AdSense Prohibitions, Mistakes And Problems

Google is very protective of its AdSense program and is a pretty strict ad
provider. It has a relatively long page of Terms and Conditions
(www.google.com/adsense/terms) and monitors sites pretty closely. While
YPN usually sends a warning to sites that it believes have broken its terms
and conditions, Google has been known to cut people off right away.
And that can be pretty painful.

I do recommend that you read the AdSense Terms and Conditions. I realize
that they’re not much fun and they’re hardly a gripping read, but they are
important, especially when you start really pushing your ads to their limits.
To make it easier for you though, I’ve gone through those terms and pulled
out the most important restrictions contained in them.

This list is not a replacement for reading the Terms page — you’re still goin
to have to do that. They just might make it clearer so that you’re less likely
to make a very costly mistake.
One individual or entity cannot hold more than one AdSense
account; all accounts will be closed.
This is important if you have many sites covering different topics and
are worried about the effects of Smart Pricing. You might want to op
a separate account in a spouse’s name or open more than one
business.

You cannot modify the JavaScript or other code provided in an
way.
Google is pretty strict about this. Cut into the code and you risk the
axe.
Web pages cannot contain solely ads, a Search Box or a referr
button.
Blank pages with nothing more than AdSense ads are pretty rare;
pages which contain only ads of different types are much more
common. Google is working against these sorts of things and you’ll
probably find yourself if not banned, then almost certainly Smart
Priced out.

Ads cannot appear on pages that are "under construction,"
used for registration, chat, contain adult, objectionable or
illegal content. And they can’t be used in emails either.
If you have a site that’s in any way morally objectionable, then
AdSense isn’t for you. That’s the bottom line.
More relevant for most people though is the idea that you can’t put
AdSense on every page of a website. There are all sorts of pages on
many people’s sites that really don’t contain any content, like
password pages or error messages. You can’t use them as places to
put ads.

You cannot generate searches, clicks or impressions by any
method other than genuine user interest.
So no automatic bots or clicking your own ads or any of that nonsense.
That’s just fraud and Google will spot it in a second.
You cannot display anything on your Web page that could be
confused as an AdSense ad.

That’s an interesting rule that prevents people from putting up affiliate
links that look like ad units to try to cash in on Google’s brand. In
theory, this rule could cause a problem for someone who blended the
ads into the page by making link lists that looked similar to ad units.
As long as those links aren’t ads though, and as long as you don’t
write "Ads by Goooogle" on them, I doubt if Google would have a
problem with them.

You cannot put related images right next to an AdSense unit.
The old strategy of using images related to the ads to draws to ad
units has gone. Google doesn’t want any picture next to an ad unit
that looks like it’s part of the ad. There’s no clear definition of how far
the images should be or how it defines ‘confusing’. The best bet is to
use common sense, and if you’re going to put an image near ad unit,
make it a logo, unrelated to the content of the ad unit or some part of
the site.

If you’re using a Google Search box, you cannot use any other
search service on the page.

Again, Google wants a monopoly of services on your site. You can’t
offer your users the option of searching through Google or Yahoo; it’s
either-or, not both-and.

You cannot put anything between the ad link and the ad site.
So if you were thinking of trying to capture your lost traffic by
redirecting ad clicks to another of your sites, think again. But who
thinks of that?

You cannot communicate to advertisers directly concerning the
ads on your site.

That would have been quite useful. You could have written to an
advertiser and suggested ways in which they could make their copy
more effective for your users.

Of course, you could also suggest they advertise directly on your site
and cut out the Google middleman...
Interestingly though, you can do all of this on your "Advertise on this
site" landing page.

You cannot change the order of the information in an ad unit.
This is pretty well covered by the ban on changing the code. But again,
it might have been nice to put the ads that are most likely to get the
most clicks at the top of the list, even if they pay less. But putting the
ones with the highest bid price there though isn’t a bad idea either.
You cannot reveal your click-through rates or any other
information about your site performance.

Which is why I haven’t quoted my own CTR figures in this book. But
you can reveal the amount of Google’s gross payments to you, which I
have done.
These rules are all pretty straightforward and for the most part, easy to
follow. Usually, if someone has been banned from AdSense it’s because
they’ve clicked on their own ads and Google didn’t believe that it was an
accident. That’s just rotten luck.

1 The Biggest Mistakes That AdSense Publishers Make... And
How To Avoid Them

Clicking on your own ads isn’t the only bad luck AdSense publishers have run
into. There are lots of different ways that you can make a mistake when
using AdSense and while some of them Google will be pretty quick to tell you
about, others you’ll only feel in your pocket.

Here are some of the biggest mistakes you can make when using AdSense.
Be aware of them...and beware of them!

Big Mistake #1:
Not Being Familiar With Google's TOS
On the one hand, this is an easy mistake to make. The terms of service
change all the time and what’s legal one day could be illegal the next — and
you could know nothing about the change.

On the other hand though, if something you’ve been doing is suddenly made
illegal you probably shouldn’t be doing it anyway.
The bottom line is to check the TOS regularly and to make a habit of
browsing the AdSense forums. Even if you miss a change, it’s unlikely that
other people will. it’s a mistake not to stay informed.

Big Mistake #2: Inviting Others To Click Ads
That clicking your own ads is a mistake is pretty clear. There’s no reason to
do it and no excuse for doing it.
That also includes asking other people to click on the ads for you.
For site owners used to asking their users to support their sponsors, this can
take some getting used to. Once the ads are up and optimized, there’s
nothing more that you can do to persuade people to click.
If you’ve got a line on your website that asks people to support your
sponsors or if you’ve been asking people to click on your ads in any sort of
way, you’re making a giant mistake.
That’s the sort of mistake that can get you banned.

