AdSense click maximization

How to induce clicks

[xonio]

Hi folks.
Does anyone have experience with a header line on top of the Google AdSense box. Examples:
Sponsored Links
Click to visit our sponsors
More links on xxxxxwidgets
Please support our sponsors
etc.

Does such a line encourage or discourage clicks.

I'm fairly new to AdSense. I expect there are people with much more experience on this board, so seeking advice.

Thanks.

[mat_bastian]

I think since there are as many adwords advertisers on this board as there are adsense publishers, the answer you'll get is "don't try to entice clicks""allow the advertisers to draw them in"

advertisers don't seem to want our help and I don't blame them.

[jaxomlotus]

It's actually in Google's ToS to not label their ads as "sponsor" at all. Don't call out any attention to them. Let them speak for themselves to the people who want to hear them and the advertisers will get the people they are seeking. You'll ultimately make more money that way because the happy advertiser will continue to use the program.

[Blue_Fin]

xonio, I would recommend that you carefully read the TOS and the FAQ.

[4eyes]

I asked Google for clarification on this - its a definite 'No-No'

Even a 'visit our sponsors' comment.

[woop01]

I'm not paying Google to sponsor your site.

I'm paying for targetted visitors to my site.

If you want your users to 'support your site' make a donation button and make them pay for it, not me.

[junaidkhan]

what about writing Just
Advertisement above adsense in the table where ad is placed.
does this also break TOS.
i think By no means its Breaking of TOS or called inducement.
need clarifications on that.

[4eyes]

It already says 'Ads by Google'.

If you are not sure, ask them, although the answer is almost certainly 'no'.

[daunk]

Do that and I'll report you ¬_¬

[junaidkhan]

If it has "Ads by Google " written onto it but where?
at the bottom in small font.
i wont be consulting them onto this, this is normal practice and in actual may benefit advertiser.
what i meant was i just wanted to differentiate my content from Ad , reason for that is to give a normal user an idea that x is content y is Ad.
in the adsense i guess there is more need. as ads are very targeted non graphic sometimes user may click the Ad where he may have thought it was not an Ad, Bad for Advertisers.
if you know about user psychology he dont want to think, publisher is suppose to guide them.

i would certainly want "woop01" reply onto this.

[cornwall]

Google make it quite clear

[google.com...]

states

"Incentives
Web pages may not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. This includes labeling the ads as sponsors as well as asking users to click on the ads or to please visit the sites."

[snookie]

If you add the phrase "visit our sponsors" or "Advertisement" or any other keywords/phrase to your page you end up making the content less specific. Then Adsense will put less specific ads on your page. The end result: A lower click thru ratio...

:(

snookie

[jonknee]

I got an email from them stating that I needed to remove a "Please purchase from our advertisers" note on my site. I tried telling them that this does not inflate *clicks*, but *purchases* but you can't argue with a form letter.

[Oaf357]

On my home page, underneath where I display AdSense ads I have a link to a page that describes some link/service partnerships I have between my site and other sites. The anchor text of this link is, "Visit Our Other Partners". I really don't see how this is a problem but I figured I'd run it through forum89 to get other people's opinions.

[abbeyvet]

Please purchase from our advertisers

In the case of Google ads they are not YOUR advertisers.

[justageek]

In the case of Google ads they are not YOUR advertisers

Really? Aren't they by default when they agree to participate? Kind of like the advertiser saying 'site x is not MY distribution partner' even though my ad shows up there, I indirectly pay them and I might even make money from them.

JAG

[jaxomlotus]

On my home page, underneath where I display AdSense ads I have a link to a page that describes some link/service partnerships I have between my site and other sites. The anchor text of this link is, "Visit Our Other Partners". I really don't see how this is a problem but I figured I'd run it through forum89 to get other people's opinions.

It's a problem because people are dumb and won't differentiate between google ads and your other partnerships. And when they go and click on your google ads by mistake (even if you specify for them *not* to visit your google ads) or if google's spider finds it, google will kick you out. Your intentions in not trying to dupe Google will be irrelevant, the end result will be invalid clicks on Google ads.

How do I know? Experience makes me wise.

[Oaf357]

Actually the idea isn't to generate clicks for Google at all. The intention is to drive traffic to my link partners.

[jaxomlotus]

yes, I know what your intention is. I'm just telling you that the end result will be unavoidable collateral clicks on your google ads as well, by people who don't bother to differentiate (no matter how clearly it's explained to them). Google will notice these and boot you.

And I'll repeat, I have experience with this.

I got in trouble for doing something similar - inducing visits to my own partner ads (even though I specified that google ads were not partner ads).

The value of your adsense account should far outweigh any extra value you'll send to your partners by increasing their visit count.

[justageek]

The value of your adsense account should far outweigh any extra value you'll send to your partners by increasing their visit count

I know that on the sites I have put the AdSense on the value of AdSense only out performs a good affiliate partnership when the partnership is for the small ticket items.

In other words, if I have an affiliate relationship with someone that I can get a certain percantage of the sale and the average sale is over a couple of dollars then I make more money there than I do with an AdSense click.

I use the AdSense stuff as fillers and research. I check the ads that Google puts on my pages and then go to the advertiser sites, without clicking on the ad of course, and see if they have an affiliate program. That's probably the most value I get from using AdSense is the automated research. If there is an affiliate program then I drop AdSense from the page and swap it with the higher paying Affiliate program.

I've seen some posts where people were excited about some higher than usual click amounts. If the advertiser has an affiliate program and is willing to pay a high price for a click then chances are pretty good you will make more from the affiliate relationship ;-)

JAG

[woop01]

Actually the idea isn't to generate clicks for Google at all. The intention is to drive traffic to my link partners.

If you want to go out and get your own advertisers then please feel free to explain this to each one of them. However, you have chosen to participate in the Adsense program where both the people funding it (advertisers) and the people providing the service (Google) have said they don't want you do this.

What stats do you have to prove that you are right and the advertisers who are paying for the clicks are wrong?

[hyperkik]

I've seen some posts where people were excited about some higher than usual click amounts. If the advertiser has an affiliate program and is willing to pay a high price for a click then chances are pretty good you will make more from the affiliate relationship ;-)

I think that is much more true with products than with service providers, especially professional service providers, or providers of relatively obscure services.

Looking at Overture's numbers (as we can't discuss Google's) you'll see that through Overture there are some service providers willing to pay $20 to $50 per click for terms such as "mesothelioma" or "lawsuit funding" - or even "personal injury". I don't think that any of the proponents of those terms has an affiliate program.

[justageek]

I don't think that any of the proponents of those terms has an affiliate program

You're right about that. That's why I use the links for research. If there isn't anything I leave it. But the sites I've been involved in usually don't talk about such things. Most things are more general and I rarely see just service advertisements. The vast majority are product related.

[justageek]

Your 'mesothelioma' example brings up a thought. If someone is looking for it on the Google search page then it may very well pay to have such a high click amount. I have to wonder though how many people would click on it as an AdSense ad just to know what the heck it is if they aren't searching for it?

JAG

[jaxomlotus]

I have to wonder though how many people would click on it as an AdSense ad just to know what the heck it is if they aren't searching for it?

Very good point! There's was one day when my ads seemed as irrelevant to my homepage as possible (I was seeing ads for Christian wire sculptures on a contest page that has nothing to do with religioun, wire or sculptures). I noticed a marked increase in CTR that day and could only reason people were clicking on it due to curiousity of why the heck it was appearing there, not any real interest in buying the products.

[Oaf357]

only reason people were clicking on it due to curiousity of why the heck it was appearing there

Or maybe you have more Christians scouring your site than you thought.