What are ad links?

Link units are a new form of text advertising that we’re offering to our AdSense publishers. Using the same contextual targeting algorithm that targets Google ads to your content pages, link units display a list of topics that are relevant to your page. Each topic, when clicked, brings the user to a page of related advertisements.

It’s one of the ad formats that have be recently introduced to AdSense. But why would it not work on your blog? Here’s a rundown of points against it.

• It takes 2 clicks to earn from it. Unlike text and image ads, reader will need to click on the AdLinks first, then they are redirected to a Google page of advertisers where it needs another click in order for you to be credited for it. Howerer, a regular visitor will eventually find out about it on the first click and chances are they won’t click again. The worse scenario is that your reader closes the browser and you loose any more potential reads that may result to an ad click.
• Ad Links have very short span of attention compared to a full text ad. Readers tend to click on ordinary links that interest them hoping for more content. The second page of Ad Links do not provide this. It even looks like a pop-up spam page and could drive away your readers.
• They are too deceptive, giving the impression that other links may also result to the same ads and could eventually discourage readers not to click on links anymore.
• They don’t randomly change a lot. So, if the readers frequent your site, they would always see almost the same ad links and be already immune to them.

The only type of site with which I think Ad Links can surely bring in revenues are Online Directories and Yellow Pages. This is because these type of sites behave almost similar to the link units and thus, can theoreticlaly bring in a sizable number of clicks.

quoted from yugatech.