Competing Ads?

What types of ads violate Adsense TOS?

[John_Shaw]

Specifically what types of ads violate Googles TOS for Adsense? In particular:
Amazon (image of book)?
Be-Free type affiliate links (graphic)?
Fast Click interstitial pages?
other?

[Candleman]

I may be wrong but this is my understanding

Any text or banner ad is fine as long as it does not look in any way like the adsense ads.

[figment88]

Given the other forum about AdSense closing down accounts without warning, the answer must be whatever Google decides. Further they can change their determination whenever they want and have different rules on a site-by-site basis.

Until Google actually makes some more detailed announcement, starts sending out bad boy notes, or actually boots some sites that people let us know about, it will be impossible determine the answer to this question.

[cornwall]

>>Until Google actually makes some more detailed announcement, starts sending out bad boy notes, or actually boots some sites that people let us know about, it will be impossible determine the answer to this question.

You are wrong there...

...it is quite simple. You send Google an email with a link to a page with the ad layout that you want to use..

...within 24 hours you get an email back saying those other ads are OK (or not as the case may be)..

..no bad boy notes, no booting, etc

[Blue_Fin]

>>Given the other forum about AdSense closing down accounts without warning, the answer must be whatever Google decides.

I'm not aware of anyone who's had their account cancelled and not given a reason and that reason has always been a violation of the TOS, regardless of whether the violation was caused by the publisher or not. So I don't think your answer is appropriate for the question asked.

Amazon and BeFree are affiliate links and the TOS clearly indicates that affiliate links are OK. If you are unsure of any others, ask Google. Just provide a link to the page they appear and you'll get an answer within 24 hours. You should always check the TOS first and then if it isn't clear to you, you should ask Google and not here, because regardless of what you get for an answer here, Google's answer prevails.

[abbeyvet]

You send Google an email with a link to a page with the ad layout that you want to use..

I got a reply within a couple of hours on both occasions that I did this. It is the easist way to be certain if you have any doubt.

Amazon and BeFree are affiliate links and the TOS clearly indicates that affiliate links are OK

Amazon was one that I was not so sure of, in the case of Amazon ads with books and linked book titles in them. So I asked. And they are NOT ok. They are considered text ads and should not be on the same page.

A generic Amazon ad, just linking to the site or to a section within it, is fine.

[figment88]

My apologies on not realizing that Google would respond to individual inquiries about the appropriateness of specific competing ads. Obviously this should have been the reply to the original post.

Still, given the great ambiguity of the FAQ and T&C and Google holding all the cards, I still wonder:

1) if ads deemed ok today will remain so into the future
2) if an ok given by a CS agent is "binding" in sense

The simple fact that people on this board who take these matters very seriously and read the program material very thorougly, still are unsure what is "allowable" makes me uncomfortable.

[cdkrg]

Hi, I am no longer an AdSense user but can answer this question.

Ammason and such were initially forbidden but Google amended their TOS to allow them.

They are basically forbidding ads that imitate their style. Bidclicks is a big culprit and bidclicks advertises through fastclick so you need to disable that campaign in fastclick if you want to serve both fastclick and AdSense.