Author Archives: John A.Smith

Boost your business with a Certified Publishing Partner

Today we’re excited to launch our new Certified Publishing Partner program.

Certified Publishing Partners are trained experts on AdSense, DoubleClick for Publishers, and DoubleClick Ad Exchange who could help you earn more from your sites while also saving you time. Whether you’re just starting out with ads, fine-tuning your existing ad setup or looking for brand new revenue sources, Certified Publishing Partners are ready to help you achieve your goals. They know how to make online ads work harder for you so you can spend more time creating and publishing your great content.

Get superior account management
Certified Publishing Partners are experts at account management services like:
  • Full-service ad operations, implementation and testing
  • Mobile, web, app and responsive design and development
  • Content moderation 
  • Video integration
  • Monetization
  • Ad customization

Feel confident
When you see the Certified Publishing Partner badge it means that a partner has been carefully vetted and meets Google's rigorous qualification standards. They have received high rankings in client satisfaction. They are, in short, a trusted business partner.
The Certified Partner Program is officially open for business today.  Learn more about the program and see a list of our partners. Then let us know what you think in the comments section below.




Posted by Sahar Golestani
SMB Publishing Marketing Manager

Source: Inside AdSense


Meet us at Pubcon Las Vegas October 6-8

We're excited to be keynoting PubCon, October 8th in Las Vegas. Join Rich Zippel and me at the event to hear more about how our AdSense Program policies are enabling a healthy advertising ecosystem.

In our keynote panel discussion, we plan on providing an overview of AdSense policies, answering questions from publishers, and offering a glimpse into the future as we discuss upcoming policy directions and new initiatives designed to help publishers.

Other keynotes scheduled at Pubcon include: Guy Kawasaki of Canva, Duane Forrester of Microsoft’s Bing, Rand Fishkin of Moz, Gary Illyes of Google, and Wil Reynolds of Seer Interactive.

Register for Pubcon here. We hope to see you there.



Posted by John Brown
Head of Publisher Policy Communications

Source: Inside AdSense


The AdSense app has a fresh new look

We’ve recently updated the AdSense app with a fresh new look using material design and added some new features. Based on your feedback, we’ve added the following functionality to make it even better:

  • New metrics: View impressions, impression RPM, and CTR of your ads.
  • Support for Hindi and Malay: Use your AdSense app in Malay and Hindi, which have recently joined the AdSense family, as well as in 31 other languages.
  • New reports for Android: Check the performance of different ad sizes, ad types, ad networks, targeting, bid types, and custom date ranges.
  • Today widget for iOS: Check your earnings even quicker on your iPhone in the Today view.

If you haven’t tried the AdSense app yet, download the iOS or Android version today and start checking your AdSense account on the go. Let us know what you think about the new design and what new features you’d like to see in the future.





Posted by Daniel Kenyon-Jones
AdSense Product Manager


Source: Inside AdSense


Demystifying AdSense policies with John Brown: What to do if you receive a warning message (Part 4)

Editor’s note: John Brown, the Head of Publisher Policy Communications, is explaining what to do if you receive a policy warning message.

In this post, I’d like to talk about policy warning messages and what steps you should take if you receive one. I’ll also answer some of the most common questions around warning messages.

What is a warning message?
We send out warning messages to our publishers if their site, or a page of their site, violates our AdSense policies. For minor policy violations that can be fixed fairly easily, our first step is to issue a warning.

Where can I see my warning message?
Warning messages are sent to the email address associated with your AdSense account. You can manage your contact email address under Personal Settings in your account. You can also check out outstanding policy violations by visiting the Status page in your AdSense account.

What do I do if I get a warning?
If you receive a warning message, follow these steps to fix the violation as quickly as possible:
  1. Read the instructions in the warning message very carefully to understand how the flagged policy violation corresponds to the particular page of your site.

    • Optimally, we would recommend simply removing Google AdSense code from the violating pages. You do not need to remove Google AdSense code from your whole website, just the violating pages.

    • If you are unable to or unsure of how to remove the ads from these pages, or would like to continue monetizing the page with Google ads, please modify or remove the violating content to meet our AdSense policies.

  2. Multiple pages of your site might be violating the policies. Check all your pages of all of your sites to make sure they’re compliant. 
  3. When adding new content to your site on pages with Google ads, ensure that these pages comply with Google policies. Our warning emails include a URL from your website of a violating page, but it is possible that other pages on your site have violations as well. Review all your sites and pages to make sure they are policy compliant.
What is the timeline to fix the violation?
After receiving a warning, you should immediately take time to review your pages where Google AdSense code is implemented and ensure that it complies with our policies. If you fix the violation or remove the ad code from violating pages, you don’t need to contact us.

How do we determine how to send warning messages?
It is a common misconception that AdSense disables websites and sends warning messages randomly. We rely upon a detailed set of guidelines when looking at policy violations, which you can find in the AdSense Help Center.

Do we ever disable ad serving to a site without first sending a warning? 
There are some situations when we would need to disable ad serving to a site without first sending a warning. We usually take this action for extreme violations like adult content and copyright infringement, as well as cases of violent content. We may also disable ads to a site when we find a violation that we’ve already contacted a publisher about in the past.

