Comments on: AdSense ads new referral buttons

By: alec

alec — Tue, 09 May 2006 03:45:02 +0000

I think they are tolerable but just too big. If they squeezed that into… hrm… one quarter of that size, I think it would be pretty good. I don’t think referral ads need to be big and blaring — usually the kind of people targetted towards these ads (webmasters, bloggers) are a lot more internet savvy and therefore less susceptible to traditional ad marketting strategies. So a simple button just about does it.

By: Leon

Leon — Mon, 08 May 2006 23:38:52 +0000

I like them. They have a sleek silver look.

By: Marco Raaphorst

Marco Raaphorst — Mon, 08 May 2006 15:29:19 +0000

I don’t understand why Google does it like this. There are so many errors:
- the Dutch catalogue is much smaller than the English versions
- the Alpha Transparancy (png) is different compared to the Picasa referrer
- why doesn’t Google ad the logo or at least the word Picasa to the Picasa-sign up? Picasa is more familiar than Google ‘photo software’…
- translations in Dutch must have be done by a non-Dutch translator
- why doesn’t add Google a text-only version? (*)

It’s really faulty in my opinion. But with a few tricks it could be just right. And the text-versions would be killer in my opinion. Such a mistake to leave it out, because Google ads ARE text based most of the time except for these referrers. A mistake.

* = like this:

Ads by Goooooogle

Get Firefox with Google Toolbar

By: jhay

jhay — Sun, 07 May 2006 04:30:29 +0000

Yup, if there is a competition for designing WordPress themes, there should also be one for Adsense buttons, then again the looks of the Google site only hint that the Google guys value function over looks.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sat, 06 May 2006 14:42:10 +0000

For a company who know how to get so many things right why can’t they design a decent ad. I’ve seen them running better image ads themselves via Adsense than these.

kca: I’ve now been credited with 27 referrals. Yes many people know about Adsense but the best idea is just target your marketing of this program to people who don’t but can benefit from being involved. Biz 101. Know your product, know your market. The contractual terms aren’t difficult they make sense. If I ran Google’s affiliate program I’d do the same, the only issue was that the time limit was a late addition to the terms.

By: PBlogger

PBlogger — Sat, 06 May 2006 13:58:54 +0000

Yea, I think I agree with all of you. I know the look they are going for but most blogs have a different style and if they would allow custom colored borders, backgrounds, and text like they do with adsense for content ads then that would be ideal. Personally I don’t use referral buttons. I have one on one of my blogs but it hasn’t really brought me anything worthwhile. I keep them off my site not because they are ugly but just because of what “kca” commented on. Everybody knows about Google Adsense unless you live in the stone ages.

By: Michele

Michele — Sat, 06 May 2006 11:49:11 +0000

Why can’t they just let us use our own graphics or text? Why must they insist on providing boring graphics and restrictive text?

By: kca

kca — Sat, 06 May 2006 10:36:31 +0000

The design is poor, and I think that these buttons are useless.
Everybody laready know the Google Ad sense program… excepted people living in a cave.

And the contractual terms are too difficult: How many people was credited by $100 throught a publisher ?

By: James Thoenes

James Thoenes — Sat, 06 May 2006 05:35:52 +0000

I think they look awful.
It would be nice if they were sized better for the amount of text they have. They are so big and have so much empty space.

By: Graydon

Graydon — Sat, 06 May 2006 05:15:58 +0000

Oh come on… they have such pretty rounded corners and the fade between white and grey is so pretty…

I like the idea about the competition to design a new one. It ties in with an web site idea I’ve been sitting on.

Got tired of sitting on the idea and started a site to publish ideas… the logo design challenge is covered here…
http://marlincreek.com/content/view/61/1/

By: brem

brem — Sat, 06 May 2006 04:23:33 +0000

They’re as boring as the former ones.

By: David Hobby

David Hobby — Sat, 06 May 2006 04:15:47 +0000

I agree about the look. I also find it odd that Google is so (understandably) strict on not mentioning anything at all about the Adsense ads on your own site, yet they will let you put “Make Money With Adsense” right there with the double-secret, eyes-only ads themselves…