More on deceitful link units
In AdSense link units deceitful? I proposed that yes, I think that AdSense link units, particularly the horizontal ones, can appear deceitful. Especially when they're used close to navigational links.
However, and the comments I've been getting seem to agree with me in general, the saving grace — and I've said this before — is that link units require two clicks before an advertiser loses money. The first click gets the visitor to the ad page, yes, but that doesn't cost advertisers anything nor does it make the AdSense publisher anything. The “money click” only occurs if the visitor then clicks on one of the ads, which generally look like ads — remember, you can't control or change the look of this page.
So I say go ahead and use link units wherever you want on your page. If most of your visitors get confused, they'll probably stop visiting your site anyhow and your clickthrough rates will plummet.
Of course, the blending of ad units is another issue entirely, which I don't feel like tackling today…
Eric Giguere is the contextual advertising expert who wrote Make Easy Money with Google and Uncommon AdSense. You can read this blog by mail if it's more convenient for you, just send a blank email to memwg-blog@aweber.com to subscribe.
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