Google Adsense

In case you're not aware, Adsense are the little Google ads that occasionally pop up within sites like this one, providing webmasters with an excellent source of revenue.

Google Adsense

The process goes like this: Google "reads" the page using artificial intelligence, breaking it up into:

• words
• keywords
• phrases
• 2-word phrases, 3-word phrases
• colloquialisms
• link text going out
• links text coming in etc.

...and if the webmaster has added some special Adsense java code to his pages, Google can suggest "relevant" (read: contextual or keyword orientated) ads that a site visitor might be interested in. If the visitor clicks on the ad, the site owner receives a commission, revenue which increases as the site becomes more "reputable" in Google's eyes.

The ads don't appear out of nowhere. They are, in fact, Adwords advertisements that the advertisers have (often unwittingly) OK-ed to also appear in Google's affiliated partners as Google Adsense. So, if you have interesting content on your site, you may consider signing up for a Google account and making some money yourself.

Because the process is actually the inverse of Adwords, the results are far less dynamic and you, as a website owner can tweak the size, positioning, color etc. of the ads as much as you like and see how you can maximize your revenue. Here's website owner Chris Prillo giving his Adsense story:

There's a lot more to it than that, though and I'm recommending four products which I believe you will be of great use to you if you choose to monetize your site this way: 

1  Michael Cheney's Adsense Videos for beginners and intermediary, a great introduction with awesome extras. Please don't overlook this one, I give it top marks as it would have helped me earn a lot of money if I'd had it a couple of years ago

2     If you choose to work Google Adsense as a business, you'll need a good keyword research tool. I recommend Keyword Elite, from Brad Callan's Bryxen software

3     Keyword Explosion Jonathon Leger's extremely helpful database of 3.4 million Adwords keywords, their top bid and the number of times that they're clicked per day. I bio;d my adsens sites around this data   

4  Adsense Gold  Again from Jonathon Leger, a tracking script which monitors the Adsense earned on every page of every website that you have. A must-have for both intermediary and experienced Google Adsense publishers 

When you create Adsense pages, it's worth bearing in mind that you can further monetize your pages through Affiliate Marketing with:

• Amazon &
• Clickbank

You shouldn't forget that other search engines also provide similar revenue-raising options, as does Clickbank, although I don't recommend the latter as the text is often pitching to the affiliate about commissions rather than  to the purchaser about the product's merits e.g.

Rocket Spanish Cutting Edge Product! High Conversions! High Searches, Check Out 'Learn Spanish' In Overture Or Google. *New* $100 Max Payout!

...which, as you might imagine doesn't look great.

See also:

• Google's Official Adsense blog
• here's something you must check out, a skeptical-of-Adsense rave from June 2003, when Google first launched the program) by Pamela Parker, a then-web advertising hotshot. She makes some valid points but, boy, she screwed up, big-time!