Google AdSense Program Policies
Publishers participating in the AdSense program are required to adhere to the following policies, so please read them carefully. If you fail to comply with these policies, we reserve the right to disable ad serving to your site and/or disable your AdSense account at any time. If your account is disabled, you will not be eligible for further participation in the AdSense program.
Because we may change our policies at any time, please check here often for updates. Pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, it's your responsibility to keep up to date with, and adhere to, the policies posted here.
Invalid Clicks and Impressions
Publishers may not click their own ads or use any means to inflate impressions and/or clicks artificially, including manual methods.
Learn more
Clicks on Google ads must result from genuine user interest. Any method that artificially generates clicks or impressions on your Google ads is strictly prohibited. These prohibited methods include, but are not limited to, repeated manual clicks or impressions, automated click and impression generating tools and the use of robots or deceptive software. Please note that clicking your own ads for any reason is prohibited.
Encouraging Clicks
Publishers may not ask others to click their ads or use deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks. This includes, but is not limited to, offering compensation to users for viewing ads or performing searches, promising to raise money for third parties for such behavior or placing images next to individual ads.
Learn more
In order to ensure a good experience for users and advertisers, publishers participating in the AdSense program may not:
* Compensate users for viewing ads or performing searches, or promise compensation to a third party for such behavior.
* Encourage users to click the Google ads using phrases such as "click the ads", "support us", "visit these links" or other similar language.
* Direct user attention to the ads using arrows or other graphical gimmicks.
* Place misleading images alongside individual ads.
* Place ads in a floating box script.
* Format ads so that they become indistinguishable from other content on that page.
* Format site content so that it is difficult to distinguish it from ads.
* Place misleading labels above Google ad units. For instance, ads may be labelled "Sponsored Links" or "Advertisements", but not "Favourite Sites" or "Today's Top Offers".
Content Guidelines
Publishers may not place AdSense code on pages with content that violates any of our content guidelines. Some examples include content that is adult, violent or advocating racial intolerance.
View full content policies.
Sites with Google ads may not include or link to:
* Pornography, adult or mature content
* Violent content
* Content related to racial intolerance or advocacy against any individual, group or organisation
* Excessive profanity
* Hacking/cracking content
* Gambling or casino-related content
* Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia content
* Sales of beer or hard alcohol
* Sales of tobacco or tobacco-related products
* Sales of prescription drugs
* Sales of weapons or ammunition (e.g. firearms, firearm components, fighting knives, stun guns)
* Sales of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods
* Sales or distribution of coursework or student essays
* Content regarding programs which compensate users for clicking ads or offers, performing searches, surfing websites or reading emails
* Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others
Publishers are also not permitted to place AdSense code on pages with content primarily in an unsupported language.
Copyrighted Material
AdSense publishers may not display Google ads on webpages with content protected by copyright law unless they have the necessary legal rights to display that content. Please see our DMCA policy for more information.
Webmaster Guidelines
AdSense publishers are required to adhere to the webmaster quality guidelines.
View excerpts
* Do not place excessive, repetitive or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of webpages.
* Avoid hidden text or hidden links.
* Avoid "doorway" pages created just for search engines or other "cookie cutter" approaches such as affiliate programs with little or no original content.
* Do not include deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site's search engine ranking (e.g. your site's PageRank).
* Create a useful, information-rich site and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.
Traffic Sources
Google ads may not be placed on pages receiving traffic from certain sources. For example, publishers may not participate in paid-to-click programs, send unwanted emails or display ads as the result of the action of any software application. Also, publishers using online advertising must ensure that their pages comply with Google's Landing Page Quality Guidelines.
Learn more
To ensure a positive experience for Internet users and Google advertisers, sites displaying Google ads may not:
* Use third-party services that generate clicks or impressions such as paid-to-click, paid-to-surf, autosurf and click-exchange programs.
* Be promoted through unsolicited mass emails or unwanted advertisements on third-party websites.
* Display Google ads, search boxes or search results as a result of the actions of software applications such as toolbars.
* Be loaded by any software that can trigger pop-ups, redirect users to unwanted websites, modify browser settings or otherwise interfere with site navigation. It is your responsibility to ensure that no ad network or affiliate uses such methods to direct traffic to pages that contain your AdSense code.
* Receive traffic from online advertising unless the site complies with the spirit of Google's Landing Page Quality Guidelines. For instance, users should easily be able to find what your ad promises.
Ad Behavior
AdSense code may not be altered, nor may the standard behavior, targeting or delivery of ads be manipulated in any way that is not explicitly permitted by Google. For instance, clicking Google ads may not result in a new browser window being launched.
Ad Placement
Publishers are encouraged to experiment with a variety of placements and ad formats. However, AdSense code may not be placed in inappropriate places such as pop-ups, emails or software. Publishers must also adhere to the policies for each product used.
View full ad placement policies.
Google ads, search boxes or search results may not be:
* Integrated into a software application of any kind, including toolbars.
* Displayed in pop-ups or pop-unders.
* Placed in emails or in email programs.
* Obscured by elements on a page.
* Placed on any non-content-based page.
* Placed on pages published specifically for the purpose of showing ads.
* Placed on pages whose content or URL could confuse users into thinking it is associated with Google due to the misuse of logos, trademarks or other brand features.
* Placed on, within or alongside other Google products or services in a manner that violates the policies of that product or service.
Site Behavior
Sites showing Google ads should be easy for users to navigate. Sites may not change user preferences, redirect users to unwanted websites, initiate downloads, include malware or contain pop-ups or pop-unders that interfere with site navigation.
