Is Telling Someone to Go To a Page With Ads OK?

or is it tantamount to inviting him to 'click' on the ads?

[moneyraker]

Yesterday i got an email from someone asking how much a product is. I replied that I'm just a publisher, and don't really sell products. I added, however, that they can visit _#*$!_.htm, a page on my site that describes what they're looking for. I told them that they might want to look at some of the ads in that page.

After I sent my reply I realized that I probably violated the TOS. Do you think I did? Note that it's just an email and I didn't tell them to 'click' on the Google ads. But I'm sure that they'll really click on the ads once they see them.

On the other hand, if I prevented him from finding the ads, that's probably a lost conversion for an advertiser, because this is a 'sure-buyer'. Is what I did a TOS violation? I'll probably get more emails like this in the future.

[JohnKelly]

As long as you did not mention the AdSense ads, you're okay.

[jetteroheller]

I have even a greater potential problem.

I make reports about companies. For example some photos from a fair.

When the report is well established in the search engines, I try to sell a even much larger company profile.

When I call company A and send them an email, they could become very curriouse about all the competitors showing beside the article about them.

[wackybrit]

jettero: In that case you remove the Adsense on that particular page. If these people are paying you to have content about them on a certain page, that makes them your prime advertiser on that page, so you should be able to remove the Adsense if necessary and still be ahead. This could even be used as a pawn in the negotiations as a positive effect of getting a profile on your site.

[sailorjwd]

I think you may have been a victim of entrapment by the google secret police.

[robsynnott]

Yes, it almost certainly is. Send them to Froogle or something instead. (Or if your site is about stuff that Amazon has, set up an Amazon affiliate thingy).

[YesMom]

I guess I would stop at just telling them to go to a certain page in your site to find the information they are looking for. Don't mention "ads" at all. ;-)

They'll find the ads without your help.

[Rodney]

I added, however, that they can visit _#*$!_.htm, a page on my site that describes what they're looking for. I told them that they might want to look at some of the ads in that page.

I think the part of your post that I put in bold is where you crossed the line and probably violated the TOS.

Just telling them about a page on your site is not so big of a deal, since that what all the "refer this page to a friend" scripts and links on site are for.

Telling them specifically to look at the ads on that page, is drawing focus to the ads, and in the case of Adsense ads, it might be considered "inviting them to click" the ads.

[jetteroheller]

wackybrit: I make an article about the companies like an journalist. They have nothing to pay for it.

I try to sell after this ad space.
This starts from a small button up to exclusive all the ad space on a page.

I offer for the ad space a 2 years contract.

The options from the company are starting with to do nothing up to pruchase all the ad space beside the article about them.

I receive in the mean time even widgets to test without asking for them.

[moneyraker]

Thanks, guys. Yup, no more 'please check out the ads' in emails from now on. Especially not to inquiries that sound suspicious like 'Hey, got some of those google ads on your website that I can click on as many times as I wished?' <shudder>

[jstar]

Telling them specifically to look at the ads on that page, is drawing focus to the ads, and in the case of Adsense ads, it might be considered "inviting them to click" the ads.

If that were the case, then what would stop me from getting anybody kicked out of AdSense by simply creating a page linking to someone's site with a message telling people to click all the ads, then informing Google about it?

[jomaxx]

How about the civil lawsuit you would be setting yourself up for? Or perhaps just being a member of a civilization would be enough to stop you.

[aleksl]

violated the TOS

Don't be ridiculous. You are fine.

Here's the reasoning:

A. You put AdSense code on the page? Why? Because you needed to fill the spot? No - you actually "want" people to click on the ads to make money. That can't possibly violate TOS, as if it does, then any site violates it, and G is out of business.

B. You link from other pages to this page with AdSense, because you want to promote the page. No violation here

C. You may as well advertise that page, purchase traffic, ask other publishers for linking - if AdSense is the only "money" ad there, you obviously want a user to click on it. Can't see how any TOS can be violated here.

If A, B and C are true, can't see how telling someone "look at the ads on my page" can violate TOS any more than A, B or C.

If they'll take you to court, you'd have to tell the judge with a straight face that you didn't inha... mean for them to "click", you only told them to "look".