I have just found a website where the owner is ranting and raving because his AdSense account has been closed by Google. As is usually the case, Google has “given no reason” for this apart from a violation of Google’s Terms of Service.
If I were to give you the address I am pretty sure you would agree that the website in question is offering absolutely no value to the end user. The content looks like it has been scraped from elsewhere and the pages are littered with adverts.
The Google AdSense program is often seen as an easy way to make money, but believe me, it isn’t easy. Not if you want to provide your users with a valuable product or service.
It is very easy, however, to combine an AdSense account, a blogging platform and an automated process to find and add “new” content whilst the website owner sits back and (hopefully) watches the money come rolling in.
Automatic updates + automatic content = no thought but loads of money? Not for much longer. Google is really clamping down on this type of site and I fully support it for doing so.
A website owner who has set his or herself up this way may feel as though they are doing no wrong and may not see the violation. They are probably only looking as far as click fraud or the amount of ads that appears on a page as being the reason for the ban, but if they were to read the Terms of Service they would come across this:
Prohibited Uses.
You shall not, and shall not authorize or encourage any third party to:…engage in any action or practice that reflects poorly on Google or otherwise disparages or devalues Google’s reputation or goodwill. You acknowledge that any attempted participation or violation of any of the foregoing is a material breach of this Agreement and that we may pursue any and all applicable legal and equitable remedies against You, including an immediate suspension of Your account or termination of this Agreement, and the pursuit of all available civil or criminal remedies.
I would like to suggest that creating a crap website, with no new or original content, that offers no real value to the end user and does nothing to enhance the reputation of the businesses and people using AdWords to advertise on the AdSense network, falls very neatly into this clause.
Goodbye and good riddance.
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