When you think about Google Adsense, probably the first thing that comes into mind is the typical text or image ad.

But there is another way to earn money from Google Adsense: adding a search box to your site.

How does it work?

With the code you get from Adsense, you will add a custom search box to your site. When users use that box to search for content, and click on the ads that appear, you make money. So simple!

So adding this serach box is a nice way to complement your ad units. The great thing is that some people who might not click on your ads, will perform a search (using their own terms) and might generate some extra revenue for you.

Of course, it’s not perfect; it has some disadvantages  too:

• You have no control over the keywords that the user enters (they might be entering low paying keywords when searching)
• Instead of 68%, you make 51% of each click

The bottom line is this: you are most likely to make money out of the usual ad units, but you can use Adsense for Search to make some extra revenue out of those people who arrive to your site and can’t find what they are looking for, so definitely have a look and play with it a little.