How to Make Money Blogging by Doing NOTHING but using AdSense #BlogTrends

Last Updated on: January 2nd, 2021

Make money blogging note on corkboard

It’s true.

I am earning passive income with this website.

I promised you in another post that I was going to tell you how I earn money by doing absolutely NOTHING, and today’s the day I reveal how I’m doing this.

I’ll provide some steps for you to follow so that you can earn passive income, too, using AdSense, and I’ll also tell you of some other ways you can make money blogging, using other methods.

Of course, you’ll have to do some initial work before you can reap the rewards.

– “Aye, there’s the rub” –

This is an image that contains a quote from Hamlet: "Aye, there's the rub."

How I’m Earning Money

In July 2014, I installed some AdSense code on about a dozen of my Wording Well blog posts. I chose the posts that are high-ranking in Google Search, as I get hundreds of referrals from Google every day. (I pay attention to my blog stats!)

Sure, I had to write some fantastic posts first.

And then learn how to install some code on my posts.

For a non-techie such as myself, it wasn’t as difficult as I had thought it would be.

Now I’m earning money by doing absolutely NOTHING. It’s great!

Here’s how I’m doing it.

How You Can Earn Money by Doing Nothing (Using AdSense): A Step-by-Step Tutorial (with extra steps in the Video below)

1. Write an awesome post that will put your website on the map. (Then write a few more. Repeat often.)

2. Apply for an AdSense account. You will need three things: a Google account (a gmail address), some content (posts on your website to monetize), and a valid mailing address (for verification purposes).

3. Wait for approval.

4. Connect your AdSense account to your bank account. (You want to get paid, right?)

5. Verify all information using the directions AdSense provides. They’ll email you with instructions. They’ll also snail mail you an additional verification code.

This takes a bit of time, and is one of the reasons you should NOT put off beginning this process!!!

6. Install some code on your blog posts. This code will show ads to your audience. Your readers will then click on those ads. You’ll earn each time someone does. The video below shows you how to do this.

7. Wait for your AdSense account to reach the earnings threshold.

8. Reap the financial rewards! (A deposit will be made into your bank account when you’ve reached the earnings threshold.)

About AdSense

AdSense (Google AdSense) is an advertising placement service by Google. The program is designed for website publishers who want to display targeted text, video or image advertisements on website pages and earn money when site visitors view or click the ads.
The advertisements are controlled and managed by Google and Web publishers simply need to create a free AdSense account and copy and paste provided code to display the ads. Revenue using AdSense is generated on a per-click or per-impression basis. It is free to become a verified website publisher in the Google AdSense program.

~ read more at Webopedia’s Google Adsense

Google Adsense use both text ads and image ads. These ads are payed for by advertisers who want to promote their business, products, services, etc… Since these advertisers pay different prices for each ad they want to promote, the amount that you earn will vary each time someone clicks on the ad.

There are a couple of terms you want to get familiar with.

CPC (Cost Per Click) – Each time an ad is clicked, the advertiser is charged that amount.

CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) – What an advertiser is charged for every 1,000 readers, viewers, or listeners.

~Source: What Are 11 Alternatives You Can Use Besides Google Adsense?

AdSense Made Easy

When I first heard about AdSense, I didn’t act immediately. I put it on my “To Do” list, then I forgot about it for a while. Big mistake.

I finally got around to beginning the process of setting it up. Yes, it takes a bit of time to go through all the steps, but they are not hard steps to execute! When I realized this, I gave it a go.

Greg Narayan from Dear Blogger made a video that shows you how to get set up.

Possible Problems and Solutions

You might run into some problems, depending on the country in which you live, but Canadians and Americans are generally approved right away.

Related Articles that Solve Problems

Here are three articles that I’d recommend reading:

10 Simple Tips to Avoid Violating Google Adsense TOS (Wording Well note: TOS is an acronym for “Terms of Service”)

10 Places to Put Adsense Ads in Blogger

Other Ways to Earn Money through Blogging

It’s tough trying to learn how to earn money through your website. Everyone has an opinion on the *best* way to earn.

