Google will be holding an Adsense webinar on May 16 at 10:30 PDT (1730 GMT) to help Adsense publishers in tracking Adsense performance, optimizing Google ads, improving Adsense implementation and keeping Adsense account in good standing. There will be answer and question portion to clear issues and concerns in Adsense community.
This is a very good opportunity to clear your major concerns.
Are you looking to make the most of your AdSense account? If so, then you need to attend our upcoming webinar, Taking It to the Next Level: Improving Your AdSense Performance. It’ll be held next Wednesday, May 16th at 10:30am PDT.
During this one hour overview, our support specialists will provide you with tips and suggestions that we’ve found to significantly improve AdSense performance. Topics covered will include:
- Using channels to track your ad performance - Optimizing your ad placement, design, and layout - Noticing trends and making proactive improvements to your site - Keeping your account in good standing
We’ll also leave time at the end of the webinar to answer any questions or concerns regarding your ad performance or other account issues.
To register, click on the link below or paste it into a new browser window:
Instructions for participation will then be sent to you via email from WebEx. If you’re unable to attend, rest assured we’ll be recording the webinar so you can view it after the event. To watch our previous webinars, check out our Help Center.
We hope to see you there!
Posted by Laura Chen - AdSense Publisher Support Wednesday, May 09, 2007 at 11:22:00 AM
Enroll or register now and prepare your bullets of questions!
This is an update on Adsense TOS from Adsense Team. It is emphasized that Google ad implementation should not be placed near the features of sites or blogs that users may interact by clicking as this may increase ad clicks without increasing business results for advertisers.
Here is the complete post from Adsense Team at Inside Adsense:
Don’t run the risk of click and miss
As you may know, our tips and guidelines mention that “users should only click on Google ads if they’re interested in the services being advertised”. While there are many precautions a publisher can take to avoid encouraging clicks on their ads, we’ve found that some implementations of the ad code can lead to accidental clicks that the publisher may not have been able to predict. Some implementations that could lead to accidental clicks include placing your ads:
- In close proximity to Macromedia Flash games - Under pop-ups or download prompts - Near site navigation controls on your pages, such as drop-downs or menu links
Generally, we ask that you not place your ads near features of your site that your users may interact with by clicking. If your site contains elements that increase the number of ad clicks without increasing business results for the advertiser, we may consider these clicks to be invalid. “Business results” can range from an online sale to a page view. If we detect enough of these clicks and determine that the risk to our advertisers is too great, we may disable the account. To maintain compliance with our program policies and ensure that your users don’t inadvertently click on the ads on your site, we strongly recommend that you move any ad units that are in close proximity to interactive site features.
As always, thanks in advance for your cooperation!
Below are the interesting comments, rants and queries on this Adsense TOS Update posted by the Adsense followers at the above discussion page:
From: Toivo Lainevool
It seems to go against the advice on your own optimization page (https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py? answer=17954&topic=8437) , which says:
“Ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.”
So which is it? Do we place ads near navigation or not?
From: vabole
Why Adsense cant just notify those very users whose pages are producing clicks which are considered to be “invalid”? Why do we, Adsense publishers have to play blindfolded, having no clue about the business results of the ads placed on our pages? If those business results are considered to be critical and non-discloseable info, then publishers at least could get the abstract scale of the ad productivity. It could be as showing a simple indicator which would rate ad’s business productivity and maybe suspiciousness with the words like “bad”, “normal” and “good”, where “bad” would mean that the advertiser has to take some action to improve the indicator. I believe it would be much better than shutting up accounts of publishers who had no intention to make there pages producing “invalid” or “fraudulent” clicks.
From: dyelton
I’m in agreement with the other posters on this one. I believe this needs a bit more explanation and I’m dumbfounded on why Google would give such vague information like this in the first place. It definitely contradicts with your optimization tips. On a forum some ads can be “near” navigational links if using a lower resolution display (800×600 for example) but aren’t a problem when using say 1024×768. I certainly haven’t purposely places ads so to get accidental clicks from users but I feel that we are all under the gun on this rule considering almost every ad on the Internet today is “near” a navigational link of some kind. This is absolutely absurd and I certainly hope you rectify our questions and points in another blog post.
That ad can be described as near the menu, yet the ads must surely be approved by AdSense given that they have been customised. There is approximately 6 pixels between the clickable area of the ad and menu. So, click and miss is a possibility there.
How many pixels of space should there be between the two?
In my opinion, this Adsense TOS update wants the bloggers and webmasters to make sure that users or readers do not accidentally click on ads. In my knowledge, accidental clicks open a web page but immediately closed by the user without reading in less than 10 seconds. Honestly, I also accidentally clicked on ads before which I thought were part of the menu of other blogs or sites I visited. Upon knowing that the links were not part of the site, I’d immediately closed them without seeing the page.
When I’ve known that this accidental clicks could cancel the Adsense account of the concerned blogger or the webmaster, I never immediately close the page of any links I’ve clicked, be it Google ads or others’ websites. This is to protect the bloggers and webmasters from being punished for the users’ actions beyond their control.
But to be safe, bloggers and webmasters must make a clear distinction of Google Ads to help the readers identify the links that are part of the site or blog and the links of Google ads. This can be done by placing a borders, spaces and/or colors that separate the ad from site content and menu and/or by placing a distinctive caption to Google ads like “Google Advertisement”, “Google Ads”, “Sponsored Links”, and “Advertisers’ links”.
You agree to comply with the specifications provided by Google from time to time to enable proper delivery, display, tracking, and reporting of Ads, Links, Search Results, Referral Buttons, and Google Brand Features (as defined in Section 12 below) in connection with Your Site(s), including without limitation by not modifying the JavaScript or other programming provided to You by Google in any way, unless expressly authorized in writing by Google (including by electronic mail).
Adsense Help Forum on Ad Modification
I found these discussions in Adsense Help Forum about Adsense code modification and Adsense Policy:
In the above discussions, you will find a reply quoted from Adsense Team:
Regarding alteration of AdSense Ad code, please copy the ad code exactly as it appears in the ‘Your AdSense code’ box of your AdSense account and paste it directly into the HTML source code of your web pages, without any modifications. Also, please keep in mind that modifying the ad code is against our program policies, and it may also result in errors on your page.
In my opinion, escaping Adsense code for new blogger template is not a code modification per se. It is just a server-side scripting to enable Adsense in other areas of Blogger template. If you view the source code of the Blogger page with escaped or converted Adsense code, you will see an unmodified JavaScript Adsense Code. So, there is no violation. This is the same in implementing Adsense and other affiliate links in PHP where you have to escape some of HTML characters to enable it.
I believe, Google prohibits Adsense code modification that alters the appearance (except for colors) and behavior of the prescribed Google Ads. Hence, all of us are encouraged to report any Adsense Policy and TOS violations, here. I wonder, there is no incentive or reward for spying on and reporting violators.
To make sure you are not violating Adsense policies, you may post queries or questions in the above Adsense Help Forum. Remember, it is your sole responsibility to comply with the policies.
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