I'm really getting scared for being banned since I just reached 100$ and only started wondering after that if I'm actually violating the TOS with my ads placement.. Can someone please see if this is violating the TOS or not? http://tinyurl.com/6ecemc Thanks in advance.
I checked with the custom search TOS, and I think I fixed that now. Is it possible this page will ever be allowed by Google or is it impossible due to the music search nature?
not good, google custom search is very modified ? i saw a pop'up when i visited the site ... so , bad
The popup is just a sponsor, it has nothing to do with google search itself. The entire page has been implemented into the mainpage design now, the popup is removed (didn't earn a thing, actually). I think there is no TOS violation anymore but correct me if I'm wrong, please
It looks like you have modified the Google custom search code or that you modified its behavior by adding external code and referring to its content. If I'm right, this is bad, really bad and will surely get you banned. Especially, you are not allow to modify the search terms. If I enter "this is my search terms" I get "-inurlhtm|html|php) -inurl:randombase.com intitle:"index of" "last modified" "parent directory" description size (.mp3|.wma|.ogg) this is my search terms" as the search terms used. You ARE violating the Google Custom Search TOS. I'm sorry for you because it looks like that the whole concept of your website is around this modification... too bad :/
Hmm.. if I place text BEFORE the query is actually executed, and people only have to add their own terms, would it be allowed then?
Definitely not. I had a similar issue, I've been talking with the AdSense Support about this and exchanging many e-mail with them and they are very strict on this: they want the user to enter the search terms, and the search terms should not be altered or suggested in any way. Furthermore, any modification to the look or the way the Google Custom Search works is totally prohibited. Sorry :/ [Edit] I'd like to add that I've seen a few websites violating these rules, just like your own, and these websites have been running for a while. However, they might have very low earnings and it is possible that the AdSense team did not review them so far. The danger is that if you start to earn some cash someone from the AdSense team might want to look at your website and discover the trick - they will cancel your account and you'll lose any earning they didn't give you. You can take the risk - but I think it's not worth it. I know I could earn a LOT more by using a similar trick but I prefer to have a secure lower income than a big income which might get me banned in 2 weeks. If I were you I wouldn't risk my account to be banned but it's up to you. I heard that some people are able to get another account by recreating an AdSense account using some blackhat techniques but you won't be able to use that new account on your domain anyway so it's really best not to get banned. You also have to think that someone might just tell Google that you are not following their TOS - this can be especially true if you have some competition or some angry users.
Now the page is completely rewritten, google search has been removed and replaced by a homemade search engine. Is it still in violation with the TOS of AdSense? The ads appear periodicly between search results.
I didn't see it before but it looks good now. You could put another 468x60 in the right of the header ( thats a high click position ) to get more clicks as seen here Site looks good.
Heads up: I don't know how you did the homemade search engine, but if you are actually using Google as the underlying search engine then you are probably still violating the TOS. Per the AdSense Program Policies: "AdSense publishers are required to adhere to the webmaster quality guidelines posted at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html." (and also, by the way: "Sites displaying Google ads may not include: [...] Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity, or infringes on the legal rights of others") Per the Webmaster Quality Guidelines: "Don't send automated queries to Google." So I don't know how you do the search but be careful with that. The AdSense team might also respond negatively to your MP3 search engine if they find that it "promotes illegal activity". I might appear strict but I just want to make sure you are fully aware of every possible thing that Google might find as a reason to suspend your account.
Recently on twitter I heard some site getting black listed because it was using Google search API .. and Google Adsense at the same time
Then, in my opinion, you should be OK as long as Google does not consider that your page promotes illegal stuff.
Agreed - as long as you are not using googles search engine nor modifying it or their code in any way - you should be ok.
and why would that search violate google TOS, can someone get a proper explanation? Is it the model of the search book violating the terms or just the way the search results are shown?