Google Announces Changes to AdSense Publisher Application Process

Google is making some changes to the AdSense publisher application process. Starting today, the company says, it will be adding a new step to the review process and begin sending notifications at “two key points.”

“After a new application is submitted, we’ll begin with preliminary checks on the site and the applicant’s submitted details,” explains product manager Max Cohen. “If the application passes through this first stage, we’ll notify the applicant by email, grant them account access, and provide them with ad code to place on their submitted site. It’s essential at this stage for the applicant to place the ad code on their site, as the review process can’t be completed until the ad code is implemented.”

“However, live ads won’t immediately appear once the ad code has been placed on the submitted site,” he notes. “Since the application hasn’t been fully approved yet, temporary “blank ads” will be shown instead. These blank ads will blend in with the background of the page, so users won’t see them and the user experience won’t be impacted. As a result, there’s nothing to click on and thus revenue can’t yet be generated. If the applicant logs into their AdSense account at this stage of the review process, they’ll see a reminder that their account is still under review.”

After the ad code is added to the submitted site, Cohen says, a final approval decision will be made, and then the applicant will be notified by email. Approved publishers will see live ads automatically appear in the existing ad units. Google is encouraging them to add more units to their submitted site and to other sites they own.

You might want to keep in mind the things Google looks at when determining content quality, however, before you go plastering too many adds all over your sites. Just a tip.

Effective Social Media Marketing Programs

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Facebook has over 600 million users worldwide; Twitter claims to have over 200 million and LinkedIn hit 100 million users back in March. Long before Facebook and Bing joined forces in May, both Google and Bing were incorporating social signals into their search results. Social profiles can rank in the search engines, increasing your online brand presence; trending topics on Twitter on complied in the RealTime results section of Google, Bing now shows you which of your friends have “liked” a link and more. There is no denying that social media will have a lasting effect on search marketing and SEO.

But just because social media seems to be heralded as the second coming, it is not the end-all-be-all magic bullet to your online marketing needs. A social networking profile is only as good and as useful as you make it to be. Just like SEO, social media marketing is not a set-it-and-forget-it marketing technique. Social media is 24-7, which means you better be an active participant if you want to make any headway. Social networking is all about making connections and establishing relationships. It is not the place to make a sales push. As a critical component of inbound marketing (along with SEO) social media marketing gives you the chance to connect with your consumers on a personal level, monitor your online brand reputation, build your brand presence and more. But you have to be smart about it!

I know that Wikipedia is never supposed to be used as a source, but there is a great list of social networking sites that you should check out. There are hundreds of social networking sites for every kind of niche audience! Which one do you think your consumers use, in addition to the big three?

While these smaller social networking sites may not have the reach or brand recognition of Facebook, that doesn’t mean they don’t have value. Being able to communicate with a very targeted audience is a boon for businesses. The more targeted your audience, the better chance your messaging has of having an impact and prompting action.

If you want to create a social networking profile, make sure you have the time and resources to really use that profile! While you could create the profile just to get the link, there is so much more value in building your online community on that site. The purpose of a social networking site is to network! If you don’t have the time, energy or desire to really make a space for yourself on any given social network, what is the point?

As social media matures, companies are realizing that it takes a lot of time and effort to run a successful social media marketing strategy. It’s not enough to have a profile anymore. Time to start using them or risk getting lost in the shuffle.