AdSense Account Disabled.org http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org Support for those whose accounts are disabled. Advice to those whose accounts are still active. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:02:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Distribution of publishers in Ad networks http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/distribution-of-publishers-in-ad-networks/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/distribution-of-publishers-in-ad-networks/#comments Thu, 29 May 2008 02:46:42 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/distribution-of-publishers-in-ad-networks/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Distribution of publishers in Ad networks", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/distribution-of-publishers-in-ad-networks/" });]]> AdsSpy surveys all web sites (domains) from SeoDigger index for Partner IDs in the ads of various networks, such as Google Adsense, Yahoo Publish Network, Chitika or Amazon.com, it then compares the Partner ID and correlates the sites and ads networks. Although the sites covered by AdsSpy  is far from complete,It has some interesting statistics on which domain uses what ad network.

Google AdSense : 418,595
AdBrite : 8,509
Yandex.Direct : 7,785
Chitika : 3,918
Yahoo Partner Network : 3,131
Kontera : 2,211
Amazon Context : 1,715
IntelliTXT : 31

AdBrite by far is the second largest ad network.  This popularity reflects the earnings that publishers get and hence the effectiveness of ads.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/distribution-of-publishers-in-ad-networks/feed/ Traffic arbitrage on other ads networks http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/traffic-arbitrage-on-other-ads-networks/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/traffic-arbitrage-on-other-ads-networks/#comments Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:29:22 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/traffic-arbitrage-on-other-ads-networks/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Traffic arbitrage on other ads networks", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/traffic-arbitrage-on-other-ads-networks/" });]]>  When Google tightened up AdSense criteria, the good days for some AdSense arbitragers were over. Their AdSense accounts were disabled and unpaid earnings confiscated (presumably returned to advertisers).

Many AdSense arbitragers would argue that not all arbitrage sites are MFA (Made for AdSense).  Those websites have content, give useful information and points, and motivate surfers to read on.  By all means, these sites provide another or different opinions.   They have a role on the Internet.

Ok, now you lost your AdSense account, is there still any point arguing the usefulness of your website?!  Of course. If you believe your sites are useful to people, you can continue to do traffic arbitrage on other Ads networks. However, life won’t be as easier as before. 

  • Firstly, earning per click is about 5~10% less.
  • Secondly, ads are less targeted to the keywords and subjects.
  • Thirdly, you’ll have to choose the right ads network based on your content type, see our review entry.  For instance, If your website covers products, e.g. reviews, suggestions, tips, etc., you should consider Chitika.  

On the plus side, other ads networks have very flexible ads formats.  For instance, AdBrite has inline and full page ads. These can improve CTR (click-through rate) substantially and the earning.  You’ll have to experiment a bit.

By all means, traffic arbitrage is a viable business model.  Sign up with a few different Ads network and you’ll find out.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/traffic-arbitrage-on-other-ads-networks/feed/ Alternatives better than AdSense http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/alternatives-better-than-adsense/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/alternatives-better-than-adsense/#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:55:57 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/alternatives-better-than-adsense/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Alternatives better than AdSense", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/alternatives-better-than-adsense/" });]]> Does “make money online” still make sense after AdSense account being disabled? Yes, absolutely.  In fact, if you use only AdSense, you miss out a large chunk of potential revenue.

By far, AdSense is still the king of contextual advertising with the highest payout (in general) and being the easiest to work with.  Many would attest that AdSense is also the most temperamental in terms of compliance requirements. The recent AdSense official blog about new guidelines on ads placement optimization is an example.

Two contextual advertising programs can be considered better than AdSense in generating revenue. You can also combine another two networks to achieve good results.

If your website or blog covers products, e.g. reviews, suggestions, tips, etc., you should consider Chitika.  In the early days of the Internet advertising(pre 2002), ads were all in banner and flashy image forms.  After AdWords, everything went text only. Well, that’s definitely an extreme. A picture is still better than a thousand words.  Chitika has figured this out and images are used discretionarily in its eMinimalls ads format.  The reported click through rate is much higher than AdSense.  Although the CPC (cost per click) is lower, the overall revenue is much higher. Better still, Chitika eMinimalls are allowed to be alongside AdSense, if you still have an AdSense account.  You can join Chitika here.

