AFAIK Google has never made the blanket statement that images are not allowed next to an adblock. An arrow pointing at the adblock would be "calling undue attention to the ads" and so would be out. A thematically appropriate picture might be OK. Context, as usual, is all.

Just because you are seeing this more and more, of course, doesn't mean that every instance of it you see is OK with Google. Frankly, this kind of thing can be self-defeating -- maybe you can increase your CTR a bit, but then your EPC gets whacked by smart pricing....

Well I prefer having people click on the ads willingly other than just by coincidence anyhow. When people actually read the ads they usualy also click them and that is my goal in the end, not pretending the ads are content.

Try it, and ask google.

I did, and they said yes. Someone else did it, but a lot more obtrusive, and google said no. Don't try to fool your visitors too much, google won't okay that..

Although i read here and there that Google would not allow pictures next to adsense

Don't believe everything you read (especially on the Internet, where unfounded conjecture is often presented as fact).

An image of an arrow pointing to an AdSense block would obviously be in violation, but the problem in that case wouldn't be fact that the arrow was an image--it would be the fact that the arrow was being used to highlight the ads.

My understanding is that what is not allowed is trying to make the image look like it is part of the ad.

Of course arrows pointing to the ads, etc, are not allowed but someone will always push the limits.

I used to have images next to my Adsense on one of my sites. Adsense email me, and asked me to remove them (which I did).

So I would say no.. Do not do it!

I used to have images next to my Adsense on one of my sites. Adsense email me, and asked me to remove them (which I did).

So I would say no.. Do not do it!

You might want to read other people's posts too. They literally gave me a green light just a few weeks ago...

It all depends on how you're presenting it, and if you respect the integrity of the ad. I suggest e-mailing google support and asking if it's okay in your specific case.... They'll reply in 48 hours...

Please let us know what they said too ;)

will do so.

plan on putting some kind of a border around the pic or the ad... and if the pic is not the slightest bit relevant to the ad content or the page content, google might tell you to remove it.

I just got an answer from Google:

---------------------
We ask that you exercise caution when placing images near the Google ads on your site, as AdSense publishers may not rely on deceptive implementation methods to generate clicks.

To be more specific, we ask that publishers not place misleading images near Google ads or use images that appear to be directly associated with the advertisers and their offerings. The use of such images may confuse users or draw undue attention to the ads and result in unintentional clicks.
---------------------

So it is really a thin line...

What do you mean by "a thin line"? What's so complicated about not using images that appear to be related to advertisers or their offerings?

Just use common sense and good judgment. And if you think you might be doing something wrong, let your guilty conscience be your guide.

a thin line because all depends on what images you use in the end. I will be using non descriptive images, line bars etc.

Actually I took it to mean the placement of the images.

Example: A no-no would be if you have a horitontal bar w/ 3 ads in it and place 3 small pictures directly above the ads, it is implying that those pictures go with those ads, which now look like internal links on the site.

Why a No-no: When I first noticed this practice, I had accidentally clicked on an ad while browsing quickly for link titles on their page. I didn't know what happened until I hit the back button and realized it was an adsense ad. If an experienced adsense user can miss it, what about the uninformed.
Now I know better :)

AdSense Support usually requests any kind of visible border (such as a line, or a rectangle, a different background color, etc.) between the ads and the images to prevent user confusion. For instance, Google replied the same when JenSense [jensense.com] researched the topic.

Maybe the following detail is just anecdotal, maybe general, but sometimes I read posts on forums from publishers not using borders to differentiate ads from images who are hit by smart pricing after some time, probably from low conversions.

On the other hand, I know of publishers following Google's request about visible borders who are unaffected by smart pricing, keeping their previous EPC after a long time (for example, more than a year now). Of course, this means conversions are preserved in the same level in these cases (separating with borders).

Also, naturally the correct images are not misleading arrows, etc., but normal website images related to the page topic in a general way (and, as suggested to publishers by the support team, not about for example a very specific product, also to avoid user confusion).

It seems that normal on-topic images reduce ad blindness in the adjacent area, and increase ad reading in a similar way to techniques such as placing ads above the fold or following the AdSense heat map.

And, at the same time, the differentiation with a visible border between ads and images really seems to avoid user confusion and to preserve conversions and therefore EPC.

In conclusion, I think Google's guidelines were good after all.

[edited by: Juan_G at 1:21 am (utc) on Oct. 11, 2006]