takes you to the YouTube site, where you’re prompted to connect
your YouTube account and your AdSense account.
4. If you already have a YouTube account and are signed in, verify your
linkage request by entering the e-mail address, phone number, and
postal code associated with your account.
This is why you signed in to both your YouTube account and your
AdSense account in the first step.
5. After you enter this information, click the Submit Confirmation button.
If you don’t have a YouTube account, you’re prompted to sign up for
one. After you’ve created the account, the steps to connect the two
accounts are the same as above.
After you click the Submit Confirmation button, your accounts will be
connected. Then you can return to your AdSense account to begin setting
up video units.
AdSense for Video
AdSense for Video is the newest addition to the video family for AdSense. So
new, in fact, that it’s still in beta testing, and is only available to a certain number
of participants. To be selected, you also have to meet certain restrictions:
You must have a Flash 7 player that you can control.
You must have 1,000,000 or more monthly streams — that’s a million
times a month that your video is viewed by site visitors. Don’t let the
number scare you. It’s not all that uncommon for a popular YouTube
video to get a million or more views in a month’s time.
You must be a U.S.-based Web site owner who publishes AdSense ads on
your site and you must have a (primarily) U.S. viewership.
If you meet these requirements and want to display AdSense for Video ads,
you also need to fill out a sign-up form (as shown in Figure 9-4) and wait to be
accepted into the program. You can find the form at this URL: www.google.
com/adsense/support/bin/request.py?contact_type=video_
joinbeta.
When you do get accepted into the program, AdSense for Video allows you to
place ads in your own streaming video. This is especially useful if you create
and share videos on your Web site and other sites.
Ads can appear in one of two places in your video. Ads can be displayed
InVideo, as shown in Figure 9-5, which means that the ads actually appear
within the window where the video displays.
The alternative is to display ads as text overlays, as shown in Figure 9-6.
The cool thing about InVideo ads is that they’re essentially a video within a
video. The ads play in the lower one-third of the video player you’ve embedded
on your site, and they’re short — usually not more than 60 seconds.
While the ad is showing, the video that should be playing in the player is
paused. Then, when the ad is finished, the area in which it is displayed
shrinks back but still displays a link to the advertiser. The video that you
have set to play should then begin on its own.
Text overlay ads don’t contain any actual video. They are simple text ads
that overlay the lower one-third of the player. Your video plays as usual but
the link remains available throughout the whole video.
There is no inherent advantage to one type of ad over the other — InVideo or
Text Overlay. It’s mostly a personal choice that should be governed by what
you and your visitors prefer. I strongly recommend that you try each configuration
separately for the same amount of time and then compare results to
see which option your Web site audience likes best.
different aspect of video — aspects that reach both those who create videos
and those who want to advertise on a text site with video. The three types of
video are
Click-to-play video ads: Video ads are a type of ad displayed on your
Web site. You must opt into image ads when you create your first
AdSense for Content ads and use one of the supported formats to add
click-to-play video ads to your site. The supported formats are
• 336x280 (Large rectangle)
• 300x250 (Medium rectangle)
• 250x250 (Square)
• 200x200 (Small square)
• 728x90 (Leaderboard)
• 120x600 (Skyscraper)
• 160x600 (Wide skyscraper)
Video units: This feature allows you to add video content from YouTube
partners to your Web site in a customizable player. The video comes
to you packaged with text overlay ads and a companion banner above
the video — that’s the AdSense part. Note: You must have an Englishlanguage
site to use AdSense video units.
AdSense for Video: This product delivers text overlay and InVideo ads
into your existing video streams. (InVideo ads are ads that actually play
within videos that are embedded on your Web site.) If you have your
own online video content, AdSense for Video can help you earn revenue
from that content. The rub here is that AdSense for Video is in beta
testing, so it’s only available to a limited number of users at this time. It
shouldn’t be long (maybe even before you finish reading this chapter)
before it’s open to the general public, though.
All three of these options are viable for different types of AdSense users, and
each has different uses and capabilities. How do you know which one to use
for your site? That depends on how you want your site visitors to interact
with the ads. (To some extent, it also depends on whether AdSense lets you
use a certain type of video ad, but I get to that in a bit.)
Click-to-play
Click-to-play ads actually take the place of graphic ads on your site, but you
can’t control when that happens. You place a compatible graphic ad on your
Web site, and when AdSense has a click-to-play video ad that fits your site,
it’s shown in place of the static ad. The videos don’t show all the time, and
there is currently no way to make videos replace static images all the time.
See, it’s based on the availability of videos that are appropriate to your site,
but AdSense may not always have advertisers placing ads that match your
site. It’s only when there are matching video ads that your content ads will
be replaced.