Competitive Ads and Services
In order to prevent user confusion, publishers may not display Google ads or search boxes on websites that also contain other ads or services formatted to use the same layout and colours as the Google ads or search boxes on that site. Although you may sell ads directly on your site, it is your responsibility to ensure that these ads cannot be confused with Google ads.
Google Advertising Cookies
AdSense publishers must have and abide by a privacy policy that discloses that third parties may be placing and reading cookies on your users' browsers, or using web beacons to collect information as a result of ad serving on your website.
Learn more
Google uses the DoubleClick DART cookie on publisher websites displaying AdSense for content ads. Subject to any applicable laws, rules and regulations, you will have the sole and exclusive right to use all data derived from your use of the DoubleClick DART cookie for any purpose related to your business, provided that Google may use and disclose this data subject to the terms of Google's advertising privacy policies and any applicable laws, rules and regulations.
If your current advertising services contract with Google or DoubleClick already has a specific provision defining data ownership, that provision instead of this policy will govern with regard to the data collected under that contract.
Learn more about preparing your privacy policy.
Product-Specific Policies
AdSense for content: Up to three ad units and three link units may be placed on each page.
AdSense for search: A maximum of two Google AdSense for search boxes may be placed per page. Also, a single link unit or a search box, but no other Google ads, may be placed on pages with AdSense for search results. Queries must originate from users inputting data directly into the search box and cannot be modified. This includes pre-populating the search box with terms or hard-coding direct links to search results pages. AdSense for search code may not be integrated into any software application such as a toolbar.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Google AdSense Program Policies
SEO Tutorial 4: Promoting your site
SEO Tutorial 4: Promoting your site
Promoting your site has a lot to do with off page search engine optimization strategies.
These strategies will develop backlinks to your website as well as increase traffic and your
authority in your topic area.
1. Submit your website to the three major search engines
Submitting your site to a search engine does not mean you will be automatically included in
the search engine's index. By doing this you alert the search engine to your website's
presence and are added to a list of sites to be crawled.
Here are links to submit your site to Google, Yahoo and MSN:
* Submit your site to Google
http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl
* Submit your site to Yahoo
http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/submit
* Submit your site to MSN
http://www.bing.com/docs/submit.aspx
2. Verify your site with Google Webmaster Tools and submit a sitemap
We have an excellent tutorial that will step you through this process. Please see Google
Webmaster Tutorial for instructions on verifying your site and submitting a sitemap.
3. Submit your site to Google Local Business Center
If you have a business you can submit your site to Google's Local Business Center Submitting
your site to Google's Local Business Center is FREE! When potential customers search Maps
for local information, they'll find your business. Here is a link to learn more about Google
Local Business Center.
4. Do link exchanges
Link building is an extremely important part of SEO. The search engines will look at the
amount of links that come into your site as well as the status of the sites that link to you
(the amount of traffic those sites get). Although the search engines look more favorably on
links that are not reciprocal, exchanging links is a great place to start!
* Find other websites that have the same topic as your site and send an email to the
webmaster asking if he or she would like to do a link exchange.
* Ask local organizations such as your Chamber of Commerce or Visitor's Bureau if a link
exchange could be done.
* Ask your friends and family members with a website if they would like to exchange
links.
5. Submit your site to website directories
There are numerous directories on the Internet that accept paid and un-paid website
submissions. You’ll be able to give your listing a title, short description and link to your
website. Don’t ever pay someone to “submit your website to 200 directories,” this is not
looked highly upon by search engines.
A few web directories to get you started:
* Dmoz.com
* Jayde.com
* Exactseek.com
6. Get involved in social networking
A great way to develop a following for your website is to get involved in the social
networking arena. Becoming active on social networking sites will bring traffic to your site
as well as develop back links. The goal of this is to get social with others on the web
while promoting your site at the same time.
A few hot social networking sites right now:
* Twitter.com
* Facebook.com
* Myspace.com
There are many more options including niche focuses social networking sites to get involved
in.
7. Submit articles to article directories
There are many article directories on the Internet that accept un-paid submissions of
articles for inclusion in their article database. When you submit articles you have written
to an article directory you give other people permission to reprint your article in their
Internet publications as long as the Author Bio is included with the links back to your
website.
In your Author bio use descriptive text links and also make sure to include the full url.
Here is an example of an Author Bio.
Jane Smith is an accomplished and loved children's book author with numerous credits to her
name. She specializes in books for developmentally challenged children which provide not
only entertainment but activity as well. You can find her on the web as
http://janesgreatbooks.com.
A few article directories to get you started:
* Ideamarketers.com
* Ezinearticles.com
* Articlealley.com
8. Consistently add more content
Building up more content on your site is an extremely important part of search engine
optimization. When you add more content to your site you are:
* Providing visitors to your site a great reason to come back.
* Giving search engines a reason to visit your site often. Search engines want to keep
the most updated version of sites in their index and they also want to consistently add new
and improved information to it as well.
* Adding to the searchablility of your site. The more pages your site has in the search
engine's index, the more possibilities your site has of being found for keywords searches.
9. Write a blog
Blogging is an exceptional way to consistently add new content to your site! We have a great
tutorial that will step you through the process of creating a blog: Blogging With Yola.
There you have it... the basics of search engine optimization; it’s a bit of science, art
and marketing mingled together. Nothing is a "given" in the world of search engine
optimization; it's not a short process, it is ever-evolving, and it is something that we can
help with by providing information and ideas, but do not have control over. We have created
these tutorials because we want to see you succeed. Good luck and please share your
thoughts, successes and questions with us.
