Ads by Google notice: Is it necessary

Google should remove Ads by Google notice...

[joftech]

I was thinking if Google remove or at least make the putting of "Ads by Google" notice beside adsense ads an optional choice for publisher make people to be less ad blind.

I think a site will have a perfectly blended ads when the "Ads by Google" notice is no longer a part of the ads.

[jikel morten]

Well, there's a line between trickery and blending that they don't want to cross. Google is being up front and honest about text links being ads, as they should, imo.

[Andrew Bassett]

Jikel is right. Doing this keeps the quality of clicks high and Google's advertisers happy.

[joftech]

I have noticed some sites that have been removing the "Ads by Google" notice, i wonder what G is doing since that act is a violation of the TOS.

[Rodney]

I have noticed some sites that have been removing the "Ads by Google" notice, i wonder what G is doing since that act is a violation of the TOS.

Some sites have permission from Google to remove that text. Some premium publishers, etc.

[europeforvisitors]

I think a site will have a perfectly blended ads when the "Ads by Google" notice is no longer a part of the ads.

How is that good for the paying advertisers who are Google's customers?

[hunderdown]

If it didn't say Ads for Google, it would be quite difficult to tell the ads apart from regular links, especially with Adlinks.

I don't want to confuse my visitors--I like it that they know what they are getting when they click.

[joaquin112]

It also helps branding for Google...

[vincevincevince]

If it didn't say 'ads by google' how would other webmasters find out about the programme?

[annej]

I don't mind "Ads by Google" at all but the "Ads by Goooooogle" look like phoney Google Ads.

[greatstart]

See this thread for more:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[potentialgeek]

Ad blindness is an issue, but so is deception. Google is careful not to engage in deceptive advertising; it's part of their "Don't be evil" ethos. Without the "Ads by Google" statement, most people would think the ad links were part of the website; heck, even with the "Ads by Google" notice, people still think the links are part of the site.

Google may have to deal with this issue more carefully. There may be a lot of advertisers who lose money from clicks by website visitors who thought the ads were part of the site, even when the ads are set up in a way that seems to meet Google's TOS, i.e., not obvious TOS violations. It seems to be a gray area.

When ads are blended, colors matched, and placed in certain ways in the context of web pages, and the "Ads by Google" is in a small font, visitors who are not paying full attention could easily think the ads are site links. (I'd like to see some polls about what visitors actually thought.)

There's already so much blending of background color, including matching ad link color to site link colors, etc., that notice needs to stay. Just like magazine ads which note the graphic and/or text is an ad, GoogleAds also need the same type of reasonably obvious note about their ads.

Ad blindess is the result of no creativity. In the case of the Google ads, lack of creativity in color and placement. Check the sites which are found in Google ahead of yours, see how they do their ads, if they have them, and do yours differently. (Of course monitor changes with channels.)

p/g

[joeking]

Some of the thinking here doesn't make sense.

Google doesn't want to deceive people so includes Ads By Google. Okay.

Premium publishers - Google's biggest purveyors odf ads - can remove it. Mmmm.

So it's okay to deceive people. As long as you are already making a fortune.

[frox]

So it's okay to deceive people. As long as you are already making a fortune.

Yes, in Adsense as in most other fields ..

[mattg3]

Yes, in Adsense as in most other fields ..

So the logic is?

Because many people DUI, DUI is good?

[jomaxx]

They're "premium publishers" because it's worth Google's time to sit down with them and ensure that whatever page layout they want to use won't be deceptive and won't bring discredit to the program.

It's NOT worth their time to sit down with every two-bit publisher and have a debate over exactly how every single page is allowed to look. And unfortunately if they opened up fully blendable ad formats to everyone, it would be abused on a massive scale.

It's a ridiculous fact that AdSense publishers as a group cannot be trusted to act in an honest and ethical manner. There's no use blaming Google for that. Blame the get-rich quick publishers, especially the valueless MFA site owners who won't be satisfied until every single visitor leaves by clicking an ad, not giving the remotest thought to the advertisers who pay for the whole party.

[mattg3]

I think there might be a middle way, between totally open and only ads by Goooooooooooooooogle. Give 4 or 5 options. Ads by Goooooooooooooooooooogle is getting a bit old I would say. ;)

What about a choice of the colour and number of o's? ;)

Just kidding.

[Jafo]

I don't necessarily mind it, I just wish I could control where it shows. There are many times it would look better at the bottom of an ad block instead of the top. Same thing for right or left..