How can I appeal a disabling and get ad serving reinstated?
If ad serving on your site is disabled due to a policy violation, there are steps you must take in order to have ads reinstated. First, the page(s) of your site that is in violation of Google policies must be reviewed. As mentioned in my previous blog post, our obligations to advertisers drive many of our policies and enforcement of our policies. Therefore, we simply ask that you remove our ad code from the violating page(s), ensuring our advertisements do not appear alongside content that violates Google policies. Once the ad code has been removed, you can then file an appeal after reviewing our policy appeals Help Center article. Sometimes users delete all their Google AdSense code; you don't need to remove the ad code from non-violating pages before sending the appeal.

To make sure that the appeal is a strong one, please tell us exactly what action you've taken on your site to resolve the violations and also tell us how you'll prevent similar occurrences in the future. I recommend that you include some other example URLs that you've taken action on proactively.  We want to work with our publishers to help them grow their businesses while remaining policy-compliant.

You can find more information about policy appeals here.

Is there a point at which an account can get shut down completely? 
The final and most severe action that our teams can take is to close down an account completely. This normally only happens when we find egregious policy violations, if a large portion of a publisher’s network consists of violating sites, or for repeat policy offenders.

I hope this helps you to deal with policy violations. For more information about policy warnings, check out this Help Center article. We’d love to hear your thoughts to improve our processes. Let us know what you think in the comment section below this post.

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Posted by John Brown
Head of Publisher Policy Communications

Source: Inside AdSense


[Infographic] Hindi content is key to growing an audience in India

Late last year we announced Hindi as the first Indic language supported by AdSense. It means you can earn money by displaying Google AdSense ads on Hindi webpages.

But why does Hindi matter? If you have a large user base in India; or you’re looking to grow in this strategic emerging market; catering your content to Hindi speakers is key. Check out this infographic to learn more:
Keen to start creating? Here are our top five tips for publishing Hindi content online:

1. Create Hindi content that is unique and provides value to your users.
Check out Google Trends in Search and YouTube to see what’s popular in India right now. You can also see a selection of high quality Hindi content from fellow publishers at hindiweb.com.

2. Get a professional translation, or have a native speaker review content.
If you plan to translate your site for Hindi speakers, ensure you provide good quality translations. Avoid auto-translation as it risks a low quality user experience. Read the Webmaster Quality Guidelines to learn more.

3. Be multi-screen and fast-loading.
Delight users with a mobile-friendly site that works well even on low-bandwidth connections. Explore these multi-screen guidelines to get your site ready.

4. Use Devanagari script. 
Access up to 40 free, beautiful fonts for publishing your Hindi content and benefit from better indexing of your site. Select Devanagari script at Google Fonts to add fonts to your collection.

5. Monetize with Google AdSense.
You can use your existing Google AdSense account and create a new ad unit to get started. If you’re new to AdSense, sign up now

We look forward to seeing the content you create in Hindi.





Posted by Amelia Walkley
Marketing Communications Specialist

Source: Inside AdSense


Introducing a new user consent policy

Today we’re launching a new user consent policy. This policy requires publishers with site visitors from the European Union to ask their permission for using their data.

Why are we doing this?

European Union data protection authorities requested some changes to current practices for obtaining end user consents. It has always been Google’s policy to comply with privacy laws, so we’ve agreed to make certain changes affecting our own products and partners using Google products.

What do you need to do?

If your websites are getting visitors from any of the countries in the European Union, you must comply with the EU user consent policy. We recommend you start working on a policy-compliant user consent mechanism today. There’s guidance from data protection authorities and IABs across Europe on what is required to comply with relevant laws; the IAB's IAB Europe Guidance: Five Practical Steps to help companies comply with the E-Privacy Directive is a good place to start.

To learn how to implement a user consent mechanism, check out our help center FAQs and visit Cookie Choices, a website dedicated to complying with this new policy.

Posted by Jason Woloz, Security & Privacy Program Manager, Display and Video Ads

Source: Inside AdSense


Demystifying AdSense policies with John Brown: Understand your traffic (Part 3)

Editor’s note: John Brown, the Head of Publisher Policy Communications, is sharing insights about understanding your traffic and how you can prevent invalid activity.

Last week, I explained why we take invalid activity seriously and how AdSense policies protect users, advertisers and publishers. This week, I’d like to give you some tips to help you keep your account in good standing.

What can you do as a publisher?

Here are some best practices to prevent invalid activity on your site:

  • Monitor your analytics often to spot traffic anomalies. Setting up Analytics alerts can be very useful. For instance, you can set Analytics alerts to see if an unusual amount of traffic comes from a country you wouldn’t expect for your site.
  • Be very careful when purchasing any traffic, and review the traffic provider checklist to help guide your discussions with any traffic provider you’re considering.
  • Double and triple-check your implementation. Make sure your implementation has no programming errors, conforms to AdSense policies, and interacts properly across different browsers and platforms. Having a well-implemented page can protect against unintended consequences, like accidental clicks. 
  • Don’t click on your own ads. Even if you’re interested in an ad or looking for its destination URL, clicking on your own ads is prohibited. Instead, use the Google Publisher Toolbar.

