7 replies to this topic

[qwerty]

Google has just announced some changes to the AdSense program. First of all, when you log in, you'll be redirected to their TOS, which has apparently been changed in a number of places (but I don't know exactly what those changes are).

Once you get past that, you'll see that they're offering new ways of paying publishers: a beta of EFT payments, and the introduction of payments in numerous currencies in additon to USD.

Finally, there's AdLinks by Google:

Ad Links are a new form of text advertising that we're offering to our AdSense publishers. Using the same contextual targeting algorithm that targets Google ads to your content pages, Ad Links units display a list of topics that are relevant to your page. Each topic, when clicked, brings the user to a page of related advertisements.

The result is advertisements that are closely targeted to the interests of your users. By selecting the topics through interaction with the ad unit, users are presented with useful information in the form of related advertisements. Their direct involvement with the evolution of the ad unit guarantees an interest in the ads that are presented.

Interesting...

And right on the heels of MS' announcement that they're coming out with their own search advertising service, and Yahoo coming out with an alternative to AdSense.

[lisphacker]

I'm looking forward to playing with the competition's services. Google could stand some. Competition, that is.

[uchet]

I'm looking forward to playing with the competition's services. Google could stand some. Competition, that is.

Too right. I personally have had a gutful of Google's complacency in recent months. It's so blatantly obvious that they're shooting themselves in the foot through their daft ways of blocking adverts. I've got 25 clients who are livid at the way Google blocks (disables/puts on hold before even a tiny number of impressions) certain keyword terms and they're all very keen to put their business to another supplier who can actually focus on their needs.

They all say the same thing to me: "if there is clearly blank inventory space (e.g. less than 8 adverts displayed) and my keywords are relevant to my business, then what right do Google have to disable those keywords?".

I am so going to enjoy watching Googles market share decline rapidly over the coming months because from where I, and my clients are standing, their treatment of small businesses (who, after all, want to get leads via small costs per click for very niche search terms) is appalling.

[Martin C]

Personally I'm steering clear of the Ad links programme for the time being. I don't think any of the search engines have got a proper handle on click fraud and I think Ad links is just gagging for people to abuse it.

Maybe I am not understanding it but as far as I can see you can set up a website - have high value ads served to your web page - then have a contract with an Indian or Chinese company to generate 1,000 of hard to trace fraudulent clicks from the otherside of the world.

How can Google detect there is a problem? The onus will be on the advertiser to first identify the problem, then convince Google that these are not proper sales. How long is that going to take?

[qwerty]

Well, I've just replaced AdSense with AdLinks in one subdirectory, just to see how it goes.

Hopefully, I'll have something to say about it in a month or so.

[lisphacker]

Well, I've just replaced AdSense with AdLinks in one subdirectory, just to see how it goes.

Hopefully, I'll have something to say about it in a month or so.

A month? Wha?

Hopefully you'll have something in a week. Or less.

I'm going to have to check it out.

[qwerty]

There's a bit of a delay in reporting channel data, and what I've done is switch to the new ad format on one of my channels. I'll know something in a week, but I don't expect it to be enough for it to really mean anything.

But if I see a jump of 100% or more, I'll be sure to mention it

[qwerty]

OK, here's an update. I don't consider a week's worth of data to be conclusive, but I guess it's worth noting.

The channel that's been running AdLinks has the highest CTR of any of my channels for the past week. It's .5% higher than the next highest.

Comparing that to the period between when I first started separating ad pages into channels and when I switched the one channel to AdLinks (which was about one month), that channel had been tied with one other for the second highest CTR I had. However, it's probably important to note that the CTR that put that channel at #2 before is the same as the CTR that has it at #1 for the past week.

In other words, this data is not conclusive