I have been using Text-Link-Ads for about 9 months on my websites and it has been a consistent earner throughout most of that time frame. I love the ability to display unobtrusive text ads on my websites and earn a flat monthly rate for each link displayed. I really enjoy flat rate advertising because you know exactly how much you’re going to make that month. With Adsense or other CPC publisher programs your earnings can vary greatly from month to month and it’s hard to count on anything consistent. However, like Adsense it’s great that after setting up the Text-Link-Ads code you don’t need to do anything else. Whenever the work can be taken out of a process I’m already a fan, because when you have a full time job and run websites on the side you’re always working against the clock to get things done.
The beginning of the end for TLA came when they started releasing updates to their Ad code and asking publishers to not use phrases like “Featured sites” or “Sponsored Links” above the Text-Link-Ads code. They also asked publishers to try and use images that stated “Featured Sites” or “Sponsored Links,” whenever possible in an attempt to stay under Google’s radar. After TLA offered the various changes it didn’t stop Google from targeting bloggers and reducing their Page Rank to 0. At first I thought it was just Google trying to use scare tactics by targeting people they could easily find that were advocating the use of TLA. Unfortunately, I ignored the writing on the wall and one of my mid sized forums Xbox Live Arcade had it’s PR4 dropped to a PR0 last week. So rather than wait until the rest of my sites would be penalized by Google I removed the TLA code from my other major websites early last week.
I should have removed the links from my websites as soon as I saw that bloggers were being targetted, but I was greedy and didn’t remove the TLA code until I was finally hit. I still believe that it’s an excellent source for monetizing your websites; however, I would not recommend running it unless you don’t care if your Page Rank is penalized.
Has anyone else been penalized by Google for running TLA on their site?
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This isn’t right. This is basically a form of monopolizing the internet for their own. Competition isn’t competition if you eliminate all the competitors, which leads people to build up and take down the king. All metaphorically of course, but it is amazing to see that they target sites one at a time in hopes of getting the word out. Sucks, really does for a high PR to drop so much for some ads. Good luck with restoring it and all.
When something better comes along, the world will embrace it and spit on Google’s grave. They changed their corporate motto from “Do no evil” to “Screw adsense competitors”. I’ve been penalized, and I still have no clue why. The bastards should just charge $1 for a straight answer. They’d more than make up any lost income.
It looks as if Google have done a big update. I have seen sites that have lost PR too and also lots of backlinks, some in the 500+ range.
Yah, although I’m disappointed with the fact that I had to remove TLA I still plan to use it on some of my smaller websites.
I guess this depends on how high you hold PR and if you can still make an income without it.
Heard about it and removed it immediately. Making too much off Google adsense to ruin it with a low PR.
i hadn’t heard about that yet, thank’s for the information… it’s a bit shitty though
I had such an experience. I’ve ran TLA on PR4 dating site, now it is PR0.
Very sorry now. How should I make up PR?
Yes, there are hundreds of them that are penalized due to TLA. I had to remove TLA ads from one of my blogs as well.
This whole time I thought TLA was under the radar! I actually got my PR slapped after a Payperpost entry, so I always blamed it on PPP.