Moral dilemma

Was I really cheating?

[serengeti]

I had the following layout on one page of my website:

=======================================
Page Title/Heading

Text--Text--(statement in bold telling people to look at photos in links below)--Text--Text--Text--Text--Text
Text--Text--Text...
Text--Text--Text...

Adsense banner (wide leaderboard with 1-4 ads in it)

Link1 Link2 Link3
Link4 Link5 Link6
========================================

So, people started clicking on the adsense banner instead of the Links 1-6 at the end (which led to some photos of interest).

And I started making $5 a day within a couple of weeks after making my website.

I couldn't decide if this was against the TOS, so yesterday, I changed the sentence telling people to look at links to photos "below" to look at "end".

Since then, I got ZERO clicks!

Should I revert back to my original statement of look "below". Or is that against the TOS?

What do you guys think?

Perhaps I can reverse the position of my links and the adsense banner, and then it would be okay to say look "below"?

[hunderdown]

Sounds like you've answered your own question, but if you're not sure, why not ask AdSense Support to take a look at it?

[incrediBILL]

The only thing you can count on above all else is - people are stupid.

Doesn't sound like you told people to click the ads, but the layout must've confused them as to which links took them to the photos. I would possibly put a box around the photo links with the caption "More photos here..." and around the ads put "Sponsored links" to possibly clarify the situation and put the ads under the links.

[MediaSpree]

Are you sure all things are equal? Same number of visitors? same ads being displayed? As I'm sure you know, there are lots of variables to consider besides wording of one sentance. Maybe the ads from yesterday/today were not as relevant or completely off topic as I have seen on my site occsionally.

and i agree with incredibill, people are stupid ;)

[keno]

If I am advertising widgets on your webpage, and people click on the Adsense by mistake, as an advertiser I'd be pissed off, because I'm paying for targeted traffic.

So I suppose from the moral-dilemma point of view, not strictly the Google TOS, it's not fair to the advertiser who btw maybe another Adsense guy -or gal

[Laker]

Should I revert back to my original statement of look "below". Or is that against the TOS?

Serengeti, if someone asked you this question, what would your answer be?

[bts111]

You don't have to cheat to make loads of cash with Adsense.

[miedmark]

You don't have to cheat to make loads of cash with Adsense.

thumbs up!

[sven1977]

Of course it's against the TOS. If people click on the ads much more often because of some click-encouraging statement on your site, then that statement/sentence causes inflated clicks and has to be removed.

I agree with a previous poster though that you should wait some more time to really be sure that the ZERO clicks you get don't have another reason (bad day, ads suddenly off topic, etc...).

[sailorjwd]

Use every trick in the book as long as it is within TOS. Morals and money - interesting combination.

Ask Adsense support and you will get the answer you need. If the extra cash makes you feel bad then give it to the relief effort.

And, if folks are on your site looking for widgets and the ads are for widgets then an advertiser should be tickled pink to get the semi-accidental click.

[fischermx]

Respecting moral, you already answered yourself, you know people are clicking by mistake, blindness or foolishness.

Now, there are many people that layout their sites like this : "Review our samples and blah, blah, blah", a very short paragraph, then a big block of ads and then the real content. I guess, that these people get a lot of erroneous clicks, and have and enjoy a good CTR and eCPM. This is not in your case, but even this, is a clear inviting to a quick click. I don't think it is inmoral at all. Must big publishers, specially on techie sites have their articles pages surrounded by 50% of ad space. Anything you click is an ad :) and most of this are PPC ads, not CPM ads.

May be if you change the "click on", to "review", "check", "look", or something similar you might resolve your moral dilemma. ;)

[WallyWorld]

I have a decent performing page about free widgets. After my page heading ".....Free Widgets....." I have a blue bar with white lettering saying "Free Widgets". Right below that are my Google ads, some of which offer free widgets. Then below that are my free widgets and below that is some content.

I don't see anything wrong with offering the Google advertisers free widgets befor offering my own.

[Laker]

... gotta say, fischermx said it well (IMNHO)

[swa66]

This :

I would possibly put a box around the photo links with the caption "More photos here..." and around the ads put "Sponsored links" to possibly clarify the situation and put the ads under the links.

would be against the TOS, you cannot label the ads.
Although it might clarify things it's not allowed AFAIK.

[moTi]

hmm.. maybe you should rethink your page design?

on the quick, not one instance comes into my mind for the need to tell people to "look over there" or "click over there"..

even if you would write: "in no case click my ads, click my photos instead!" this would be against tos ;)

[activeco]

would be against the TOS, you cannot label the ads.

Exactly.
Emphasizing the ads as the ADS seems less acceptable than tricking the visitors by blending the ads into content.
Morally weird.