AdSense/AdWords low CPC advertisers - webmaster's nightmare

[nikole23]

Hello all,

since about 28th of December my CPC (cost per click) on my all sites with AdSense ads on it dropped miserably from about 20c/click to 3c/click. This change make the whole business senseless, so I went to find out what's the problem. The thing was that I still had the same amount of clicks as always, but many clicks were paid with just 1cent. Seldom I got something above 10cents per click. So I checked who is advertising on my sites. I was shocked when discovered than 50% or even more of the advertisers were spammers who was bidding for cheap (1c/click) keywords, their landing page were different PARKED domains with domain names like "BestFreeSoftware.net" (non-existing example) or something like that. Yesterday I, using the AdSense's competitive Ad filter, blocked most of such MFA (made for ads/adsense) sites, and today the CPC increased to 10c/click.

It's a real SHAME for bitching Google to let such advertisers to use the adwords program. Imagine disappointed visitors who click their ads and visit their spam sites. I'm sure they will be careful next time when they click AdSense ads. Thus Adwords/Google's policy to allow spammers WILL KILL THIS PROGRAM in a long run.

Interestingly, most/much of such MFA domains belong to one guy. All domains of this guy are forwarded to the main domain "meanwhile.com", in such a way: "http://meanwhile.com/?domain=parkeddomain.com" where "parkeddomain.com" is a domain which appears in the ads. The domain "meanwhile.com" belong to the Parced.com parking service.

Here is the list from my block-list of the shitty advertisers who rip webmasters:
1wantmore.com
aboutgame.info
absolutelyfreesoftware.net
ajoobaa.com
all-about-pocket-pcs.com
all-about-puzzle.com
all-gps-tracking.info
all-new-technology.com
all-pdas-for-sale.com
allaboutdownloadablegames.info
allaboutfreepdasoftware.info
allaboutfreesoftware.info
alldigitalforu.com
allentertainmentforkids.com
allforsalegps.com
allfreemobilesoftwares.info
allfreesoftware.net
allgame4you.com
allnewfreesoftware.com
alltheweba-z.com
antiviruses-software.info
antiviruszz.info
awesomepcgames.com
bigfreesoftware.com
blogspot.com
bluetrade.eu
business.com
cjb.net
cluedupsearch.net
download-hub.com
download-hub.info
download369.com
downlodmp3s.com
easymarketingmethod.com
emailsoftwareguide.com
ezquickinfo.com
forsaleallpdas.com
free-games-for-you.com
free-gpsmaps.info
free-pocket-pc-software.com
freesoftwarelink.com
freesoftwareservice.com
freeware-info.net
freewarearea.info
freewaressoftwares.com
gathermore.com
googlepages.com
gpsmapsonline.info
gpswidescreen.com
healthwiseweb.com
ladyneed.com
logmein.com
mapseeking.com
mobile-phones-in.com
mobilecomputingguide.net
newfreesoftware.net
newsoftwarelist.com
pc-pocket.info
pcperformancetools.com
pda-discount24.com
phatware.com
phones-smart.info
poketpcs.com
prarth.com
ptshome.com
showthetop.com
signalup.net
smartiephone.com
software-enterprise.info
software-paradise.info
softwarebeyond.com
softwaredownload4you.com
softwareonlineweb.com
syware.com
the-pocket-pc.com
titanfacts.com
truepda.com
usefulfreesoftware.net
www-freepcgames.com
your-vehicletracking.info

Shame on you damn Google!

[busman3000]

funny how youve got blogspot and googlepages there =o

[nikole23]

the thing is that there are many shitty spam sites who host on free services like blogspot, googlepages and so on. The sites would look like e.g. spamsite.blogspot.com, spamsite.googlepages.com and spamsite.cjb.net and so on... So, by blocking 2nd level domains like blogspot.com, googlepages.com and cjb.net you will get all those loosers blocked at once.

[anteclimax]

Yes, but you would also block legit advertisers from those sites too. Not that anyone using such a free site would pay for ads.

[nikole23]

Yes, but you would also block legit advertisers from those sites too. Not that anyone using such a free site would pay for ads.

comon, I'm talking from practice after I checked most of the free-hosting-advertisers I couldn't find anyone worth a visit. Simply as Google is not accepting shitty AdSense site candidates (however you'll find that some "spamvertisers" from my list are USING AdSense) they also have to filter those who is willing to advertise. Despite, it's not anly the problem of AdWords but many other ad networks as well.

Spammers call this "business model" arbitrage. Such dudes as ShoMoney are proudly speaking of using such a scheme. The scheme IMHO is unmoral and counts on DUMB visitors who clicks first time to be forwarded to a parked spam site and then clicks second time already on a link of the parked site. The spammers are just profiting from the difference of the CPC of the low-cost clicks which they are buying and higher CPC of the ads they are displaying.

[anteclimax]

Arbitrage when done well can provide useful content without being spammy. For example I advertise my sites on adwords. The visitor to my site reads my blog, finds some interesting stuff then clicks on a adsense ad. This, while still a form of arbitrage, provides users with useful content.

Anyway, your goal is to get maximum revenue and a better environment for your users. By blocking spammy and low paying ads you are doing exactly that, so full steam ahead.

[godmode]

Seriously this MFA crap has been going around for a while. In june google cracked down on arbitrage but this MFA crap just continued. Wonder when google will kick this BS out of adsense. We not only lack quality of ads but we are simply making people go away from clicking ads.

[nikole23]

anteclimax, this what you are calling is not Arbitrage. This is a normal scheme most of the webmasters use. I'm completely OK with that. Arbitrage is targeted mainly on clicks rotation, it has an input stream (bought by low CPC campaigns) and multiple outputs with mainly ONLY affiliated links. Such "webmaster" spend nearly zero efforts to build any content (mainly they park), their sites are pure MFA.

[nikole23]

Seriously this MFA crap has been going around for a while. In june google cracked down on arbitrage but this MFA crap just continued. Wonder when google will kick this BS out of adsense. We not only lack quality of ads but we are simply making people go away from clicking ads.

this is COMPLETELY right! People will simply stop clicking "Ads by Google" blocks simply because they were fooled and lost in the forest of affiliated links few times before.

[dbmasters]

get a better list, and, keep up with new ones here adsblacklist.com

[nikole23]

get a better list, and, keep up with new ones here adsblacklist.com

this list is compiled from my sites, which are mainly about mobile/smartphone software. It's useless if someone with another topic will paste the list into their block list as these ads which always used to appear on my sites may never appear on their sites. The only right strategy is to check the ads which appear on your sites and see if they are MFA. Then put them into block list.

Here is an article of one guy about the same technique: AdSense: Blocking out unwanted and miserable CPC sites to improve your earnings with same CTR (http://chaos-laboratory.com/2006/12/18/increase-cpc-on-same-ctr/)

Regarding the adsblacklist.com site, there is something good in this idea about collaborative collection of MFA and SPAM sites, but I personally doubt that it's these effective. I thing the week part there is deduction which MFA ads may appear on your site. This are maybe by keyword analysis of your site by adsblacklist.com and I think it's a joke and completely unreliable.