Google AdSense is bullshit
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 4:41AM Any of you that know me know that I run ads on my little corner of the internet to help keep the dough rolling in. Gotta pay for those private jets somehow, right? I had settled on Google AdSense some years ago, because I had come to know that these ads were usually of a higher caliber, or at the very least, were the least likely to be offensive (e.g. annoying, obtrusive, sound). I placed ads on this blog, my two biggest forums, and one of my online games. My earnings were modest, to say the least. I would get a check every couple of months worth about half of what it costs to host it all for that month. Wouldn't hurt a fly if I stacked it up into $1 bills and swatted with it.
Much to my surprise, I am apparently on their radar and now their shit list. I received the following email yesterday morning:
Hello,
After reviewing our records, we've determined that your AdSense account poses a risk of generating invalid activity. Because we have a responsibility to protect our AdWords advertisers from inflated costs due to invalid activity, we've found it necessary to disable your AdSense account. Your outstanding balance and Google's share of the revenue will both be fully refunded back to the affected advertisers.
Please understand that we need to take such steps to maintain the effectiveness of Google's advertising system, particularly the advertiser-publisher relationship. We understand the inconvenience that this may cause you, and we thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
If you have any questions or concerns about the actions we've taken, how you can appeal this decision, or invalid activity in general, you can find more information by visiting http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
No warning, no explanation. Just gone.
I went through said appeal process, not that it did any good. Not even a day later:
Hello,
Thank you for your appeal. We appreciate the additional information you've provided, as well as your continued interest in the AdSense program. However, after thoroughly re-reviewing your account data and taking your feedback into consideration, our specialists have confirmed that we're unable to reinstate your AdSense account.
As a reminder, if you have any questions or concerns about your account, the actions we've taken, or invalid activity in general, you can find more information by visiting http://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?answer=57153.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
Yup. That's it. No more ads for my poor little blog site and forums and game. Hundreds of content farms and spam sites continue to make thousands a month off of Google, but nooo, we can't have me making a hundred bucks every 2-3 months. That would lower the effectiveness of the advertiser-publisher relationship!
No idea what tipped them off to this supposed "invalid activity," as of course I cannot access the data in my AdSense account. No explanation as to what I could do to correct or prevent said invalid activity. No appeal. Well, no appeal that actually gets due process, anyway. This is what happens when Google acts like they have a monopoly on the ad market and nobody stops them.
I shall, of course, find a competing service to fill the void (gotta keep those private jets going), but I wanted to inform you that Google AdSense is, as the title suggests, bullshit.
Reader Comments (5)
I believe that it's all a bunch of crap, fury. Sorry that you were treated that way.
BTW, can you stop by Racing-Forums and check out the "Navigation question" thread in the Mod Squad forum? I'd greatly appreciate it!
yup, I can't help but feel the same way. I also received a similar email, no idea whatsoever... the odd thing about it, I don't even get that many clicks... about 3-5 only a week. I agree with your sentiments how it seems that Google is acting like they have the monopoly on the ad market. sad thing
I have come to your blog site after searching about the author of your game
site, I noticed you had a reference to a google video hidden in one of the
year digits displayed within your copyright line at the bottom of each of your game pages.
It is just a wild guess, but when you do stuff like that, forcing or tricking
people to hit your google site, then i would say that is whats made them
angry.
Anyway, Just my 2minute observation..
Posting a link to a Google video has nothing to do with AdSense. I was banned from AdSense a long time before that anyway, and it wouldn't have made me any money. It was just something funny I hid in the copyright line. An Easter egg. :P
I just got canned by google adsense myself. Same as your blog posting is how it went. Got any ideas on how to start over?