Forum Moderators: martinibuster
What changes will 2005 bring to the AdSense network?
Will we see more advertiser controls, such as the domain-blocking filters that publishers already have?
Will Google extend the AdSense product to provide an alternative to the current all-or-nothing content buy?
Will there be a significant increase or decline in the number of advertisers who use content ads?
Will Google tighten its rules (e.g., require approval for using AdSense code on new domains)?
Will Google crack down on "made for AdSense" scraper and directory sites?
Will publishers be given tools (such as positive or negative keyword hints) to prevent chronic ad mismatching on evergreen pages?
Will most AdSense publishers see a general improvement or decline in their effective CPMs over the next 12 months?
Any speculation is just that--speculation--but one encouraging sign (for those who worry about Google's commitment to quality) is the recently announced AdWords TOS change that limits direct-to-merchant affiliate ads, which has provoked a great deal of discussion in the AdWords forum. The TOS change suggests that Google is willing to sacrifice easy money in the short run to preserve the credibility and success of its PPC program over the long haul. Will we see the same kind of long-term strategic thinking with regard to AdSense, or will AdSense continue on a "business as usual" basis throughout 2005?
I'd love to be able to tell a prospective advertizer that they could use this feature to place ads on my, or other selected sites. All they'd have to do is choose the site(s) they like and bid enough to show up.
I'd also like to see every site have to be manually approved. I wonder what that would do to their costs and if it would mean a lower split for publishers.
Letting advertisers choose the sites will not happen - to much time required / difficulty for them.
Letting advertisers choose the sites will not happen - to much time required / difficulty for them.
Actually, a number of advertisers have said (on the AdWords forum) that they'd welcome such controls--especially a blocking filter, which would allow them to exclude referrals from high-traffic junk sites and nonconverting "premium partners."
As far as simplicity goes.
There's nothing very complicated about the publishers url filter. The advertizers side wouldn't need to be any more complicated than that.
Adwords was setup to be easy to use - automated - and they are trying to get another 100,000 advertisers onboard and reaching out to small mom & pops, new advertisers who are not CPC experts
They've got a product for the moms and pops: the current AdWords/AdSense base product, which might be termed "contextual run-of-network advertising." It's a good start, and it's fine for many advertisers, but how can anyone seriously believe that Google will just say "Fine, we're done" and leave it at that?
No; AdWords (with and without its content network) is likely to be just the starting point for a whole range of advertising services: some offered direct to the advertiser, and others assembled by outside vendors (such as advertising, direct-marketing, and media-buying agencies).
I remember when, back in the 1980s, traditional mailing lists (the ones delivered on mailing labels or reels of computer tape) were starting to be supplanted or at least supplemented by mix-and-match lists from multiple database vendors. For a while I was working with a direct-response firm whose "value add" was assembling customized dealer lists and mailings for major companies that were based on highly specific criteria.
Why shouldn't Google provide agencies with similar capabilities for the PPC marketing era? Think about it: Google provides the tools (such as include/exclude/content type/rating filters), and agencies use those tools to deliver ads that are targeted by keyword and by audience. Google gets premium rates per click, agencies earn a markup or fee, and the agencies' corporate clients get higher-quality leads. In the meantime, the moms and pops (including eBay affiliates) are still doing their thing, just as--in the offline world--your neighborhood pizza parlor might do "occupant" mailings while the company that's selling $10,000 cruises or $100,000 widget emulsifiers is using highly targeted and considerably more expensive mailing lists.
The contextual advertising industry hasn't even reached the toddler stage, and we're going to see many, many changes in the years ahead.
Remember this phrase:
AdWords isn't a product; it's a platform.
