Google AdSense is the most common starting ad network. Easy to apply, easy to set up, no traffic minimums. It’s also the network most bloggers eventually outgrow because higher-paying networks (Mediavine, Raptive, Ezoic) pay significantly more once you have traffic. This post covers AdSense setup and when to upgrade.

Short answer: Apply to AdSense after you have 20–30 quality posts. Once approved, use either Auto Ads (Google places ads automatically) or manual ad placement via Ad Inserter / Advanced Ads plugins. Place ads at strategic locations without ruining UX. Move to Mediavine/Raptive once you hit 50k/100k monthly sessions for 2–4x higher RPMs.
A WordPress blog post showing AdSense ad placements: in-content, sidebar, and below post

What AdSense pays

AdSense pays per click (CPC) and per impression (CPM). Typical RPMs (revenue per 1000 pageviews):

  • Tech / finance / business niches: $5–$25.
  • Lifestyle / general: $2–$8.
  • Low-CPC niches (entertainment, certain hobbies): $1–$3.

To earn $1000/month: 100,000–500,000 monthly pageviews depending on niche.

Getting approved

Google’s approval criteria:

  • Quality original content (not scraped or low-effort AI-only).
  • Sufficient content volume (no strict number, but ~20–30 substantial posts is a common threshold).
  • Essential pages: About, Contact, Privacy Policy, Terms.
  • Clean design with clear navigation.
  • Site is finished enough to look real, not under construction.
  • Compliance with AdSense program policies (no prohibited content).

Apply at adsense.google.com. Decision usually within 1–14 days.

Common rejection reasons

  • Insufficient content.
  • Low-quality content (thin posts, copied content).
  • Missing privacy policy or other required pages.
  • Site too new (some users report difficulty with brand-new domains).
  • Niche restrictions (firearms, adult content, etc.).
  • Traffic from invalid sources (bought traffic, click fraud).

If rejected: fix the cited issues, wait at least 2 weeks, reapply.

Site verification

After applying, AdSense gives you a code snippet to add to your site (in the <head>).

Options:

  • Insert Headers and Footers plugin.
  • Site Kit by Google (Google’s official plugin).
  • Your theme’s custom HTML/scripts area.

Google then crawls your site and decides on approval.

Auto Ads vs manual placement

Auto Ads

Google’s AI automatically places ads on your pages based on machine-learned best positions.

Pros:

  • Zero configuration after enabling.
  • Optimizes for revenue automatically.
  • Tests different placements continuously.

Cons:

  • Less control over layout and UX.
  • Can place ads in places that hurt user experience.
  • Can hurt page speed.

Manual placement

You decide where ads go using ad management plugins.

Pros:

  • Full control over placement.
  • Better UX.
  • Can target specific positions.

Cons:

  • Requires plugin and configuration.
  • Less revenue optimization.

For beginners: try Auto Ads first. Move to manual once you have data.

Ad placement plugins

Ad Inserter

Most popular ad placement plugin. Free with strong feature set.

Features: positions (before post, after paragraph N, before image M, sidebar, etc.), device targeting, AMP support.

Advanced Ads

Polished interface. Free + Pro tiers.

WPCode (formerly Insert Headers and Footers Pro)

Snippet management. Less ad-specific but works for placing ad code.

Site Kit by Google

Google’s official plugin. Connects AdSense, Analytics, Search Console.

Standard ad positions

Common high-performing positions:

  • Above the fold: top of post, after title.
  • In-content: after paragraph 1, 3, 5, etc.
  • Sticky sidebar: ad that follows as user scrolls (on desktop).
  • Below post: after the main content.
  • Below comments: at the very end.

How many ads is too many

AdSense rules: no specific limit, but ad density shouldn’t exceed content.

Practical guidance:

  • 3–5 ads per article works for most.
  • More on long articles, fewer on short.
  • Aggressive placement reduces RPM eventually (users bounce).
A blog post layout showing strategic ad placement: one above the fold, two in-content, one below post

Mobile ads

Most traffic is mobile. Mobile ad considerations:

  • Responsive ad units adapt to screen size.
  • Don’t stack multiple ads above the fold on mobile (Google penalizes).
  • Anchor ad (sticky at bottom of mobile screen) is high-performing.
  • Interstitial ads (full-screen between pages) can convert well but irritate users.

Ad blockers

20–40% of users use ad blockers. You won’t earn from those visitors.

Options:

  • Ignore them.
  • Display polite “consider supporting us” messages.
  • Use anti-ad-block detection (often considered aggressive).

Best path: ignore. Trying to defeat ad blockers usually annoys users more than it generates revenue.

Privacy compliance

AdSense uses cookies. You need:

  • Cookie consent banner (GDPR, CCPA).
  • Privacy policy explaining ad cookie usage.

Plugins: CookieYes, Complianz, Iubenda.

Within AdSense, configure “Consent management” — let users opt out of personalized ads (legally required in EU).

Auto ad on different page types

You can configure ads to only show on certain pages:

  • Show on posts but not pages.
  • Hide on landing pages, sales pages.
  • Show on archives or not (preference).

Configure in plugin settings.

When to graduate from AdSense

Networks with higher RPMs:

Mediavine

  • Requirement: 50,000 sessions/month.
  • RPM: typically 2–4x AdSense.
  • Full ad management.
  • The most popular upgrade path.

Raptive (formerly AdThrive)

  • Requirement: 100,000 pageviews/month.
  • RPM: typically highest of major networks.
  • Premium service.

Ezoic

  • No traffic minimum (accepting smaller sites).
  • RPM: typically 1.5–2x AdSense.
  • AI-driven ad optimization.
  • Good middle step before Mediavine.

Monumetric

  • Requirement: 10,000 sessions/month.
  • Setup fee.
  • RPM: somewhere between AdSense and Mediavine.

Page speed and ads

Ad scripts hurt page speed. Mitigations:

  • Use lazy-loaded ad placements (ads load when scrolled into view).
  • Defer ad scripts when possible.
  • Keep ad density reasonable.
  • Monitor Core Web Vitals.

Slow sites earn less because rankings drop.

AdSense reporting

Track in AdSense dashboard:

  • Earnings.
  • RPM by page / placement.
  • CTR (click-through rate).
  • Top-performing pages.

Use this to optimize: drop placements with poor performance, double down on positions that work.

The honest summary

AdSense is the standard starter ad network. Get approved after 20–30 quality posts and essential legal pages. Set up via Auto Ads or manual placement (Ad Inserter, Advanced Ads). Use 3–5 ads per article in strategic positions. Stay compliant with consent banners. Monitor RPMs and graduate to Mediavine (50k sessions) or Raptive (100k pageviews) for 2–4x higher revenue. AdSense isn’t where to stop; it’s where to start.