See my Google Adsense check from 12/20/2004.

Let me start off by saying, any person who owns or is thinking about creating a website would be crazy to ignore this. Earning money with your site, no matter the topic, has become easier than it's ever been before.

First of all, Google.com earns most of its money by allowing other website owners to advertise on their search result pages. Now you can earn a share of the revenue that Google earns by placing these same text ads on your site.  In other words, you're helping Google advertise.

The program is called Adsense.

I don't usually like to use the term "easy money" because there really is no such thing. You still have to create your own website and learn how to bring in traffic in order to make good money with this program. I certainly don't want to make it sound like you get something for doing absolutely nothing.

However, I've got to say that Adsense is the closest I've ever come to "fast cash" on the Internet.  And what's even better...the program is completely free.  You can add the ads to multiple websites and there is no limit to the amount you can earn.

I have been receiving monthly checks from Google since July of 2003. A colleague of mine earned $2,000 during his first month, and I've read numerous success stories of websites earning 5 digit incomes per month with Adsense.  There are no catches, hidden fees or tricks to success here.  All you need is a website that gets some traffic.

Now, a 5-digit income in a single month is not the norm for most participants.  My monthly checks usually range between $500 and $600, but it shows you what is possible if you learn how to capitalize on this opportunity. 

You can definitely earn a healthy profit if your site becomes popular and receives a lot of traffic.

Mark my words....

Every website owner should be involved in this.  It's just too good of an opportunity to pass up.  Even if your site is just for information purposes, you can still participate and make decent money with Adsense -- or at least enough to fund your website.

So if you are one of those people that don't like the idea of paying for a site, this is an excellent way to earn your money back and then some. Even if you earned as little as $10 in a month, it would more than likely cover some or all of the costs for your web site.  Or, if you are simply looking for ways to add additional revenue to your website, then it's perfect for that situation too.

This program is getting so popular, people are creating websites just to display the ads and profit from Google's Adsense alone.

How Adsense Works

If you go to Google.com and do a search for almost any keyword phrase, you'll notice some "Sponsored Links" that appear on the right side of the screen that are relevant to the keywords you just searched for.  You'll also see similar results when you do searches in MSN and other sites.

Website owners pay Google to display these ads and are charged a predetermined amount every time their ad gets clicked by a web surfer.

With the Adsense program, you will display these same text ads on your site just like Google and get paid for it.  All you do is copy and paste some provided HTML code into your pages and Voila! 

Every time an ad is clicked on your site, you will receive a certain percentage of what Google receives from the advertiser.

Once your account reaches $100, you'll receive a check in the mail.

"Is Google Crazy?"

I know what you're probably thinking...

"What's the catch here? Why would Google just give away money advertisers are paying them?" 

The answer...

Because Google is very smart.

Now that I understand how Adsense works, I can see that it's a win-win situation for everyone involved, and the bottom line benefits Google.

Let me explain...

Since the advertiser's ads are now being displayed on more web sites all over the internet (instead of just Google's site), they are getting much more exposure.  More exposure means more clicks and even more traffic for their site over a shorter period of time.

This is good news for Google because the more traffic the advertisers receive, the faster their advertising funds are used up.  Remember, they get charged every time their site gets a visit.  And of course, it is Google's hope that they'll continue to keep funneling more money into their account for more ad exposure.

What an ingenious way for Google to increase the amount of money they earn from advertisers while building loyalty with website owners (like us) who are now getting paid to help them advertise.

Of course, I'd expect nothing less from the #1 search engine on the web. :)

"How Much Can I Earn With Adsense?"

Google does not disclose exactly how much you'll earn per ad that is clicked.

The commission you receive per click depends on how much advertisers are paying Google for the particular ad. You will earn a share of that amount.  I've heard of earnings anywhere from 2 cents to $15 per click.

So it is logical to believe that keyword phrases like debt free, employment, make money, mp3, sex, etc. will earn you more per click since these are highly competitive keywords that are searched for quite a bit on the web. 

Advertisers generally pay more for competitive terms for obvious reasons.

Even though Google will not reveal how much you are earning for each ad that is clicked from your site, you can still login to your account at any time and see the total amount of revenue you've generated that day, week, month, year, etc.

For example, if you see that you've made $12.60 today from 9 clicks then you can calculate that your average click-thru commission was $1.40 per click.  That's as detailed as their stats will get.  And remember, that's only an average.  You'll still never know how much each specific ad brought in.

The amount you'll earn also depends largely on the amount of targeted traffic you receive to your own site, how well the ads match your audience's interests, the placement of the ads on your pages, and of course the amount you receive per click.

Ideally, you should create a site on a topic you know a lot about.  That way you'll have a much easier time creating a generous amount of content on that subject.  

How Google Matches the Ads to Your Site's Content

One of the main reasons this program is so successful is because the ads that are displayed closely match the content of your website.  This increases the chances that someone will click on the ads.

Here's how Google accomplishes the content match (in their own words)...

"...We go beyond simple keyword matching to understand the context and content of web pages. Based on an algorithm that includes such factors as keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the web, we know what a page is about, and can precisely match Google ads to each page."

So let's say you have an information website about yoga.  Once you join Adsense and paste their ad code into your site, Google's technology will determine the topic of the pages by scanning for keyword repeats, page title, etc.  

If successful, you will see ads that relate to yoga displayed on your web pages. Of course, the more related the ads are to your site's content, the better the click-thru.

Keep in mind, the ads may not be an exact match because it depends on the ads inside Google's database. So instead of seeing yoga ads, you may see more generic ads like exercise, healthy eating, etc.  This is not a bad thing because these are topics your visitors will likely be interested in as well. 

