Did Google ever threaten to suspend your adwords account?

[feedtherightwolf]

I just got this email from google:

We are writing to let you know that your Google AdWords account is at risk of being suspended due to multiple violations related to our Advertising Policies, including the Landing Page and Site Quality Guidelines. Below is a list of example display URLs of the sites in violation of these policies. Please check the existing ads in your account to ensure that they comply with these policies. Please be aware that this is your final warning, and any additional violations of our Landing Page and Site Quality Guidelines will lead to immediate account suspension.

Did you ever have this happen to you? And if I can't use google adwords to promote my lending page, what should I use?

P.S. The link to the lending page is in my signature.

[Matt.Lake]

I just received the exact same email. I really can't find what I'm doing wrong... I've been through their policy with a fine tooth comb but I'm complying as far as I'm aware.

So I'd also be interested if anyone has received this email but still has their account active.

However, in your case, is it not bl***y obvious? uhh... PORNOGRAPHY. Even if it's a product aimed at helping people with porn addiction, and not actually the promoting of porn, it's still the same subject matter. Do they not say in the policy that that subject is prohibited?

[Neil Morgan]

You'll find several recent threads about that here on the WF.

It's happening a lot, even to people who haven't changed their Adwords campaigns, landing pages etc for a year or more.

I wrote back to them and asked for specific details. No reply yet, not that I really expected one.

Cheers,

Neil

[Matt.Lake]

Originally Posted by Neil Morgan

You'll find several recent threads about that here on the WF.

It's happening a lot, even to people who haven't changed their Adwords campaigns, landing pages etc for a year or more.

I wrote back to them and asked for specific details. No reply yet, not that I really expected one.

Cheers,

Neil

Hi Neil,

I remember your post. I think I actually left a comment saying that you should do your best to not lose your account.

It's ironic... literally a few days after that I got hit with the email saying my account was at risk of being suspended.

I had an email with the words FINAL WARNING in the subject line. The thing is, it's the only warning I've ever had. I guess that's more than some people get though.

I'm interested to see if there are any people that have received the warning like the one in the OP, but then has not had their account banned.

While you definitely shouldn't place all your eggs in one basket, I do really like Adwords as a tool and would hate to lose my account.

[Neil Morgan]

Hey Matt

Well, I suspended my campaign so I guess that's saved my account so far because I still have it. I don't have any plans to re-activate it or even change it. What's the point? Google won't tell me what heinous crime I've committed and I sure as hell ain't getting into a guessing game.

AdWords is not something I've ever made much use of but you're right, it would be a pain to lose my account for future projects.

Cheers,

Neil

[Matt.Lake]

Yeh, if it's an affiliate campaign that you're promoting then it can be a little easier to just stop promoting it.

However, I'm promoting a site of my own. It's an eBook with a back end continuity element so this particular site will be a significant earner for me.

It wouldn't be the end of the world if I lost me Adwords account. Just a massive annoyance.

Anyway, hopefully you don't lose your account. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[clansullivan]

I just received the Final Warning email as the first and only email from them. My account stopped giving impressions the next day. I sent them a couple of emails - but no reply yet. This is really costing me!

[BobRenwick]

Once you're on Google's bad side you don't have much wiggle room. This affiliate purge has been going on for several months now and I know of people who were major players who are scrambling to redefine their businesses.

The best thing you can do is to broaden your base of operation. You should not be dependent on Google for more than about 20% of your revenue. Just like stocks. Diversification.

[clansullivan]

I'm not even an affiliate and I got slammed too!

[williamrs]

I have quite a few affiliates campaigns running with Google and they have been up for a few months now. I have never had problems with them.

I think that the problem is that most affiliates don't understand them. Running campaigns with Google is not just like running campaigns with Yahoo! or Bing. It's necessary to build real sites, add content, do some SEO, bla, bla, bla... All those things that everybody says but no one does. I create my sites for AdWords as if I were creating sites with SEO purposes, never point links to free trials and avoid createing review pages that have links to more than one offer. However, if you have done one of these things in the past they may catch you even if you're not doing it anymore.


William

[rvrabel2002]

Yeah I have actually had my account closed because my site was a bridge page. Lesson learned, but it blows because they are such a great source of traffic. I have yet to find a real way around it, because pretty much anytime your selling someones stuff, its a bridge page. Thats the essence of an "affiliate" right?

[williamrs]

Originally Posted by rvrabel2002

Yeah I have actually had my account closed because my site was a bridge page. Lesson learned, but it blows because they are such a great source of traffic. I have yet to find a real way around it, because pretty much anytime your selling someones stuff, its a bridge page. Thats the essence of an "affiliate" right?

