Forum Moderators: martinibuster
BUT: is it allowed to explain on the site that your web site is free and that you appreciate that they CAN visit your sponsors if someone has interests in their service. Same like people do it in real life /events/ when they say "This store is our sponsor, make sure you visit them...".
I hope you understand; I don't want to ask someone to click if he is not interested, I would just like to tell my 2000+ users that if they need something (hosting for example), they should first look at our sponsors offers, then look further. Because yes, this website is free and to keep it free, they should shop at the site sponsors.
I appreciate your opinion...
Web pages may not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. This includes encouraging users to click on the ads or to visit the advertisers' sites as well as drawing any undue attention to the ads. This activity is strictly prohibited in order to avoid potential inflation of advertiser costs. For example, your site cannot contain phrases such as "click here," "support us," "visit these links," or other similar language that could apply to any ad, regardless of content.
The only permited wording for the ads are:
"sponsored links" or "advertisements."
I would just like to tell my 2000+ users that if they need something (hosting for example), they should first look at our sponsors offers
1. They're not your sponsors. They're Google's clients.
2. If you place your ads well, get the right colour scheme etc, then anyone visiting your site that is actually interested in a product being advertised will click. Trust me, they do. And with a bit of luck they'll then go and buy the product.
TJ
Usually we don't do things by what someone "thinks". Ok, if explaining to visitors that this site can go on because of sponsors is illegal, then I agree.
No one said I would point them there and tell them to put fingers above the link. What I asked is if it illegal to tell that this site is free because of sponsors. Same like free newspapers tell... some say "with help of our sponsors this issue is free for you". Understand? Just like in offline world.
Maybe you are right but I want to check if this is maybe allowed since you are not forcing anyone to click, you're just telling that advertisers keep this site alive.
Drawing any attention to the ads is against the terms, which would include pointing out that advertisers keep the site alive.
Same like free newspapers tell... some say "with help of our sponsors this issue is free for you". Understand? Just like in offline world.
Yes, but the newspaper isn't earning an additional $ for each individual reader that happens to visit the business. With AdSense, you ARE getting $ for each reader you send to an Adwords advertiser. And advertisers are NOT happy to pay you for junk traffic since the reason the visitors are clicking is to "help keep your site alive".
Bottom line, it is against the terms to incite clicks, encourage clicks or draw ANY attention to the ads.
No one said I would point them there and tell them to put fingers above the link. What I asked is if it illegal to tell that this site is free because of sponsors. Same like free newspapers tell... some say "with help of our sponsors this issue is free for you". Understand? Just like in offline world.
Site: "With help of our sponsors this site is free for you."
Visitor: "I like this site, I'll help them out by clicking on this ad."
Advertisor: "That visitor wasn't even interested in our product, but we had to pay anyways."
See the problem?
I don't think you have to tell anyone that the ads are helping keep the site alive. They know.
Anyway, that TOS is a funny thing; Google can tell me that if I drive visitors to them, I will get paid for every click while I am not allowed to even mention ads on the site.
Since at the time, I was using AdSense on only a few categories, I jsut removed it entirely. I subsequently got a note from Google saying I shouldn't remove it entirely just change the heading.
While I am not sure I appreciate Google micro-managing my site or their inflexability, my main point here is that they do check these things.
It sounds as if you're going to do it anyway, but people who have experience in this area are giving you their best recommendation. Don't do it.
Anyway, that TOS is a funny thing; Google can tell me that if I drive visitors to them, I will get paid for every click while I am not allowed to even mention ads on the site.
Look at it from the advertiser's point of view (afterall, they are the ones who fund AdSense).
Advertiser sets a $1000 budget for AdWords
Assume he can set the CPC at a fixed $0.20/ea
He is going to spend $1000 regardless... and get 5,000 visitors.
If you were that advertiser, would you rather:
- Get 5,000 visitors who found the ad themselves and were not prompted to click the ads... ie. they saw the ad & were actually interested.
- Get 5,000 visitors.... 4,500 who were interested, and another 500 that had little to no interest in your product that were merely clicking b/c they were told it would help keep another site free. Since your budget is fixed, you didn't spend any more money... but lost out on 500 potnetial customers.
-------
Unlimited Budget @ $0.20ea
Which one?
- 10,000 visitors @ $0.20ea ($2,000)... all of whom were interested in your product and were not prompted to click on the ad.
- 12,000 visitors @ $0.20ea ($2,400). 10,000 interested visitors, plus an additional 2,000 that were prompted to click on your ad for whatever reason... costing you an additional $400 for 2,000 uninterested visitors, what will most likely not result in sales.
This is of course not true. I did this by mistake once and google never said anything (I removed it after 3-4 weeks when I found out it was against the TOS). They are not fascists, and if you ask them before putting the site up, they will give you an answer to your question.
If your web surfers clicked on the ad but did not buy anything from sponsors. Then sponsors can't make money from Google. They will not use Adwords any more. And you can't make money from Google also...
Just like a Chinese sentence 'kill the hen and get the egg' Then no eggs any more!
Please don't do that.
It's Friday night tonight :)
would that be allowed?
very good one haha.
loco, you really think that everyone knows about ads and how they work? i can tell you that people have absolutely no idea about clicks, bids, etc.. go and ask your friends who are such specialists like you are. last week i was explaining that to a webmaster here and he had no idea about the whole system.
now i want to do a site with adsense info :))))))))
what if I had adsense on a website about how adsense works, discussion of TOS, etc.? The site content would be about adsense so it would indirectly draw attention to the ads.
Sure, as long as you don't draw attention to YOUR ads.
Why is it ok then to write "Sponsored Links"? I never understood why Adsense allows this.
Because it implies that the links themselves are sponsored, i.e., paid for. It doesn't imply that the advertisers behind the links sponsor the site, which is what "site sponsors" means and what Fridaynight wants to imply.