Of course, if any of you follow Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income, you’ll know that the *best* ways to earn money is to earn through multiple channels.

Most bloggers do this. They:

Final Note

Will earning through AdSense make you rich? Probably not. But it’s sure nice to earn some “free” money… for doing absolutely nothing!

Maybe one day I’ll earn as much as Daily Blog Tips and Daily Writing Tips do. 😉  They are getting around one million (or more) monthly page views, though, so I’m not sure if that day will come anytime soon.

But you never know what the future holds. 🙂

I just might start making money using YouTube! I’ve heard some good feedback regarding the video tutorial I made a couple of weeks ago on how to customize the size of your blog post images.

Give YOUR Input

How do YOU earn money through YOUR website? What is your *best* revenue stream?

Share in the comments IF YOU DARE, and let us all learn from one another!

I will accept donations if you feel like thanking me for this information!

68 thoughts on “How to Make Money Blogging by Doing NOTHING but using AdSense #BlogTrends

    • says

      I agree that it is trusted but it’s easier to make money online by selling digital products such as courses and e-books… and you’ll make even more money if you have services to offer others, like I do!

    • says

      Ibezim, I agree with you. But not every blogger is technologically adept. Sometimes they just install AdSense and get others to help them with the placements! Or they use a plugin!

  1. Hi Lorraine!

    I am trying to setup my Google Adsense account, and the account hasn’t been approved yet. When I log in I get the following message for a week or so:
    “We’re working on connecting your site.

    This usually takes up to 3 days, but in some cases, it can take a bit longer. We’ll email you when everything’s ready.”

    Is there anything I can do to speed up the process?

  2. Lorraine,
    Have you noticed a negative change these past 3 years?
    Ad blockers have become so popular since 2013 or so; I imagine it would require 2x the amount of traffic as before.

    Back in 2014, it wans’t uncommon for me to see $3 or more per day. I briefly re-enabled AdSense in 2016, and my results were more mixed with many bad days and some decent days. I will try things again in the future as my blog becomes more popular and I keep finding more suitable subjects.

    I’ve always been an AdSense fan, so hopefully it won’t ever die completely for the average blogger.

    Elvis

    • says

      Prince,
      What I’ve noticed is that any time you change your ad settings, earnings drastically fluctuate.
      I’ve actually hired someone to help me optimize my site for AdSense.
      There are a few different WordPress plugins you can use, too.
      Ad Injection, Ad Inserter, Advanced Ads, etc.
      Whatever you choose to use, be sure to comply with AdSense’s rules about how many ads should be placed on a page/post!

      Good luck to you!
      Lorraine

  3. Tammy says

    This is fantastic! Thank you Lorraine!
    I really need an extra income and this will be helpful. I am glad to follow you, I always learn something new!

  4. Neha Sharma says

    am using adsense from Last 2 months with a Traffic of near abut 5000 Per day but still earning in Cents only how to increase any tips ?

  5. Sowjanya @adsense rpm says

    Hi Lorraine!

    This is my first visit to your blog! Just one word, I’m impressed 🙂 Yes adsense is a great way to earn some passive income for bloggers, but not much for beginners. It mostly suits the intermediate bloggers, who are growing and have consistent traffic.While, beginners strive for traffic, experts thrive from traffic.So I believe, beginners can’t make alot from adsense. On the other hand, experts don’t care for adsense money (it is peanuts for them), they are busy creating and promoting their own products. What’s your opinion?
    Sowjanya @adsense rpm recently posted…15 Actionable Tips That Will Increase Your Adsense RPM

    • says

      Sowjanya, you’re right, you need to be an intermediate blogger to earn from AdSense. However, many new bloggers are earning a lot through event blogging!

      I agree with you about the experts. They, indeed, might earn a lot from AdSense, but their true earnings come from their own products, courses, services, etc.

