When it comes to making money online with a blog, one of the most popular methods is contextual advertising. Text or image ads are shown which match the content of the pages. Ads appear in small boxes. Contextual ads are often displayed to the right or left of website copy, or as blocks within sections of the text. The ads shown are related to the content of each individual page. As visitors click on these links, you make money.

Probably the largest and most used of the contextual ad programs is Google’s Adsense. Google really is a giant when it comes to the Internet, and their talents go far beyond just being a search engine. Adsense is used by many site owners to bring in a monthly income. While Google Adsense is still the king of contextual advertising, there are a few good alternatives. A good and popular example is Chitika ads.

Chitika is a full service online ad network which serves over two billion monthly impressions across more than 30,000 websites. The good thing is Chitika ads are not contextual and can be run on the same page as Adsense. Twenty-four different ad sizes are available. Payment is via Paypal once your account is at $10.00, or a check when you reach $50.00.

I have prepared a list of possible questions and answers you might ask about Chitika:

- Can I use Chitika ads with Google Adsense?

Yes, you can use Chitika and Adsense ads together because Chitika is not a contextual advertising program, and Chitika ads do not look like Adsense ads.

- What is Chitika Premium?

Chitika Premium targets to your search engine traffic from USA and Canada.  If your blog gets a lot of U.S. & Canada traffic, Chitika Premium ads are perfect match for you. The ads will be shown to your search engine visitors via Canada & USA.

- Is there a WordPress plugin for Chitika Premium?

Yes, you can install “Chitika Premium” plugin to your WordPress blog. You can even customize the appearance of the ad units using this plugin. You need a Chitika userid to install the plugin. You should first signup Chitika.

- Did you make money with Chitika?

I have a few niche blogs which have good search engine traffic from USA & Canada. Its been a few weeks since I placed Chitika Premium, and the result is fantastic. I also use Google Adsense on these blogs, and the daily income from both programs are so close that I am so sorry that I discovered Chitika Premium so late. I have almost doubled my Google Adsense income by using it together with Chitika Premium.

- Does Chitika have a publisher referral program?

If you refer new publishers to Chitika, you earn 10% of what your referral earns. The referral makes the same revenue that they would normally and Chitika pays you 10% of the earnings as bonus. This is valid for 15 months following each referral’s approval date. Chitika will pay you 30 days after the end of the month that your commissions are earned if your total revenue has exceeded $10 (for PayPal) and $50 (for check where PayPal is not available).

If you have search engine traffic from USA & Canada, signup Chitika, place Chitika Premium ads on your blog, use them together with Google Adsense and double your blog income next month. Looking forward to learn from your experiences too. I will appreciate if you share your own experiences.