Google Clamp Down on MFA Sites
Over the past week or so, I've been seeing many Adsense Publishers receive the `dreaded` email;
Hello,
While reviewing your network of sites participating in the AdSense
program, our specialists found that many of the sites are not in
compliance with Google's webmaster quality guidelines.All AdSense publishers are required to adhere to these guidelines, as
per AdSense Program Policies.As a result of these violations, your AdSense account has been
disabled. You will receive payment for outstanding earnings, but we're
no longer able to partner with you or your network of sites.Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
At last, Google have seen sense and decided to start looking into MFA sites for the rubbish that they are. When you elect to build a site that is specifically made for Adsense, you have to understand that you are at the grace and favour of Google themselves. If they don't like you, you're out!
Over the past years of blogging, I've been trying to expand my horizons away from Adsense – this might not always have been obvious though. There are far better ways to monetise a site than use Adsense – think about Affiliating, think about creating and selling your own product, think about selling websites, think about selling site real-estate, think about Pay Per Post Schemes. The possibilities are endless.
If you have more than 30% of your monthly income coming from Adsense, then you need to diversify. Have a think about what would happen if Google turned off your Adsense account tomorrow. Would you survive a month? Would you have to go and get a "day job"? How would you remonetise any existing Adsense sites?
If you are an Adsense Publisher, living life on the precipice, be afraid, be very afraid. Google might just push you over the edge.
What does it mean to me?
I have not received an email from the Google Team, and to be honest I would expect not to. I don't mass create sites, I don't click my own links and so on. Though I have dabbled with `black hat` stuff in the past, I decided it wasn't for me.
Almost all my Adsense sites are gone now, in their place are shiny white-hat sites with a number of monetisation schemes on them. If my Adsense account was turned off tomorrow, I'd be down by about 15%. I could continue my online adventures, easily.
Perhaps tomorrow, I'll go into more details about what you could do if you got the dreaded email.
Comment by Chance — December 7, 2006 @ 5:54 pm
Did anyone really not see this coming?
Comment by IMF-Will — December 7, 2006 @ 6:51 pm
It would be interesting to see just what Google consider to be "not in compliance"
Comment by burt — December 8, 2006 @ 9:23 am
Most of these sites have 2 features in common;
1. Garbage Content (usually scraped or markov). Both these systems create blocks of text which at 1st glance looks readable.
2. Adsense *and nothing else* above the fold.
Comment by burt — December 8, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
G-oogle probably also look at the number of such sites active per Adsense ID…
Got 1 or 2 ? No problem.
Got 1000 ? Problem.
Comment by IMF-Will — December 9, 2006 @ 12:40 am
I wonder how many people will read stories like this and start shutting down their MFA sites? Like some sort of viral self-policing!
Comment by Dave — December 9, 2006 @ 7:25 pm
I've been progressively shutting down a bunch of my sites over the last week. I did some stats that showed less than 20% of my income comes from sites that are a bit "risky" and decided to blitz 'em. Altho' they are pretty much "white hat" (not scraped etc) there are elements of them that might fall foul – particularly as G seems to be tightening up.
Not worth the risk or time to make them absolutely compliant.
Have a look on the various adsense forums (including G's own forum) and you'll get the idea of what seems to be happening.
Anyone want 40 odd .infos
It's well past time to move on from adsense….