How to guarantee Google AdSense always shows revenue-generating ads on your site.

• I have a Google AdSense account and was told I can add an alternate affiliate ad that shows up in place of the Google public service announcements (PSAs, the non-profit ads Google shows when they don't have any other ads to display on your site).

  Since I don't get paid for those PSAs, I would like to display alternate affiliate ads so I can show more ads that actually earn me money. Google's instructions aren't really clear. Can you help?

Answer: Although supporting non-profits is important, you're correct that you could be wasting a lot of ad views—and a lot of money—by not replacing those public service ads (PSAs) with an alternate ad that generates revenue.

Google displays PSAs if your account is still so new that Google hasn't determined what your pages are about, or if there's no other ad inventory to display. Filling that space with an alternate ad of your choosing is a great way to ensure you are fully monetizing your web site for every visitor.

The process isn't difficult and involves uploading an image to your server (such as an affiliate ad, an alternate PSA of your choosing or an ad promoting your site) that will be served automatically by Google when the need arises. I'll go ahead and break down the process in 9 easy steps

1. Select an image ad size that is the same size as the ad you want to replace. If the ad size you want to replace is a 468x60 banner, make sure your replacement ad is sized 468x60.

   Create images for each ad size you want to replace. AdSense does not auto-resize ads, so if you serve more than one ad size on your site you need to upload alternate ads in each format.

2. Create a new blank webpage for each of your replacement ads. No title or meta information is necessary on these pages, just a small amount of HTML code.

   Place on this page either the ad code from an affiliate program (such as a banner from Commission Junction or PSAs ...