Ad Etiquette

[DistilledRose]

I run Google Adsense on my blog and I get very few clicks. I was wondering if anyone has any advice about how to get more people to click ads. Is it tacky to put something like
"Like what you read? Click an Ad to support me!" on your site.

Thoughts and ideas are greatly appreciated!

[Jason830]

I like the idea of Ad Sense...You shouldnt put some grimy scheme up, since it will make your site look spammy

[DistilledRose]

One of my friends just suggested calling it my "Virtual Tip Jar". I think thats kind of cute :-)

[Megan]

I would have to go back and re-read the Adsense terms and conditions, but I do believe you aren't supposed to ask your readers to click the ads. It's essentially ad fraud and can get you tossed from the program. Better placement is what gets you clicks.

[DistilledRose]

Good to know, thanks Megan!

[DistilledRose]

I had a peek through and couldn't find anything about whether or not you can encourage your readers to click ads. Does anyone have a definite answer on this one?

[Megan]

I'm not sure if this link will work, but it is part of the Adsense program policies.

To quote:

In order to ensure a good experience for users and advertisers, publishers may not request that users click the ads on their sites or rely on deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks. Publishers participating in the AdSense program:

* May not encourage users to click the Google ads by using phrases such as "click the ads," "support us," "visit these links," or other similar language
* May not direct user attention to the ads via arrows or other graphical gimmicks
* May not place misleading images alongside individual ads
* May not promote sites displaying ads through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites
* May not compensate users for viewing ads or performing searches, or promise compensation to a third party for such behavior
* May not place misleading labels above Google ad units - for instance, ads may be labeled "Sponsored Links" but not "Favorite Sites"

So the answer is no, you can't ask/tell/suggest people click the ads.

[DistilledRose]

Ah fantastic! Thanks Megan, that was the information I was looking for :-)

[Megan]

Glad to help!

[purplefdu]

Most ad systems don't allow the begging for clicks unfortunately. Placing different ads and making sure they are in every view is your best bet. I grapple with this question myself as I hate ads when I'm reading blogs and don't want to pass them onto my readers.