Google Do Not Allow Images Next to AdSense Ads
December 22, 2006 by Gaman
You may have read about this somewhere, but in case you haven’t, I thought I give it a quick mention in this blog.
It’s official now that Google do not allow images next to AdSense ads. They do not allow you to line up the ads with thumbnails next to them as this can be misleading even though you are using stock photos collection which may be unrelated to the ads.
But apparently, if you are using full border around your ads or change your ad color you may be able to get around this restriction. Or is it really?
According to Google
Does this mean I can’t place ads on pages with images?
You can definitely place Google ads on pages containing images — just make sure that the ads and images are not arranged in a way that could easily mislead or confuse your visitors. For example, if you run a stock photography site with a catalog of thumbnail images, don’t line the ads up with the thumbnails in a way that could be misleading. Consider using a full border around your ads or changing your ad colors, for example.
I think the post important point here is, while you can change your ad color or use full border to differentiate the ads from the images, you won’t be in compliance with their policies as long as you use thumbnail images next to your ads in a way that can be misleading.
Google clarification can be found here: Ad and image placement: a policy clarification
How about putting video next to adsense ads?
The jury is still out on that. But if you make the video looks like it’s related to the ads, I think that’s not allowed.
Very useful information about Google AdSense And Image Placement Policy. Yes, we must strictly follow the terms and condition set by the Google to earn peaceful revenue.
Gaman, that means that I’d have to drop that idea…
I can understand why they are clarifying this - readers are naturally draw to images rather than text, so there’s more likelihood they associate an ad unit with an adjacent image. But making your ads stand out more is not good practice for the publisher - most people try desperately hard to blend.
Thank you for the post. However, it is still norm to see people putting image beside the adsense.