Don’t lose your Google AdSense account

If you have read any of the internet marketing forums lately, quite a few people seem to have problems keeping their Google AdSense accounts: there seem to be numerous claims of Google banning them apparently for no reason.

Google is a commercial company and as such exists to make money.  It seems very unlikely to me that Google would withdraw an AdSense account for no reason.  However, it seems very likely that an AdSense account would be withdrawn if the holder of the account failed to comply with Google’s AdSense terms and conditions.

It seems to me that there are three key areas of the terms and conditions that you just must understand and comply with to avoid being banned:

• Avoid prohibited website subjects
• Don’t click on your own ads
• Don’t ask people to click on your ads

Avoid banned website subjects

Many people seem to be under the misconception that once they have a Google AdSense account they can place ads on any web page they like.  This is not the case.  The Google AdSense terms and conditions prohibit certain categories of website from taking part in the program.  These categories include the obvious such as websites promoting: use of illegal drugs; pirate software; racism; etc.  However, other less obvious categories are also prohibited, such as those promoting beer and other alcoholic drinks.

Don’t click on your own ads

Clicking on ads on your own website is forbidden expressly by the Google AdSense terms and conditions.  It is probably the quickest way to get banned from Google AdSense.  NEVER click on your own ads.  You might think that you are clever enough to fool Google’s click fraud system but you probably aren’t.

If you do click on one of the ads on your own website, in the first instance, Google will probably just give you zero credit for the click – I guess that they accept that accidents do happen.  You could get banned for the second offence – Google, quite rightly, takes this form of click fraud very seriously.

Don’t ask people to click on your ads

This “rule” falls into two parts: on website; and off website.

If you design your website in such a way that people are encouraged to click on the Google ads, either directly or indirectly, your Google AdSense account will almost certainly get banned sooner or later.  Some people do actually use words like “Click here” just above ads.  Google does not allow this; they do not allow slightly more subtle wordings either if the wording encourages website visitors to click on ads.

Perhaps less surprising is the fact that huge numbers of people believe that they can ask friends and relatives, off line, to click on their ads.  I guess that this would work in a limited way on a very small scale, but Google clearly has sophisticated systems to track click fraud.  To make more than $100 per month out of AdSense you will need a couple of thousand clicks a month – those clicks must come from different computers and different people!  There is no way you can generate a decent income without creating a good website with a great SEO campaign.

To make money out of Google AdSense you need to build a viable AdSense website that complies with the Google AdSense terms and conditions.  If you have any doubts about what you are doing, contact Google and ask them about it.  Don’t risk wasting all the time effort and money that you have put into building and promoting the website simply because you haven’t read the terms and conditions properly.

If you do get banned, there are alternatives to Google AdSense, but I have yet to find an alternative that is anywhere near as good.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites