How to implement AdSense Host APIs for revenue sharing
Are you looking for tutorials to implement Google AdSense APIs? Read our simple tutorials to learn how to implement an AdSense revenue sharing program in your website using Google AdSense Host APIs
Introduction to Google Adsense Host APIs
In this section, I will give an introduction to Google AdSense Host APIs, which is a set of APIs from Google to share AdSense revenue in websites. If you are planning to implement AdSense revenue sharing program or just want to learn what is Google AdSense Host APIs, read this chapter. What is Google AdSense Host API?
Google AdSense Host APIs are APIs from Google that enables websites to programmatically interact with Google AdSense system and implement a revenue sharing program in their websites to share AdSense revenue with the authors.
Here is an overview of how AdSense Host API revenue sharing program works:
Premium websites that have atleast 100,000 page views per day can apply for access to AdSense Host API program. The approval and implementation is a sophisticated process and may require several weeks of implementation by your developers and then various levels of verification by Google AdSense API team.
AdSense Host APIs can be accessed using any standard web development platforms and uses "REST" technology, which is the modern standard for communication across web based systems. The REST based API system was introduced with the version 4.1 of host APIs. The previous versions were using WSDL based web services, which had lot of compatibility issues with various platforms like .NET.Approval Procedure to Use AdSense Host APIs
AdSense Host APIs are available only up on prior approval and is not freely accessible like many other Google APIs. If a website want to use the AdSense Host APIs, it need to make a request to Google.
Also Read: www.google.com/adsense/ and apply directly with Google. The AdSense Host Partner site (the site which has implemented AdSense Host APIs) can implement the same feature in their website and allow their authors to create an AdSense account.
Even though the AdSense account creation process is initiated in the Host Partner Site, during the process, the author will be redirected to Google's website to continue the sign up process. Once the AdSense sign up process is completed, user will be redirected back to a page in the host site to complete the association with the host site.
When the user is redirected back to the host site, there will be few parameters specified in the url, which provide the details of the new account. The host site will need to store this information locally so that it can use the same for making calls to various AdSense Host APIs later.What is a Host Partner Site?
Read this section to learn what is a Host Partner Site in the context of Google AdSense program.
Here is the definition of Host Partner Site, according to Google:
"Host partners allow you to monetize the content you create on their websites by linking it to your AdSense account".
Let me explain in detail with some examples. Host Partner Sites are websites that are approved by Google to use Google AdSense APIs to share AdSense revenue with content authors (publishers).
Currently, there are 2 different ways websites implement AdSense revenue sharing with content writers:
1. By allowing you to specify your AdSense pub-id and then using that pub-id in some standard AdSense ad code which is inserted in to your content for a fixed percentage of rotations to share AdSense revenue with you. If the website like to share 50% AdSense revenue with you, your pub id will be used 60% of the times and their own ad code will be used remaining 40% of the times.
2. By using AdSense APIs, the Host Partner website can generate ad code from your AdSense account. Such ad code will have a special tag in it indicating the revenue will be shared between the publisher account and the host account.
Example:
google_ad_client="pub-xxxxxxxxxxxx";
google_ad_host="pub-yyyyyyyyyyyy";
In the second case, the same ad code will be used 100% of the times but revenue will be split between host AdSense account and publisher account as agreed between Google and the Host site, which is disclosed to the publishers as well. You can see the Host Partner Sites which are linked with your AdSense accounts from your AdSense Account Settings page. You may enable or disable access anytime.
How to become How Partner Site
Your website has to meet strict quality and traffic criteria to be eligible to apply for an AdSense Host API account. As of now, Google requires your site to have minimum 100,000 page views per day to be eligible to apply for Host API account.
Google recently introduced a limitation for AdSense accounts created through Host Partner Sites. According to this limitation, you can use such AdSense accounts only in Host Partner Sites and not in normal websites. However, it is possible to apply for further review and lift this limitation.
Techulator.com uses an approved Host API account to share revenue with our authors. If you don't have an AdSense account, you can apply through our AdSense revenue sharing program and start earning revenue from your policy complaint content posted in this site. Criteria to get accepted into Google AdSense API revenue sharing program
In this section, you can learn about the criteria to get participate in the AdSense Host API based revenue sharing program.