You can find more information about ad traffic quality and best practices on our Ad Traffic Quality Resource Center. I hope these resources help clarify why we care about the quality of the ecosystem and what you can do to comply with our traffic policies. Please share your feedback and do let us know if you have additional questions in the comment section below this post.

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Posted by John Brown
Head of Publisher Policy Communications

Source: Inside AdSense


Demystifying AdSense policies with John Brown: Understand your traffic (Part 2)

Editor’s note: John Brown, the Head of Publisher Policy Communications, is sharing insights and answering most common questions about invalid activity.

In this post, I want to stress why we take invalid clicks so seriously and clarify a few questions related to traffic quality and invalid clicks.

Let’s take a step back and think about the digital ad ecosystem. The relationships between Google, advertisers, and publishers are built on trust. A strong and healthy digital ecosystem needs:
  • Users who trust the system and have a good experience,
  • Advertisers safely investing in digital ads,
  • Publishers who can sustain their business.
To protect those relationships, it’s very important to make sure that clicks and impressions are based on genuine user intent. That’s why at Google we have a global team that monitors the traffic across Google's ad network, and prevents advertisers from paying for invalid traffic.

Now, I'd like to address some of the most common questions and concerns from publishers related to ad traffic quality and invalid clicks.

  • What is Google's obligation to publishers?

Google manages advertiser relationships so that you don’t have to. Publishers benefit from our vast supply of ads. To provide ads to your sites for the months and years to come, advertisers must trust our network. Our policies are in place to protect these advertiser relationships, which ultimately protects publishers that work with us as well.

  • What happens to earnings held back from publishers due to invalid activity?

Any revenue found to be from invalid activity is refunded back to the active advertisers, not kept by Google. In 2014, we refunded more than $200,000,000 to advertisers from detected invalid activity. In 2014, we’ve disabled more than 160,000 sites to protect the ecosystem.

  • What can Google do to better communicate policies and enforcement?

We’ve adopted a policy of silence for the most part in order to protect our signals. We find it important to protect our signals so that bad actors cannot detect how we discover invalid activity. Additionally, we are always striving to increase transparency around our communications without compromising our techniques to protect advertisers and publishers. Stay tuned for new features which will help you have more control over your content and stay compliant with the policies.

  • Will Google modify interactions with the publisher community going forward?

We realize that we can improve our communications, especially around warnings, suspensions, and account disablement.  My charge is to do this. I have many people working with me on better education, along with improving the language and instructions around warnings or messages received from Google. I believe that publishers understand much better where they stand at all times when our policies are clear and when we communicate them effectively, and enforce consistently.

I hope you found these insights useful. Check back here next week where we’ll talk about what you can do as a publisher to help us protect the digital ecosystem. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Posted by John Brown
Head of Publisher Policy Communications


Source: Inside AdSense


Increasing transparency of AdSense payments

When you check your payments history, you might notice a difference between your estimated AdSense earnings and the final amount paid to you. The difference between these two amounts is mostly caused by invalid activity on your site, such as accidental clicks, which are deducted from finalized earnings.

We've received feedback from you that you want to know more about the differences between estimated and finalized earnings. Starting with May’s payment history, you’ll be able to see the invalid activity deductions that cause these differences.  For example, if your estimated earnings were $1,100 and your finalized earnings were $1,000, you now have a better view into how your estimated earnings break down into invalid activity and finalized earnings.

If there is a large difference between your estimated earnings and your finalized earnings, make sure to review these tips. To prevent invalid activity on your site, pay special attention to your site design and traffic acquisition. If you see unusual levels in invalid activity, we encourage you to notify us by using the Invalid Clicks Contact Form.

We hope this will help you understand the differences between your estimated and finalized earnings and how invalid activity affects your payments. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.


Posted by Justin Chu
AdSense Product Manager

Source: Inside AdSense


Mobile site or app? Learn how digiSchool made its decision

When it was created in 2011, French company digiSchool was a pioneer by offering free teaching content for which users would otherwise have had to pay. They were growing rapidly. However, they had to make an important decision to grow even further: mobile site or mobile app?

After extensive user testing, digiSchool noticed that mobile apps were best for delivering content like quizzes, lessons, and videos, but a mobile site was better for reading the news. “Depending on the device, a user needs very specific interfaces. We had to figure out whether content worked best on a mobile site or an app.”,  Thierry, co-founder of digiSchool, explains.

They decided to build a mobile site with Responsive Web Design (RWD) to meet their visitors’ needs. This has been key to the success of digiSchool’s mobile site. It has proven to be a scalable, complete solution that doesn't require changes across multiple sites, and has enabled digiSchool’s mobile site to evolve rapidly.

Discover how digiSchool decided to go mobile and how they became a market leader for digital education in France. To learn how you too can provide a great site experience for all of your users, don’t forget to check out our Multi-Screen Starter Guide.



Posted by Anne Goldmann
AdSense Account Manager

Source: Inside AdSense