I had already sampled Joels work when I read his original ebook "What Google Never Told You About Adsense", so I had high expectations of this physical Adsense training book. I have to say Joel didn't disappoint me this time either.
To start with The Adsense Code begins with the basics which anyone just starting out with Adsense will find useful as a quick reference to get them up and running. As someone who has been using Adsense for a while I found this section could be skimmed, although there are some tips you may still find useful even if you have used Adsense on your sites for a while. Some of the stuff in the first few chapters will jog your memory and remind you of somethings you already know but forget to use.
After the initial setup Joel gets right on with the stuff you bought the book for, the correct way to implement Adsense for maximum profits. His tips are all backed with his real life testing and tuning, but even so he is ready to admit that there is no one size fits all when it comes to ad placement and colour usage in the adblocks, think blending in the Adsense blocks to not look like ads and you are getting close. He also reveals what Adsense blocks work best and where, as well as caveats when this advice doesn't quite work out to be true.
After the initial setting up, and placement, The Adsense Code goes further into testing and tracking to get the maximum CTR (Click Through Rate) for your Adsense blocks. Joel mentions some of the tools he uses for tracking and gives you a more in depth knowledge of how to use the tracking Google has already given to Adsense publishers with the "Channels" you can use to track your Adsense effectiveness with. This is a useful read for anyone who wants to make the most of every block of Adsense ads.
The other parts of the book briefly (sometimes it seems a little too briefly) cover the topics of content sites, search engine optimisation and using your website stats to help you increase your traffic. The section on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) could have been a little more in depth, although this is a huge subject which deservedly has more than enough books and ebooks written about it, it could have had a little more than the 8 pages devoted to it, but then this book isn't about getting traffic, it's about making the most from what you already get.
In summing up, The Adsense Code by Joel Comm is an ideal book for the beginner to intermediate Adsense publisher, and will help improve their Adsense earnings. If you are already earning a living from Adsense this will offer only a little backup reference information for you. The Adsense Code covers the core subject for which it was written in great detail, in an easy to understand way without being patronising. My advice is if you are earning less than a few hundred dollars a month from Adsense but would like to do better then this is the book to buy, and keep referring back to as you improve your earnings.