There can be no doubting that, when it comes to website monetization, Google AdSense is the best ad placement service that you will be able to find anywhere in the world. I have previously written about why I believe AdSense is the best blog and website monetization program for the year 2017. This article looks at some of the reasons why you may find yourself getting banned from AdSense.
That probably won’t be very useful to you if you have already been kicked out of the program, since, as many have found out, there is practically no chance of you ever being accepted back in. You may, of course, change your name, country of residence, website and banking details; in short, assume a completely new identity, but that is hardly practical. So, what are the reasons why people get banned from AdSense?
Clicking on ads on your own site
This is one of the things that, when you think of it, make you see why AdSense has to strictly punish policy violations. There are unscrupulous people out there, but even if you are one of them, the last thing that you should do is click on the ads that are displayed on your own site or on your YouTube Channel.
Doing so is one of the main reasons why people get blacklisted by Google AdSense. As just mentioned, it is easy to see why this harsh punishment is necessary. With the size of the internet and the number of people who use it on a daily basis, it is not that difficult to imagine dozens, hundreds or even thousands of people trying to cheat the system by becoming their own customers.
Soliciting for clicks
Soliciting for clicks is another of the many reasons why you may find yourself at the short end of the AdSense stick. Google AdSense specifically forbids publishers from inflating the number of clicks that are made on their sites, either artificially or manually.
You should, as a website owner or blogger, also never encourage your friends, mother, colleagues or any of your other relatives to help you cheat the system by clicking on the ads that are on your site.
In fact, you should never even tell them that you are going to be earning money through the ads that are on your site. Some of them may feel tempted to “help you out;” and earn you a lifetime ban instead. However, here is where it gets dicey. There have been cases of people who have been blacklisted as a result of click bombing.
This occurs when someone, whom you might not even know, repeatedly clicks on one or more ads on your site in order to get you banned. What this means is that whether you follow the rules to the letter or not, you may not, ultimately, have your fate in your own hands.
Offering Rewards
Related to the above, you may also not ask visitors to your site or YouTube channel to support you by clicking on the ads that are on your site. This applies even if you claim that the proceeds are going to be given to one charitable organization or the other. In other words, you may not abuse the AdSense program, even if it’s for a noble cause.
Automated Traffic
Again, this makes you understand Google’s point of view. Without the strictness that has made AdSense so infamous, the folks at Google would be millionaires, and not billionaires as they are today. There are unscrupulous people out there who have tried to doctor the system by generating artificial clicks using bot traffic. This is a strict no for Google, and is one of the reasons that may get you banned from AdSense.
Incentivized Traffic
There are sites out there that offer click-exchange, paid-to-click, paid-to-surf and auto-surf programs, among other incentivized traffic sources. Use these programs at your own peril. Traffic exchanges will get you instantly banned from AdSense.
Manipulating the serving of ads
This is another reason why many people get AdSense life bans. There are some people who would use misleading keywords in order to attract ads that are not related to the content of their sites.
This is frowned upon by Google, and warrants a lifetime in the wilderness. Google also prohibits the placing of ads in IFRAMEs, which it says has the potential to distort traffic reporting.
Ad Placement that Generates Accidental Clicks
Placing ads in places where visitors to your site may accidentally click on them is also another of the reasons why you may find yourself Googling AdSense alternatives (ironic, isn’t it?). It is not too difficult, in this regard, to imagine some people placing their ads in places where visitors will mistake them for site content.
You are also prohibited from modifying the size of the ad and putting the ads in an area of your screen where mouse or touch interaction is usually at a maximum.
In simple terms, Google wants visitors to your site to click on displayed ads out of their own volition, and not because you have tricked them into doing so in one way or the other. In this regard, you will be fine, as long as you follow the ad placement policy.
Embedding ads in software applications
You may be a clever enough programmer, but you are not allowed to manipulate your site’s CRT by embedding ads inside browser extensions, desktop applications and toolbars.
Pornographic, adult, or mature content
If your site is in any way not family oriented, then you shouldn’t bother trying to join AdSense. Hosting pornographic, adult or mature content is one of the reasons why some sites get blacklisted from the program.
Low Quality Content
Google is, understandably, concerned about the content that is delivered to people across the search spectrum. As mentioned earlier, there are so many unscrupulous people out there that without the hard-line approach that it has adopted, the entire system would be at a risk of imploding. If your blog or website has atrocious content, you may find yourself getting banned from AdSense.
Copyright Infringements
Let’s face it; the internet is one huge cistern of plagiarized content. However, if you have no legal rights to the content that you are displaying on your blog, you should not bother applying because, sooner or later, you may find yourself getting banned from AdSense.
Summary
It is easy to understand, as I have already mentioned a couple of times, why Google has taken such a hard-line stance with regard to the AdSense program. However, you may still find yourself getting blacklisted, even after doing everything in your power to stick to the company’s Terms and Conditions. Should that ever happen, then the best option for you would be to look for an alternative ad network. Here are a few AdSense Alternatives to take your mind away from the fact that you were so unceremoniously kicked out of the program.