One of the basic requirements to become a AdSense Host API Partner site is, your website should be receiving minimum 100,000 page views per day.
Also Read: Difference between AdSense Management API and AdSense Host API
Since Google has no access to your traffic tracking tools, I am sure Google will be relying on various third party ranking systems, which may or may not give accurate statistics. It is quite possible that Google will only look at the overall ranking/popularity of the site and not the exact number of page views since they have no way to find it out. If your site is receiving the minimum page views but Google is not convinced, you may send your traffic reports to Google.
If you have multiple sites and if they all together have the 100,000 page views per day, that is not enough. Google is expecting you to have the required traffic per site and not across multiple sites together.
Also, if your site does not meet the traffic criteria currently but you expect to meet it in future, that is not enough. Google expect your site to have the required traffic at the time of submitting your AdSense Host API implementation for review.Other eligibility criteria for AdSense API revenue sharing program
The 100,000 page views per day requirement is just one of many requirements to get accepted in to the AdSense API program. Your website should follow all AdSense terms and conditions and the content should comply with Google AdSense program policies. Google Host APIs are meant for premium sites which provide unique and original content. If your site is publishing un-moderated user content, you may not be eligible for this program. Even though the AdSense account of the author will be used in the user generated content page, as a host, you are responsible for maintaining high quality content in your website.Technical and Policy Requirements
In addition to the minimum traffic requirements, you site must also meet the technical and policy requirements to participate in the AdSense Host API program. Many of these requirements can be implemented during the development process.
Read moreon Technical requirements.
Read more on Policy requirements.How to integrate AdSense Host APIs to your website
In this section, I will give an overview of the process involved in integrating AdSense Host APIs to your website.
Let us take a look at the process involved in integrating AdSense APIs to implement AdSense revenue sharing program in a website. Overview of AdSense Host API implementation process
Integrating AdSense Host APIs in a website to share AdSense revenue require significant amount of development and manual review and verification of the implementation by Google API team. Here is an overview of the process:
Eligibility and Requirements: In order to integrate AdSense Host APIs, a website should get approval from Google. One of the eligibility criteria is 100,000 page views per day for the site on which you want to integrate AdSense Host APIs.
Accept the terms and conditions: Make sure you read and understand the Adsense Host API terms & conditions. Make sure your site comply with the terms and conditions. In addition to Host API terms, you site must also comply with AdSense terms & conditions and AdSense policies. Make any changes or tuning that is required to make your site fully comply with all requirements.
Submit your plan to Google: You must write up a business model and revenue sharing plan. Clearly explain how are you planning to use Google AdSense APIs, what is your business model etc. Submit the detailed business plan to Google by sending an email to adsenseapi-support@google.com. Google will review your proposal and will give you additional instructions to get started. You may be asked to make changes to your plan to better suite the AdSense Host API program policies. (This step is very important. Until you get approval from Google for your business plan, you will not be able to proceed with the remaining process.)
Also See: AdSense revenue sharing websites versus having own website or blog
Start development and implementation: Once your initial business plan is approved by Google and you receive an email confirmation that you can get started, you can start the development. Google has published several client libraries to help you integrate AdSense Host APIs with your site with minimal efforts. However, it still require good amount of coding effort to use the client libraries and implement AdSense API based revenue sharing program. During the development phase, make sure your site implements all the technical requirements and policy requirements
Submit implementation for review: Once you are done with your development, you need to submit your implementation for review by Google. During this time, the pages where you implement AdSense revenue sharing should be hidden from public. Remember you are implementing the AdSense Host APIs on a site that already receive more than 100,000 page views per day, so you need to take extra care to make sure the new implementation does not affect existing site. Read more about the review process.
Go Live with your AdSense Host API implementation: During your development phase, you will be using the APIs against a test server of AdSense instead of the AdSense Live server. This test environment is called "Sandbox". When you use APIs during the development phase, they will be working with the data in the sandbox server. Once your site is approved by Google, you will switch to work against the live server. Typically, there will not be any changes required for your code when you make the final switch to the live server, except some configuration.
Read more about the AdSense revenue sharing implementation process.
