Google Expands Auto Ads with “Ad Intents” Sponsored Links via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has launched a new “ad intents” format for its Auto ads program.

This format inserts links and anchors into publishers’ site content to serve contextual ads and search results in dialog boxes.

The ad intents format aims to surface relevant ads and information based on page content and visitor interests.

When visitors click on the dynamically generated links or anchors, an overlay dialog displaying organic search results and associated advertising opens.

Google explains in its support documentation:

“Ad intents works by scanning your pages for opportunities to help your users find something they might be looking for.

Based on your content and what your users may be interested in, ad intents automatically converts existing text on your page into links and places anchors that appear at the bottom of your page.”

The new format offers publishers a revenue-share model for monetizing their content. Website owners get paid whenever a visitor clicks on an ad displayed in the ad intents dialog boxes.

The expansion of ad intents aligns with Google’s broader strategic shift towards deploying more privacy-safe ad targeting technologies as it phases out support for third-party cookies.

Google touts the new format as serving “highly relevant ads that don’t rely on third-party cookies.”

Enabling Ad Intents

The ad intents functionality is opt-in for Google AdSense publishers.

You can toggle the setting in the AdSense dashboard under “Auto ads” > “Intent-driven formats.”

Publishers can enable or disable the “ad intent links” or “ad intent anchors” separately.

To implement the new ad units, you must accept Google’s updated terms of service and policies.

Backlash & Criticism

While touted as a way to increase publisher earnings, Google’s announcement of ad intents has drawn backlash from some corners of the publisher community over fears it could divert traffic from their websites.

On X (formerly Twitter), user @darth_na states:

“It’s not enough that you steal traffic from sites in the SERPs, you are now intent on stealing actual site visitors, and directing them back to Google?”

Responding to the concerns, Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin emphasized that ad intents is an optional program and that dialog boxes close, leaving visitors on the original publisher page.

This new format is opt-in and entirely optional for publishers.

Publishers can opt in to ad intent links which converts existing text on their page into links.

There’s also an option to use ad intent anchors which place anchors at the bottom of your page.

When a user closes an…

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 16, 2024

The new ad intents format is now being implemented on websites with auto ads enabled through Google AdSense.

Why We Care

The ad intents format is new monetization opportunity for websites that have implemented Google’s Auto ads.

Ad intents could help publishers earn more revenue than traditional contextual ad placements by tapping visitor intent signals from page content.

However, inserting sponsored links and anchors into publisher content raises questions about editorial control and user experience issues, such as excessive ad obstruction.

The new format is notable because Google is shifting towards more privacy-centric targeting as it moves away from cross-site tracking cookies.

How This Can Help You

Website publishers should evaluate whether enabling ad intents makes sense for their traffic, content, and monetization strategies.

While the new format offers potential revenue upsides, balancing those benefits against maintaining high editorial standards is important.

It will be important to assess whether the targeting aligns with your ideal audience intent signals.

Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock

Google AdSense Shifts To eCPM Payment Model via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is transitioning AdSense to an eCPM payment model for publishers.

Last November, Google stated it would be updating the revenue share structure for AdSense to modernize the way publishers earn money from their website content.

Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, has confirmed this transition to eCPM payments for AdSense partners.

Hi, Yes, this change has rolled out, and partners should now be receiving payments in eCPM. More here: https://t.co/21ZHrMt1LB

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) February 12, 2024

A Closer Look At The Updated Revenue Share

Previously, publishers received a consistent 68% of ad revenue. Now, the revenue share is split into separate rates for the buy-side (advertisers) and sell-side (publishers).

Google elaborates on the specifics of this new structure:

“For displaying ads with AdSense for content, publishers will receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform takes its fee, whether that be Google’s buy-side or third-party platforms.”

According to an example from Google, when Google Ads purchases display ads on AdSense, it retains an average of 15% of advertiser spend. Google states that overall publisher revenue is expected to remain around 68% despite these changes.

The model differs when third-party platforms buy AdSense display ads. In these cases, publishers receive an 80% share after the third-party’s fees. Google says it lacks control or visibility into these third-party fees.

The example below shows that with both buy and sell-side fees, one dollar from an advertiser translates to sixty-eight cents for the publisher.