Actually, I think that Google is more likely to consider a bridge page the ones that have links pointing to more than one site. If you have a landing page with only one affiliate link chances are that they won't consider it a bridge page.

There may be exceptions, though. For example, if you don't provide any content and just want to take the user to another site they may consider your landing page a bridge page.


William

[pcpupil]

I havent had my account disabled or closed down yet and have 2 affiliate sites up.
Im just starting out also.
But what i am going to do is buy some plr,change it around,rewrite some of it,change links or add links,pics,ect..
Now its my own and will call it or name it something close to what is being searched for or sold on cb,ect..
But it will be my own product.With content on site.
Where you guys doing a php redirect,or any kind of cloaking or masking?
Using pretty link,ect..

[sefan]

I think that all the above is a consequence of the fact that google is near monomolist on the search market. If we all use only google for our searches, then we contribute for it's monopol on the search market's targeted advertising. As a result, the team of this company starts to overlook the "small" users and do with them whatever they want. I've red in forums many complains that people from google stop PPC campaigns, close adSence accounts, remove web sites from natural search results - all that with no clear explanation (many of you know how imposible is to get in touch with that company). In my modest opinion, google has very agresive anti competitive policy and do not tolerate any competition on the internet. I think that it would be wonderful if another signifficant player comes on the scene. Curently I see no other company but Microsoft's Bing being capable of braking this monopol. What cen we do to contribute about that - we may just start to use bing search more frequiently in order to change the global statistics. After all the search results from bing are equally good to that of google in my experience.

[JamesGw]

I didn't see this before. I got hit with that same email around the same time and my site also got deindexed. I drilled into them and got everything resolved because it was absolutely ridiculous. It was because I was promoting an affiliate offer on the front page, I think. Whatever, screw them.

Also, my website has plenty of real content. The home page alone has 1,000+ words of good content, and the website has several articles, most of which are 800+ words and contain information you can't find anywhere else on the net, except maybe scattered around forums.

[fatlols]

I got the same e-mail a while back, it was also because i was promoting an affiliate offer.

[LB]

They banned me for an ad I ran about 8 years ago that sent 1 click and I then deleted.

Yes, it's absurd as it sounds.

They argued repeatedly that I committed violations because they sent me "multiple warnings" and I continued to violate them.

They finally admitted that no warnings were ever sent, the ad was deleted and all my current campaigns were fine BUT they still banned me permanently. They won't talk to me anymore despite having had a six-figure spend.

So yes, they will ban you for just about any reason.

[carloru]

Please make sure you implement changes to your landing page and make sure you are not promoting any affiliate products. In addition, make sure the product you are promoting is not related to prohibited product niches.

Most times, Google will only warn you once before the hammer falls.

[MattRadford]

Got banned from adwords ages ago, never looked back. Was getting fed up of their fascism and ridiculous policies anyway.

Seems now you can't even have 1 single affiliate link or opt-in box on your entire site without them getting funny about it.

There are tons of traffic sources out there way better than adwords ever will be and I hope they lose their market lead soon.


..im not bitter about it though haha

[crazyamit]

Originally Posted by feedtherightwolf

I just got this email from google:



Did you ever have this happen to you? And if I can't use google adwords to promote my lending page, what should I use?

P.S. The link to the lending page is in my signature.

If your landing page is a bridge page or an affiliate page which redirect the traffic to another program than it happen. If you want to save your account just delete the campaign you are running for such a page. It already had happened to me.

[mackyinc]

I gave up on Google for what I am doing. They closed my account last month for ad I ran in February. It was a site I bought but never did anything with except run $100 worth PPC on Adwords. I offered to take the site down and they said that would not do it. I had to bring the site up to their standards or i could not use Adwords. I have clients that I manage campaigns for but I can do just fine without Google.

[commoditytrainer]

Are you sure you haven't manipulate the script? Anything to consider even though you are trying to help Porn addicts is Google Doesn't like that word at all. Did you ever ask them if was okay to put adsense on the pages while relating to Porn addicts?

[nicoledeal]

I wrote to them and received very informative replys. Unfortunately their replys demanded more than I was willing to give. I have moved on and accept the fact that I will no longer be paying them to run my ads. There are other options, and I cannot do business with people that I have to "tip toe" around to please. It's just too much trouble. I rank well and they send me traffic anyway. Thank you for the free traffic you "holier than thou" web idiots! (directed towards Google, not anyone on this fine forum)

[KohenD]

Just make a new account.



You can make them as many as you want and also have $100 credit on them