The issue is removing sites that do not offer any value to the advertisers. If a site sends traffic, but does not produce any amount of measurable business transactions then a problem exists. The lack of measurable conversions could be a result of click fraud (which is in direct violation of AdSense TOS) or it could be the site targets teens and kids that do not have a credit card or people simply looking for free stuff. Google's business plan thrives on helping advertisers achieve their goals. Therefore, even if a site does not violate specific AdSense TOS policies, Google can say the relationship is simply not a match. This is because Google should not be required to do business with sites that ad no value to Google or their advertisers. Now, it may seem that arbitrage and MFA sites are getting hit. However, these sites have all the ingredients for a poor conversion. First the goal of these sites is to get as many clicks as possible using enticing word usage. Often this word usage does not target interested buyers but people simply browsing. In addition, these MFA and arbitrage sites do not give the visitor many options when on the landing page website. They are, in essence forced to click on the ads in ‘hopes’ of finding something better. A classic example is: Ford Mustang Find all the information on Ford Mustang www.five--star--sites.com People click looking for real information, however all the advertisers on the landing page are promoting a car quote and not really offering extensive information This setup lowers the conversion rate for that site. Therefore, just because MFA and Arbitrage sites seem to be the target of the recent letters, it may not be the direct cause of their AdSense removal. They may just correlate well with poorly converting sites. In short, correlation is not causation. Wes www.myspace.com/wrrock
Can you imagine if you didn't add "arbitrageurs" to the end of that thread title. That would have made the heart beat faster for some people.
LOL, as it is, I'm sure there are quite a few scrambling for their personal defibrillaters! I got an email from them this morning and my pulse quickened for a few seconds in spite of myself.
Maybe he did. But that doesn't make any difference, because if you're running MFA ads, you're making money from MFA. Just indirectly instead of directly. And if you hate MFA so much, then take them out of your signature!
Ouch this can hurt me allot, after all i own allot of website that are aimed for teens (people with no credit card)
guys, i can't believe that no one has bothered to read the content beyond one page. Blindly believe someone who spent less than half a minute to identify a MFA website? lol. 1) I write original articles. 2) VOIP Guide is rated as one of the TOP VOIP Blogs. 2) VOIP Guide was chosen as Feedburner Feed of the day 4) VOIP Guide is the fastest growing VOIP blog in subscribers numbers. 5) Last but not the least, I never advertise on adwords. Does that quality for MFA? Those who claimed it's an MFA need to read in the archives. Having ads ATF is not called as MFA. Polish some of your definations please.
Now why would I read beyond one page, when all I see is google ads? It doesn't matter how much content you've got hidden away down the bottom of the page. The landing page, above the fold, has no content. It's all google ads plus an email subscription box. That is classic MFA. If you want people to read your articles, you would start the article where it can be seen. But the layout shows your intentions: you want people to click your google ads. I am not criticising. That is a business model. That is not the business model that I use, but it is legal. So make a choice: a) if you want to have a "real" website with content, put the content where people can see it on the landing page, above the fold. ...or... b) if you want big adsense checks, then leave your site exactly as it is, and good luck to you, but please stop pretending that you're against MFA. again, this is not a criticism. You are correct by the way. There is nothing wrong with having ads above the fold. But when you have ads and no content above the fold, yep, you're MFA.
carboncat, thanks for your feedback. I do agree that the blog design is not in a very good shape. I have been making changes to layout lately to see whats fits best. At the same time, i don't agree with your "MFA" defination. Secondly, on average every user reads more than 4 pages that shows that they are able to navigate. Although, i agree that i need to make changes to make it more user friendly. However your claims of a MFA site doesnt make any sense to me. Try looking at the MFA around and soon you will realise the difference.
A very good indicator of MFA is the topic. Some of the classics are mesothelioma, web hosting, credit cards, and loans. VOIP is not in that top group but it is close to it and it may get there as people become aware of its Adsense potential. I am not against making sites for Adsense as long as their is some value and the owner doesn't deny that his primary purpose is to make money. The VOIP site has some value but it is clearly made for Adsense and not for the betterment of mankind or just out of a altruistic interest in free phonecalls. I am against denying that we make sites for Adsense. Just I admit that you make sites for Adsense, I do.