Whether you are a beginner or a long-time veteran of the online business scene, you may well have questions about how to earn money from Google ads. A great program that requires very little set-up and maintenance is Google's AdSense program. Once it is incorporated on a website, it will pretty much run by itself.

Of course, making money with Google ads is not an automatic process. As with all other online income opportunities, your first goal in order to succeed is to gain some technical know-how of how the Google AdSense program works. This will determine the amount of income that you will be able to generate.

There are a number of things that influence the ad placements on a website. Google ads are either textual or graphic advertisements that are displayed based on the content of a particular page or web article, the audience of a particular website, or the preferences of an advertiser. According to Google, 'keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the web' are the criteria that are used to decide which advertisements go on a particular web page. It is important to keep this in mind because it will help you decide the kind of content for your website.

To earn money from Google ads, website owners must consider the following criteria:

1. Are your articles well-targeted to your audience? Make sure that before you even consider signing up for a Google AdSense account that you spend time determining your market. Your readers are more likely to click on your website's advertisements if your articles and keywords are highly targeted.

2. Does most of your content generate targeted advertisements? The automated process of placing ads is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, Google ads lend themselves to the plug-and-play approach, which means that they can run on autopilot. The drawback of this is that you have very little control over what appears on your site. If your content does not generate targeted advertisements, chances are that you will not get enough ad clicks and revenue from your site.

3. What do you want your readers to do when they access your web page? Knowing the intent of your audience is important in order for you to generate income from Google ads. Some kinds of content are simply better than others in convincing people to click on advertisements. For example, an article that talks about the 'five best couches for living rooms' would likely do better than an article about the 'history of couches'. Why? Readers of the first article are very likely to be potential buyers, whilst the second article will possibly attract those who are just casual web surfers looking for something interesting to read. Obviously, those who are in 'purchasing mode' are more likely to click on the advertisements.

4. How well are your ads located on your website? If you want to generate AdSense revenue then you must have good content, but it is also very important that you find the right place on your web page to insert advertisements. There is no hard and fast rule about the best place to insert ads - it can vary from one site to another. However, Google says that in general, it is best to place advertisements as close as possible to web content. This is where it will command the most attention from readers.

5. Does your website properly integrate Search Engine Optimization techniques? It goes without saying that website traffic is the most important prerequisite in making money form Google ads. Using well-integrated keywords, meta tags, and other SEO techniques will help you acquire the online visibility you need to earn money from Google ads.