Google has just launched a new service in AdSense called Referrals. The program allows website owners to actually pick products to promote. Each product has its own collection of custom-made image advertisements of different shapes and sizes, and each product also has its own payment program. For example, if you choose to promote AdSense on your website, if a user clicks on your ad, signs up for AdSense, and eventually earns at least $100 (the minimal earning before you're sent your check), you will make a sweet $100. The AdSense Referrals program currently only has two products you can choose to promote: AdSense itself, as described above, and Firefox. If you choose to promote Firefox, every time a Windows user using a non-Firefox browser clicks on your ad and downloads Firefox, you'll make an easy $1.

The program sounds really nice, and it's awesome that Firefox is the first third-party product to be offered here, but I do have a few concerns. First, while it's obvious why the regular AdSense for Content program requires JavaScript for its functionality, I don't see why the Referrals program does. It seems to me that website owners should only have to link to a particular page on Google in order to participate in the program. Payment is based on user behavior after following the link, so any risk of website owners using misleading text in their links would be fairly minimal or irrelevant. Also, the selection of ad images is rather blah. I would love to use one of the Spread Firefox buttons with the AdSense Referrals program.

Anyway, here's how the ad may appear in a webpage. This is an actual ad here, so if you aren't using Firefox, click on the image and download it. ;)