Google is the most powerful search engine on the Internet. This
quick video explains its origin and how Google works. [3:14]
Love it or hate it, the fact is, Google still controls online publishing
and marketing to a large extent. So much so, that we have dedicated
this page to snippets keeping you informed of the lastest do's and
don'ts when publishing for Google Adsense.
Google Quality Content Review
Latest gossip is that Google is completing a content "quality
initiative." Supposedly, a number of publishers have received
emails telling them that they have "an unsuitable business
model" and that their account will be closed within two weeks.
They will be allowed to keep everything they've earned so far, but
that's it. And some of these are five figure earners each month
- does this spell the death of those scrappy adsense sites - I hope
so!!
Adsense Alive & Kicking
Google paid out a staggering US$916 million in the final three
months of 2006 to AdSense publishers.
Google Adsense Referral Program
Google has revamped its AdSense referral program.
Previously, referrers received $100 if a publisher they introduced
to AdSense earned $100 in ad revenues.
Making the first $100 can take a while for most publishers.
Under the new system though, referrers immediately get $5 right
for every sign-up; and an additional $250 when the publisher you
refers earns $100.
So if you're creating content aimed at other publishers, boosting
Adsense referral links is worthwhile. Sign up just four publishers
a month, and help them with their adsense revenue and there’s
a thousand bucks a month. [Feb 2007]
Google Monetising YouTube
YouTube has announced that
pay popular videos a share of advertising surrounding their video.
As the bulk of current videos are pretty amateurish, it will be
interesting to see if this revenue offer increases quality.
A recent video this video titled "Hot
Girls Answer Every Guy's Question," was the most popular
video on Google Videos. At the end of the video, you will see the
URL of the business that put together the video. This one video
increased site traffic by 3,800 unique visitors a day.
Even if the conversion rate of this site was only 1%. That’s
38 sales at $37; and increase of $1,406 per day.
A couple of hours work resulted in an easy $10,000. So you may
like to consider your video publishing goals with YouTube and Google
Video.
Supplemental Results
Supplemental results have many web publishers baffled. There seems
to be no reason for some pages showing up in the main Google Index
and others in the Supplemental Index.
Pages with many backlinks and internal links, solid traffic and
unique content are showing up in supplemental. Listen to what
Google has to say on the matter.
Q: Does Google allow other ads to run on the same page as AdSense
Ads?
A: The official word is a qualified "yes".
You may not run ads that are designed to resemble AdSense ads.
For example, Yahoo! Publisher Network ads look very similar to AdSense
ads. While you can run YPN on your site, they may not appear on
the same PAGES as AdSense ads.
However, contextual ads like those provided by Kontera, Intellitxt,
Amazon and Chitika ARE allowed on the same pages as your AdSense
ads!
Q: Google's recent "images next to ads" - what is and
what is not allowed?
A: Images that “look” assoiciated with the ads have
been causing confusion by leading the readers to think they represent
products being advertised. Naturally Google has asked that images
do NOT create this misrepresentation.
Make the dimensions of the image completely different than the
dimensions of the ads, and that will be fine.
If the image appears to the user as being associated with the ads
in ANY way, that is in violation of AdSense terms of service.
So AdSense graphic backgrounds and visual frames are within terms
of service.
Q: Google actually places ads on their own behalf, do publishers
receive payment when those ads are clicked?
Answer 3) Yes! Google is bidding in the ppc auction just like other
advertisers. You can expect they don’t pay much for them though!!
Google is not escaping the barrage of copyright infringement claims
for content on it's recently purchased YouTube.com. Take care of
any user controlled content on your own sites to avoid the catchnet
approach taken by litigation lawyers in the USA.
Many will be seeking to build cash empires by turning copyright
infringements into cash in 2007.
[Jan 2007]
Don't Place Pictures Next To Ad Boxes
A 2006 strategy of attracting the eyeballs towards the ads by placing
small images in close proximity to ad blocks has been so successful
that Google has banned it. The reason being that the pictures create
an expectation in the minds of the reader as to what the ad will
provide. Naturally this may be seen by some as misleading. So the
2007 version is DON'T DO IT or risk being banned by Google.
[Jan 2007]
Ad Displays
Google has enforced strict new rules for displaying ads. Website
quality has now been added to ad relevancy of 2005
New advertising models include: PayPerPost and ReviewMe.
Pay-per-post matches bloggers and advertisers.
ReviewMe invited Bloggers to review [for payment]
advertiser projects, but not without some transparency issues.
Both services now require that writers disclose that they are being
paid for their comments. Watch these new modesl in 2007.
[Dec 2006]
Adwords
Googles lastest focus is on Landing Pages. It is assessing them
using a quality score algorithm for AdWords sponsored listings.
The landing page quality doesn't effect your ad ranking, rather
it is directly correlated with your minimum cpc. The rest of the
factors that make up quality score effect your ad rank.
The net end result is an attempt to get rid of crappy link sites
and poor quality spam type sites by forcing advertisers to submit
higher bids for their keywords to maintain high rankings in the
sponsored listings.
In some instances, Google has suspended campaigns for certain keywords.
The advertiser is advised by, Google that the campaign is no longer
active, and to reinstate it requires either an improvement in the
landing page to increase its quality rating or up its bid price.
Whilst I don't have an issue with improving the quality on the web,
in fact I welcome it, Google is doing this without warning. A bit
heay handed maybe.
Strangely though, it "appears” that Google is also pushing
up the price on keywords that WORK! [keyword with a 12% CTR
and 40% conversion rate can be hit] Good keywords are now costing
more. It will be interesting to see if this affects the Adsense
side of the picture, with the payment to publishers improves along
with these higher costs, so could be a good thing for digital publishers.
It has been tested that keywords with no current competing adword
bidders is costing a minimum of $5 [previously $0.10]
To keep watch on Google
issues - Threadwatch, a community Web site that focuses on Internet
marketing technology.