Forum Moderators: martinibuster
I have used them myself, but never again. With every click they generated, I could feel my soul being eaten...
Same goes for those ugly referrals. Really... if anything, they (Google) should give us the ability to make REAL text links and let us know the URL format. That would be acceptable.
AdSense for content is the only one I can stand, and even it sticks in my eyes when surfing others's sites because they are usually so "spammy feeling". And I don't think it's just because it's somebody else's ads that I feel that way. They are just not tastefully placed/set up.
Oh, and those ad links are horrible too. I noticed a "see more" link on my contents ads too... not good. I don't want them to show me a list of ads. Really ugly and crappy feeling.
Oh, how I wish they would give us ASS -- AdSense Server-Side.
There's nothing wrong with having a view on adsense ... nothing at all. Just be aware that hundreds of thousands of users (and many hundreds of millions of dollars), feels a little different.
If you don't like Adsense, why not use another brand (eg Yahoo!). And if you don't like seeing them, there's always the controversial ad blockers.
Or you could always just close your browser ;)
Matt
Mokimodo, you are the spice of my life! :) God bless you brother!
When ever I read a criticism of the great God Google ...
I think of someone who has spammed and failed, or been dropped by Adsense.
And, almost invariably, the truth comes out.
Let's face it, why would any unbiased, intelligent person bother to attack a search engine? What next, complaints about fire hydrants and the ease with which Hollywood breaks them? If it wasn't funny, it would be pathetic ;)
I don't know about you guys (and gals), but whenever I see one of those AdSense for Search boxes, I want to puke. Seriously. Sorry, but it's true. I feel really sick. They really manage to ruin ANY site's feel and reputation IMO.
On the contrary: AdSense for Search offers a way for users to search a site--or the Web, too, for that matter--using the world's most popular search index and interface.
For publishers, it offers a way to outsource search and make a few bucks in the process. (For some of us, the money is simply a bonus for what we'd be doing anyway: I was using Google Site Search before AdSense for Search came along, because it was better than the third-party solution that I used previously and didn't require any server overhead at my end.)
As for AdSense Referrals, I've never used them or even noticed them on a site that I've viseted, so I haven't really thought about them.
I went from htdig to google search API to sitesearch to adsense for search. The first two were a fair amount of work to keep running when the hosting company changed things. htdig also created a database that was about 4 times the size of the website and pushed the limits of the account.
Sitesearch solved my problem, but sent searchers to the google site, before hopefully coming back to my site. AdSense for search allows me to show the results on my own page, within my own navigation. Oh yeah, it also pays me about $3/day while it makes things easier for me.
You may not like the look, but it draws more searches than a regular old search box does. People don't "search" anymore, they "google it".
> On the contrary: AdSense for Search offers a way for users to
> search a site--or the Web, too, for that matter--using the world's > most popular search index and interface.
In an oddly different-looking, crappy version of their engine, yes.
Oh, and those ad links are horrible too. I noticed a "see more" link on my contents ads too... not good. I don't want them to show me a list of ads. Really ugly and crappy feeling.
just noticed, that not only the "show more", but also the keyword links now point to result pages full of ads instead of reloading the ads inside the iframe (which was my first experience with these links).
that stinks, really. you can't even argue, that the user must know where he is linked to. no, the user does *not* know what these links are, where he is taken to and what window they open. like me: i thought i clicked a link which reloads a new ad. instead they take me to a wall of ads. plus the look and feel of a) the additional links and b) the result page doesn't fit in my page design in any way.
this must be adressed, folks. i do NOT agree with ad links in my text ad boxes. i have deliberately waived ad links and i do not want my users to be fooled!
WHY are they doing this? God I hate this.
On the contrary: AdSense for Search offers a way for users to search a site--or the Web, too, for that matter--using the world's most popular search index and interface.
Did someone mention "I want to puke"?
By the way, are you disputing the fact that Google is the world's most popular search index and interface? If so, you obviously need to learn more about the major search engines' market share. And if not, why would you question the value of letting readers use a search tool that (based on market share) they're likely to be using more often than any other?
By the way, are you disputing the fact that Google is the world's most popular search index and interface?
No, I just agree with this statement:
They [I would add Adsense on a website in general] really manage to ruin ANY site's feel and reputation IMO.
Don't criticize mcdonalds, they are the most popular hamburger. blah, blah
I don't make big money out of search but it is sufficient to cover monthly cost of my dedicated box.
We should be able to at least customise the font and font size for Adsense Content ads. They're in Arial, while the rest of the *content* on my site is in Verdana. It looks embarassingly amateurish.
Google already has enough problems with sleazeball publishers disguising ads as "content."
