Chapter 7. Understanding Google, AdSense, and AdWords

Google is a colossus that sits astride access to information on the World Wide Web. Ubiquitous, useful, and often imitatedbut seldom equaledGoogle has lent its name to a verb: to google something (or someone) is to search for the thing or person on the Web. Google is also a forward-looking corporation filled with brilliant thinkers and one of the largest companies in the world in terms of market capitalization.

The primary focus of this book is making money with the Google advertising applications: the AdSense and AdWords programs. These programs are closely related to Google's searching technology. AdSense ads are placed on your web site depending on the context of your site (in other words, Google's analysis of how your site is likely to be found). And AdWords ads are targeted using keywords and phrasesthe same keywords and phrases used when searching for something with Google.

The close relationship between Google web searching technology and the advertising programs means that it is important to understand a little about the syntax of Google searches when working with the AdSense program or crafting AdWord campaigns. It's not that I propose to teach you how to use Google to search in this book. Rather, you need a sense of how others may be using Google to search when they come across your sites or ads.

To get the most out of working with Google, you also need to understand the parts of Google. It's not easy to get a grasp on what Google is and what Google does, besides web searching. For a phenomenon of its magnitude, the parts of Google are surprisingly unintegrated. This chapter starts with an overview explaining the parts of Google and what they do so that you'll get a sense of what Google resources may be available to you and how all these moving parts work together (or don't work together).

After explaining Google's search syntax and exploring what Google has to offer generally, this chapter drills down on Google's role as an automated advertising broker with these programs and explains, in general terms, how these programs relate and how you work with them.