Where should Adsense be displayed?

When deciding whether or not to use Adsense on your website, there are different aspects to consider. Many believe it devalues their brand, others see it as a valuable tool for visitors, generating revenue and making their material profitable.

The decision depends primarily on your business goals and the purpose of your website. Many companies that offer products use Adsense to monetise their websites. This seems like a strange decision as it allows competitors to sell their services or products to your potential customer base.

Many publishers claim that they only do this to give additional service providers the opportunity to advertise. These claims are certainly justified, because those who sell pillows, for example, can offer an advertising opportunity to those who sell bedding.

Although this makes sense, several internet companies still allow their competitors access to their audience. Many argue that there are still advantages to allowing your direct competitors to advertise on your website. One of them is that visitors who want to see your competitors can eventually find them via a Google search. This may be true, but the idea of a well-known brand like Coca-Cola placing a Pepsi advert on their website is unimaginable.

Another aspect to consider in this situation is the fact that publishers believe that Adsense is ineffective in converting visitors. They believe that visitors who click on adverts are not qualified customers, because otherwise they would immediately switch to the content or products that interest them.

Although Adsense is a dubious choice for online shops, it is undoubtedly a useful add-on service for other types of online publishers. A website that offers a free service, such as dictionary.com, receives a lot of traffic and can monetise its service with Adsense. This was also the case with bloggers who initially provided content for free but were unable to achieve the volume required to sign a direct contract with advertisers.

This could also apply to formerly free services such as news and other forms of information dissemination. In 2006, a man who later uploaded a collection of videos claimed he was earning $19,000 a month from AdSense and had also been contacted by Google to help him increase his CTR (click through rate). The prospect of such success was a big incentive for online publishers to opt for Adsense.

Many publishers also believe that Adsense enhances the appearance of their website. Those who are able to contract with advertisers are seen as providing a valuable service, and those who are unfamiliar with the programme may believe that the Adsense advertiser is in that position.

Adsense, on the other hand, is associated with publishers who use the service exclusively to provide links to adverts. Everyone has done a Google search, clicked on an Adwords advert and then landed on a website that has the top ten resources on the topic... This is a big problem, like anything that frustrates surfers in general. When users see that it says "Google Ads" and then see Google Ads on another website, they may associate that website with consumer-unfriendly practices. This is an issue that Google needs to address in order to maintain Adsense as a legitimate service.

Despite the disadvantages and the websites for which the service may be ineffective, it is still a useful tool for website visitors. Visitors who click on a link on a website earn money for the publisher, and those who offer free services can generate revenue.

Google's biggest concern is that competing PPC programmes could offer publishers better deals and cause them to leave the service, taking advertisers with them. Ultimately, however, it is better for both advertisers and publishers if they remain largely in the same PPC circle.