Tells you exactly what to do and how to do it, including tips on the best performing ad formats and placements. Great resource for beginners and some valuable advice for seasoned pros as well. Dispels the myth that making money will be easy, it takes more than just putting AdSense on your page.

Cons

Many of the tips can be found by spending time to search the Internet, however it is nice to have them all in one handy reference. If buying directly from Joel Comm’s website, don’t expect too much from all of the free bonus materials.

Review

If you have read Joel Comm’s previous eBook, What Google Never Told You About AdSense, then you should enjoy this book just as much. The Adsense Code is a terrific read, one that can be done in an evening without much problem. However, you might find it beneficial to read through the book while at your computer so you can explore the online resources and put the tips to immediate use.

In a nutshell, this book explores the three ways for you to increase your AdSense earnings:

Tweaking your ads to make them more appealing
Optimizing your website for better AdSense targeting
Tracking your visitor response to learn what does and doesn’t work on your site
As the book begins, Joel covers some basic information on topics such as selecting a domain name and hosting service. He then continues with some tips on building and designing the site with unique content, while paying attention to search engine optimization.

Once the basics have been covered, the next few chapters share some invaluable tips on tweaking your ads to make them more appealing to your visitors. Some of the suggestions include selecting the correct ad format, blending the ads into your site to make them more “click-able” and where to put your ads for the best results. Also, Joel shares some tips on topics such as using the Google search box as well as the AdSense and Firefox referral programs.

One of the most valuable chapters covers information on tracking your visitor response to your ad integration, including the use of an AdSense journal. Joel teaches you how to create and use channels in order to understand how slight changes can impact the behavior of your visitors. He also covers information on how to analyze your server logs and shares a few additional tools to use for tracking visitors.

The last few chapters include an overview of topics such as how to build your website traffic, search engine optimization and things that you should not do with AdSense, as you don’t want to get your account closed before having the chance to reap the rewards. These are very large topics and there is not a lot of depth covered in this book, but there are a few nice suggestions to get you started in the right direction.

As the book concludes, Joel shares a few case studies that give you a chance to see some of the tips and suggestions in action on a real website. If you are following along at your computer, you can reference other sites and begin to implement these suggestions on your own site immediately.

Overall, The AdSense Code is an outstanding resource and will likely be a book that you find yourself thumbing through on a regular basis. While it is true that much of this information can be found online for free, you will spend numerous hours looking for it all. Instead, you can spend the few dollars and have the book as a handy reference to get you on your way to earning a passive income with AdSense.