I've had ads from Google Adsense running on this blog for years. I finally decided to delete them entirely, and I will never run them on Emily Underworld again. Keep reading to find out why I deleted Google Adsense from my blog once and for all!
Why I Deleted Google Adsense From My Blog
The AD Quality
I tried to improve the quality of the ads. It was a waste of time.
I spent a lot of time going through the Adsense categories and blocking certain ad topics I wouldn't want showing on my blog: pharmaceuticals, politics, religion, software downloads, weight loss... basically anything spammy or inappropriate.
I then started getting a lot of ads for more relevant topics to my demographic, like beauty and fashion companies. Until I realised these horrendously unethical fast-fashion brands were advertising on here.
I don't support these companies, as I prefer to shop second-hand and vintage. So why would I want them taking up space on my blog?
They were ugly and distracting.
Not only were these ads for products that I don't personally endorse or use, they were ugly.
There are some ways around this with Adsense. They do have text options, as opposed to display ads if you prefer. I decided that I didn't like these either, and deleted them all with no regrets.
My Earnings
As you can see above, my Adsense balance is £38.66. That sounds alright, a little bit of extra money for Christmas right?
Except at this rate, it would literally take years to reach the £60 payment threshold. My last payment was in 2016, back when I was making YouTube videos too. If I start making YouTube videos again, I would monetise my videos with Adsense (if I ever reach the new requirement of 1000 subscribers!), but I am not using it on this blog. Ever again.
I did read some articles on how to improve your Adsense earnings, and tried out various methods, including Google's automated ads, but nothing worked for me. Honestly, I think Adsense is only worth it if you have thousands of impressions per month, but if you get over 25,000 views, I've heard better things about Mediavine Ads.
It's not worth it.What Happened When I Deleted Google Adsense
- My blog instantly looked better. More aesthetically-pleasing, less distracting, less spammy. Higher quality. A focus on my content. These are things every blogger wants - it is my space on the internet after all!
- My bounce rate dropped dramatically. People were spending more time on my blog! This is not a coincidence. I've made no other changes to my blog, aside from removing Adsense. It's no secret that people get annoyed by ads, and click off websites with too many ads, or poor ad positioning.
- More people started following my blog and clicking through to my social media! I wasn't expecting this at all, but I'm very grateful. I can't attribute this entirely to deleting ads of course, because I have been working on my Pinterest recently too. I've had several huge spikes in traffic from Pinterest, but it seems that since deleting the ads, people are spending more time on my blog, reading my About Me page, and having a browse without any distracting adverts turning them away.
How I Earn More Money Since Deleting Google Adsense
I have focused on improving my own AD content, through sponsored blog posts, promoting on Pinterest, and I've recently branched out into affiliate marketing for a few select brands that I personally use.
I created a landing page for the companies that I am an affiliate for, and update this regularly with current deals and promotional coupon codes.
One sponsored post earns me more than years of Google Adsense ads clogging up my blog. How crazy is that?
My favourite affiliate program is Ultimate Bundles*. They offer a huge 40% commission rate for bloggers to promote their bundles of ebooks, courses, and resources. Things that actually provide value. I've recommended them in two blog posts: My Self-Care Journey, and How I've Been Improving My Photography and Editing.
I've earned $20 in commission so far from Ultimate Bundles (around £15) from these two mentions.
Do you use Adsense on your blog? I'd love to hear about your experience!
*The link to Ultimate Bundles is my referral link, meaning I earn a commission if you sign up.