disappointed / advice

I surprised to receive this from google adsense

It has come to our attention that invalid clicks or impressions have
been generated on the Google ads on your site(s) through users of
third-party programs paid or provided with other incentives to visit
your site. Such programs include, but are not limited to auto-surf,
pay-to-surf, pay-to-read, or pay-to-click sites.


But why I received that? I don't click or use anything at my site. I don't need to use any auto surf and moreover I don't need a couple of cents to click myself. What could be ? I had in the past some banner exhanges or whatever but I removed them before I even made my google account.


Any clues what to do? Is someone clicking or old banner exhange or whatever still refers to me? How I could protect myself now and not get banned because I will as I can't do anything about what they sent in e-mail. I have no clue.


Thanks

 

*chuckle* .. usually people who receive that have a pretty good idea what they've done ...

 

What's the site?

 

I got one of them not long after running ads on a couple of AdBrite listed sites. It was pretty lo-grade traffic. You run any ads anywhere recently? The best thing to do is make AdSense a fraction of your income - then you just go, whatever...

 

No I don't what is that?


The Site is image hosting service

 

It can happen if users click too much on banners, the worst of it is they don't tell you why its happened even after you appeal!

 

More specifically, what is the url?

 

hmm I remember that I had AdBrite for one day but one month ago I didn't know that it was not allowed to have both AdBrite and Adsense but I removed it after an hour because I read about it in time.

 

Yeah with 0,20-0,30 CTR they click too much

 

http://www.imagehosting.gr (currently suffering of speed because moving it to dedicated a nice company just suspended my website without any warning )

 

The only thing i can figure out if you did not do anything is a ad ran on a paid to click site and people went to your site fom that site.

I think they had to click mutiple times for this to happen or your site ahd to get mutiples users from the paid site.

 

There are people who might did something against the TOS while there are also innocent webmasters who has done nothing against the TOS.

I have gotten the same email as well and I know all my traffic are natural traffics and I never done any incentives. Anyways, if you check around forum, seems quite a lot of people has get the emails yesterday/today.

What I have done so far is, since I have adlogger installed in most of the sites, I checked the IP, and banned the ones that clicked more than 3x. Then set my AdLogger to max 1 click per hour (even though I have no clue what is normal for Google, but for my own safety it seems to be safest). If you don't have AdLogger, it is best to install one for your own safety.

Then, hopefully you have Awstat or other traffic counter that tracks the referrel page so you know where the traffics come from to make sure none are incentives or auto-surf program (as some people might put your sites there etc)

Then, monitor your traffic/clicks careful and if something suspicious, contact Google. That is what I am doing now to carefully monitor my sites.

Good luck.

 

I've heard lots of stories from friends who haven't clicked ads that received that notice, you can try appealing, good luck because Google won't care what you say, even if you are innocent.

 

Pretty naive way of thinking if you ask me. I do believe that webmasters that are doing nothing wrong are getting this email too. I received one yesterday stating the exact same thing. I find it pretty funny considering I started my site in June of last year and just hit my first $100 at the end of March (I don't use Adsense much for this exact reason). I really think Google has a tough case with me because if I was paying for traffic, or paying to click, or clicking on my own ads, I think I would have made more than a $100 in a YEAR!!! It took me almost a year to make $100, invalid clicks my ass!

 

Thats interesting, I've only heard of Google making these claims to people who are actually making big bucks. It almost seems like that is there default answer, when they are tired of cutting the "big" checks. Good luck.

 

Are you kididng me, and how do you think Google makes their money? Certainly not by getting rid of big publishers...

 

The solution to your problem is to write to Google directly. Explain your innocence (If you are you are, if you are not then you are not). It would be helpful to provide them with your IP's. If you are surfing proxy they are not stupid they can see that.

But that's how you get to the bottom of it if you are truly innocent.

If you want to salvage your account I suggest you ask for a contact person and a telephone number so you can call. Email is slow and you can not plead your case as well in writing.

 

I have told them that I don't have done anything wrong and I am willing to co operate to solve this problem. For me sounds like they try to find methods to avoid to pay. I am insulted to tell me that I use these methods. The money anyway are not enough compared to the impressions I have I do them a favor to display their ads.

 

same thing is happening with most of the us.

 

One of my client's contacted me with this same problem. He said the same things that he had not done anything wrong.

When I investigated the problem for him it turned out that a competitor had setup an auto surf system to point to his site and target the adsense.

It gets you thinking dosen't it!! How can anyone do this?