Google has formally launched the AdSense ad program for content sites in Hebrew. The program, already translated into many languages, enables site owners to add Google text advertisements to their internet sites. A site owner can make a profit each time a visitor clicks on ads appearing on his site.

The program operates very successfully all over the world, and according to Google, about 38 percent of its international revenue comes from AdSense. "Google paid out $975 million last quarter to its registered partners - about $4 billion annually," said Google Israel CEO Meir Brand.

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The ads appearing on the site are related to its content. Up until now, Hebrew language sites were able to register to the program but were not formally supported. According to Google, the Hebrew language sites will now enjoy all the features of English language sites. The level of ad matching will improve, and as a result, revenues will increase. "An internet site page with content on the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team will be related to basketball and Maccabi Tel Aviv, but not to the Maccabi insurance fund or Maccabi beer," explained Brand.

Small site advertisers will earn an average of a few shekels to dozens of shekels for every 1,000 exposures. Focus sites containing a lot of content on technology or tourism can earn slightly more because of the higher cost of advertising in these fields. The minimum amount Google will transfer to AdSense users is $100, which is paid by check or bank transfer to the user's account.

Google's main competitor is Walla!, which will be launching its AdVantage system shortly. AdVantage competes directly with Google's AdSense and Google's AdWords (the program that presents ads alongside the results of the search engine) and other smaller companies.

Tapuz has also recently launched a payment system to bloggers, which is based on participation in revenue from ads, and has begun paying registered Tapuz site users NIS 8 for every 1,000 views on blogs stored on Tapuz.