Forum Moderators: martinibuster
In fact, I don't provide software downloads at all. On my web site, some of the displayed google ads say they are providing free software, but in fact they only provide crippled versions or even didn't provide a download at all. Therefore after some visitors clicked through the ads and found it is not FREE, they think they are cheated, not by the ads displayed, but by my web site.
In fact I set the color of google ads fairly different from the color of my site, and it is very easy to see "Ads By Google". So what else can I do.
Seems a fairly logical response....
Cary
But it's hard to blame them. A lot of users are AOL users, and to them the Web is one big answer machine that they don't understand.
Thanks.
It seems to me there would be a way to exclude our clicks on our own ads from counting when they add up the money.
In any case, trying to police individual ads is a fruitless task, because geotargeting and rotating ads mean you can see only some of the ads that are being displayed.
If you have ongoing problems with ads of questionable legitimacy or that reflect badly on your site, it may be best not to use AdSense. (That's what I did for on my freelance writers' site, where I tried AdSense briefly until I discovered that all of the ads were for vanity presses and writing scams.)
IF you click on the "ads by Google" it gives you the urls of the ads displayed so that you can click on them to "check them out".
if you want the advertising revenue, then a small price you have to pay is receiving emails like this.
In the new AdSense TOS isn't there a statement that you can label the ads "sponsored links" or such. Maybe doing so would make it more clear to your visitors that the ads are not directly associated with your site but are simply paid advertising.
The ad box already says "Ads by Google," which should make it clear that (a) the links are ads, and (b) they're being provided by a third party (Google).
Some readers aren't going to get it no matter how clearly the ads are labeled.
As for the term "sponsored links," I think that's risky in this case because it may imply a sponsorship arrangement between the advertisers and the publisher.
Granted is not like you have Ginsu knives or MLM advertising on your site {although now that I think about it.... some of us might}. But there is no way to guarantee that the third party advertising in your site will perform as advertised. All we can hope is that Google catches them and that we can be proactive enough to block those that Google lets in, but that don't meet our more stringent standards.
I am also an adwords advertiser and I have to say that I do believe the ads are reviewed before going out in content. In fact, one of my ads was disallowed due to a misunderstanding. There is quality control in place.
IMHO, as a publisher you should have two things in your site:
#1 a disclaimer of endorsement. Feel free to use mine:
Reference herein to any products, services, processes, hypertext links to third parties or other information by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, supplier or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation by the creator of this site, but it might. Product and service information are the sole responsibility of each individual vendor with the exception, once again, of Microsoft Corporation since who can tell what they include in their releases that will cause your computer to freeze-up, smoke, melt, explode, produce an entirely new language unknown to mankind or launch itself onto The Microsoft Network which, in itself, provides a new definition for the word 'slow'.
#2 Easily differentiated ads from content. Yeph... I know that maybe the "ads by Google" cuts down on our CTR... But it has a purpose.
IF you click on the "ads by Google" it gives you the urls of the ads displayed so that you can click on them to "check them out".
Thanks so much. I didn't find them to be clickable but they are easy to copy and paste. Much faster than digging into properties like the adsense instructions suggest.
I've basically blocked those companies that are really just a search for the product. My regular visitors are going to be turned off by that. They want to go directly to see the store, magazine information or whatever.
I think the strategy would be different for a site that isn't based on return visitors.
Remember, they can always use their quarter to call a lawyer.
There are other ways to check the ads being shown. That is bad advice.
Product and service information are the sole responsibility of each individual vendor with the exception, once again, of Microsoft Corporation since who can tell what they include in their releases that will cause your computer to freeze-up, smoke, melt, explode, produce an entirely new language unknown to mankind or launch itself onto The Microsoft Network which, in itself, provides a new definition for the word 'slow'.
Your disclaimer was pretty good - until your insertion of the above-quoted text. If you don't like Microsoft, fine. There's still no need to post specious and rhetorical dreck here or anywhere else. With luck, a Microsoft attorney is looking at this thread as we post....
In other words, think before you post personal-opinion idiocy in a thread in which people are looking for real help for a real-world problem.
[Um. No - I'm not a moderator, nor do I want to be one. This particular post just really p****d me off.... not that anyone will care particularly.]
If it not were for the fact that clicking on the ads in your site will get you kicked out of the program, I would agree with you.
Europeforvisitors:
It's very bad advice
There appear to be two distinct camps developing in this forum.
Always the same names trotting out the official Google line, always the same names opposing them.
For the record, and in order that people new to the forum do not get misled into thinking there is a consensus where there is none, I disagree with Loanuniverse and Europeforvisitors.
Brett was absolutely right when he said you have a responsibility to check the adverts that appear on your own site.
That may well be. But one doesn't need to click on the ads on their site to check the adverts.
As long as there are alternatives to clicking on the ad itself, advising clicking on them is bad advise in my opinion.
4eyes: I ony spek from the POV of a publisher not Google. Trust me I am sure that I don't hold the same positions as Google in a lot of subjects. It is simple, you click the ads you will get booted. I am not even going to phrase it in a political correct way like EFV did "pointing out the fact that you would be stealing from the advertisers". I will simply point out that clicking on the ads will probably result on loosing Adsense as a revenue source.
Edit: How did I miss this:
With luck, a Microsoft attorney is looking at this thread as we post....
You mean to say that they are done with Mikerowesoft.com and they are coming after me? OMG, I am shaking! If they do send me a letter, I am buying myself a scanner and posting it on my site. Really man, this post was funny.
There appear to be two distinct camps developing in this forum.Always the same names trotting out the official Google line, always the same names opposing them.
This has nothing to do with "trotting out the official Google line".
If you agree to comply with the Adsense TOS, you must keep your promises.
End of story.
I believe that many of those "rebels" NEVER click their own ads, but only find it interesting to post provocative messages here.
Anyway clicking on an ad is not required to see the website. So if you do want to check EACH and EVERY ad, just check the url and open it from another window. Make sure the matter is non objectionable, suitable for children and does not contain any abusive words.
hold on, didnt Adsense appoint people for this and doesnt the algorithm not serve ads in such cases. Oops!