The ad formats that accommodate these click-to-play ads are
336x280 (Large rectangle)
300x250 (Medium rectangle)
250x250 (Square)
200x200 (Small square)
728x90 (Leaderboard)
120x600 (Skyscraper)
160x600 (Wide skyscraper)
If you already have one of these ads sizes on your Web site, but it’s not
image-enabled — meaning it’s a text only ad — you can edit the settings
under the Manage Ads option. To edit existing ads, follow these steps:
1. Log into your AdSense account and go to the AdSense Setup tab.
2. Click the Manage Ads link.
3. Click Edit Ad Settings for the ad that you want to change.
The editing page for that ad appears, as shown in Figure 9-2.
4. Use the Format drop-down menu (indicated in Figure 9-2) to select
either Text and Image Ads or Image Ads Only.
5. Click the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page.
Within a couple of hours, your ads should be showing images, which can
then be replaced by videos when they are available.
Video units
Video units are ads that are partnered with YouTube videos. Such ads are
displayed within your YouTube videos — both videos that you’ve created
and videos that others have created that you have embedded on your Web
site — in a couple different ways within the video player. They appear both as
a banner at the top of the video player and as a pop-up link within the video
place in the beginning. If you’re using video on your site already, the integrations
of video units are relatively smooth, and it’s a great way to monetize
the video content that your visitors are accustomed to.
Keep in mind that you have to have an active YouTube account to use this
type of video ad and you also have to link your YouTube account to your
AdSense account.
It only takes a few steps to link the two accounts:
1. Open two browser windows and then log in to your YouTube account
in one window and your AdSense account in the other.
2. In the window in which you have your AdSense account open, go to
the AdSense Setup tab and then choose Video Units as the product.
Basically, act as if you’re setting up a video unit for your Web site
3. When you get to the Video Setup page, click the Visit AdSense Video
Units button.
Doing so takes you to the YouTube site, where you’re prompted to connect
your YouTube account and your AdSense account.
4. If you already have a YouTube account and are signed in, verify your
linkage request by entering the e-mail address, phone number, and
postal code associated with your account.
This is why you signed in to both your YouTube account and your
AdSense account in the first step.
5. After you enter this information, click the Submit Confirmation button.
If you don’t have a YouTube account, you’re prompted to sign up for
one. After you’ve created the account, the steps to connect the two
accounts are the same as above.
After you click the Submit Confirmation button, your accounts will be
connected. Then you can return to your AdSense account to begin setting
up video units.
AdSense for Video
AdSense for Video is the newest addition to the video family for AdSense. So
new, in fact, that it’s still in beta testing, and is only available to a certain number
of participants. To be selected, you also have to meet certain restrictions:
You must have a Flash 7 player that you can control.
You must have 1,000,000 or more monthly streams — that’s a million
times a month that your video is viewed by site visitors. Don’t let the
number scare you. It’s not all that uncommon for a popular YouTube
video to get a million or more views in a month’s time.
You must be a U.S.-based Web site owner who publishes AdSense ads on
your site and you must have a (primarily) U.S. viewership.
If you meet these requirements and want to display AdSense for Video ads,
you also need to fill out a sign-up form (as shown in Figure 9-4) and wait to be
accepted into the program. You can find the form at this URL: www.google.
com/adsense/support/bin/request.py?contact_type=video_
joinbeta.
When you do get accepted into the program, AdSense for Video allows you to
place ads in your own streaming video. This is especially useful if you create
and share videos on your Web site and other sites.
Ads can appear in one of two places in your video. Ads can be displayed
InVideo, as shown in Figure 9-5, which means that the ads actually appear
within the window where the video displays.
The alternative is to display ads as text overlays, as shown in Figure 9-6.
The cool thing about InVideo ads is that they’re essentially a video within a
video. The ads play in the lower one-third of the video player you’ve embedded
on your site, and they’re short — usually not more than 60 seconds.
While the ad is showing, the video that should be playing in the player is
paused. Then, when the ad is finished, the area in which it is displayed
shrinks back but still displays a link to the advertiser. The video that you
have set to play should then begin on its own.
Text overlay ads don’t contain any actual video. They are simple text ads
that overlay the lower one-third of the player. Your video plays as usual but
the link remains available throughout the whole video.
There is no inherent advantage to one type of ad over the other — InVideo or
Text Overlay. It’s mostly a personal choice that should be governed by what
you and your visitors prefer. I strongly recommend that you try each configuration
separately for the same amount of time and then compare results to
see which option your Web site audience likes best.
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