AdSense Onsite Advertiser Sign-up

[zak]

Hi all

Just noticed Google will be offering what they call "Onsite Advertiser Sign-up" in the next 2 weeks. Any thoughts on this? Sounds like it will be good, but I'm pretty hopless at this stuff ;-)

Ciao

Zak

[Erik Geurts]

The links have started to appear on non-US sites at the beginning of this week.

If it doesn't help, it won't hurt you either, so I suggest you grab this opportunity.

[potentialgeek]

Thus saith Google (https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=28923):

What's New - November 2005
Gain new advertisers directly from your webpages

Your content is valuable. And starting within the next two weeks, advertisers will be able to bid for placement on your site right from your web pages. With Onsite Advertiser Sign-up (http://www.google.com/services/oasu/), a new feature of AdSense, your AdSense ad units will display an 'Advertise on this site' link that takes interested advertisers to a page which you can tailor for your business.

On this page they can see your details about your site and the Google AdWords program. Advertisers who sign up for AdWords through this landing page will create an ad automatically targeted to your site, and your site alone. And more advertisers competing to display ads on your site means more revenue for you.

Before Onsite Advertiser Sign-up becomes active, we recommend you customize the landing page advertisers will see when they click your 'Advertise on this site' link. Just follow these simple steps to customize the landing page with your logo, color scheme and site description today. You can also view our demo for additional feature information and images.

If you'd prefer not to participate in Onsite Advertiser Sign-up, you can opt out before it starts by visiting the My Account tab.

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Not sure what to make of this. I had wondered if it already existed off site, so it's not surprising it's becoming a new feature; it's a logical evolution.

Nevertheless, it looks like negative-option marketing for us. Do we really have to all opt out and if we don't it's going to happen anyway?

I also don't feel Google is providing nearly enough information, certainly there's no FAQ I've seen, that addresses the issues, and potential can of worms the Onsite Advertiser Sign-up creates.

What happens, for example, if content on our pages changes? The company signs up and pays for advertising on your site, a specific page on your site, but then you want to change it. What then? Is Google going to inform the company every time you change your page? Just thinking about it cramps my style. Of course, if the pages never change, it's fine. Some of us, however, have dynamic content.

Next issue, a company bidding for a spot on your page, but you don't like them, and don't like their ad? The company sucks and the ad copy sucks, too. What then? You filter them after they went to the trouble of signing up, bid and paid for advertising on your page, wrote the special ad copy, etc? How rude! :mad:

You want to delete a page they already bid on and advertise on. Then what? Ask their permission first? Send them a notice? :rolleyes:

Let's get real here. Some of the companies bidding will bid based on your SERP. So what happens when you slip? Will they feel jipped?

I can see all these advertisers calling us up, emailing, faxing, whatever, over our content. Complaining, asking for changes, deals, etc. :mad: I like my space, what about you?

Regardless of the doubts, concerns, and questions, it certainly motivates to produce a top-notch site, much more careful attention to details, take it to a new level of quality, each and every page. Will there be a rush to upgrade in the next two weeks? If you double the quality, will you double the bids and double your income? Will you start a bidding war to get on your PR-whatever page? :p

In any case, it's good to see Google looking at ways to make online advertising mirror offline print advertising and move this Adsense thingy forward.

p/g

[Erik Geurts]

Advertisers can not target specific pages, just sites.