Do any kind on search on http://www.google.com  and you'll get a list of websites that match the search terms you type in. But you'll also get a number of ads down the right side of the screen that relate to your search terms as well. These are Google Adsense ads and they're created by advertisers the world over to promote their products and services.

Google is, in fact, broken into two networks - the search network and the content network. The search network is what's used to display the results of any searches you do within Google. The content network is all the websites out there in the internet that display Google Adsense ads (you see them everywhere these days).

Google Adsense

Adsense ads are contextual. That means that Google analyses the content of a webpage and decides what ads to display (so the webmaster doesn't have any control over what ads are displayed). You can specify a list of web address to ignore so that competitors' ads don't appear on your pages, but that's the only thing you can control.

Anyone who includes Google Adsense ads on their webpages gets paid a fee for each click. Those fees vary, depending on what the advertisers bid for their keywords. Most ads get between $0.05 and $0.20 per click. Google won't say what percentage of a keyword bid (what the advertiser pays to have his ad shown) is paid to a webmaster, but it's generally accepted to be about 50%. The highest bid for a keyword was $86.00, so that would have generated about $43.00 from one click alone!

Keywords

Finding such high-paying keywords is an art in itself and there are internet marketers who research these keywords and build webpages around them to get the the clicks and they make a very good full-time living from it as well.

For the general webpage, there are guides that will advise you on the best way to display Google Adsense ads on your pages in order to maximise the clicks you get from Adsense and therefore increase your earnings.

Using Google Adsense

One of the simplest things you can do to start generating some extra revenue is to install Google Adsense on your website. But there are some criteria you need to meet before Google will accept you into their program.

Adsense earnings for Aug. 2006. What could you do with an extra couple of hundred dollars each month? Some figures blurred due to Google's policy on displaying information.

Joel Comm (now colloquially know as Dr. Adsense) is the most successful internet marketer where Google Adsense is concerned. [However, Adsense isn't the only way way you can monetize your website. Joel has written a number of eBooks and Courses that educate people on how to make money from their websites.] While this page is dedicated to making money from Google Adsense (and only lists his Google eBooks/Courses), all of his eBooks come very highly recommended (having used them myself). If you'd like to be kept informed of special product promotions and discounts on his material, Sign Up Here .

How to Avoid Getting Rejected by the AdSense Program

it's free to join. Beware, though, Google will reject sites devoted to drugs, pornography, or gambling. They will also reject personal pages, sites with excessive advertising or other content-targeted or text-based ads, incentives for clicking on the keywords, profanity, or hate of any sort. You should read Google's Program Policies  before you apply.

You should also give your site the once-over to see if it meets Google's requirements so you don't get rejected. Use this checklist:

Providing you meet all these criteria, you should have no problem signing up with Google Adsense. You can apply using the button at right. If you're not that familiar with Adsense, it's worth your while taking the tour .

You only need to apply once, no matter how many websites you have. Once you're accepted, you can add Google Adsense ads to as many pages as you want on those websites.

OK, So You've Been Accepted Into Adsense - Now What?

It's time to start adding Google Adsense ads onto your pages. This article isn't about how you go about doing that. There are many sources available, but two that I've used successfully for my own sites are:

Or you can look for other Google Adsense helper products here:

The nice thing about Google Adsense is that once you've set up a page (and are happy with the ad layout), it runs on autopilot and at the end of each month, you collect your check.

How much you make depends on the number of visitors your pages get, how frequently they click on the ads and the amount Google pays for each click (which depends on the subject of the ad and how much the advertiser is willing to pay).

In a sense, it's money for nothing and at the very least, it's a way for you to cover the hosting fees for your website. Don't be discouraged if earnings start out low; it can take a while for things to ramp up, but it is possible to get a couple of hundred dollars or more a month this way without too much effort!

Below, you'll find a list of the best products in both the Adwords and Adsense categories. All are highly recommended, having being researched and tested. Those products that didn't make the grade have been excluded.