Forum Moderators: martinibuster
I have this informational site about "widgeting." It discusses how to widget correctly, the best widgeting methods from my own first hand knowledge of widgeting, etc. It basically explains the ins and outs of widgeting.
In a few cases though, there are articles about specific widgets that can be used for widgeting. For example, the blue widget. I then spend an entire article saying why blue widgets are absolutely useless. I go into detail explaining why blue widgets are a waste of money and that anyone who buys or uses a blue widget is well, stupid.
The problem here is, right after doing everything in my power to convince people to avoid blue widgets at all costs, there's an ad unit showing ads for blue widgets.
"Buy blue widgets! They are great! Blue widgets are the best widgets in the world!"
Now, first and foremost, is what I am describing in any way a violation of the Adsense TOS? Basically I'm badmouthing the same widgets that are being advertised in the same article. I can't really see how it could be, but then again, who knows.
Second, the CTR interestingly isn't that bad. I think it's because these specific widget pages are high on my site's entry page list (via search engines). So, I think some people are reading the whole article and now know to avoid blue widgets, while some people just skip the article and go straight for the blue widget ads.
Or maybe people are reading the article and are still curious about blue widgets. Who knows...
Either way, the information on the blue widget page is still doing it's intended job (I get a TON of "thank you" emails about it), while the ads are doing their job as well (bringing in revenue).
So, as long as it's not a TOS violation, what are your opinions on leaving these ads as they currently are?
It's called separation of editorial and advertising.
If the ads work, keep them.
You could turn it into an article in which you told people why they should buy red widgets instead of blue widgets. You would then probably get both red and blue widget ads. Would that be better?
I have a similar problem on a page where I warn people away from companies in a particular business area who don't do the job they say they do, and explain how to find the reputable businesses. Of course, the sleazy businesses all advertise, and their ads appear on that page if I don't block them. So far, I've limited myself to blocking the ones that I KNOW go far over the line of acceptability. The marginal ones I leave alone.
Ok, it's apparently a negative review, maybe a positive review page would work even better. I can't imagine that a click from a negative page is going to convert very well for the merchant, but who knows.
As long as the page is with-in the TOS I don't see a problem.
I came to the conclusion that even though I tell everyone how terrible credit card are, and that they will put you in debt, people don't listen, they want a credit card anyway.
What you have done is given a personal review on "blue widgets, and why people shouldn't buy one." I suspect they may be clicking out of curiosity, but if the blue widget website convinces them otherwise, that they are the best, then they learn their lesson later, and say, "Why didn't I listen?"
People don't listen.
ken_b, I actually never really thought of this page as a "review." It was written more as facts about why blue widgets are bad. But, now that you mention a review, yeah... it could sorta be seen that way.
Sweet Cognac, you're right. I agree 100%.
MediaSpree, you bring up a good point. The thing is though, this article is a little more fact than opinion. I never really considered it to be a review, I always saw it more as a "things they don't tell you about blue widgets because it would make you not want to buy them" article. Technically though, all of it can still be seen as just opinion, which I guess gives the ads a purpose.
Lipik, good point as well.
I think I'm going to stick with them. The only negative now seems to be that I look a little silly saying not to buy something and than showing an ad for it. But, the information is still helping people, and the ads are still making money. This may be worth looking a little silly for.
Oh, and thanks for all the replies, by the way.
I took it in stride- and let it ride.
Freq---
I added some Google ads to that page, and a few days later was horrified to discover a panoply of ads for big game hunting!
I did not think the kind of people who visit my site would be too interested in these, so I removed all the Google ads from that page.
Miki
Even after editing I continued to get those ads. I removed AdSense from that page.
Advertising has no relation to editorial content. It's the #1 rule of publishing. It would be wrong to block ads for widgets I think are useless just as it would be wrong to block ads for those wanting to expose the frailities of widgets.
We make information available to our readers. What they do with it is their responsibility.
<meta name="anti" content="blue widgets">
to solve the situation. It happens also to me that I write something what is not good about "blue widgets" but there are ads about "blue widgets"