Big Mistake #3:
Using The Wrong Ad Blocks
Those first two mistakes will get you banned. The remaining mistakes will
"only" cost you money.
Choosing the wrong ad blocks is one of the easiest mistakes to make. Almost
any block can fit in almost any space but only one block will give you the
highest revenues possible.
Use this book as a guide to which blocks suit which locations best and check
out the case studies to see how other people are using a similar spot. Even if
you’re happy with your results so far, it’s always possible that you could do
even better.
Sitting on your laurels with the wrong ad block is certainly a mistake.
Big Mistake #4:
Using The Wrong Colors
Exactly the same is true of your choice of colors. Forget about looking for
some nice contrast or coming up with some snazzy design, you want the
colors in your ads to match the colors on your site.
The background color should be the same as the background of your site and
the font colors should match too.
Any other color is usually a mistake.
Big Mistake #5:
Poor Page Placement
Some places on your page are much more powerful than others. You want to
put your ads where your users are going to be looking, not where they’ll
make the page look good.
That might be at the beginning of an article, in the sidebar, at the top of the
page, next to an image or any one of several dozen other spots.
Don’t be shy about putting your ads front and forward. As long as they’re
blended into the site, they won’t be anything like as obtrusive as you think.
They’ll be right in front of your users and attractive enough to click.
Big Mistake #6:
Not Using AdLink Units
A common mistake that people make when they first start using AdSense is
to assume that only the ad units are worth taking.
That’s a big mistake.
Clicks on AdLink units make up a serious part of my AdSense earnings. When
used properly, they should be a serious part of your AdSense earnings too.
Don’t overlook AdLink units just because they’re small. Put them in the right
place and you’ll find that they can be very, very powerful
Big Mistake #7:
Not Checking And Analyzing Stats
One of the biggest differences between AdSense publishers who get the big
checks and AdSense publishers who earn pennies is that the big earners are
addicted to reading their stats — and they understand what they’re reading.
It’s very tempting once you’ve set up your site and put on your ads to just
kick back and look at the bottom line. But the other lines tell you what’s
working and what you should be doing.
Read your stats carefully and regularly.
Big Mistake #8:
Ignoring Channels
If you’re not sure how to use channels, don’t let it ride. Read the chapter on
channels again, build some and play with them.
For some people channels can look a little scary. You have to build them
from scratch, you might not be too sure which channels you should create or
what you should do with the data the channels should give you.
None of those is a good excuse. Channels are easy to build and they give you
heaps of information about the way each of your Web pages is operating that
you just couldn’t get anywhere else.
If you’re not using channels, you need to start.
Big Mistake #9:
Not Keeping An AdSense Journal
When you were at school and your English teacher told you to keep a
journal, you probably groaned, ignored her... and made up a month’s worth
of entries the day before you were supposed to bring it in to class.
When you’re trying to make a lot of money with AdSense, keeping a journal
is vital. It’s the only way to keep track of your changes and what happened
when you implemented those changes.
Every time you use a different ad block, push a different keyword or try a
new location on the page, write it down, wait a week and write down the
effect. If you’re doing the same thing time and time again because you forgot
what happened when you did it last time, you’re wasting your time and your
money.
Big Mistake #10:
Building Huge Sites Overnight
It’s possible to go from no site to AdSense site in just a few minutes (plus
the time it takes to get the confirmation letter). But it will take a little while
longer to build the sort of massive site that keeps users coming back and
builds a loyal base.
Sure, you can use free books to fill dozens of pages and you can use already
prepared content, but neither of these methods are as good as creating a
huge site filled with original material.
That takes time.
Rush it and it’s more likely you’ll end up with a lot of trash that kills your
clicks and ruins your Smart Pricing than a quality site that makes you money.
It’s better to be small and good than big and bad.
Big Mistake #11:
Building Throwaway Sites
And if it’s a bad idea to build large trashy sites, it’s a terrible idea to build
small, trashy sites.
Check out the AdSense forums long enough and there’s a good chance that
you’ll come across plenty of publishers who believe not in creating good
quality sites but in building small garbage-y ones and trying to squeeze as
much revenue out of them as possible.
The advantage is that you can throw up a lot of them in a small amount of
time and for little cost.
The disadvantage is that the returns are small too — and most important,
they’re just no fun to do.
I thoroughly enjoy managing every one of the sites I’ve created. It’s because
I enjoy them that my users enjoy them. That keeps them coming back and it
keeps them clicking. And it keeps me coming back too.
If you’re building throwaway sites just to make a quick buck, you’re working
too hard... and that’s a giant mistake.
Big Mistake #12:
Doing AdSense Halfway
This was the big mistake that I made for a long time. It’s also the big
mistake that about 95 percent of AdSense publishers are making.
They create their site, put up an AdSense, maybe they’ll optimize it a little
(and maybe not), and then they’ll wait for the checks to come in.
Making a lot of money with AdSense will take a lot of work. It can make you
more money than most people will make in most full-time jobs but it’s not
the sort of thing you can throw up in a morning and then spend the
afternoon shopping for your beach house in Cancun.
You can start earning in the morning. But if you want to make real money,
you’re going to have to go all the way.
Anything less is a big mistake.
Big Mistake #13:
Only Using AdSense
Don’t get me wrong, I still think that AdSense is the greatest way to earn
money from a website short of buying Google.com. But ever since Google
changed it TOS to allow other kinds of advertising systems on AdSense pages
— even other kinds of contextualized advertising systems — I’ve been
happily mixing, matching and earning even more.
You should certainly use one of the text link services like Kontera. You can
use Chitika’s eMiniMalls if you have a good product-related site. You can
recommend affiliate products. You can mix different payment systems so that
your pages are earning by impression, by click and by sale.
You should have every base covered and every income stream up and
running.