Introduction

Sometimes it's the small events that are the most exciting. Like the day I made three cents. Not three dollars. Not thirty dollars. Just three cents. And yet it was a very exciting event because of what those three cents represented.

I made those three cents the first time someone clicked an advertisement on one of my Web pages. And it was just the beginning. Every time an ad was clicked, I'd make money. The more visitors I had, the more money I'd make. The pages that I had created purely out of interest and paid for out of my own pocket could pay for themselves, or possibly even turn a profit. That's what was so exciting about those three cents.

The great thing was that it was really easy, because Google was doing all the hard work for me, through their free AdSense program. All I had to do was give them space on my pages to display the ads. They chose the ads, tracked the clicks, and charged the advertisers. Even better, they analyzed my pages and selected ads that were relevant to the topic of each page. All I had to do was keep my pages updated and do my best to attract a steady stream of visitors, which I was already doing. The truth was, anyone could do what I was doing!

Just as exciting was the day a few months later when the first check from Google arrived in my mailbox. It was a small check, but it was real. I almost framed it instead of cashing it!

That's what this book is all aboutthe excitement of making money with Google without having to be a computer expert. You'll need some Web pages, but I'll show you how to build those. Don't worry, there's no programming required! All you need is a computer and a connection to the Internet.