Who is going to use adsense referrals?

Are you?

[Clark]

I only peaked at it quickly. Sounds like you need to put up one of those images. They aren't allowing you a text link, are they? Imagine the keyword targetting adsense could achieve if they did...

I might have tried the referral if it was a text link, but personally not going to add more space to an ad just for a referral link.

How about you? Using it or no?

[icedowl]

Hmmm...

I was hoping that we could display 2 referral buttons (1 for each product). Now I have to pick one over the other. Doesn't seem fair.

[perldiver]

Oh, yes, I agree. ASA, could you please clarify this? Is it one referral button TOTAL, or one referral button per referral product? Thanks.

[LeoXIV]

Where do we put the content? ;)

what content!?! :)

[21_blue]

ASA wrote:
>1 referral button
>3 ad units
>1 link unit
>2 AdSense for search bars

FIVE.... Go-old... Riiiings...

If my brain is running out of capacity trying to keep up with all these rules, I'm doubly impressed with your capacity to explain them all!

[AbsintheSyringe]

I'm another European publisher with a high percentage of US traffic. My site is a perfect match for Firefox+Toolbar referrals, but I don't have that option.

Yea, this is one of the biggest dissapoitments of the refferal program. I too have more then 90% US traffic, but I am residing in europe. Very very bad move from google.

Second bad (or thoughtful?) move from google is that you only get paid once. Of course this makes a lot of sense for google, because ...

Q: Who hasnt heard of adsense?
A: Newbies

Even if you do get any sign ups, I doubt that even 1% of these new publishers will generate 100$?

Then again, the banners are pretty bad, they look bad, and top of it all, ad messsages are completely ...

"This site recommends Google Ads for targeted ads"!?

I'll even dare to say this message is completely lame. I put the refferal button saying "Get targeted ads on your site with Google Adsense" I find it most aggresive. But again, when a user reads get ads, everyone hates ads, and instead of aiming on google adsense site, they should aim it on some nice flash presentation or something similiar.

Google should really go out with messages like:

"Get money/Generate (extra) revenue with Google Adsense" and such. Anyways I put one of the buttons on the bottom of the page and see how it goes, so far there's a lot of clicks but no sign ups yet. I'll leave it on for a week or so and if nothing then I'll take it off.

[Clark]

Interesting. There are 7 Adsense items you can put on a page. If you organize the page just right, you should be able to put an attractive page together with *just* Adsense on it. It should be super targetted for adsense ads about adsense.

If you add the Google API you can really do a cool website with tons of google-only content to monetize. Talk about MFA.

If someone does this, please sticky me the url. If I had extra time I'd definitely try this idea just for fun and experimentation.

[ken_b]

Adsense can hardly fill the spots I have now. About the last thing I wasnt to do is ebcourage more sites to compete for a limited ad inventory.

[AdSenseAdvisor]

Hi all -

First, please see the edit to my previous post. Publishers are welcome to display one referral button for each product (i.e., AdSense and Firefox) on a single page.

Clark, thanks for the message and please know that's what I'm here for. Publisher feedback is also one of the primary reasons we're now offering AdSense referrals. Publishers have been requesting a referral bounty for some time. This is a way for us to say 'Thank You' to publishers who bring other publishers into the AdSense content network, while offering you another feature to monetize your websites.

I also want to address a few of the questions I've seen about referral links:

1. Will Firefox plus Google Toolbar referrals be made available to publishers outside the U.S.?

Currently, Firefox plus Google Toolbar referrals are only available for U.S. publishers. However, we're continuing to improve the referrals feature and hope to make Firefox referrals available to international publishers soon.

2. Can publishers use language endorsing AdSense or Firefox plus the Google Toolbar (e.g., "I use Firefox with the Google Toolbar and recommend it to other web users")?

Including such language is fine. However, similarly to AdSense for content, publishers should not use language encouraging clicks to your referral buttons (e.g., "Click here", "Visit these links", etc). I recommend reading our policy on 'Incentives' for more information. (http://google.com/adsense/policies).

3. What if a user who clicks on the Firefox referral button already has Firefox?

In this situation, the user will be redirected to the Google Toolbar for Firefox page. However, this will not count as a Firefox referral.

Hope this information helps, and thank you for your continued feedback on referrals.

-ASA

[Visit Thailand]

ASA - Thanks for your input.

Have more publishers been asking for a referral progamme where we push new publishers to you or a referral programme where we push new advertisers to you.

I would prefer the latter, and would have thought the majority of publishers would too.

[bts111]

While I welcome new products to help me on my mission of world domination, I don't think that this one is going into my bag of tricks.

If only there was a program to refer new advertisers ;)

[a1call]

Hi ASA,
from the referral that you pointed out:

These activities are strictly prohibited in order to avoid potential inflation of advertiser costs.

I fail to see how this could apply to AdSense referral buttons. This program is basically commission based and the cost is only applicable well after the objective of the program is met.

Also please if possible, indicate if AdSence referral buttons can be put on thank you pages or not.

Thanks

[sirkei]

So, the term says we can get up to $1 depends on the location. Well, i just put up the firefox referral on most pages. So, visitors from U.S. get higher commision? Visitors from asian countries get less? I do not know why they charge commission based on location. It's just not fair.

[woop01]

It's not fair, it's business. Don't make the mistake of mixing the two of them up.

