Blogging Journey: Transitioning from Niche Ads to AdSense

I've experimented with various blog hosting methods. Currently, I still maintain a few static sites, but my VPS is too limited to run WordPress effectively. So, I've settled with Typecho for the long haul.

I often feel that I tinker more with tools than I produce content. I'm not a tech expert; I just find it enjoyable. I'll continue experimenting, but I hope this blog remains active.

Previously, I used Monetag for ads. It was so niche that standard ad blockers couldn't even detect it. However, I wasn't sure how to withdraw earnings, even though I hadn't reached a dollar yet. Google AdSense is a more prominent ad network. I had always wanted to switch, but my applications were previously rejected, possibly due to insufficient content.

A few days ago, I applied to AdSense for the second time. This morning, I received an email confirming my approval. I initially thought it was unlikely, but it turned out to be true. I spent the morning and afternoon testing various ad formats, aiming to incorporate as many ads as possible without compromising user experience.

I first tried their auto ads feature, which requires inserting just one line of code, allowing AdSense to automatically place ads. The default settings weren't ideal, so I only enabled anchor ads and sidebar ads—anchor ads for mobile devices and sidebar ads for desktops. Anchor ads are small banners displayed at the top or bottom of mobile screens and can be dismissed, not obstructing the main content area, which I prefer. Sidebar ads appear as vertical banners on the sides when scrolling through the desktop version of the blog. Since the blog layout doesn't occupy the full screen, there's whitespace on both sides, so these ads don't block content but might catch the eye during scrolling. I didn't enable any pop-up ads, whether banner or full-screen, as they significantly disrupt user experience.

Additionally, I placed horizontal banner ads at the top and bottom of blog posts and vertical sidebar ads. I believe this setup is sufficient. I also have an English website called Closed Mind, where I use AI to translate my blog posts into English and host them on Blogger. The theme I use conveniently has reserved ad spaces, so I integrated ads there as well.

My blog doesn't attract much traffic, with most views coming from VXNA. Since a $100 threshold is required for withdrawal, I don't know how many years it will take to reach that. Nevertheless, once the ads are set up, I won't worry about it. Regularly updating content is the best approach. Moreover, producing quality content will gradually attract more readers over time.