How to Set Up Google AdSense on Your Squarespace Website
Introducing To Google Adsense
Google AdSense serves as a platform enabling advertisers to display their ads on your blog, website, or YouTube channel. Utilizing an algorithm, the program strategically matches relevant ads to your digital space, providing you with compensation for hosting them. Advertisers bear the cost of creating and running these ads, offering you a no-cost opportunity to monetize the content you're already producing. If you're eager to generate income from your Squarespace website using AdSense, the following steps will guide you through the process.
Set Up Your Google AdSense Profile
Navigate to google.com/adsense and locate the "Get Started" button in the top right corner to initiate the process.
Access your Google account (or create one if needed) and provide the requested information, acknowledging their terms and conditions.
For setting up Google AdSense on your Squarespace site to generate passive income, initiate by selecting the Payments option and completing the required payment details.
Linking Google AdSense to Your Squarespace Website
To link your Squarespace website with AdSense, select the Sites button.
Generate passive income by setting up Google AdSense on your Squarespace site. You'll receive an AdSense HTML code to embed.
Copy the HTML code by clicking the Copy button beneath the provided code box.
Open a new browser tab, log in to your Squarespace account on Squarespace.com, and access Settings > Advanced > Code Injection from the navigation menu.
Paste the copied code into the Header section of your site-wide code injection.
Save your changes in the top left corner.
Return to the original AdSense tab, click the blue Request Review button at the bottom left, and wait for the green symbol to confirm the connection.
With everything set up, you can now decide to monetize your website using either automatic ads or manual ads.
Develop Advertisement Blocks
I recommend deactivating AUTO ADS to avoid random placements of ads on your site. Instead, I prefer configuring specific ad units for a more controlled approach. I typically set up two ad units—one for sidebars and another for the body—to keep things straightforward.
Let's initiate the setup for these uncomplicated ad units:
Navigate to ADS in the AdSense sidebar menu and choose the BY AD UNIT tab.
Opt for Display ads under Create new ad unit.
For the sidebar ad unit:
Name your ad unit (something simple like Sidebar Ad).
Select a square shape; you can choose vertical if preferred or create a separate unit for vertical ads later.
Set the ad size as Responsive, not Fixed.
Click Create.
After generating the code, click Done. The code is now saved as an existing ad unit.
Repeat the process to create a Horizontal ad unit for the body of pages and posts.
Once completed, your ad units will be stored as Existing ad units. Now, let's strategically place these units throughout your Squarespace website!
Integrate Ad Modules Throughout Your Website
When it comes to incorporating ads on your Squarespace site, timing is everything. To ensure a seamless user experience, it's best to wait until you've secured approval and have your ad units ready.
Once your ad units are approved by AdSense, it's time to strategically place them on your site. Let's take blog posts as an example, a prime location for ads. However, this technique can be applied to any section of your site.
Here's a quick rundown:
Get Your Ad Code: Head over to AdSense, navigate to Ads, choose By ad unit, and click the code icon ("< >") next to your desired ad unit. Copy the provided code snippet.
Paste the Code: Log in to your Squarespace site, go to the specific location you want the ad, and add a Code block. Paste the AdSense code into the block, click Apply, and save your changes.
Script Disabled? No Worries: You might see "Script Disabled" in the editor, but rest assured, the ad will display on your live site. Simply refresh the page if needed.
Repeat this process whenever you wish to showcase a new ad on your site. It's a straightforward way to monetize your Squarespace space effectively.
Remember, good things come to those who wait, and in this case, waiting for approval ensures a smooth integration of ads into your Squarespace content.
Optimizing Your Squarespace Site with Ads.txt
At some point, you may encounter an error message in your AdSense account, disrupting your smooth ad display on your Squarespace site. This hiccup might reveal itself days, weeks, or even months into your seemingly trouble-free ad showcasing journey.
Upon logging into your AdSense account, you'll be greeted with a prominent error warning, urging you to address the issue to prevent any impact on your earnings.
Faced with this challenge, your instinct will lead you to a frantic online search for solutions. A valuable resource that helped me overcome this predicament for my own sites is Graesen Arnoff's insightful article.
Rather than reiterating his instructions here, I recommend heading over to his site to delve into the article. Graesen provides a clear step-by-step guide to uploading the ads.txt file (issued by AdSense in response to this error) to your Squarespace site as a file (in Custom CSS). This involves copying and pasting the file's URL into appropriate locations and setting up a redirect. It might seem a bit complex, but with determination, you can navigate through it!
It's worth noting that after following Graesen's steps and resolving the error in AdSense, I did experience a temporary recurrence of the issue. However, as my site's earnings remained consistent, I chose to overlook it. Eventually, the problem vanished, and I haven't encountered it since. So, be prepared for the unpredictable nature of this finicky error.