Screenshot from: blog.google/products/adsense/evolving-how-publishers-monetize-with-adsense/, February 20204.

Transitioning To Per-Impression Payments

Google is transitioning AdSense to a per-impression payment model, bringing it in line with industry standards for display advertising. This will allow publishers to compare earnings across Google’s products and third-party platforms more easily.

According to Google, this payment model update will not impact the amount or type of ads publishers can show as long as they adhere to existing AdSense policies and Better Ads Standards. These standards prevent intrusive ads like pop-ups or advertisements that take over the screen.

Takeaways For Publishers

Publishers who rely on AdSense for a portion of their income may be considering the implications of these changes.

Here are some points of consideration.

Understand the Implications

The eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) payment model differs from the previous predominant cost-per-click (CPC) model.

With eCPM, publisher revenue is based on the number of impressions rather than clicks.

Publishers should understand how this new model works, as it could impact revenue, especially for those whose content aims for high engagement over high traffic volume.

Adapt Content & SEO Strategies

Google has stated that the earnings for most publishers will likely remain unchanged after the transition to eCPM bidding.

However, the impact may differ on an individual basis. Publishers may need to adjust their content and SEO tactics to maximize revenue within the new eCPM model.

Potential strategies include increasing website traffic volume, improving user engagement metrics, and extending session duration to serve more ad impressions.

Compliance with Ad Standards

The shift to an impression-based model increases the need for publishers to follow AdSense policies and Better Ads Standards.

Publishers must continue providing a positive ad experience for users by avoiding disruptive ads. This will be critical to sustain ad revenue and remain in good standing with the AdSense program.

In Summary

While Google’s AdSense updates aim to simplify and bring transparency to the monetization process, it’s up to publishers to leverage these changes for their benefit.

By staying informed, monitoring performance, and adapting strategies, publishers can continue to thrive.

Featured Image: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

AdSense Changing Publisher Revenue Share Structure via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google announced that it is changing how it pays AdSense publishers, no longer paying per click and switching to exclusively paying on a per impression model.

The announcement assures publishers that the amounts publishers receive should remain the same for most publishers.

Google explained that these changes will go into effect in early 2024.

A blog post on the AdSense blog advised publishers that they are making two changes:

• Revenue-share structure will be updated
• Publishers will be paid by impression

According to AdSense, publishers have pocketed 68% of the ad revenue.

Payments under the new payment structure should, according to AdSense, result in publishers receiving “about 68% of the revenue.

The announcement shared the reasons for the change:

“Previously, the Google AdSense network processed fees within a single transaction.

We are now splitting the AdSense revenue share into separate rates for the buy-side and sell-side.

For displaying ads with AdSense for content, publishers will receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform takes its fee, whether that be Google’s buy-side or third-party platforms.

For example, when Google Ads purchases display ads on AdSense, Google Ads will retain on average 15% of advertiser spend.”

In the above example, Google takes a cut of about 15% of the fee paid by the advertiser.

In the case of an advertiser spend of one dollar, Google Ads keeps about 15 cents, with the remaining 85 cents going into the AdSense side.

Of the remaining 85 cents, Google AdSense takes a cut of 20% (equal to 17 cents) out of the 85 cents (the amount that is leftover after Google Ads took 15 cents as their fee).

In the above example, Google AdSense takes 17 cents and the publisher gets to keep the other 80% (of 85 cents), which equals 68 cents.

Google shared an image showing how this works:

New AdSense Pay Per Impression Pay Structure

Google AdSense assures publishers that the new pay structure will not affect the type of ads shown on publisher websites nor the amount of ads shown.

The blog post explained:

“In addition to updating our revenue-share structure, AdSense will soon transition from primarily paying publishers per click to the display industry standard of paying per impression.

This update will provide a more uniform way for paying publishers for their ad space across Google’s products and third-party platforms, helping them compare with other technology providers they use.”

Publisher Reaction

AdSense publishers who post on WebmasterWorld tend to be wary of changes made to the AdSense program.

A discussion in the WebmasterWorld AdSense forum showed a mix of skepticism and hope.

Wait and See

On WebmasterWorld some publishers cautioned to wait and see before making assumptions about the outcome for publishers.