If your content is general, the best choice is AdBrit.  The regular AdBrit ads combines three advertising technologies, that is, AdSense like CPC text and banner ads, full page Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) ads and inline ads.    The later two formats are not available in AdSense.

AdBrit’s full page ads overlay an ads, covering full page, on your content.  After viewing,  visitors click a “Skip Ads” button to view your content. You have the control to show the number of full page ads per visit.  Inline ads highlight words or phrases with double underlines in your content that advertisers purchased. If someone rolls over the highlighted word, you’ll get paid if a user clicks on the ad.  Again AdBrit’s average CPC payout is lower than AdSense.  But combining the three technologies, your monthly revenue will be higher.  If you have many pictures and videos, AdBrit also have BritPic and InVideo ads helping your monetizing the content.  This is why AdBrit has become more and more popular on the Internet.

Click here to join AdBrit.

Naturally, both programs has policies to protect advertisers’ interest.  You cannot click on ads on your site or asking friends to do so. Pop-up and pop-under are not allowed. 

For bloggers, another advantage is that both Chitika and AdBrit pay monthly at a minume amount of $10 via Paypal or check. A 30/60 day delay of payment follows the common practice. The good news is that you don’t have to wait for a whole year to reward yourself a dinner with family and friends.

The two programs do have some disadvantages.  Their contextual ads matching is not as good as AdSense. Sometimes, ads are less relevant. You have to pick a category/sub-category when inserting ads. If your site focuses on one related subject, this won’t be an issue.

I would highly recommend Chitika and AdBrit if your AdSense account is disabled.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/alternatives-better-than-adsense/feed/ Two more Ways to Lose your AdSense Account http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/two-more-ways-to-lose-your-adsense-account/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/two-more-ways-to-lose-your-adsense-account/#comments Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:36:30 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/two-more-ways-to-lose-your-adsense-account/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Two more Ways to Lose your AdSense Account", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/two-more-ways-to-lose-your-adsense-account/" });]]> For years, people discovered that ads under the title generate better click-through-rate.  If you look around, this ads placement is very common. Now Goolge just flashed a yellow card to this practice.

In an almost humorous blog title, “Another look at optimizations”, Google’s official AdSense blog indicated that this could violate the TOS in affecting users’ and advertisers’ experience.  A guideline was spelt out as,

Ads shouldn’t be placed under a title or section heading in a way that implies that the ads are not ads.

Examples given regarding the violating title are “Dallas Business Opportunities” or “Today’s Hot Deals”.

We consider this guideline most threatening to many bloggers.  To save the effort on inserting ads, bloggers build the ads insertion in their template, adding the best-performing medium rectangle ads unit right after the title.  While you’re blogging away, your title may inadvertently imply that the ads followed are not ads.  Boom, there comes an email entitled “Google AdSense Account Disabled”.

The blog also lay out another guideline.

Ads should be easily distinguishable from surrounding content.

Again this directly opposes the AdSense optimizating Google taught us over time in numerous case studies (in the “Inside AdSense Group” updates): blending the ads into the content.  The example shown on the official blog is a little extreme. Intepreting this guideline can swing wildly. 

Nevertheless, if you care about your AdSense extra income, you should take this blog as a warning and  really “take another look at your ads optimizations“.

You can find Google’s official blog here.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/two-more-ways-to-lose-your-adsense-account/feed/ Protect your AdSense in Arbitrage http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-your-adsense-in-arbitrage/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-your-adsense-in-arbitrage/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:45:59 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-your-adsense-in-arbitrage/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Protect your AdSense in Arbitrage", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-your-adsense-in-arbitrage/" });]]> Google prescribed the official recipe to avoid being banned from AdSense. The shortened version of the ten commandments is shown below.

