Earning an extra income online is like having a wife without the nagging. It's funny how I got started with my online business. My Ex-wife was a realtor and got me into the real estate industry. I knew nothing about real estate or building a website for that matter. I gradually learned about both and built a cool looking real estate website.

My problem was that I didn't know how to promote it, and to some extent still don't. But, by taking the most direct route, I decided to use Pay-Per-Click advertising such as AdWords and Overture. I soon began to realize that not only were Google and Yahoo making money from my ads, but other people were too. That fascinated me so I decided to do some research and decided that it would be great to collect a check from other people visiting my site.

I developed my first and still most successful site, http://www.buyandsellnorthtexas.com. It's gone through several changes over the last year and a half, but I've got it exactly where I want it. My click through ratio is phenomenal and I attribute that to the many tricks I've learned by other people through the internet.

One of the keys to making money, that I learned long ago, is to take something that works, add your own flavor, and duplicate it. That's what I intend to do with my other sites.

So here I am, constantly looking for ways to increase my Money in a Box. My weakness is still marketing my site and getting the mad money I know I have the potential to get. I would like to hear other success stories and share ideas. I'll always welcome the chance to critique other peoples' Money in Box sites and rate thier lenses.

As I stated earlier, my original website http://www.buyandsellnorthtexas.com has gone through several changes. The biggest thing that has added to my click through ratio expense has been both blending the adds into the website and add placement.

As far as blending, it's actually simple. Just make the adds look like the other link text on you website. On my website, I use the familiar blue. The average Joe who visits my website aren't even aware of the adds and that is exactly what you want.

It is well known that add placement around the top of the website and near pictures is a successful strategy. My site is living proof of that. I've tried to be better about placing the adds on the right portion of my pages since most people are right handed and read left to right. The adsense rectangle has been the best income producer as well as the adsense tower.

These are just a few popular strategies that can help you with your adsense income.