One Step Ahead

You may already be familiar with Google's AdSense program, which allows you to display Google ads on your Web pages, in return for a share of the commission if somebody clicks on the ad. It's a very popular program for people who publish high-content Web sites that get lots of site visitors.

Now Google has taken this to the next level. You can insert a Google search box on your Web site, and you get to share in the revenue if people use that box to search Google and then click on an ad. It's a logical extension of the AdSense program, and just another way that Google helps you to make money.

AdSense - both the original and the new version - can be an excellent money-making tool for you. However, before you rush out to add this to your Web site, remember that the big downside is that as soon as somebody clicks on a Google ad on your Web site, they immediately leave your site and might never return. So weigh up the cost of losing that visitor against the revenue you're likely to get from Google.