Other publishers posting on the AdSense Forum on WebmasterWorld were skeptical of Google’s motives, writing:

“I think the bottom line is it will make more money for Google, or they would not be making the change.”

Revenue Share Might Be Bad For Users And Advertisers?

Someone else shared that the pay per impression structure might incentivize publishers to put more ads on a page to show more impressions.

They also expressed the opinion that some publishers may begin to not care whether the content is good for advertisers or not.

In general, an advertiser depends on audiences clicking an ad and starting or continuing their customer journey and making an purchase.

But if a publisher no longer needs to create content that can lead to a click then this might cause a loss for advertisers.

WebmasterWorld member Andem shared their opinion:

“I have a really bad feeling about this.

My main concern is that we’ve spent a lot of time over the years trying to find an optimal user experience with ad placements and have done really well with such a limited number of ads but pretty good engagement/CTR surrounded by high quality content. Targeting is usually pretty spot on, too.

Are we going to have to switch from a great user experience to just filling up the page with ads without having to think of where they may provide advertiser value?”

Pay Per Impression Might Be Good For Publishers

Another publisher named Skips observed that the change is probably good for Google:

“…this is meant to make more money for Google.

Just because that’s what corporations are for – create money for shareholders in the end of the day.”

Skips nonetheless shared the opinion that moving to a pay per impression model may be better for publishers.

The reason is because some ads simply don’t generate clicks, which means that publishers don’t get paid for showing those ads.

But under the new system the publishers will receive payment for showing those ads, even if nobody clicks on them.

Skips wrote that the change to pay per impression might result in a positive outcome for publishers:

“CPM-based can be a good thing.

Especially, for cases when you are fed cheap ads that tend to have quite low CTR as well – because advertisers with low budgets don’t typically hire professional teams for creating good ads.

So, if we would be given a predictable CPM that would be great – earnings would be predictable and proportional to the work we do by creating content and attracting traffic.”

Skips makes a great point about how pay per impression may work out better that pay per click for some publishers.

Publishers will no doubt keep an eye on revenues once the new system goes into effect.

Read Google’s Announcement:

Updates to how publishers monetize with AdSense

Featured Image by Shutterstock/LADYMAYPIX

Google Streamlines AdSense Site Management With New Tools via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has introduced several new features to AdSense to simplify managing sites connected to the ad network.

The updates aim to help publishers quickly verify site ownership and check their ads.txt status.

Real-Time Site Ownership Verification

AdSense performs real-time verification when a publisher adds a new site to their account.

In the past, verification required a manual review process that could take over a day. Real-time verification allows publishers to set up ads faster after registering a new property.

New Meta Tag Verification Method

Publishers can now use a meta tag to confirm site ownership with AdSense.

This method is an alternative to the traditional AdSense code snippet, designed for those who wish to avoid displaying ads on their homepage.

By placing the meta tag code between the < head> and < /head> tags in their page’s HTML, publishers can verify their site without the need to embed the AdSense code on the homepage.

Enhanced Ads.txt Tracking

The AdSense interface now displays the latest crawl date and time for a site’s ads.txt file. A “Check for updates” button lets publishers manually request AdSense to re-crawl their ads.txt.

These features help publishers confirm their ads.txt implementation is working correctly.

How To Add A New Site To Google AdSense

For those unfamiliar with the AdSense system, adding a new site involves signing into your AdSense account, clicking ‘Sites,’ then ‘+New site,’ and entering your site’s URL.

If your site is hosted on a partner site like YouTube, you must go to your host partner to add your site to AdSense.

After saving, your site will appear on your ‘Sites‘ page with a status marked as “Requires review.”

Verification of your site with AdSense can be done using one of three methods:

• AdSense code snippet: Placed between the < head> and < /head> tags on each page where you want ads to appear.
• Ads.txt code snippet: Uploaded to your site’s root directory:
• AdSense meta tag: Same as the code snippet. It is best used if you prefer not to display ads on your homepage.

Once the site is verified and reviewed, it can show ads.

In Summary

These new features and improvements will streamline the verification process and give users greater control over their AdSense accounts.

The site verification and ads.txt improvements are rolling out now to all AdSense users. Publishers can access the features by signing into their AdSense account and navigating to the Sites page.

Featured Image: Jarretera/Shutterstock