Since it’s start, Adsense has had one big rule – no competition.

Actually, the full rule is no contextual competition – that is, no other ads on the page besides Adsense that changed based on the context of the page. So, you can place banners and static ads alongside Adsense all you want, but put an ad that that ‘adapts’ to the blog post – and you’re breaking Adsense rules.

However, that has changed. Adsense now allowed approved partners in the contextual advertising. The difference? They go through the Adsense network.

Details of the new contextual partner networking are on this Google page; however, looking over the list of partners, only one stood out for marketers – eBay.

What does this mean?

• Since Google will manage the ads, this potentially means a greater selection of ads in the same spot, with no extra input from you. Ideally, this means more income for you.
• If however, you already deal with these groups, then you’ll be served up ads with Google as the middleman, which potentially means LESS money for you on those networks.

As Google points out, you’re automatically entered in the ‘multiple ads network’. However, you should take a moment to check it over (in your Adsense account: Adsense Setup, Ad Review Center Tab). And pay attention to the networks showing on your site. While the list of potential advertisers shouldn’t conflict (unless you use Doubleclick or Neilsen, for example), the one to watch out for is eBay. If you have eBay ads on you site, and you see Google versions, this Adsense page is the place you go to not only monitor, but deactivate (filter) them.

Obviously, this change is good for Google; it increases the advertising content available to offer. And it can be good for us, since more ads likely means more targeted (and therefore more valuable) ads. However, it remains to be seen if it makes a huge difference. In the meantime, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the new Ad Network changes, and keep an eye on your revenues.