Why I Believe Adsense Works So Well

For years, website owners have tried to make money from their sites by putting up banner ads in hopes of visitors clicking them. The problem with banner ads is that the Internet audience is so immune to them, people do not click on them anymore.

When's the last time you clicked a banner ad?  

Exactly!

Second, in order for the web site owner to earn money from that banner ad, usually the web surfer that clicks has to purchase something.  With Adsense, your visitors just have to click the ads. They don't have to purchase anything.

Third, most people that use banner ads do not do a good job of matching the ads to the website's content so the click thru percentages are dismal.

With Google's Adsense, not only are you displaying text ads, (which tend to receive a much higher click-thru rate than banner ads), but you are displaying contextual ads that match your website's content....thanks to Google's advanced technology.

Tips on Succeeding With Adsense

Here are some tips for achieving success with Adsense.

1.  Create a website with your own domain name.  Don't try to use a free web host because your site will likely have banners and pop-ups and get rejected because it looks unprofessional.

Not to mention, a free web host will get you a web site address like this:

http://thefreewebhost.com/yoursite/member1234/home.html

instead of...

http://www.yoursite.com

See how much more clean and concise that last link is?

If paying for a website causes you to frown, remember the money you earn from Adsense could more than pay for the web hosting fees you'll incur. 

Look at it as an investment instead of a cost.  I never dreamed I'd be earning up to $600 in a month in such a short time.  My Adsense earnings clearly outweigh the few dollars I pay every month to maintain my sites.

2.  If the main goal of your site is to make money with Adsense, be sure to choose a topic that you know a lot about so you can write lots of content.

Don't like to write?  No problem! There are sites like www.articlecity.com that provide content for free.  Just search their database and find articles that match the theme of your site.

3.  Speaking of traffic, once your site is up and running you'll need to learn how to get your site listed in the major search engines. 

Getting into Google is completely free right now and can bring in hundreds or even thousands of visitors per day.  All you have to do is submit your site to The Open Directory (free) and within 6-8 weeks your site will begin showing up in Google.

It can take a while to get into the Open Directory, plus they don't accept every site. So make sure your website is in tip-top shape and has a clear focus with solid, unique content. 

Once you have at least 15 to 20 pages, visit their site, find your site's category and suggest it to one of the editors using their suggestion form.  It can take a while before someone reviews it, but it's worth it because a listing here is almost a guaranteed spot in Google's engine.

You can also try to get into Google by submitting your site at www.google.com/addurl.html, however many have found this is not always guaranteed.  It certainly can't hurt to try, though.

You'll also find that once you start appearing in one or two search engines, others will start adding your site as well. There is lots of free traffic out there and most of it comes from the good ole search engines.

4. Also, partner up with other related sites and participate in link swaps.  This means that you place a link to another person's site on your own site and they do the same for you in return.  This is a great way to get even more free traffic.

5. Don't be a copycat!  I read an article about a lazy person that copied someone else's content word for word and pasted on their own site.  They tried to join Adsense and they were rejected for unauthentic content.  I don't know how Google found out their site was a duplicate of someone else's but they did.

It's not worth the risk.  With sites like www.articlecity.com that provide free content for you to use, there's no reason to copy off someone else's site.  Be original.  Laziness always comes to bite you in the long-run.

How to Join Adsense

After you have created your website and you're starting to get some traffic, go to https://www.google.com/adsense to apply. 

Most sites are either accepted or rejected within 24 to 48 hours, so you shouldn't have to wait too long to find out if your application has been approved.

Once you've been accepted, simply copy and paste the provided HTML code into any page that you'd like to show the ads. If you've done a good job of defining the content on your web pages, the ads that show should be relevant to the content of your page...increasing the chances of click-thrus by your visitors.

You can either display the ads vertically along side the page like Google does or in a banner-like formation horizontally across your pages.  The placement is up to you.  You can even customize the colors to match your site's theme.

If Your Site Is Rejected...

If you receive that email from Google stating that your site has not been accepted, the first thing you should remember is that as an Adsense member, you are a partner and are representing Google.

They have to make sure the websites that display these ads are up to par or they could run the risk of losing advertisers.  Imagine if you were paying Google to display your ad and you found it showing up on a poorly developed, junky website.

Of course, if your site is rejected, it doesn't mean it is poorly developed.  There may be other reasons:

1) Is your site an "About Me" page?  

Google does not usually accept these kinds of personal sites because most of them do not have a specific topic or theme.  They are usually just random facts about the website owner. It would be difficult for Google's technology to display targeted ads on these kinds of pages.

They are looking for "theme" sites that contain a generous amount of information on a specific topic.  It could be anything from sewing tips to sports.  Just make sure there is an obvious theme with enough information.

2) Is your site organized? 

Be sure your site has a neat and clean navigation that's easy to follow.  Also ensure all the links work and that there are no typos.  Keep the colors to a minimum and make sure each page has a consistent layout.

3) How many pages are on your site? 

Even though Google doesn't specify a page number requirement, many believe they are looking for web sites with a certain amount of content.  Again, it's not likely a two-page site will get accepted.  Try to strive for at least 15 pages.

4) Is your content solid? 

Don't just submit a website with a bunch of links to other sites.  Be sure you have enough original content of your own to make your site unique.

5) Is your site an exact carbon copy of someone else's? 

Some believe Google can find out if your site is original or not. Don't risk it and steal from someone else.  It will come back to haunt you.

If you're stuck, write a few articles of your own and then go to sites like www.articlecity.com and sprinkle a few of their articles around your site to beef it up.