A reader sent me a complaint about Ask.com using Google AdWords to send themselves traffic to their search engine, which just leads to a page of search results and additional ads. Now, the Ask.com page does have some licenses content as well, but it mostly shows ads and then some search results.

We broke the story on Search Engine Land under the name Is Ask.com Continuing To Play The Google Arbitrage Game?

Let me show one of many many examples. Search Google for [what is hyperlipidemia] and you will see this ad from Ask.com:

Now click through and you are taken to this page:

Most of it is search ads, then some organic ads (both powered by Google I believe) and then some licenses content about the condition within the mix.

Google’s policy on this states:

Ask.com’s CEO told us at Search Engine Land:

Google told us that Ask.com is not getting special treatment here.

Anyway, I wanted to get your thoughts on this. Is this against Google’s AdWords arbitrage policy? Take my poll below.

Is Ask.com Doing Arbitrage On Google?

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.