When it comes to monetizing your website, Google Adsense is one of the most popular options. However, from a profit standpoint, there are simply too many variables at play, such as relevance, traffic, click-through rate (CTR), and other factors, all of which must be taken into consideration.
Additionally, you must ensure that you are adhering to all applicable laws and regulations. If you make a single mistake, you run the risk of being banned. It goes without saying that Google is constantly working to ensure that the ad tech environment remains safe and profitable for everyone, including advertisers and end users alike. As a result, publishers must take care to ensure that they are not in violation of any policies.
Are You Infringing on These Advertisers' Rights?
Adsense publishers are accustomed to hearing about the importance of adhering to Google's policies and procedures. Despite this, a large number of them, whether intentionally or unintentionally, commit offenses that put their accounts in jeopardy. If such offenses are taken too far, they can have a negative impact on your ability to monetize through Adsense.
A good way to deal with such issues is to be knowledgeable about the various Adsense ad violations, which this blog provides information on.
Using Your Own Ads to Make Money
Although this may be the very first rule in the ad tech industry, it appears that for every ten publishers who follow this rule, another twenty are employing deceptive tactics in order to obtain those coveted click-throughs. As a result, it is one of the most frequently encountered Ads Violations. Count how many times you've clicked on your own advertisements, convincing yourself that you're interested in them. Alternatively, you could be sneaky by logging in from a different IP address and pretending to be someone else while clicking on your own advertisements.
"Wait a minute," I can hear you saying. "I was really interested in the advertisement." I understand. Unfortunately, Google is not as forgiving as you might think. Consider the following scenario: If you were the advertiser, would it be acceptable for you to learn that a portion of the $1 you paid for a click is distributed to the person who actually clicked on the advertisement? Without a doubt, this is not the case. As a result, it is understandable that Google does not permit any publisher to click on their own advertisements under any circumstances. This includes enlisting the assistance of your best friend to complete the clicking for you.
Adsense Publisher Toolbar allows you to navigate directly to the destination page of a particular ad if you really want to do so. A simple tool that allows you to "test click" your advertisements without violating the rules or costing the advertisers any money is all that is required.
Adsense on Prohibited Content Despite the fact that shady content garners a lot of attention on the internet, it is never acceptable for publishers to use Adsense to monetize their websites that contain such content. It goes without saying that such ruses are a BIG NO for Google.
So, how do you determine whether Adsense will accept your content or not? Listed below are some things to avoid at all costs:
- There is explicit language in this section.
- Content that is critical of a specific individual, group, or organization is prohibited.
- profanity in abundance
- Material that has been copyrighted (more on this later)
- Gambling or casino-related content is prohibited.
- Drug, alcohol, and tobacco-related material is included.
- Promotional sales of prescription drugs are on the rise.
- Content that has been hacked or cracked
- Websites that provide compensation programs (also known as "pay-to" sites)
- Sites that make use of Google's Branding capabilities
- Violent content is prohibited.
- Content containing references to weapons
- Goods that have been counterfeited
- Acts committed by minors who are underage, nonconsensual, or illegal
Always remember that this rule applies to your entire website, not just specific pages within that site. That means that if you run a website dedicated to online gaming and some of your web pages discuss gambling at online casinos, you will not be able to place Adsense ads on your website or anywhere else on your website.
Additionally, just as serving advertisements through Adsense on prohibited content is not permitted, linking to other websites that contain illegal content is not permitted.
Placing advertisements on copyright-infringing content is a violation of the law.
We've already discussed the types of content that Google considers to be prohibited, and we've mentioned that copyrighted material is one of those types. This one, we felt, was difficult enough to merit its own point in the final score. In some cases, depending on the function of your website, you may be posting both copyrighted content and Google Adsense advertisements on your site. It goes without saying that you will be in violation of the Adsense policy if you do so.
For example, if you have a music-related website that contains videos that are protected by intellectual property rights, you should avoid serving ads through Google Adsense on your site. This applies to any and all copyrighted content, including videos, images, music, and other types of media.
Placing advertisements with content in a language that is not supported
If you have an English-language website, you may skip this section. If this is the case, you may want to take a closer look at what Google allows when it comes to this topic. Other than English, the Adsense program supports a number of other languages, which you can find out more about here. If your language is not included in the list, Google will not be able to display contextual advertisements on your website.
Creating revenue from websites that are not centered on the user
Google places a high value on the user's experience above all else. Increased user engagement and traffic can be achieved by providing relevant content to the users of your website. You should not only focus on creating high-quality content, but you should also make certain that your website does not deceive or trick users when it comes to ad placements.