  1. Don’t click on your own Google ads. Use the AdSense preview tool.
  2. Don’t ask others to click on Google ads. Don’t tell your friends and family you’re making a living with a website. Their good intention may turn out to be fatal.
  3. Don’t employ pop-up prompts or automatic software installations.
  4. Be aware of how your site is promoted.
  5. Don’t place Google ads on sites that contain prohibited content.
  6. Respect Google trademarks.
  7. Don’t tamper with the AdSense code.
  8. Provide a positive user experience.
  9. Provide a good environment for advertisers.
  10. Be responsive to AdSense team email.

AdSense Arbitragers need to pay particular attention to No 4 and 8.  No. 4 is “Be aware of how your site is promoted. ” Naturally, arbitragers have to purchase traffic from somewhere. Google prohibits pages showing AdSense ads be loaded in an unrequested pop-up. Advertising with a low cost advertiser may turn out to be very expensive.

No. 8 talks about creating a positive user experience.  The common practice of “cookie preloading” in affiliate marketing, i.e. loading a product page in a 1 pixel frame, would be considered a deception to users.  Unfortunately cookie preloading is so AdSense bot friendly. You’ll be caught easily.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-your-adsense-in-arbitrage/feed/ Protect yourself from a Click Bomb http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-yourself-from-a-click-bomb/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-yourself-from-a-click-bomb/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:13:32 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-yourself-from-a-click-bomb/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Protect yourself from a Click Bomb", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-yourself-from-a-click-bomb/" });]]> So you still have AdSense running on your site because you just joined, got your account resurrected, or reapplied.  This is an enviable and profitable position.  Let’s talk about how to keep it that way.Let’s assume that you’re not foolish enough to hop around internet café or rebooting your ADSL/Cable gateway to click the ads on your site.  The other common cause to ban your AdSense account is a “click bomb”. “Click Bomber” or someone that sabotages websites by clicking on the ads repeatedly until the publisher is banned.  

Inevitably, we all have foes in our walk of life, people we know or we don’t. Some of them may turn into a click bomber. If you use Wordpress, one way to protect yourself is to install a plug-in called “Who Sees Ads ?”

You can configure it to hide ads from regular visitors (a friend or a foe).  Regular visitors don’t click on ads anyway. A click bomber has to reload a page many times or visit many pages to do a good 30~40 clicks to get you banned.  “Who Sees Ads ?” can give you the protection to the extent that the click bomber doesn’t actively change IP address and clean cookie store.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/protect-yourself-from-a-click-bomb/feed/ How to appeal http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/how-to-appeal/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/how-to-appeal/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:28:06 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/how-to-appeal/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How to appeal", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/how-to-appeal/" });]]> A few documented successful appeals on the Internet point the right path of an appeal being:

  • Provide evidence that you are not at fault for the invalid clicks.
  • Write professionally.

For point 1, it is very hard for a webmaster to prove that he’s not at fault. Some suggested offering server logs, tracking and analytics logs, and any other useful information, which can use to determine if your account got click-bombed or not.  The fact is that Google is at the know-it-all position. They have your AdSense account login trace. They know which ads and which IP clicked to ads. They know how long the visitors stay on your site before clicking an ads (the time difference between the ads being served and clicked). They also have the statistics of returning ads clickers and ads clicker distribution (one city, Internet café, etc.) When Google says “thoroughly reviewing your account”, their computers have done so. It’s unfortunate that Google is big-brothering the webmasters and web surfers. But this is Google’s business.

So, on the appeal form, the following fields are most critical.

  • What is the source of your site’s content?
  • How do users get to your site? (How do you promote your site?)
  • How many people are involved with the administration of the site?

Think it through in your case, and write convincingly.

There are a few good pieces of advice on the internet regarding writing a response email. They serve as a good reference. But, you’ll have to be creative with the appeal form.

