Can you run contests on your site?

Is that considered incentive?

[dzcap]

Can you run contests on your site?

[ann]

Don't see why not.

[ganderla]

Contests and incentives.

That is very open-ended. You can not incent anyone to click on the ads.
I run several incentive sites and you have to be very careful about where you are putting the ads.

[Radejr]

I was thinking about doing something like this to making competitions and with my google money (not telling them im using my google money) making prizes for these competitions.

[ann]

It really depends on what kind of contest you are running.

[Knappster]

AdSense policy does seem a bit fuzzy on this:

Incentives (monetary or point-based) to users or third-party beneficiaries for online activity including, but not limited to, clicking on ads or links, performing searches, surfing websites, reading emails, or completing surveys

The "but not limited to" leaves the definition of "online activity" rather murky. Best to ask for Google's okay first.

[dzcap]

I am thinking contests based on referrals and offering cash/prizes. Has anyone tried it and got the green light for this?

[tebrino]

If you're not planning to create click contest, I don't see how could this be problem. I guess you'll be sure only when you ask Google...

[Noel]

If you're not planning to create click contest..

Now that is funny!

[Webwork]

Isn't "contest traffic" generally viewed as "junk traffic"? High volume, narrowly focused interest? The smaller the prize the less likely the visitor who has the time to spend visiting also has the money or earning capacity that would make their visit worth a lot?

OTOH, such traffic might be of limited impression/brand marketing/awareness value? Isn't that why such traffic has been a favorite of the low paying, high traffic "banner ad networks"?

I suspect that such traffic patterns would not do you much good, in the end, with AdSense. With their impression version of ads I suspect your promotion could be viewed as "incentivizing impressions/displays".

You could always get a better answer by 1) formalizing and presenting the idea to the AdS team; or, 2) just going ahead and doing it, then coming back here to report that your account has been terminated.

It just doesn't look to be the best of ideas. At a time when the discussion of the importance of quality of traffic to advertiser ROI appears on the rise you appear headed in the opposite direction with this idea. I suspect there's advertisers that would be willing to support your plan, but they would be very selective: Price, right product to match your website, low expectations, etc.

[dzcap]

You brought up some very valid points. I could either remove adsense while the contest is running or get permission to run the contest. But it would ultimately be a weekly thing, so I don't know, it might be too much of a bother to get permission weekly. My contest is going to be a photography contest and the one with the highest rating wins. I mean, this shouldn't be that much different from a "member of the month" type of thing. I will be asking G all questions and getting permission before continuing with this.