{"id":2964,"date":"2008-03-15T21:59:24","date_gmt":"2008-03-15T16:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T14:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:55:48","slug":"single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"Kontera Ads: The Single Underline Trick and In-Text Ads Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Kontera ads<\/strong> were one of the best-known in-text advertising services of the 2000s, turning words inside blog posts into double-underlined ad links. In 2008 a code tweak spread across forums that made these ads show with a single underline, and we looked at whether publishers should use it. This updated article explains that trick, what happened to Kontera, and how in-text ads work today.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-67287\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Kontera in-text advertising history and in-text ads today\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/kontera-in-text-ads-2026.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Kontera ads were in-text ads shown with a double underline so readers could tell them apart from normal links. A single-underline code made them blend in, but Kontera said it did not recommend or authorise the change. Kontera was bought by Amobee, the advertising unit of Singtel, in 2014. Today Google AdSense offers its own in-text links called Ad intents, which you can switch on or off.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad917f9c8ecd\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ad917f9c8ecd\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#What_were_Kontera_ads\" >What were Kontera ads?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#The_single_underline_trick_for_Kontera_ads\" >The single underline trick for Kontera ads<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#What_Kontera_said\" >What Kontera said<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#What_happened_to_Kontera\" >What happened to Kontera?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#In-text_ads_in_2026\" >In-text ads in 2026<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#Lessons_from_the_Kontera_underline_debate\" >Lessons from the Kontera underline debate<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#Does_Kontera_still_exist\" >Does Kontera still exist?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#Why_did_Kontera_use_double_underlines\" >Why did Kontera use double underlines?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#Was_the_single_underline_code_allowed\" >Was the single underline code allowed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/03\/single-underline-links-in-kontera-ads\/#Are_in-text_ads_still_used\" >Are in-text ads still used?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_were_Kontera_ads\"><\/span>What were Kontera ads?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kontera ran an advertising platform that turned words in an article into links to ads. Unlike Google AdSense, which showed ads beside the content, Kontera&#8217;s ContentLinks appeared within the text itself. Hovering over a double-underlined word opened a small ad box, and publishers earned when readers clicked.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_single_underline_trick_for_Kontera_ads\"><\/span>The single underline trick for Kontera ads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Kontera&#8217;s ads normally showed with double underlines. In 2008, many sites started showing them with single underlines, and the secret soon came out: several websites revealed that a line of Kontera code did the trick.<\/p>\n<pre><code>var dc_single_line = 'yes';<\/code><\/pre>\n<p>Single underlines blend in better if your site&#8217;s normal links are also underlined, which can raise click rates and earnings. But it confuses readers, who are led to ads instead of the links you suggested, and accidental clicks inflate what advertisers pay. Many regular readers already found in-text ads intrusive, and this kind of blending was not welcome.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Kontera_said\"><\/span>What Kontera said<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Although the code was pasted all over the web, I warned publishers to check with their Kontera account manager before using it, or risk a ban. I expected Kontera might allow it only on sites that removed underlines from normal links with CSS, where single-underlined ads would still stand out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update:<\/strong> Vered from Kontera then gave the official view: Kontera did not recommend single underlines for ContentLinks, because they confuse readers about what is an ad, and did not authorise making this change.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_Kontera\"><\/span>What happened to Kontera?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In June 2014, Amobee, the digital advertising unit of Singtel, bought Kontera for about $150 million, as part of a wider expansion of its ad business.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In-text_ads_in_2026\"><\/span>In-text ads in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The idea of turning words into ad links has not gone away:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Google AdSense Ad intents:<\/strong> AdSense can add in-text links, anchors and chips on your pages. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2023\/02\/adsense-shopping-links\/\">how to turn off AdSense shopping links and ad intents<\/a> if you do not want them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Auto ads:<\/strong> AdSense Auto ads can place many formats for you. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/using-adsense-auto-ads\/\">AdSense Auto ads guide<\/a> covers the settings.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.infolinks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Infolinks<\/a><\/strong>: a long-running ad network for publishers, focused on contextual ads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lessons_from_the_Kontera_underline_debate\"><\/span>Lessons from the Kontera underline debate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep ads clearly different from your own links. Blending ads into content can break ad network policies.<\/li>\n<li>Never copy ad code tweaks from forums without checking the network&#8217;s rules.<\/li>\n<li>Think about readers first: intrusive ads can cost you more in lost visitors than they earn.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Kontera_still_exist\"><\/span>Does Kontera still exist?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Kontera was acquired by Amobee in 2014. If you want in-text ads today, look at current options such as AdSense Ad intents rather than old Kontera code.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_Kontera_use_double_underlines\"><\/span>Why did Kontera use double underlines?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Double underlines made in-text ads look different from normal links, so readers could tell they were ads.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Was_the_single_underline_code_allowed\"><\/span>Was the single underline code allowed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Kontera said it did not recommend single underlines for its ContentLinks and did not authorise the change.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_in-text_ads_still_used\"><\/span>Are in-text ads still used?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Google AdSense offers in-text links through Ad intents, and other networks offer contextual formats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kontera ads were one of the best-known in-text advertising services of the 2000s, turning words inside blog posts into double-underlined&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":67287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2964"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67290,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2964\/revisions\/67290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}