Top 5 Ways To Get Banned From AdSense

Every once in a while someone unsubscribes from my AdSense newsletter. My mailing list provider provides my subscribers with a form to use for unsubscribing. On that form there's a comments field where the subscriber can optionally explain why they're unsubscribing. Most subscribers actually give a reason for unsubscribing, for which I'm always grateful. The most common reason for unsubscribing (which doesn't happen very often) is that they're subscribed to so many lists that they can't keep up with the messages. (My list is low volume, though.)

But every once in a while I get a very different reason. Here's the message I got today from a former subscriber:

..just got banned from adsense..now gonna go for online currency trading..

Well, this person seems to have taken the banning quite well, and a mailing list about AdSense certainly won't do them any good anymore. Still, it made me wonder what the person did to get banned. It was probably one of the following items. Here are the top five ways (in no particular order) to get banned from AdSense.

1. Clicking Your Own Ads (Click Fraud)

Click fraud — see my click fraud page — is a hot topic these days, especially with yesterday's release of a Google document critical of third-party click fraud auditing processes. No matter how you slice it, though, there are definitely people out there who click their own ads, or encourage others to do so, for their own monetary gain.

Mind you, accidental clicks do happen and you shouldn't panic if you accidentally click an ad on one of your own sites. Just drop a quick note to Google telling them about it and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

2. Not Following the AdSense Terms and Conditions

It amazes me how many people never fully read the AdSense terms and conditions, often referred to as the TOS (terms of service). Though the TOS is vague about some things (like defining what a content page is), it is very explicit about various things you can't do.

3. Not Following the AdSense Program Policies

The AdSense program policies are technically part of the AdSense terms and conditions, even though they're listed on a separate page. This is where you'll find the information about how many link or ad units you can use on a page, what kind of sites are acceptable, etc.

4. Opening Multiple AdSense Accounts

This has become much harder to do since Google has added algorithms to detect multiple accounts belonging to the same person or entity. Each person or entity can only have one account. If you have a legitimate need for two or more accounts, you must create a separate legal entity (like a corporation) for each additional account, and that entity must separately apply and be approved for a new account.

5. Ignoring Warnings and Questions From Google

Although certain events cause Google to automatically terminate your account, many terminations are preceded by a warning note from the AdSense team. This is your chance to defend yourself and to change your site/behavior in response. If you're not responsive, they'll just go ahead and ban you. (If you're going away for an extended period of time, you should check your mail every day or two and keep an eye on your AdSense earnings as well. Be sure to report any suspicious activity as soon as you see it.)

See also my tips on keeping your nose clean.

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Eric Giguere is the contextual advertising expert who wrote Make Easy Money with Google and Uncommon AdSense. If you like this posting, why not link to his blog or bookmark it as one of your favorites?

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