Google has announced another new and slightly innovative twist to its contextual advertising schemes, paid advertising on smaller sites. Called, "AdSense", the program is the second phase of Google's contextual paid-advertising strategy. If your website meets a fairly broad criteria, you can sign up to have advertisements from similarly themed businesses placed on your website. The ads, which come in standard banner or skyscraper format, are randomly generated but based on the topic of your site. Website owners will be paid a small percentage of click-through rate, much like Amazon.Com's affiliate advertising program.

Ad Sense makes sense on a number of levels. Webmasters of smaller sites have long waited for a means of making their websites pay for themselves and, like other forms of mass media, advertising continues to appear to be the only way of generating income from the provision of information. Site owners should watch out for the obvious pratfall that may come of this program, inadvertently advertising your competitor's sites on your own. Google will allow webmasters to filter out up to 200 URLs, guaranteeing that if you are diligent, you will not likely display your competitor's advertisement.

Google co-founder Larry Page is quick to point out that participation in this, or any other paid-advertising campaign run through Google will have no effect on your placement in the traditional search results. Thus far, Google has been very good about preventing payment from affecting placement. For more information about Google's AdSense, please visit this link.

Santa Fe Gold Doggie Treats are an all natural, non-additive treat for you best friend. Developed by Santa Fe pet owner, John Hawkins and extensively tested by Rosie, (John's best friend), Santa Fe Doggie Treats have become a favorite in the US South West and are poised to become a staple on the shelves of pet food stores across North America. Doggie Treats are made only from USDA inspected beef cooked to perfection. As in all special things, extra care and attention to quality produces a jerky that is noticeably superior and will command your pet's attention.

Fully approved and registered with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Santa Fe Doggie Treats are worth looking for in your local store. If you are interested, John is offering free samples. To find out more, please follow this link to Santa Fe Doggie Treats.

I don’t want to be the one to break the news to most of you but someone has to do it; Christmas is coming and this year, it’s coming sooner than you think. Many Internet based retailers, or E-Tailers have come to recognize that it is never too early to promote a good thing and Christmas marketing is always a good thing. Christmas is the time of joy, family and a fridge full of turkey soup and sandwiches to fill your happy belly for weeks to come. Christmas is a short but stressful break at the start of a long and (at least in most parts of Canada), normally bleak winter. Christmas is also the time of the year that accounts for over 40% of most retail business sales and can either make or break a business depending on the tone of the season. Search engines require time to find your website, read the information on the site and rank it.

Once the site is in search engine databases, it can typically take 2 – 3 months for a website to achieve top10 placements, even after an effective optimization campaign. As your site is competing against thousands of similar sites, it is important to invest the time, money and patience into creating the strongest possible promotion for your business. This is going to be a very important retail season for many if not most retailers. After two years of stagnating sales and shaky economic numbers, most merchants are in the same position. If all things were equal in the world of business, one could ride their luck but, as we all know, things are not all equal. Put some extra strength in your business this season and be visible against your competition. Start promoting now!