Is Alexa quicklinks compatible with Adsense?

Does installing context sensitive Amazon ad go against TOS

[Clark]

I asked this elsewhere without reply, but perhaps I should post it here. Someone suggested using this tool to earn some income:

[pages.alexa.com...]

Since it seems to use some similar technology to AdSense I wanted to verify if it went against Adsense TOS?

[mike schmitz]

What you mean compatible?

M

[annej]

My understanding is the AdSense TOS says not to use anything that mimics or is close to the look of AdSense ads. Those Amazon ads look totally different. First of all there is the garish Amazon logo at the top. Second of all it shows pictures of bookcovers in the ad. I can't imagine anyone mistaking it for adsense. (Someone jump in here and correct me if I'm wrong.)

Make sure there isn't a hidden cost for the Alexa tool. Even though it says it's free I know some of those handy dandy Amazon tools take a share of your profit. Whether that is so in this case or not I still think you would be smarter to go to Amazon's build-a-link and build your own keyword links for your content pages. Your own handpicked keywords will be more on target. For pages that are always changing, like a forum, the Alexa tool might be OK.

[Jenstar]

From the Quick Links page:

The free Quick Links service will automatically create Amazon.com advertisements related to the content of your page.

That would be considered contextual advertising, and it is against the AdSense Terms to run other contextual ads on the same page as AdSense.

However, including regular affiliate links to Amazon is NOT against the terms, since it is not automatically generating links/ads based upon the content on each page.

[PatrickDeese]

The point is fairly moot - as the content matching engine stinks.

I tested the URL for a widget page that is top-ranked in Y! and G and it couldn't find content - and claimed it was searching for the terms compatible and pixels.

Psst... amazon engineers - ever heard of the H1 tag?

I wish it worked, because it certainly would be a time saver.

[IanCP]

Psst... amazon engineers - ever heard of the H1 tag?

Over on the Amazon "Associates Helping Associates" Discussion Board we have lots of colourful phrases for Amazon's grasp of technology.

[annej]

I've noticed Amazon is letting you set the text, link and background colors for the key word ads. I think they are trying to be like AdSense. But somehow that gawdawful moving orange and blue Amazon logo thing undoes any color coordinating.

Did anyone else do that survey they had? Mostly they seemed to be concerned about the competition. I suspect they are worrying a bit about losing publishers to AdSense.

[beggers]

Well, if you can't place Amazon-keyword ads on the same page, I assume you could use them as an alternate to PSAs, right?

Are these keyword ads something new? Who's got a link to them?

[annej]

There is a difference between the Alexa quick links and using the keyword tool in the associates section of Amazon. Alexa serves up (or tries to) ads based on the text on your page. As Jenstar pointed out that would be against TOS.

With keyword links you set the keywords then Amazon serves up up the ads. Jenstar, do you think that would be allowed with adsense?

I would think either would be fine as replacements for PSAs if you don't mind the tasteless amazon logo that blinks around like some ad made back in the 90s.

Instead I design my own PSA replacement using amazon ads. I make it all text with several books related to the general topic of the site.

When you log into [associates.amazon.com...] click on build-a-link. It's both at the top and the bottom of the page. Look over all the options there.

[beggers]

If the Alexa ad were configured as the PSA replacement, then those ads would never appear on the same page as the AdSense ads. Therefore, the way I see it, the Alexa ads should be okay to use.