How Google AdSense FAILS Better Business Bureau
Ring in the New Year with an AdSense promo, Google exhorts. Unfortunately for the Googley “newbies” it targets, however, Google’s sales pitch continues the same old non-transparent, black box, no commission questions allowed, take what you can get from the Googleplex and be happy, non-capitalist friendly way of doing a $200 million market cap business.
Google claims a “highlight” of its AdSense how-to is its “Earnings and Expectations” story which purportedly “provides insight into how much you can expect to earn” by becoming an AdSense “publisher.” Surprising? After all, the standard Google AdSense payments line is “The best way to find out how much you’ll earn is to sign up and start showing ads on your web pages.”
Not surprisingly, the number one search engine has NOT changed its Google plays by its own business rules game in 2008. The AdSense team warns of its supposed insights into the AdSense payout formula: “You’re in for a lengthy read.” The not so overwhelming one page of content tips and tricks and AdWords jargon offered, however, is underwhelming where it counts: THE GOOGLE PAYOUT FORMULA, AKA ADSENSE COMMISSION RATE!
The only upfront bit of information Google extends to “newbies” is confirmation of the big, bad AdSense black box: “we can’t give you an exact answer” about how much you will earn by partnering with Google. In other Google words, “you’ll receive a portion of what the advertiser pays.” BUT, DON’T ASK GOOGLE WHAT PERCENTAGE IT WILL DECIDE TO GIVE YOU!
Google incredulously succeeds in convincing ordnarily business-savvy professionals to enter into resale agreements without providing a commission schedule upfront. It is Google’s AdSense way, or the highway, but the Google way fails the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB).
BBB standards “are a comprehensive set of best practices for how businesses should treat the public in a fair and honest manner.” The “Seven Principles For Trust” which reflect the “mission, vision and values of the BBB include truth, transparency and integrity:
Reveal all related conditions or exceptions regarding products or services offered.
Clearly disclose all policies, guarantees and procedures that bear on a customer’s decision to buy.
Approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and commitments with integrity.
Google’s AdSense no-commission-payout- schedule required way of doing business lacks integrity because it does NOT clearly disclose all policies and conditions which prospective AdSense customers ought to be able to evaluate in deciding whether to partner with Google, or not.
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