Google Adsense can pay out a lot of money to publishers who use Google ads on their site. The program pays you each time your account reaches $100.00 US and you can have payments made to you on a monthly basis.
There are a lot of stories from disgruntled people who claim that as soon as they were about to hit their first payout, Google gave them the boot. There are also stories of people awaiting huge payout levels that have gotten canned before getting their cheque.
It’s a huge disappointment but well known, that when Google is about to pay you, they look closely at the activity on your report to see if it appears that any fraudulent activity has taken place. It’s not easy to get a ban overturned so you need to be careful with your Adsense account.
To protect the integrity of the program and the advertisers, Google won’t reveal a lot about their revenue sharing program or the high paying keywords but you will find a lot of tips and guides about ways to maximise profit through Google Adsense.
What you need, more than that, though is a guide to show you how to protect your Adsense account!
Helpful Tips To Guide You
• Read the terms of service on your Google account. Sure, it’s a very long document but if you read it you won’t be in for any surprises!
• Never click your own ads. Ever. If you see an interesting ad, take note of the url and type it into a new window. If you click on your ad by mistake, go to your Google Adsense account and report the error.
• Take note of subjects that are forbidden. Gambling, for instance, is a taboo subject so you cannot put up a gambling site and monetize it with Google Adsense.
• Don’t scrape sites together from duplicate content and offer little or no value to readers. Google doesn’t want “Made for Adsense” sites. They want their customers ads shown on relevant and quality websites.
• Don’t tell your friends that you’re trying to make money with Adsense. They might try to do you a favour and click some ads for you. This will get you banned. Google will see the IP address is in your house or in your neighbourhood or that 20 clicks happened on one day from the local library. It’s not worth it to try to cheat the system.
• Watch the activity on your site. You can track which URLs are clicked on in your account and if you see that one of your sites had 4 page impressions but 76 clicks, report it as suspicious activity. There are people out to get competitors banned.
• Take note of the privacy policy requirement. Google wants all publishers to post and adhere to privacy policies on their site. It’s in your best interest to familiarise yourself with the policy and adhere to it.
It’s worthwhile to follow the rules with Google Adsense. You can make great money from this online advertising tool. A little bit of caution and due diligence will go a long way in protecting you and your website.
See you at the top of Google!
Sean Rasmussen
SEO Australia Pacific
AussieSEO.com © 2007 - 2010
Hi Sean,
I will make reading Google’s terms and services on Adsense account a priority on the to-do list.
Would be horrible to build up an account, expecting payment then, Whammo! booted out for breaking the rules.
It’s better to be safe than sure and to read the rules first. Thanks for the advice, Sean.
Like most things you participate in Jill, it’s always best to read and follow the terms and conditions to be safe.
Hi Sean,
This is really sound advice. The terms and conditions are always really boring documents but they’re a necessary evil. You really need to make sure that you do the right thing.
I was reading a blog recently where the guy builds sites, installs Adsense and then flips them for profit. He was saying that he uses a pen name when he submits articles to directories, etc.
He does it because he’s so worried about his competitor’s clicking his ads and getting him banned by Google. This is overkill, right?
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn Competition – This is It =-.
It could be overkill Jazz, I guess the guy is just being cautious, as it sounds like Adsense is a big part of his business.
As my day job includes dealing with phobias, I might have to offer my services for a (new) phobia, bannedbygooglephobia. On the other hand this might be a good phobia to have, if it helps us avoid getting banned by Google Adsense, so long as it doesn’t interfere with life or successful internet marketing.
.-= Wal Heinrich´s last blog ..Cheapest Granny Flats In Australia =-.
Hi Wal
I love bannedbygooglephobia…. hope I don’t get it!
Kind regards
Elly
.-= Elly´s last blog .. =-.
If you follow the advice above, you will be safe. Also, if your site is genuine and full of useful and quality content – that is where Google likes its adsense to be, because it will attract quality ads and that’s how Google makes its money.
I am with you Elly I dont want to get bannedbygooglephobia either
I think if people are being honest and genuine (e.g. not clicking their own adsense etc), plus writing good content with best keywords, then being banned is not something either to worry about or even think about.
If you are unsure of something, hesitate before doing it – seek advice from a fellow marketer or ask Google directly.
A big one that I have done is to ensure that I do not reveal to family that the ads make me money every time somebody clicks on one of them.
Its a natural thing to want to help one another, but if all of a sudden there are a number of ad clicks from the same locations, I know Google will definitely give me the boot.
.-= Cemil´s last blog ..Scribe SEO Plugin – Making SEO Easy =-.
Very good tip there Cemil, very good indeed
Hi Sean
I am in awe at some of those complaints against Google adsense. I would have to read the policy very carefully. It looks like you have covered the main points very well and as they say, forewarned is forearmed.
I like Cemil’s advice about not telling family or friends about the monetary value of the ads I have on my site.
Some of the warnings you have posted are real cloak and dagger stuff…a bit scary when you know that you can be banned by Google for infringements that are done by others to you. That should be called banned by Google nosense!
.-= Elly´s last blog .. =-.
Hi Elly
I like your suggestion of Google nonsense.
You can never be too careful.
I too don’t tell family and friends. In fact my family think the whole internet marketing thing is a big scam so I think I am safe there.
