Keep in mind that google gives you sample ad placements, and none of them are like your's. Good for you for contacting google.
Look at it this way, If google wanted them completely integrated they would have given more customization. If they really wanted to trick users they would make the ads like the coop so that you have complete control over all design elements, especially font. If this was the case I am sure I could get my ctr up in the 80%+ but its well known that if you try and fool people clicking out of your site (especially if they dont want to). It is fooling people and yes you can make lots of money and get a high response rate to your adverts.. It is not very difficult to make text links integrate like they do on that site.. I dont see the majority of people implementing this method because it cheapens everything else on the site. If you site is only for adsense then this method will give you a good return - but then sites are not really supposed to be designed for adsense..
There is no such thing as "blending too much". Not only is there nothing in the TOS against blending, they include blending as one of their tips! I've never heard of anyone kicked out or warned by Google for blending their ads too much. The only thing you can't do is put something above the ads like "Visit our sponsors" Some say that blending your ads will annoy your visitors? I don't understand that. I think if you can make your ads look like they are part of your site, they actually help the flow of your site. The other thing people say is that sponsors don't like it when their ad is blended.... why not? If someone clicks on your ads they obviously are at least somewhat targeted. If you, the advertiser, can't convert that to a sale, that's your problem.
I don't agree with this. I think the adlinks give the visitor more control over targeting his own choice of ads. I think they are very clearly marked as ads. Andi
thank you. it's good to know. happy blending! i don't like the adlinks thing, it will take my visitor 2 clicks for me to get some money.
This is true, but if the first click was not accidental the liklihood of the second click is very high because the visitor has self-qualified. So this is better for advertisers because there will be fewer accidental clicks to pay for and the advertiser is your client if you are an Adsense publisher. Ultimately the quality and cost-effectiveness of the program ensures its long-term success. Andi
No one is kicked out for blending too much, but they certainly are for deception. According to that screenshot, users will think that clicking on the ad is the same as clicking on some html tip link. You need to HONESTLY ask yourself...are the users clicking because they want to click on what they KNOW is an ad? Or are they clicking because they think it's part of the site? Google's TOS clearly state that even what is not covered in the terms, can be modified by Google themselves as they deem fit.
He asked if he's breaking the adsense TOS. The answer is no. Saying "even what is not covered in the terms, can be modified by Google themselves as they deem fit." is fine... When Google changes the TOS to say something negative about blending the ads then the answer will be "Yes, you're breaking the TOS" As of right now, not only do they have nothing in the TOS about blending ads, they encourage it. "are the users clicking because they want to click on what they KNOW is an ad? Or are they clicking because they think it's part of the site?" Why do they have to know it's an ad? If the ad link has something to do with the site (which is Google's job to make the ads relevent) and the person is interested enough to click on the link, what's the problem? If the link says something HTML tutorials then the person who clicks the link is targeted.
I was thinking what if u e-mail google regarding this matter, and let us know what google says about your ad placement. Looks like none of us are really sure about this.. Cheers,
Correction... Ad Links are designed to produce a list of topics that are relevant to your page, not hide the fact that they are ads...hence why it still says ads by google. All I'm saying is, with Google being as strict as they are, it's best to get the answer from them. I'd hate for my account to be closed or suspended based on what others in a forum thought.
"hence why it still says ads by google" Exactly... and I don't see him hiding that part. One of the templates I use has adsense really integrated into the site. I emailed Google and got their approval. This was a few months ago... My click through on some days is as high as 28%. It's never lower than 13%. I think I'm doing a service to Google because I'm making them more money. I'm doing a service to the advertisers because I'm sending them more traffic. And I'm doing a service to my visitors because they hardly notice the ads. If you think that's immoral, sorry!
I think I said this before, but I'll say it again, That is not the point of Adlinks. The point of adlinks is to offer the visitor a wider range of specific topics so he can self-qualify for the ads. From Google's point of view the ads that it serves are every bit as good as the content that attracted the visitor in the first place. Google is providing a service (adding value) by directing the visitor toward what he wants. That is the rationale behind search and simply a better way of monetizing it. Google wants you to know when you're using a Google product. Andi
That would be my opinion as well. Whether the ads are "well blended" or "disguised" would depend on the community. I would have no problem blending them that well on a site I developed solely for the purpose of adsense revenue that I felt zero community with my readers. It looks perfect for a directory site I would never do anything that deceptive on a community site of MY peers. This is not to say that there are not communities where it would be perfectly acceptable.
I said ad [space] links. I wasn't talking about Google AdLinks in particular... just the concept of ads in the form of links. Sorry for the confusion. The main selling point of having your ad as a link vs. having your ad as an image (banner) is that is doesn't look like an ad. There are also other reasons of course, such as not bothering the user, and the ability to intergrate it into the design of a site, but the main selling point is the higher CTR resulting from the fact that it doesn't look like an ad.