i have images next to my ypn ads. i got an email from ypn telling me that is not within their guidlines. i called customer service for clarification as you can't call the relevance reps directly. I had a 1/2 hr conversation where i was told there should be a line and enough space so the images dont induce clicks. I spent 5 hours fixing all my pages, then replied to the email. I got an email back saying my site is now in compliance. Then 6 days later i got another email from ypn telling me that is not within their guidlines again! this was after i was told it was ok! i replied to that email with a copy of the email where they said it was ok. it has been 5 days and no reply. i also called customer service to note that I am in compliance. this site earns high $XXX per day. do you think i need to worry about my account?
That's exactly what happened to me! Three different ppl told me three different things. When i complied with their demand and replied to the email I was given the OK. Then I received from an email from another YPN employee saying I am in violation I took off the images in question and told him they were cleared just a week ago. I think they don't have a common guideline and every1 of them can decide what's what. I think what they need to do is to read case #s regarding the person they are about to contact otherwise we'll always be dealing with many different ppl @ ypn
The new revised TOS says: Don’t place images next to ads. (Notice the period), it says don't place images next to ads, it doesnt say images separated by a border are allowed, it says images next (near) ads are not allowed folks.... My site(s) had images next to the ads for months, I had a ypn rep tell me the sites were fine, as my ads were relevant to the content, and they were not real close to my ads. Now about a week ago I got an email from ypn saying my site(s) were now in violation of the revised TOS, NO IMAGES...... I removed all my images and my ctr has been as good as ever
The Blog post is titled : What Not To Do Here is the url : http://ypnblog.com/blog/2006/07/19/what-not-to-do/ and here is the post , To help you out, here’s a little cheat sheet of what NOT to do: 1. Don’t sell beta keys in an online auction, message board or anywhere else (the opposite applies as well: don’t buy beta keys, they won’t work). We gave you that key and for you to go re-gifting it. No re-gifting! 2. Don’t put our ad code on sexually explicit sites. It’s very naughty. 3. Don’t duplicate (*cough* STEAL *cough*) content from other sites. We want to be with someone original. 4. Don’t place images next to ads. It’s dishonest and we want to be in a long term relationship with publishers everyone can trust. People will think those images have to do with the ads, and when they find that the site they’ve been directed to has nothing to do with them, they’ll be pretty miffed. 5. Don’t block the crawler. It keeps us from getting to know one another and is bad for both of us. Honestly, your blocking is not helping. 6. Don’t go nuts with the ads and place them all over every page like they’re your content or something. It looks like you are trying too hard. 7. Don’t manipulate our ad code. We’re flexible and already offer plenty of choices. 8. Don’t send us traffic from Zimbabwe or Ireland. Not that there’s anything wrong with Zimbawe or Ireland, but right now we’re just not ready to make that big, international commitment. We’re working on it, though, so be patient, and good things will come. 9. Don’t use inappropriate ad targeting. If your site is about flowers, it’s not cool to be targeting finance.
sundaybrew, I know that part. YPN allows ads beside images ONLY when there is a border (a line) between the image and ad.
the customer service rep told me a line was ok. also here is the email i got after i edit the site with the line and more space between images and ads: Dear xxx, Thank you for your inquiry and efforts to comply with our policies. Your site http://www.mysite.com/ is now compliant. In order to prevent further disruptions to your account, we kindly ask that you read over our YPN policies and make sure that all pages that display Yahoo! ads are compliant. You can view YPN policies here: https://publisher.yahoo.com/legal/prog_policy.php To answer your question, is it in the guidelines to put this text above the ad: "Top Resources For July 18th, 2006..." .This would be considered a click incentive, and click incentives are not allowed. We greatly appreciate your cooperation! Please let us know if you have further questions. Sincerely, xxxx xxxx Relevance Analyst Yahoo! Search Marketing 3333 Empire Avenue Burbank, CA 91504 USA
Thats what , I am trying to say , They say in the blog no images , and then this , BUT I keep hearing about all this "line next to ads " yet I have seen anywhere it says that
by yahoo customer service rep - which is a different department from relevance - but you cant speak with relevance. at least they communicate with publishers - they just need to take one stance and not give conflicting information!
Do you think it'd be cool to put affiliate ad banners near YPN ads? If the user clicks on either banner I'm happy, but I don't want to be in compliance with YPN's policies. As another ad banner considered putting an image next to the ad? I'm not trying to trick users.
As I was told by a ypn rep, 'Images are placed near ads to raise ctr, Are they not ?' That is against tos, tricking or causing folks to click on ads by using images, otherwise why are there images near ads, even with a border ? I removed all images from my sites, near ads anyway........ I would advise you to do so also..... or your asking to get canned.
The TOS pretty clearly says: It doesn't matter if there is a border, if the image is a link or if the image is an affiliate banner. Don't not put images near ads that make it look like the image is associated with the ad. Period.