Is Adsense OK on search results?

not adsense for search

[ardent]

I have this vague recollection that one is not allowed to use adsense on search results pages. I couldn't find that in the current TOS - am I just being blind, or can we use Adsense when returning our own search results?

BTW, this is not Adsense for Search, we are using a proprietary search function.

[annej]

I'd like to put adsense on my search too. It's not affiliated with anything. Just a site search. Anyway I am wondering too. I think it was OK at some point along the way but now that they have the adsense search option I wonder what is allowed.

[toomuch72]

I'm assuming you are talking about an Internal(within site) search? I would say if the results that are produced produce enough content it should not be a problem.

The problem you may have is when a search is done and no results have been produced. I've run into this problem running a Search Engine many people come in and type in crazy searches like "fhjkghdkfdhf" and because the ads show prior to the results of the page being produced I can not go back and NOT show the ad so instead I try and display something else, like -

No results were found check out these other great pages within this site that other have found to be of use. then you can put in a list of you High paying pages and hope people follow trhough to them.

[wheelie34]

I run a small localised search engine, before the rules changed, I couldnt display adsense on the results page but for the last year I think they changed the rules and I have been showing adsense on the search results since, cant find the date it all changed but there have been threads often about this.

As far as I know it is allowed

[nubbin]

You are allowed to display adsense in your site search results. I checked this with Google about 6 months ago. It is quite a good earner for me, I get my highest click through rate on this adsense channel.

[frox]

IIRC, it used to be forbidden, but it's now allowed...

I haven't found any exact link though..

[annej]

Thanks nubbin. If you asked directly we should be OK. I couldn't find anything in the TOS about it but maybe that is because it is allowed so not mentioned.

I don't want to use the adsense search as it puts several ads above the search so it's confusing to the searcher. I thought I'd put the ad at the bottom of the page so the search results would be seen first.

Also I put the search box on each page and don't care to have the Google logo on all of them. It really sticks out like a sore thumb as my design has an antique look.

[annej]

nubbin, Where do you position your ads?

[david_uk]

The wording used to say it wasn't allowed on searched pages. I think it specified search pages that didn't have any results returned. That meant we had to ensure that site searches returned some results as opposed to Sorry - no results" type message. Now that could cause a problem with coding - we had to make sure that on null searches the ads weren't shown.

That clause seems to have been dropped, but there is still the "No-content pages" clause they could fall back on if they chose!

[annej]

I am using FDSE and they have an option for showing the ad only if search results are shown. I wonder if that was added because AdSense has or has had that rule. Anyway it's handy for me.

[annej]

Well that didn't work. Mod please delete the message 10 if possible.

I guess it's back to the drawing board. I think I'll just put some content on my search results page. That should cover it.

[nubbin]

annej,

I position my ads as a row of 4 ads at the top and bottom of my search results page. The ad color scheme matches my search results. The size is quite different to my search results so it is relatively clear which are my results and which are Adsense ads - I am not trying to trick visitors into unnecessarily clicking the adsense ones.

I have set up adsense so that if no suitable adsense ad is found, it displays an ad about my own site taking them to the latest article I have written.

I also use FDSE for site search on this site.

My adsense click through rates are in the region 2-5% on average over a month on site search results pages.

Good luck

[nubbin]

See this link whcih says its ok to put results on site search:

[google.com...]

[annej]

Thanks tons. It helps to see the permission to put AdSense on search result pages written out like that.

I've put one at the botton and am thinking about the top. FDSE makes it easy to set the ads.

[ardent]

Thanks!