Google’s come-one, come-all advertising programs (AdWords and AdSense) are enticing to every Webmaster with entrepreneurial inclinations. “The main   Google index — a marketing venue in itself — presents you with three significant opportunities for business growth:”  [1] Google search listings. Getting into the listings (see Chapter 2) is the first major step. As you work your way in, concentrate on building up your PageRank (see Chapter 3). Many Webmasters attain ongoing success without any advertising by fighting for and retaining a high searchpage position for important keywords (see Chapter 4). [1] AdWords. Google’s search advertising program, AdWords increases presence and drives traffic. And the first part — increasing presence — is free. AdWords ads appear on the right side (and sometimes at the top) of Google search pages. Advertisers pay for their ad only when a Google 18 Part I: Meeting the Other Side of Google user clicks on it. The AdWords program offers a quick way to place your site on a search resu lts page without necessarily being in the Google index. (Part II explores AdWords in detail.) AdSense. Google’s ad-syndication program, AdSense is a method of making money on your site. Webmasters in the AdSense program display AdWords ads on their pages and share advertiser payments with Google. The goal of an AdSense page is to get visitors to scoot off the page by clicking an ad. The ads are supplied by Google, and in fact are the same AdWords you see on Google search results pages. When a visitor clicks one, the AdSense publisher shares the cost-per-click ad revenue with Google. Participating in the AdSense program is free to any qualifying page or site. (Part III fully describes the AdSense program.) The three marketing venues just described — search listings, AdWords, and AdSense — roughly correspond to three business activities. Understanding how and to what degree to approach these three activities helps guide you toward the best Google marketing service for your talent and taste: [1] Optimize. Site opt imization is ongoing, detail-minded work that asks for  writing talent, organizational skill, a willingness to update and tweak daily, and an eagerness to stay on top of an evolving field. Optimization is the foremost activity for those aspiring to climb upwards to greater visibility in Google’s search results listings. Don’t forget, though, that certain optimization tasks are necessary in all aspects of online marketing. To some extent, site optimization is integral to every site’s greater success. If you love to optimize, climbing the listings is your marketing arena. (Chapter 4 is all about optimization.) [1] Publicize. If your site has the goods — by which I mean great information, saleable products, interactive features, or an essential service — the slow grind of optimization might be too gradual a path for you. If you’re ready to transact business now and are confident in your site’s ability to convert visitors without an optimization overhaul, advertising might be your bet. AdWords offers a cost-efficie nt method of sending qualified leads to your domain. You pay by the click — which means you’re buying actual visitors, not ad displays — so your return on investment (ROI) depends on your site’s ability to convert. As you learn in Part II, you can strictly control your costs in AdWords by placing a ceiling on the amount you pay per click and on your overall expenditures. [1] Monetize. If you don’t sell products, and want your site itself to generate revenue, AdSense is a program made for your entrepreneurial needs. AdSense is a free way to join Google’s advertising network and display AdWords ads. Revenue earned in this manner — by publishing ads that generate income — is called passive revenue. Unlike the busy lifestyle of fulfilling orders taken through a Web site, the passive-revenue lifestyle lets the site do the work, not you.