One Reason Why I Like Adsense

[ember]

So I was approached by a video ad network. I rarely try anyone new but they looked interesting. Put the ads on, and they are in Italian (neither my site or audience are Italian). Can't change the ads. I write to support twice. No response. I write to the gal who originally contacted me, and the email bounces back. Twice.

I approach a reputable company about advertising. We negotiate and go back and forth for about a month. Email, phone, etc. I finally tell them I am ready to commit, and they stop communicating. Just stop. No explanation. Nothing.

Say what you will about Adsense, but at least they are there. They are not flaky. They are generally professional. They always pay on time. That really does count for something these days.

[IanTurner]

I agree with you on the generally professional, pay on time and reliable.

I would also say that they keep 'dodgy' ads off the network effectively and give you the ability to block specific advertisers.

[Rasputin]

They are worldwide - I get lots of UK or US or French ad companies who can supply ads for their own country but not others, and their support is much better now they can be emailed with questions.
I also like the fact they make no claims about earnings potential - I don't know how many companies have promised to increase my earnings with their 'premium advertisers' but they never do, so I have given up trying.
Certainly there is room for improvement (wrong language ads shown, blank and empty ads shown, same ad multiple times on a page, often slow page loading down, random use of unsuitable formats and colours for text ads, unclear smartpricing policies...) but IMO they are still the best ad network around.

[magician]

Dealing with advertisers and small ad networks is pain. I rather devote this time to content development and website development. Adsense saves time and thus money.

[CommandDork]

Adsense reporting for me has been the best in the business. No other network even comes close to its depth - if you like numbers you can spend hours trying to decipher the latest ad/traffic trends.

[NickMNS]

I agree with basically everything said thus far. I would just like to add about the promises of higher CPCs, I have also heard this often, I think an important point that needs to be highlighted is that CPC isn't everything. Getting paid 1$ per click with a CTR of 0.1% is the same as getting paid $0.10 per click with a CTR 1%.

I believe that Adsense's true competitive advantage is its ability to match user with ads thus increasing the CTR.

[iamlost]

I like AdSense because it:
* changed my entire webdev revenue focus 13 years ago, an unexpected road down which to travel
* made my sites profitable far earlier than expected and continue to be a valuable, if tertiary, revenue stream
Note: in order of value: direct ad space sales, direct affiliate relationships, AdSense ad default, Amazon affiliate default.
* is about as simple and easy a revenue option as could be
* is a fabulous default from which to fund growth and other revenue streams.

[EditorialGuy]

I like AdSense because:

1) It's worldwide, as Rasputin pointed out. Most ad networks and rep firms aren't.

2) It's "set and forget," or at least it is for me.

3) Google pays reliably and on time.

[tangor]

This says it all: [youtube.com...]