Adsense team on overdrive

The guys on the Adsense team have been quite busy the last couple of weeks. In case you missed the latest developments here's a brief recap:

Updated Program Policy

The Adsense program policy has been updated with some minor (or major depending on your view) changes in effect. The most prominent is the fact that they have removed the contextual ad restriction, but modified it by not allowing any other ads that look like Adsense ads on your website. So unless your other ad services provide ads that don't look like Adsense ads, it's best to check with Adsense support if they are allowed or change the color/appearance of the ad units so they can't be mistaken for Adsense ads.

Another change is that the label restriction has been 'lifted'. You now have a wider choice when labeling your ads other than "Sponsor" or "Advertisements". However it's very important to note that this doesn't give you permission to post misleading labels such as "Interesting links", "Resources" or anything that could be seen as encouraging users to click on ads or misleading them into thinking that there is some kind of other relationship with your site. Best policy is to check with Adsense support if you plan to use a label that doesn't imply sponsored listings.

Be sure to read the updated policy and make sure that you take note of any changes.

Ad Placements

Adsense has introduced a new feature called 'ad placements'. This allows you to modify your channels and make specific ad units available for targeting by advertisers. You can post a description for each ad unit, making it easier for advertisers to select specific ad units when they are targeting your site for advertising campaigns. This would mean that you could see more advertisers bidding for the same units, resulting in a higher revenue for you.

New pricing structure for referrals

The pricing structure for Adsense and Adwords referrals have been updated and adjusted according to feedback received from publishers.

AdSense Referrals:

* When a publisher who signed up for Google AdSense through your referral earns their first $5 within 180 days of sign-up, you will be credited with $5.
* When that same publisher earns $100 within 180 days of sign-up and is eligible for payment, you will be credited with an additional $250.
* If, in any 180-day period, you refer 25 publishers who each earn more than $100 within 180 days of their respective sign-ups and are all eligible for payout, you will be awarded a $2,000 bonus (bonus payouts are limited to 1 per year).

AdWords Referrals:

* When an advertiser you refer spends $5 within 90 days of sign-up (in addition to the $5 sign-up fee) you will be credited with $5.
* When that same advertiser spends $100 within 90 days of sign-up, you will be credited with an additional $40.
* If, in any 180 day period, you refer 20 advertisers who each spend more than $100 within 90 days of their respective sign-ups, you will be awarded a $600 bonus (bonus payments are limited to 1 per year).

The referral bonusses are pretty good. So if you have some webmaster friends there has never been a better time to refer them! Read the full story.

That should bring you pretty much up to date with all the happenings regarding Adsense. If that's what the Adsense team can produce in just a couple of weeks, I can't wait to see what they come up with next.