Google AdSense Referrals Program Service Ends in August

In case you didn’t get the memo from the Google Adsense team, effective on the last week of August 2008 the Adsense Referrals program will cease to exist.

This is in line with their continuous efforts to find ways to “improve AdSense by developing and supporting features which drive the best monetization results for (our) publishers,” according to its official statement in their blog.

It further recommends its publishers to consider the following alternatives in lieu of the referral spots:

* Google Affiliate Network: As part of the integration of DoubleClick, the DoubleClick Performics Affiliate Network will now operate as the Google Affiliate Network for advertisers targeting users located in the United States. Similar to the AdSense Referrals program, the Google Affiliate Network enables publishers
to apply for advertiser programs and get paid based on advertiser-defined actions instead of clicks or impressions. For further details, please visit: www.google.com/ads/affiliatenetwork.

* AdSense for content ads: If you have less than three AdSense for content (AFC) ad units on a page, you may wish to replace the referral ad units with standard AFC ads.

What to do?

If you are currently running an Adsense referrals spot on your site, you do two things: one is remove the code from the site. They’re not suggesting right away but hold off until about the end of August, just don’t forget about it because after August, you will only be seeing an empty white space on your page where the ads were and you’re not earning anything anymore. Second is to run and save all referrals reports on your desktop so you can go over and review your campaign information.

Google? In Affiliate Networking?

So Google took interest to Affiliate Networking and acquired the DoubleClick Performics Affiliate program in March 2008 and decided that it was better than their existing referrals program. Now they’re entirely scrapping Adsense referrals and going the other way.

This is a really interesting move for Google going to the path of Affiliate networking. They are only now following the ways of leading affiliate network companies like Commission Junction, Share A Sale and yes, even Project Wonderful. The latter is a recent company joining into the affiliate network business and actually has a slightly different concept where there is actual buying, selling and bidding going on for an ad space in almost real time.

Being a giant in the industry, Google will have no trouble leveling the playing field of Affiliate networking. However, the fear is that they may not level it but may ‘wipe out’ the competition! Being a giant makes one dominate the industry altogether and we hope they will not crush the other companies but will just be there side by side, co-existing in the industry. Still, it isn’t called a business for nothing. Business is business, it has no emotions and it will do whatever it takes to succeed regardless of how they reach the top.

We are 50-50 on this move to apply for Google’s Affiliate Network program. As it is, we are with two others and we are very satisfied with the programs and their offering. We’ll have to wait and see on this one for Google.