Related Searches on AdSense Ads

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[Visit Thailand]

Has anyone noticed the Related searches on the AdSense Ads? Just below the ads are two links to a Google Related Search.

I for one do not like that as people may click on that rather than the ad.

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In fact I have now just seen one add that had no ads but just a whole bunch of links for related searches.

[Bluesplinter]

Laisha, that's my gripe as well. The front page of my site, the one that gets the most traffic (and changes fairly often), is getting *nothing* but the blank spaces.

I've written to Google about it, and if they help out, great. Otherwise, I'll have to use that space for something else.

My CTR is down 40% since this started... CPM is down, too.

[cramalot]

I think we all would agree that we all EXPECTD Google to be different and a little more grown up from other ad networks. Although it is our fault for expect too much, it was/is our hope that someone with enough power, such as Google, that can put pressure in the ad industry to make some serious changes. Those of us who have dealt with other ad networks, affiliate programs, and so on, know what it feels like to be taken advantage of. For once we can convert well on the hard work we put into our websites but just like every other program, they are starting to take advantage.

Our leader, our hope is turning on us - this is the impression I get.

[hooloovoo22]

i think we need a union

[cramalot]

Judging from the stats so far

I need a drink

[farnwomt]

Is this union going to stand up against scab labour and picket other websites that use AdSense?

Somehow I doubt you would get much solidarity :-)

[novice]

>i think we need a union>

I think somebody already came up with that idea "IAWP" International Association of Web Professionals

[Chndru]

After all the furor, Adsense is just for content-sites. it is not for sites which sells widgets but for sites that provies reviews/news about widgets. This a part of the grand scheme of promoting content-sites on web by google and thereby providing some monetary benefits in building content sites. Other commercial sites make money of the widgets they sell. So, commercial sites at the first place should choose not to bring on Adsense.

From that perspective, related searches or google search box on the Ad spaces on the webpages should improve the credibility of the site and provide better user experience. And in those cases, if Google makes some money, so what? They are a commercial organization just like everyone else is :)

If ya aint fit the scheme, why curse the scheme?

[universetoday]

I like that idea - a union of web professionals.

The cold reality is that whoever sells advertising writes all the rules. For every union of people standing together, there will be an army of the short-sighted to undermine them.

[killroy]

Sounds like about now would be the perfect time fro Overture to create a competign product, same payouts, same MO, no related search... Would you switch? I think I would, if only as a signal to Google and the hope that they will se ethe error in their ways.

SN

[dougb]

This particular bait-and-switch tactic doesn't bother me nearly as much as their other recent bait-and-switch tactic [webmasterworld.com], which affects advertisers rather than publishers. There are a lot of similarities in how they handled both cases. In this case at least they were up front in the agreement that they could make whatever changes they want to the content of the ads without notice. And the revenue sharing function was already completely opaque, so adding unpaid links didn't make it any more so.

I predict they'll get rid of related searches links on AdSense ads eventually. They just don't add much value to content pages, and they're clearly alienating publishers. I think related searches could be a cool addition to their own search results page, however...