[moTi]

some weeks ago, there was a thread, that adsense is experimenting with an integrated ad textlink.
it was something like "advertise on this site". a direct referrer to a landing page, where the publishers' site is listed and the potential advertiser could immediately start using adwords on it. that made perfect sense to me.

now google is going the other way around and presenting me a referral program for adsense. what a strange idea is this? i'd find it very beneficial to support advertiser acquisition (in fact, i'd do this for free) and not to broaden the ad space inventory.

[OptiRex]

there are TONS of newbies making websites and who never heard of Adsense.

And you are going to be DUMB enough to let these people fill Google coffers with the not a "cat-in-hells-chance" of reaching the $100 you reckon they will earn for you...?

Get real...overall there is only one winner here, and if you have to ask you shouldn't even be allowed to have an account to start with!

This deal SUCKS BIG TIME!

In fact, I find it totally DISTASTEFUL & OFFENSIVE that Google are trying to use WE publishers as very CHEAP sales promoters for THEIR programme which we already promote every day.

I can afford to dump Google, probably many cannot, they had better look seriously at the implications of this referral system since this is obviously "business school" economics and ethics at play here and they ain't gonna screw with my companies!

[ebuilder]

I hope I can send G enough referrals to win a ride in their new plane. That would be cool.

[online.wsj.com...]

[Sharper]

Well, since I've already "referred" six people who've signed up for Adsense and earned over $100, it would've been nice to have this program from the start.

In the meantime, while $100 each isn't a ton of money, it is $100 more than I was going to get for helping a friend of mine get setup with an Adsense account for his new website.

That's how I'll use this program. Not put the buttons on any page that gets promoted, but instead just make sure that if any of my friends are going to sign-up, they click that button to do it. :)

[OptiRex]

Well, since I've already "referred" six people who've signed up for Adsense and earned over $100

As a matter of interest how long did it take them?

[danny]

This should be good publicity for Firefox. Now, how about $1 for every user we convert to OpenOffice.org (or a special Google version thereof)?

[ann]

I have taken down the firefox refferal button.

I tried my site in firefox and whole sections of my page is gone. JUST GONE...I can't get it to show and tried everything I could think of. Spent over 6 hours non stop today on trying to fix it.

I will simply let it rest until I have the time to redo it all in Dreamweaver...need to learn it first LOL. Sites show well in IE.

[jcmiras]

More referrals -> More publishers -> lower adwords bid -> low adsense Cost per Click -> Low revenue

I think using adsense referral in not a good idea.

[BaseVinyl]

Downloading a browser when visiting on a site? Trying to get someone to sign up for spamsense? None of my users would ever do it so I would never add these buttons. Getting an affiliate lame-o buck by having someone signup to spamsense? No...my users will not do it or know what it is or even care what it is...my site is for ding dongs, chumps who seek but do not find...I don't want anyone catching on. My target market is not webmasters it is peeps who know not wherefore or whyfore they seek and therefore they click...this is the strength in the program...if you think...no don't think...just click! My market is the same as google...the dummies online...is it you? Click!

[david_uk]

It's too early to tell, and I'm going to leave it running for a while, BUT I have a feeling that my visitors aren't going to be signing up in droves - not a single click so far. I don't think my demographic is likely to be interested, so I'll give it a couple of weeks - if I can stand the ugliness of the banners that it!

[tlainevool]

More referrals -> More publishers -> lower adwords bid -> low adsense Cost per Click -> Low revenue

How does the "more publishers -> lower adwords bid" work? Advertisers get the same ROI on every click, why would they lower the bid amount if there are more impressions? Am I missing something?

[otech]

Why doesnt Google & Firefox just put their adds on Adsense - or dont they even have faith in their own products?

Why are they too good to be listed in their own PPC searchboxs, and need big goofy 3d things somewhere else on your site?

Are they saying they dont want to use Adsense because they think half the clicks are dodgy?! haha

Is it because they dont actually want anyone to click on there, and just want to use up space on all our websites - REALLY how much do you guys think your going to make out of it this?

I guess the one way you might is if we all make websites with a guide on how to make money out off adsense referall buttons and say the first step is to sign up - just click here!

haha..

its all good fun

[otech]

in fact, if you look at those buttons - they dont look like buttons!

They dont even say click here or anything suggesting that its a button - simply a nice free billboard.

[NewQuestions]

Has anyone considered how much of a punch in the face
this is for Microsoft? Man, imagine all those webmasters
that do start plastering these referral advertisements
all over the internet. That is an aweful lot of links
back to good old FireFox (not that I am complaining!).

So will we see Yahoo and MSN do the same when they launch
their respective Adsense clones to the wider audience? It
will soon become a browser war, and this only means one
thing ...

Soon, the war will get ugly. Browsers will stop blocking
competition advertisements as a "default" setting. Then,
it is only a matter of time until they start replacing
advertisements.

Imagine that - you turn up at your favourite website,
only to discover that their Google Ad blocks have now
been replaced with advertisements for Microsoft apps.

[NoLimits]

When that happens, I'll be the very first person in line for a class action lawsuit.

[annej]

ASA will Google be working on the look of the buttons? They need to be something that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb on a well designed page.

At least have a cream color along with the stark white available. How about a rectangle with shadows to indicate depth? There must be ways to make the buttons look more professional.

[Zygoot]

I wonder how long it'll take before Microsoft will start the MSN toolbar referral program ;)