Above all, good luck.  And do let us know if you’re successful.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/how-to-appeal/feed/ Should I appeal? (part 2) http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-2/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-2/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:55:18 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-2/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should I appeal? (part 2)", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-2/" });]]> So you’ve read “Should I appeal? (Part 1)” and decide that you want to make an effort to get your AdSense account back. For the sake of the remaining revenue in the account, it might be worth it.  But you care about your name and are worried that your websites are blacklisted for AdSense. Ok, do it. There are three steps you have to follow:

For step 1, the Vaughn’s Google AdSense Penalties Chart is the most comprehensive analysis found on the Internet.  You should read the discussion there.   

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-2/feed/ Should I appeal? (Part 1) http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-1/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-1/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:28:35 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-1/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should I appeal? (Part 1)", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-1/" });]]> Less than 1% of appeals for AdSense banned account were successful. The most common suggest is “don’t bother, move on”. It’s the golden advice if you feel badly treated or pissed off and want an explanation.

Google is a company believing in computer automation. This is how their business scales.   The appeal process had evolved from email interact to a web form.  On the appeal form, you are forced to write the facts and cannot put into too much debate, emotion and BS.  The facts can be scanned quickly by a human and you get another response.

Hello,

Thanks for providing us with additional information. However, after thoroughly reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into consideration, we’ve re-confirmed that your account poses a significant risk to our advertisers. For this reason, we’re unable to reinstate your account. Thank you for your understanding.

As a reminder, if you have any questions about your account or the actions we’ve taken, please do not reply to this email. You can find more information by visiting https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

However, if you really really feel that you have a chance, find out why you’re banned first.  Read the Part 2.

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]]> http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/should-i-appeal-part-1/feed/ Why is my AdSense account disabled (part 2) http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/why-is-my-adsense-account-disabled-part-2/ http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/why-is-my-adsense-account-disabled-part-2/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:06:24 +0000 Bob http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/why-is-my-adsense-account-disabled-part-2/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Why is my AdSense account disabled (part 2)", url: "http://adsenseaccountdisabled.org/why-is-my-adsense-account-disabled-part-2/" });]]>  If your “Google AdSense Account Disabled” email has the following content, you’ve violated another portion of the T&C of AdSense program.

Hello XXX YYY,

While going through our records recently, we found that your AdSense account has posed a significant risk to our AdWords advertisers. Since keeping your account in our publisher network may financially damage our advertisers in the future, we’ve decided to disable your account.

Please understand that we consider this a necessary step to protect the interests of both our advertisers and our other AdSense publishers. We realize the inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

If you have any questions about your account or the actions we’ve taken, please do not reply to this email. You can find more information by visiting https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153&hl=en_US.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

If you email content is different, please read Part 1. 

When AdWords became very popular with advertisers, the bids for keywords got ever higher. People started gaming with AdSense.  A technique commonly referred s “AdSense Arbitrage” came into being.  People created web pages for the purpose of showing AdSense ads (referred as MFA pages, “Made for AdSense”) and drive traffic to convert to AdSense revenue.  This is called “Divert and Convert”.  Some people claimed 6 digit annual revenue for doing AdSense Arbitrage.

It’s debatable whether the arbitragers bring value to the advertisers. However, Google decided to crack down on MFA sites in early 2007.  Google AdSense Preprogram Policies stated:

  • Publishers using online advertising to drive traffic to pages showing Google ads must comply with the spirit of Google’s Landing Page Quality Guidelines. For instance, if you advertise for sites participating in the AdSense program, the advertising should not be deceptive to users.

…

  • No Google ad may be placed on any non-content-based pages.
  • No Google ad may be placed on pages published specifically for the purpose of showing ads, whether or not the page content is relevant.

Well, it is not difficult to make your MFA site to be fully compliant to AdSense policies.  Google knows that too.  It’s still unclear what the criteria are to identify and disable MFA sites.  The wording of the notification email is “posed a significant risk to our AdWords advertisers.”

If you have any clue, please post it in the comments or the Forums.

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