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The Google Adsense blog has a new entry today titled Ad and images placement: a policy clarification. It looks like Google is finally going to be cracking down on publishers who are using this iffy blending method.

If you have ever been to a myspace layout site, they all were using this method. It looks like Google gave most of them a fair warning and they have stopped implementing this practice. I have used this method on many, many sites in the past and it really does trick people. Using this method, I have seen CTR's of 10% in the past, while other well placed ads on the page were only getting a CTR of 1%.

Of course, if you value your visitors, you probably weren't doing this.

If you are still using this method of blending, you need to correct it as soon as possible to avoid getting your adsense account banned. I have been told that within the next month they will have a new, better system out for DETECTING these ads and will flag the account for review. If you are caught doing this, you will be banned and you will loose any money in your account.

There's no going back to google adsense after you have been banned, so it's either use a family member and put the tax burden and work on them, or go to YPN (Yahoo Publisher Network). YPN is just as aggressive at detecting and banning users doing this, so your going to have to find a new way to get those insane CTR's. I imagine most of the myspace sites using this method were experiencing CTR's in the neighborhood of 20-40%. That's a whole lot of cash even with your ads are only paying 1-10 cents.

So, if you are still displaying ads next to images which are intended to trick your vistors, you need to stop ASAP. If your doing this on a site where return visitors are important, well.. your an idiot and need to stop. Tricking your visitors isn't getting you any brownie points.

By the way, You can still display ads next to your google ads, it just can not be in a way intended to trick your visitors.