Contextual Advertising is a relatively new form of advertising on the web that will consider the context of the site, a page or a search query, to display ads from advertisers that correspond to the topic. Its usual form is text-based, using regular hyperlinks, sometimes small graphics and brief descriptions to attract users that may be interested. It is usually highly targetted and is better accepted by users because it is less obstrusive, less bandwith hungry and more relevant than the classic graphical banners. For example, a web page about photography will automatically draw advertisers selling cameras and other photo related accessories. It also has the benefits of making the job of a web publisher easier to find sponsors, as the contextual advertising company acts as an automatic middle man between publishers and advertisers, who bid for specific keywords using an auction system. 
The same can be said for advertisers, since they now have access to thousands of possible web sites to automatically advertise on. It usually works as Pay per Click, meaning the publisher only generate revenues when a user actively click on an ad, as opposed to Pay per Impressions, an older system that generates revenue based on the number of time the ad is displayed.
Google was on the forefront of this innovation when they created Google Adsense, the first major contextual advertising program. In the beginning, these new ads appeared with their search engine, but they soon expanded it to include webmasters and their web sites, which they named their "Content Network". Using a few ligns of Javascript code, publishers could insert Adsense on their web pages and it would then automatically serve relevant ads using Google's search algorithm. Google also considers other factors such as the geographical location of visitors and their languages, so ads can actually be different for each visitor. Other companies followed with similar programs, but they lacked the sophistication of Adsense since they demanded specific keywords from webmasters instead of detecting them on their pages. Other big players on the web are now slowly embracing this terrific new marketing technology, such as the Yahoo! Publisher Network and MSN adCenter. Contextual Advertising is making it now possible for smaller webmasters and publishers who own small hobby sites to monetize their efforts without spending all their time dealing with appropriate sponsors that may not necessarly be interested with smaller sites when taken on an individual level.
AdSense is the fastest and easiest way to make money online. A program owned by the biggest search engine on the internet known as Google. Occupied with thousands of webmasters worldwide using this program daily to make money. AdSense is an alternative from the traditional banner ads placed at the top and bottom of websites of that are based upon a commission per sale basis. AdSense is for all types of publishers from some one receiving as little as 1 hit per day to 1 million hits per day on their website. In a simple formula more hits make more money, though this is not just one sole method as there are also other techniques, skills and secrets that play major roles, these are mentioned in further detail below.
From corporate companies to small and medium businesses all wishing to promote their products and services, they submit ads to Google by paying a fee for them to be displayed on Google’s affiliate’s websites. This gives the advertisers superior coverage on a global level. Once the ads are displayed on the affiliate’s site (your website), a website visitor will click on the ad; Google will instantaneously credit the affiliate a percentage of what the advertiser paid to Google. It’s as simple as that! This advertising model is known as PPC. (Pay Per Click)
AdSense is a risk free service that requires no investment at any stage to participate. It’s probably the world’s biggest advertising network built on such an immense scale in such a short period of time. You too can become an affiliate and earn money from your website by using our techniques. We are dedicated to show you how to join this massive network of affiliates and start making money from your website.
As an individual, there are no special requirements one has to meet to participate to get into the action. Unlike other countless money making techniques on the internet that promise huge returns with no results, AdSense is proven to be different. With the credibility of the internets biggest search engine Google, now worth $147 billion, AdSense truly is a great way to earn extra cash.
Since its launch in June 2003, the total Google pay out to its publishers whom use the AdSense program in the first quarter of 2005 was $2.25 billion dollars. Starting from a minute competitor to major search engines of the likes of Yahoo, it has risen to what advertisers describe as a religion rather than a company. Leaving let alone Yahoo behind but even established companies like Microsoft that have been around since April 1975 calculating with up to 28 years more experience, Google cleans the market when it comes to share prices. What’s more, within the online search advertising industry Google is marked the biggest player the world has seen to date.
YPN, known as Yahoo Publisher Network is Yahoo’s proprietary contextual advertising program. This is the main rival for Google AdSense. A great competitor, whom all international publishers are impatiently waiting to see, of what effect the program has to Google AdSense. Whilst YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) is currently in beta testing stage and have been since August 3, 2005. This program is only available currently on a national level to USA publishers and accepts only US traffic. Unlike Google, YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) does not credit publishers accounts for international clicks.
Publishers working within the USA are providing excellent feedback with regards to high payouts on clicks made by only USA internet traffic. This gives international publishers an insight upon the possibilities and great potential with YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) when they do go international.
YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) are still optimizing their systems to provide accurately targeted ads, at the same time, Google seem to have perfected their technology to its climax. This gives Google AdSense the upper hand when it comes to a publisher choosing from YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) and Google AdSense. Both Competitors are battling on the contextual advertising market field, though it does seem that Google seems to be less worried about this as it has to an extent, left Yahoo behind due purely to timely delivery of its services.
Despite this, it seems to be an advantage to US publishers wherein they are able to make maximum earnings with YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) high payouts. This approach of YPN (Yahoo Publisher network) is
working very effectively as an incentive to join their program, as oppose to joining their rivals, Google AdSense. To say this was not enough, even existing publishers of Google AdSense are migrating over to YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network). Their motive purely, due to being able to make more money with the YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network) program.