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WebSearch fees

what fees? I didn't read about any fees

         

linear

3:42 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Can anyone interpret this line, found on the Search performacne report:
Revenue from WebSearch ads may be offset at the end of the month by fees applicable to WebSearch.

How did I miss mention of fees when reading the TOS/overview?

Edit: the same clause appears in the revised TOS, with no further mention of the word fee other than for returned checks or cancelled payments. No mention in the FAQ, nor the program policies.

ASA, what fees?

ChrisKud5

6:41 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



If any fee was levied for just being a part of the program i will be very upset, as I have no plan on using this "thing", but simply wanted to play with the buttons.........

Again, as i said a few weeks ago in a lengthy discussion with a few members, the costs per search for this gimick can add up, and I would expect that a little fee is tacked on based on the number of searches done that month? This has the potential of lowering overall EPC by some amount, meaning the same ads MAY pay less using this method than a site search with adsense in the SERPS.

It would make sense if i was google, you may make money on here and not lose money, but your earnings may not be as great as if you just had a search on your site with adsense results at the top. You may be "making more money" if you did not have a site search in the past, and are adding one for the first time, opening up new oppertunites for impressions and clicks.

I will be very upset if they say that you must now use this search and cannot use adsense in your own searches.

I think these new additions should have been thought out a little more and perfected before they were given to publishers. As one member showed us the coding errors in the search box, it seems like the additions of this was premature and the bugs should have been worked out a bit more before feeding it to us.

God save adsense.

Jenstar

7:03 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



It is free!

There are no fees associated with running this program.

The program is free, and Google pays you for valid clicks on the ads on your search results pages.

[google.com...]

Swash

7:38 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



So what are the charges they speak of? It doesn't make sense. Adnonsense. lol. get it. funny.

Marcia

8:06 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



All the corportese once again translated into time-saving, comprehensible English

[webmasterworld.com...]

rravenn

8:10 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



A shot in the dark...

Maybe it means that once a valid click is made ON the search page then a small %or YOUR revenue is taken as a 'fee' to keep the prgram running.

I'm sure someone or even AWA etc, will blow this theory out of the water.

RvN

Marcia

8:12 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Really, everyone should read the thread linked to - most all we need to know is fully and simply explained.

GrantNZ

8:19 am on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Could be WebSearch fees to get your website crawled faster. :-) Paid Inclusion? Oh! :-)

I think Google had better clarify that sentence with a link to detail, or they should just take it out to stop our speculation for what might be coming.

AdSenseAdvisor

9:13 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I'm just back from vacation - and into a whole world of threads about the new features! It'll take a while for me to catch up on all of the posts, but I wanted to start by addressing your concerns about WebSearch fees.

First of all, these fees will not apply to all publishers. I don't know what number it will affect, but it should be a very small percentage. It's in place because Google incurs a cost for every search through WebSearch. If a publisher is generating a large amount of searches, but is getting a small number of clicks, Google will cover some of this cost with a fee to be deducted at the end of the month. The fee will be against WebSearch earnings only (not AdSense for content earnings) and will never be more than the publisher's WebSearch earnings. So, no publisher will owe Google money for WebSearch at the end of the month.

I'm off to read the rest of the threads! I'll do my best to answer any further questions as well.
ASA.

dazzlindonna

9:32 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Glad that fee business is sorta cleared up. Reminds me of a bank commercial on TV here. The husband wants to know why they are getting charged for a checking account that he thought was free. The wife says something like, "Well, it is free. Sort of free. Free...with fees."

Visi

9:33 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Seems like the west coast definition of "free" is slightly different than mine? Clicked on the box based on the published material, which did not indicate a hidden charge. Oh well live and learn I guess.

Now about my hidden fee for directing traffic to Google search? I'll inform Google at the end of the month so they can increase my check amount, by what I consider to be a "reasonable" amount.

Now where they hide that opt out button?...lol

seogrrl

9:50 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Yes, I too would like to know why there is no opt-out button. I already offer a search on my site, I signed up but then read that you cannot offer any other type of search on your site if you use theirs. Therefore I want "out" of the search feature.

SEOGrrl

Rodney

10:22 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



seems like if you want to opt-out, then you would just stop using it.

seogrrl

10:51 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



that's understandable, but if you opted in, you are agreeing to not show search results from any other company. Since I will be showing search results from other companies I would be in violation of the TOS by being subscribed, therefore, I want to be unsubscribed.

SEOGrrl

ChrisKud5

10:52 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



"I'm just back from vacation - and into a whole world of threads about the new features! It'll take a while for me to catch up on all of the posts, but I wanted to start by addressing your concerns about WebSearch fees.
First of all, these fees will not apply to all publishers. I don't know what number it will affect, but it should be a very small percentage. It's in place because Google incurs a cost for every search through WebSearch. If a publisher is generating a large amount of searches, but is getting a small number of clicks, Google will cover some of this cost with a fee to be deducted at the end of the month. The fee will be against WebSearch earnings only (not AdSense for content earnings) and will never be more than the publisher's WebSearch earnings. So, no publisher will owe Google money for WebSearch at the end of the month.

I'm off to read the rest of the threads! I'll do my best to answer any further questions as well.
ASA.
"

From ASA himself, firms up exactly what i have been saying for the past couple of weeks. Google incurs a cost for each search, and that cost will be passed onto the publisher, google WILL NOT foot the bill.

So what does 1 search cost google? I would think it would be like 1/2 cent each search or around that end, so if you do 100 searches without a click you are deducted 50 cents on future earnings? HA!

This service is NOT FREE as it is advertised, but fee is taken out of earnings, if any. On sites with existing searches with adsense, their is no possible way to make any more with this product as opposed to a regular site search with adsense all other things equal. Adsense on a search does not have a fee, but regular commissions on bid price is paid. I do not have any extra cost for having a search script, and i am certainly not charged for each search i have.

Just after i thought i might consider having this on any of my sites, i promptly have made an about face. A high volume of searches with a low CTR will cost you earnings..........

Anyone have any results yet. In general terms of course

"that's understandable, but if you opted in, you are agreeing to not show search results from any other company. Since I will be showing search results from other companies I would be in violation of the TOS by being subscribed, therefore, I want to be unsubscribed.
SEOGrrl
"

I too want to be opted out from this. I wrote my own search engine set of scripts, so i am not using another companies search, but I do not want my name or sites associated with this product. I do not endorse it and do not want anything to do with it.

[edited by: ChrisKud5 at 11:21 pm (utc) on June 18, 2004]

FromRocky

10:57 pm on Jun 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



That's simple. No websearch earnings no fee
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