google vs text link ads

I use the title in the sense that I now must choose.  They are not directly competing of course.  However the two companies have terms and conditions / policies that now conflict with each other.

For all of us web site owners who get traffic from google and also use TLA we are now in a quandary.  Google is now lowering the rank, traffic, etc. of sites that it determines use text links as advertisements without the re="nofollow" attribute.  This is due to those links skewing the search engines ability to properly determine a sites ranking, and how much rank to pass on to other sites it links to.  Makes sense.  Right now they are manually identifying those sites.

People buy links from TLA to be placed on publisher sites for traffic as well as to gain page rank.  A site with a good PR like this one is worth some money to other sites who buy links.  It isn't worth money, however, if there is rel="nofollow" in the link.  Since it no longer bleeds the rank to those other sites.

This is a problem for web sites like mine where my main (only) money maker is TLA.  I tried google adsense, and it just didn't pay anything.  It cluttered up my site, the click through rate was horrible and my money from impressions was a few pennies a day.  Kontera is the same deal.

For right now I added rel="nofollow" to my TLA links on this site, however in a phone conversation with TLA I was told that is against the rules.  I was told to visit the terms and conditions and sent a link, however nowhere in the terms and conditions, or anywhere on the TLA site is there anything mentioning rel="nofollow" (that I could find).  On a side note notice the terms and conditions forbid people in the search engine business from signing up and using the TLA service.  On the phone with TLA I asked what they recommended.  Basically it was chose what you want, neither can tell us what to do, only how they will react.

So right now I am at a quandary.  Do I drop TLA, keep TLA and the rel="nofollow" though it may be against the rules, or give up on google traffic?  My blog already isn't indexed AT ALL by googles blogsearch, no matter what I do and who I ask about why.  No clue if that is related or not.  Nor how I can go about getting it rereviewed.  Also I don't know for sure I will ever be penalized by google.  Jsut that people are and it could happen to anyone, no matter how hard you try to hide those links (I don't try hard obviously).

The good news is that the money I make from these sites is all just extra spending money.  I hate to lose it, but I don't have to have it.  Others, however are not in the same boat and that just sucks.

Update: This makes me more interested in selling my own ads.  I can have complete control, do it in a way that I am happy with and also works well with search engines.  The downside is that I don't have a company representing me so my potential advertising pool is much smaller.  Still, the software to do this is easy and free.

Update Number 2: I sent in an email to TLA to ask for an official response in writing (email is fine).  I also invited them to comment on this blog.  I will post anything I get back so we can all learn.  Maybe they have an idea that will solve everything!

Update 3: I got an email back from Johnathan Dingman of TLA regarding the rel=nofollow.  Looks like final confirmation that we can't use rel="nofollow" with Text-Link-Ads. 

Me: rel=Nofollow - I am told you don't allow that, though reading through the terms and conditions I can find no place you require we don't use it. I enjoy your service and would like to continue to use it.  I would like written clarification on this issue, as I may need to cancel my account if I can't use it.  Also, if you can clarify for other readers on my blog this would be great.  Sorry!  :-(

Jonathan: You may not use nofollow.

Yup, that was the extent of the email.  Anyway, looks like I will have to shut it down this weekend.  Bummer!

Last Update:  Be careful if you cancel TLA.  They will not pay you for any time during the month.  Ie don't cancel 4 days before the end of the month as you will not get paid.  I learned that lesson the hard way.