  6. This is great post from you. I like that you added more ways by which we can earn money . I need your advice on creating e-book . I am into health so how can I start creating e-book of my own. It would be great if you share more ideas about it. By the way I have downloaded your e-book and will look into it soon. Smile

    • says

      Great to hear!

      Out of curiosity, are you blind? I ask because of your last word – smile. That is what another blind person I know wrote in a comment.

      And you can contact me privately for help with your e-book. Just email me.

  7. asad says

    I am regular reader of your blog and no doubt it all stuff is awesome. The best thing about your sharing and posting is that you always provide content that is helpful for both the newbie and experts. Looking for more stuff and tutorials.

  8. charan says

    Adsense is one the trust online source of making money and after affiliate marketing most of the people earn thousands of dollars every month through google adsense, but need a proper blog and good organic traffic. If you are getting 90% of traffic from search engine daily you will earn good passive income. thanks Lorraine for sharing your knowledge !

    • says

      Hi Charan. Thanks for commenting!

      You’re right. Organic traffic is needed in order to earn a substantial amount with AdSense.

      Your regular readers are not going to continually click on ads! 😉

      I’m glad you stopped by. 🙂

    • says

      Yes, I agree. But it is still nice to get a deposit into your account for doing nothing! 😉
      I like having extra spending money. Don’t you?

  9. says

    This is great post from you. I like that you added more ways by which we can earn money . I need your advice on creating e-book . I am into health so how can I start creating e-book of my own. It would be great if you share more ideas about it. By the way I have downloaded your e-book and will look into it soon. Smile

    • says

      Sunny, to write an ebook, all you have to do is write it and then upload it to Amazon.

      Well, there are a few more steps than that, and I can help you with them. I am an author assistant, after all. Hire me to help you get this going!

      I can also help you with the writing process if you get stuck.

      Check out my services page!

  10. MHMN says

    It sounds easy to read, but little harder to do. In my opinion, just focus on contents and SEO, later, money from adsense will come by itself.

      • MHMN says

        I do like above answer. Great answer. Sounds like a motivator. Some people had proved that. I read it regularly in my online adventure. I learn many things from this web and I love all the contents. I’ll come back regularly to read some posts that I missed. I have a simple question for you. What do you think about blog maintained by non-native English writer/speaker (contents of course contain some ungrammatical sentence)? Does it have a chance to be popular on google?

        • says

          If the writing is strong and contains very few grammatical errors, and the blog posts are super-helpful, then the blog stands a good chance of ranking high on Google.

  11. yourconcord.com says

    Thanks for sharing this nice informative post…Through this post i get some useful tips about adsense.. I was really planning to start with adsense, i think it can be a great source to earn online…keep sharing such useful posts.

  12. Alexa Davis says

    Hey Lorraine,
    It’s a good thing that you are earning money from AdSense, it is the best way to earn few extra bucks for us other than our real work. I also started my AdSense account recently to earn some extra bucks for me.
    BTW your article is really nice and well explained, I like it.
    Thanks for sharing 🙂
    – Alexa

  13. says

    Hah…Nice article Lorraine…. I’m an Adsense publisher since 2007 and to be honest it requires a lot of time to make money with them unless you hit the right keyword to drive traffic… 😉

    Regards,
    Preet

    • says

      Preet, I sure wouldn’t want AdSense to be my only source income, but it’s great to earn a few bucks on the side for doing NOTHING!

      LOL

  14. Hasnat Zaman says

    I just want to know how to put ads in every picture that my followers want to reblog because I see a blog of a girl put ads below of every pic she had.

  15. Jossef says

    Great jon Lorrain wish you more success in this year . There are better ways to make more from your traffic than adsence much better and more money, you need to exploar more options

  16. Great Post indeed here. I love to make money via Adsense always . it’s best option to make money from your website or blog . After the reading your this post I’m really happy because , today i learnt something new and interesting lesson from you.