Ad layouts that encourage invalid clicks, draw unnatural attention, and ad units that aren't properly labeled can all put your website at risk of being hacked or compromised. As a rule, ads should not be placed adjacent to any games or photos, as this can lead to the creation of invalid clicks. Furthermore, you should keep in mind to label ad units with 'Advertisements' and 'Sponsored Links' to avoid any confusion about what they are.
Using advertisements on content that encourages the download of YouTube videos
Because YouTube is a Google product, it's only natural that the world's most popular video site adheres to a strict financial budget similar to that of the search engine. The Terms of Service for YouTube prohibit users from downloading videos from the site. The point isn't whether or not Internet users today are aware of the existence of this. However, if you want to avoid being reprimanded by the Google Adsense program, avoid placing Adsense on content that teaches and encourages people to download YouTube videos from third-party sites.
There is no Privacy Policy Page on the website.
If you intend to use Google Adsense on your website, you must include a Privacy Policy page as well. It should clearly state that your website makes use of browsing cookies and other methods of data collection in order to display contextual advertisements to visitors.
Placing Ads on 404 Error Pages is a form of online advertising.
Many publishers don't pay attention to the advertisements that appear on their web pages and serve no significant purpose. 404 error pages, the Unsubscribe page, and the Thank you page are all examples of landing pages. After all, any opportunity to have the advertisements displayed is a good opportunity, right? Wrong! You could face a reprimand from Google as a result of this.
Google explains that because these pages typically contain little content, displaying advertisements on them is considered deceptive. Your visitors may mistakenly believe that the advertisements are part of your website's content and click on them. Remember that using tactics that encourage unintentional clicks is not permitted, and the aforementioned case is an excellent illustration of this.
Your Earnings Should Be Shared
Perhaps you're someone who's interested in experimenting with Google Adsense as a money-making opportunity. Alternatively, you might be competing to be the highest earner among your peers in terms of income. Whatever the situation, you should never discuss your earnings in detail with anyone. Google only allows you to share your gross earnings online, and that's about all there is to it. Don't start rambling on about important statistics like your click-through rate, eCPM, and other related data.
Is It Necessary to Take Action If You Receive an Ads Violation Warning?
If you have inadvertently violated a policy, you will be required to correct the situation. Identifying and correcting problems that may be affecting a publisher's revenue has become much simpler thanks to Google's efforts.
The following is what you will need to do in order to resolve Adsense violation issues:
- Log in to the Policy Center using your email address and password.
- Check to see if the 'Must Fix' column contains the word 'yes.'
- If the answer to the question is 'yes,' you will need to address the problem, preferably before receiving monetary compensation.
After you have finished addressing all of the issues, you will be required to write a review stating that you have addressed the issue and that you are familiar with Google's guidelines. Include details about the steps you took to resolve the issues and what you intend on doing to ensure that similar issues do not arise in the future.
The more thorough your review is, the better your chances are of having your monetization rights restored to you.
What is Google doing to assist publishers in making their lives a little easier?
Google certainly does not want legitimate publishers to suffer, especially as a result of the actions of a few bad apples. In October 2018, Google introduced a site verification process for its Adsense program, with the goal of enhancing the safety of publishers even further. Google is able to provide publishers with direct feedback about their websites through this feature, with the majority of the feedback being related to the websites' eligibility.
The good news is that this process takes place before publishers actually serve ads, which means that if an issue arises, they will be able to resolve it without violating any policies or regulations.
Additional to this, publishers can specify the websites they wish to monetize, which reduces the likelihood of an imposter claiming it as their own and using it to serve advertisements on illegal or inappropriate content.
As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure a safe ecosystem for all parties involved, Google has further refined its methods for identifying invalid traffic and other potentially dangerous activities. It will be best for publishers who are experiencing low traffic or decreased ad serving issues as a result of this move to consult the Policy Center. They will be able to identify and resolve any issues that may be preventing them from increasing their revenue.
Concluding Remarks
These are the most common errors that Adsense publishers make. As you can see, some of them are straightforward (e.g., not clicking your own advertisements), while others can be more difficult (posting ads along with certain types of content). As a Publisher, it is your responsibility to exercise caution when placing advertisements and to keep yourself informed of any policy changes.
Whenever you're unsure whether something you're doing is legal or not, you should consult Google or an expert to clear up any confusion. It may take some time and effort, but following these steps will keep you from receiving a Dear Adsense Publisher letter in the future.