I was just reading all the related pages on the google web site... but I could not come to any conclusion. Would participating in the program benefit me or my PR in anyway?

I would also like to ask the same question.Sincerely I hope someone owning experience come out to answer it for us!Appreciate!

Traffic Levels

Using Google Ads can be a good idea for some sites but for others will offer little return. Really it’s all about traffic levels, if your site only has a limited number of users you’re not going get rich using it. While a site with thousands of visitors each day will yield a much higher return.

Content Match

Also if you choose not to display ads with similar content as your own the chances are not many surfers will click on your ad (there at your site for a specific reason). While displaying themed ads offer an extension to your own content.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage with having Google ads is that you’re encouraging surfers to navigate away from your site. If your site is a commercial one you need to way up the potential of someone buying a product or service and someone clicking through on an ad. In most cases your own product or service will offer a greater return than the other, in which case using Google ads can cost you money rather than make you money.

As per usual there are many schools of thought on this. Some will say that if someone is going to leave your site, they will leave regardless. By displaying Google ads you stand a chance of turning a negative to positive.

Also depending on what type of site you run will make a big difference to the click through rate. Try to imagine what someone’s thought process is when visiting your site. If you run a site giving information on red widgets and the pro’s and con’s of purchasing them, it would offer a good return to display ads trying to sell red widgets or even ads offering insurance for them.

Advantages

You can make money.

Originally Posted by Slf

I was just reading all the related pages on the google web site... but I could not come to any conclusion. Would participating in the program benefit me or my PR in anyway?

I heard (or actually read) people saying that it helps, but personally I neither belive it or saw any effect.

I my experience, on the large sites we manager, the pages featuring adwords do get indexed by goolge quicker and more often. We have not seen a benefit in PR or in SERP results.

Ok, thanks once again for all your info. Going on what Jamesanderson said my site is a free service (for now) so i wont be losing any money...

But, if AnthemIT's post is correct it may benifit me slightly... Seems im still in the dark

I started running google ads late yesterday and my advert has been seen by over 6,000 page impressions, with plenty of hits too, so IMHO it is worth it.

Originally Posted by pixelputty

I started running google ads late yesterday and my advert has been seen by over 6,000 page impressions, with plenty of hits too, so IMHO it is worth it.

Sorry, but whats page impressions mean?

Originally Posted by pixelputty

I started running google ads late yesterday and my advert has been seen by over 6,000 page impressions, with plenty of hits too, so IMHO it is worth it.

what did you put in for a daily budget, if you don't mind me asking?

Page impressions are page views, example you search google and the first page that comes up is an Impression, so if my ad is running on page 1 google search, that gives me an impression, you have to remember that the ads go on all of the sites running googles ads too, my impressions have now gone to 22,000, so it defo works, you have to have a good ad to, just getting the word out there doesn`t mean it will eye catch someone to click into your site.
I`m not sure of google rules on posting price info onto a forum mate, I`ll PM it to you instead.

Ye, it really increase your impression and link popularity. My link popularity increase from about 3000 to 5000. However, you get to have money for it. worth or not? not sure yet.