.-= Gee Hollings´s last blog ..Are Keyword Research Services Really Worth It =-.
This is a great article, Sean, on how to avoid getting banned on Google AdSense.
I don’t think you can over emphasize the warning: “Never click your own ads.” Never, never, never. Unfortunately, too many newbies seem to be unaware of this.
I like your advice that if you see an interesting ad, take note of the url and type it into a new window. And if you click on your ad by mistake, go to your Google Adsense account and report the error. I hadn’t thought of the self reporting approach.
.-= Don White´s last blog ..Psycho- =-.
Hi Sean,
Thanks for the tips to avoid getting banned by Google Adsense as my account has just reached the payment threshold for the first and I am awaiting approval & payment.
I just read a forum post a few weeks ago about a guy who was generating $6,000 per month through Google Adsense when he had his account closed down & he went on to explain the devastating consequences due to the fact that he had fired his boss and had no financial backstops in place.
Hi Jeremy,
Wow! That has to hurt. Did he have any idea why Google closed down his account? Thanks for sharing this story. It really highlights the need to follow Google’s Terms and Conditions carefully and to develop multiple streams of income.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
Yes – follow Google’s rules and there won’t be trouble (normally!) There has to have been something suss happening to get banned – if not of his doing, but perhaps some competitor. That is a large amount to have ripped away.
It’s also a lesson to not have all your eggs in the one basket when you fire the boss!
I made the mistake of telling my sister that I made money from the google ads when I first started, she then told me one day that she clicked some adds on my site.
I very quickly told her it would cause me to be banned if she were to do it again .
After reading this post I am concerned that when I get to a payout figure I will loose all I have earnt , I have no idea where the rest of the clicks have come from.
Now I need to go see if I can find out
Rita, you can do some tracking and analysis if you use Google Analytics and also put you pages on Google’s adsense reports (URL Channels).
You would already know if you had been banned – but a few clicks from friends computer won’ do it I wouldn’t think. Google would need to see some heavier traffic from her computer to see it was being abused.
You can also check on Google what your daily estimated earnings are as well.
Hi Sean,
I’ve clicked an Adsense ad once. Only once by mistake, on my blog. I’m now wondering if I should self-report to Google as Don suggested.
Could I have symptoms of Bannedbygooglephobia or do you think Google will overlook my mistake just this one time?
Overall very helpful tips, Sean. Thank-you.
.-= Jill Brown´s last blog ..Couples Marry at Common Law =-.
Wow – I knew that I have to be careful not to click my own adds, but I didn’t think that there are people out there trying on purpose to get others banned by google adsense. What a world … I will definitely keep an eye on my statistics.
I think using adsense to monetize my sites is a great tool which does add value for my readers and it is only fair that everybody plays by the rules. Tks for listing some more of them here.
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Self Improvement Books – What Are Your Favourites =-.
If nothing else, having adsense on your pages is cream on the top while you are working on other methods of monetization. Once set up it is done!
I do know you will get better quality adsense (higher value for clicks) if you have high paying longtail keywords sown into the content.
To not have adsense is to have digital real estate being wasted.
Perhaps google are also protecting their clients ..They pay google to advertise so it is fair to have rules..
Will go and check my clicks with google for sus activity…
It is absolutely devastating to have your Google account disabled. I have a friend who has just had that and she is absolutely devastated – unfortunately there is no warning, it is just immediate and leaves you with so many questions as to why. It is very sad too that there are competitors who want to buy you and not work with you in a community!
Being able to not do the obvious click fraud type of activities is common sense – but that Terms document is very long and you do get bleary eyed with the wording.
.-= Jayne Pleysier´s last blog ..How A Marketing Service Can Help Your Business Grow =-.
The worst part of being banned by Google is that they will not enter into any discussion – to prove their points for being banned , nor will they give anyone the opportunity to prove their innocence.
Of course they have to protect their advertisers – but it seems they rely a bit too much on the system’s mechanics and not enough on human assessment. They have gotten so big, they don’t give a hoot for the little person who tries to do the right thing.
Hi Peter,
Sometimes Google has some pretty heavy handed tactics. As you say they are a huge presence so they don’t have to answer to the little guy. Still, you think they could have some sort of manual review where people could contest the ban.
Imagine how much money they’d make if they charged disgruntled people for a manual review?
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Internet Marketing Success – Make It Happen =-.
Google is safe because they have such deep pockets to delve into if anyone tried to bring a lawsuit etc. I just did a Google of what to do – and there doesn’t seem there is any recourse at all. It is all the more difficult when Google won’t give specifics or even reply.
Charging for manual reviews… I see you have your marketing hat on Jazz
I advertise my home business on Google adwords and would hope that my advertising dollar with them was protected.
People do do the wrong thing for quick returns, however its ia pity that innocence gets caught up as well.
.-= Jayne Pleysier´s last blog ..How A Marketing Service Can Help Your Business Grow =-.
Good tips Sean. When I first started a couple of years ago I did actually click my adds a few times to see if it worked. I may have made 6 cents out of it – which I haven’t been paid for anyway as I haven’t reached $100.
.-= Jackie Stenhouse´s last blog ..Anxiety Separation in Children =-.