    Thanks for Share 🙂

  17. Jenny J Robert says

    Well, you have done a good job with this post. I am familiar with Adsense. Currently, I use infolinks but, the pay is not good. Can you give me an idea of how much can be earned from Adsense if you are getting traffic from USA.
    500 visitors each day?
    I will glad if you answer it.Thanks.

    • says

      Jenny, I just signed up for Infolinks, actually, about three or four days ago. AdSense earnings are not much, about $55 per month. But it’s better than nothing! I hope this helps and answers your questions. How much do you make with Infolinks?

  18. Adrienne says

    Hey Lorraine,

    I’m happy that you’re happy making some money through Adsense. I as well used it years ago on my blogs I had where I promoted affiliate products. In my opinion it cheapened the site and my main goal was to make money through the avenues I was using so making pennies through people clicking on those types of ads didn’t really help me at all.

    Can you get rich from Adsense ads? Probably not but like you said if they want to make some money by not doing much then that’s probably a great way to go about it. Your advice and instructions are really great and I’m sure a big help to those eager to get started.

    Thanks for the mention and hope you’ve been having a wonderful holiday. Have fun ringing in the new year and stay safe.

    ~Adrienne

    • says

      Adrienne, thanks for your comment and the compliment!

      FYI, I use an ad blocker on my Chrome browser, and I’m sure many others do, too, and so I don’t see ads on any site I visit.

      Do you think my site is cheapened because I’ve installed AdSense on it? I don’t have it installed on every post…

  19. It can work out fine. I would warn some folks that Google, every once in a while, will find some posts that they might object to and remove your right to use it on your blog. They did that to me because of a word, not even because the post was salacious, and that was that for me.

  20. Carol Amato says

    Hi, Lorraine,

    Wow, so you started this past summer? Four years ago I put some Adsense on my blog, and didn’t like it, and took it off.

    Your post is a good thorough step-by-step guide. I don’t want it on my authority blog because it’s better to keep folks on my site, for me… but I may consider it for a little niche site I have.

    I’ve been using YouTube monetization methods for a while now, so may add the Adsense to my little gaming site.

    Thanks for the reminder, Lorraine – had totally forgotten about this.

    Hope you have a blessed Christmas.
    ˜Carol

    • says

      Carol, what is the name of you other site? What kind of monetization methods from YouTube are you currently using? Please share!

      Thanks for your comment, and the complimnent.

      I sure hope you share your earning tricks with the rest of us; I’d appreciate the help in educating the readers of this post! Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

  21. Brenda Lee says

    Hi Lorraine! New subscriber to your site!

    This sounds like a great way to earn money! Like you said, it starts with writing some fabulous posts and then a few tweaks but that’s cash in the bank! I’m creating a new site and I’m definitely going to look into Adsense. Doesn’t appear to add much more time to the post, so why not!

    Thanks again for sharing this with us! I look forward to learning more from you.

    • says

      Brenda Lee, it’s great to have you! I hope you grabbed your free ebook!

      Earning money by doing nothing (well, next-to-nothing) is a great way to get started with multiple revenue streams.

      Like I said, though, there are a few steps that need to be taken. Make sure you keep this checklist handy so you don’t forget anything!

      Thanks for your comment. FYI, your name has been entered (along with all the other commenters) into the well to win some free editing. 🙂

  22. Hi Lorraine,

    Thanks for the mention!

    It’s fun, when you get the prosperity ball rolling, and Adsense – and other – forms of passive income build up.

    I see it like a snowball, which builds into an avalanche. When you’re building something neat, creating value, and connecting with niche leaders, the targeted income streams you open up prosper you, both actively and passively.

    Tweeting now 😉

    Ryan

    • says

      Ryan, my prosperity ball began as one of those little high-sky balls. Remember them? They’re about as big as a cotton ball!

      Now it’s the size of a baseball. I’m hoping it’s going to be the size of a basketball and then beach ball in 2015. 😉

      Earning money through multiple streams is one of my goals. Actively, and passively, like I’ve been doing.

      Thanks for your comment and the share. Both are appreciated! 🙂

      Talk soon!

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