I just received an e-mail from the webmaster of a traffic exchange I belong to: -------------------------------------- "Hello members, It comes with great displeasure that I must send this email but some recent events has forced us to make some budget cuts. The main issue is the fact that Google Adsense no longer wants our business. I have had an account with them for almost 3 years, their team has reviewed the site multiple times for compliance (and made a few suggestions that I had to make to bring the site within their terms) but unfortunately, Adsense is also slowly evolving into something else. Due to the outbreak of click fraud throughout the internet, some time last year, Adsense started offering their advertisers a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model instead of a CPC (cost per click) model. In the past, although our site has sent millions of impressions to their banners, if no one clicked on them, no money was transferred, no harm done. Our click through rate has always been lower than industry standard so they must have realized there was no click fraud (encouraging viewers to actually click on their ads) at our site. However, now that they are migrating to the CPM model, we NOW show up on their radar for "artificially inflating hits". They cancelled my account after 3 years of doing business with them and said they will NOT pay the $12,000+ that they owe me for the past 2 months worth of revenue generated. Although that infuriates me because I feel they should at least pay me for ads served and THEN terminate me, there isn't much I can do unless I want to pursue court proceedings. I'll personally lick my wounds and move on." ------------------------------------------------------ I recall a post on here earlier about buying traffic... well I think this pretty much sums up that Google is not going to tolerate anything but "natural" traffic from SE's and links from now on. I just hope my account isn't terminated for this as I have never had CPM ads displayed on my sites.
I hate to say it but the webmaster who wrote the letter seems a bit confused. Adsesnse publishers are not paid on CPM, it pays per click on the ads on your site. It does show stats for eCPM but that is not how revenue is earned. Adwords advertisers may advertise on a CPM basis which is somewhat fairly new to Google Adwords offered for around 6 months or more. (others may know better) If Google cancelled for inflated clicks... they had very good reason.....they do not want to chop off the other 50% of the websites revenue they would have earned....which would appear to be $12,000.00 ...but they cannot risk people cheating or violating the terms of service even if the webmaster does not understand the terms. (things like "Click Here" near adsense ads can get you banned as this is a way of inflating clicks) As far as paying for traffic, I buy it via adwords, msn, ask, and others and send that traffic to websites where adsense and other ads are displayed on the pages. I do it daily for over the last year and a half. As a matter if fact there are quite a few marketers who run lead generation campaigns doing the same thing. It seems to me to do things via the rules....there is a line and as long as you don't cross it...No problems... ever.
But you are forgetting that AdSense publishers are paid CPM if there are CPM advertisers via AdWords advertising on their site. Also, the CTC for his website is VERY low compared to industry standard because of the nature of the traffic exchange business. So it couldn't have been click fraud, and they didn't cite click fraud... but Google said it was an inflation of hits by using a traffic exchange and causing CPM ads to be cheated.
That email sounds too much like some other emails I got a few months back. For some reason, it is always $12,000 in emails about google closing an account. Seems like one of those hoax type emails.
This is most definitely NOT a hoax. I know this webmaster personally, he's been in business online for many years.
Shaun Iowadog is saying someone who is a fraud, sent it to the webmaster you know, in what is likely a "phishing" attempt. If your webmaster friend clicks a link in the email,more than likely he will allow access to the adsense account, to whomever sent him the email. Peace.
PS on a different matter "traffic exchange" traffic is not worth pursing. That indeed may tick Google off..... From Google Adsense A site or third party cannot display our ads, search box, search results, or referral buttons as a result of the actions of any software application such as a toolbar. No Google ad, search box, or referral code may be pasted into any software application. Web pages displaying our ads, search box, search results, or referral buttons may not 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. Accounts involved in this type of activity may be permanently disabled. Hmmm all the bolds equal traffic exchange script it seems.
I don't know if it is written in AdSense TOS but I heard somewhere that AdSense can not be published on traffic exchange type of sites.
Actually, no he doesn't. Correct, but Google are if an Adwords customer chooses to display their ads on a particular website. The original poster quotes the source as saying they got cancelled for inflated impressions which is what CPM is all about: cost per thousand impressions JFYI <edit> Have to agree that the likely reason for summary dumping by Adsense was the traffic exchange.
Hi Shaun Had to go there as I was just trying to help and you were focusing issues on Iowadog and I for trying to help. For the rest... I really do think this is a phishing e-mail. Sort of fits the bill for the same type thing as paypal phishing e-mails My only question is do they know these people have Adsense accounts or is it just random??
What the original post says McFox you read it wrong as well, which is odd as I usually do that lol. And this is where I think the scam comes in as it says "hits"... We all know hits = shit... If it was a legitimate email letter from Google, would it not say Clicks???? Shauner it seems to me someone is trying to screw with your friends Adsense revenues.... he should call Google himself and see what's what. My 1.5 cents adjusted for inflation.
i wrote google before asking about traffic exchange sites. they told me it is allowed but it was up to ME to make sure it complies with TOS
Sem - I don't know how to make you understand this is legit... he has called Google, they DID send the e-mail to him and cancelled his account for inflating impressions and causing undue costs to Google's CPM advertisers. There are thousands of AdSense publishers utilizing AdSense on traffic exchanges and the potential repurcussions from this move by Google could be quite substantial.
Hi Shauner Well what is posted and what you are saying are conflicting. Anyhow it is Googles right to whack accounts that are working around the system to generate traffic. I would not label everyone with an Adsense account as an Adsense Publisher. Adsense Publishers... would never bother with traffic exchange scripts.... Make sense??? (No pun intended)
i use adwords and adsense but adwords is mainly used for my world of warcraft guide site. i thought about using a traffic exchange program on my adsense site which is why i emailed google asking if they used a pop up is it allowed with a search box and no links. they said i could use up to 5 pop ups with a search bar but not with links, and that it was, like i said above, up to me to check and make sure it complies with TOS