Selling & transferring ownership of site running AdSense

How to do this without breaking the AdSense terms

[bzprod]

Hello,

I am selling a website that currently makes quite a bit through adsense. How can I go about telling future owners this amount. The amount is significant enough to where I NEED to include it in sales pitch.

I do not want to violate any terms of service by disclosing this amount to people.

So, If anyone has experience on selling a website with adsense, please chime in. Thanks!

[Blue_Fin]

You can request permission from Google per their TOS. Since others have reported that Google will not allow a change in the email address on the AdSense account, you should also inquire how this is handled when a website is sold.

[Sanenet]

Since the Adsense account is targetted towards people, not sites, the easiest way would be for the purchaser to setup their own account rather than you changing yours.

[Hunter]

Hey thats an idea...let the high bidder(s) put their adsense code on the site for a day or so and let them see it for themsleves. If you do have good returns they will see it first hand and are more likley to buy.

[Jenstar]

You will definitely have to contact Google on this one. I am sure they have handled this situation before and can let you know exactly what to do so that you don't break any terms, and so the website in question can continue running AdSense under the new owner.

<added>Hunter, I would suspect Google would definitely have a problem with that, and I suspect it would raise some flags if several accounts are used on the same domain name.</added>

[bzprod]

Thank you everyone for your replies. Yes, when the site sells, the new owner will have the option to either keep adsense or drop it. They would certainly have to use their own account, as I have other sites on my account. The site in question is an ecommerce site that makes about 90 times more in product sales than it does in adsense monthly. Adsense is not my selling point, however, I need to be completely honest and up front on my earnings report.

I will definately ask Google about this.

Thanks all! Good luck in '04!

[jomaxx]

It's probably relevant how you're going to make the pitch. IMO what you will be able to disclose in a face-to-face meeting and what you can post when selling your site on eBay are two very different things.

[Sanenet]

Since I assume you will be handing over a full disclosure under an NDA anyway, you would be able to pass the information over to the client, since they would be unable to pass the information on to anybody else.

Really, not that different from telling your accountant how much you brought in, right?

[Blue_Fin]

Sanenet, check the AdSense TOS. What you are suggesting is violating one NDA for another NDA.

[bzprod]

I will surely post back here when I have received a reply from Google.

[Sanenet]

"You" or "Publisher" means any entity identified in an enrollment form submitted by the same or affiliated persons, and/or any agency or network acting on its (or their) behalf, which shall also be bound by the terms of this Agreement.

Which covers the accountant bit, as they are an agency acting on your behalf. By having an NDA signed, with a full disclosure, it seems to me you would be expanding the umbrella of your organisation overs theirs, if that makes sense.

[Sanenet]

Course, it doesn't hurt to ask Google anyways... I certainly not advocating taking the law into your own hands and doing it, I'm just saying I can't see how it's forbidden either in spirit or writing.

[bzprod]

I received a reply from Google today. They are allowing me to disclose certain figures to potential buyers only. They also let me know how to transfer the sites to the new owners. Thanks Google! Job well done.

[Jenstar]

Thank you for letting us know the outcome. I am sure this will come up again in the future.