Adsense for visitors who DON'T want my content

A specialised site

[dhiggerdhigger]

My site is a highly specialised scientific site, for people learning the subject at University degree-level. I do it for fun, and have about 3-4k visitors per month.

People who browse more than 1 page tend to browse 7-10 in a single session, with a few minutes between page impressions. Nearly all the rest, however, come in from Google and then leave after viewing the one page only.

I was wondering anyone out there uses Adsense to provide an exit route for people who don't want the content on the site. E.g. your highly technical making-widgets site gets loads of visitors who want to buy widgets, not learn complicated stuff about them (and indeed, there are no ads for learning about making widgets, just about buying them).

Any advice, or experience with this type of Adsense use?

[annej]

I'd just put an ad above the fold on pages that get search engine traffic. If you are concerned about looking too commercial just put a link unit in the upper left hand corner. It takes very little space and that is supposed to be the most looked at spot on a page.

Actually any content site has visitors that come in from search engines and find the page isn't what they were interested in. Often they are looking for the product and not a extensive article on the item. AdSense can actually help them find what they are looking for.

[dhiggerdhigger]

AdSense can actually help them find what they are looking for.

Yes - this was my idea, whilst monetizing my site a little. I am thinking about identifying the links for that type of user - the user who has definitely not found what they want after arriving on my site - by something like these just above a link unit:

"These links will take you away from Example.com."
or
"Example.com not what you're looking for?"
or
"To exit Example.com:"

Q. Would this kind of note violate the "undue attention" clause in the Adsense program policies [google.com]?

I don't want to fall foul of Google's policies. The three statements suggested above seem to me to serve the purpose of the Ads. (I say this because the Ads will never be properly relevant to my content; there's no market for teaching highly technical widget information, only stuff like "Buy a cheaper widget", "Widgets in Yourtown", "Get a widget sooner", et cetera.)

[Iguana]

No, don't draw any attention to the Ads whatsoever unless you want to lose your Adsense account. There's no need, people will click on the ads if they are of interest - or will use the back button to return to the search.

[dhiggerdhigger]

I appreciate the cautionary advice.

This seems like a grey area to me. For example, clearly marking an exit route for users who are very likely to be looking for what the ads contain is helping connect advertisers with geniunely interested users.

But I suppose that if users want what an ad is showing them, they'll click it (as long as I've placed it well...above the fold, for a start).

Dave

[trillianjedi]

as long as I've placed it well

It is 100% about positioning.

If you've placed it well (the google heatmap is pretty accurate in my experience) then, if there's an ad which is of interest, it'll get clicked. You'll get the exit money and with a bit of luck the advertiser will get a conversion.

I was wondering anyone out there uses Adsense to provide an exit route

Absolutely, most of the time an AdSense click represents an exit route. That may be a content decision (this site is not for me but this ad looks interesting) or a lead decision (they've read your Widget review and now want to go buy one online).

TJ

[dhiggerdhigger]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm convinced.

• No text referring to the ads, at all. Why risk it.
  
• There's no point anyway. Good ad placement, people will see them.
  

Dave

[Green_Grass]

of course adsense is a way to exit the site.. However the placement of the ads is the key. Place them, so that they provide an exit route to the :

Uninterested .
Semi Interested
interested visitor.

Get the maximum out of your site .

Just don't draw undue attention to them.
;-)

[andrea99]

Just don't draw undue attention to them.

I just viewed a clever site that flanks the central AdSense block on each side with colorful illustrations that will compliment well targeted ads. There is also an Adlink unit across the top just below the logo which appears to be a navigation bar.

To someone like me who builds similar pages and uses AdSense it seems to be a deceptive way to encourage clicking, though I think it does follow the letter of Google's TOS. For someone simply seeking information on the subject they would probably click on an ad and be happy with where it takes them--if it is well targeted.

It is where AdSense evolution is taking us, search is monetized so well that the average searcher is not even aware that money is being made...

Well, if the page itself contains valuable content and is not just a lure fashioned from keywords I'm ok with this being our future.