beren - 6:00 pm on Oct 31, 2004 (gmt 0)

Things I've leaned as an advertiser.

1) Always uncheck the "content network" box on your campaign. Otherwise your ads will show up on AdSense sites, bringing you fraudulent clicks and low value clicks from Internet users just surfing around randomly. (Unlike on search engines where the user is looking for your product or service.)

2) Many AdSense sites openly copy material from your sites or your competitors' sites, but Google AdSense doesn't care. You must have the AdSense site take down the copied material to avoid penalization of your site in search engine rankings because of duplicate content. But AdSense will not help, and they will tell you to work it out with the AdSense publisher yourself. Your only resort is lawyers, even if you can find 4 or 5 sites a month who do this.

3) AdSense will kick out offending sites when you complain about an inordinate number of clicks, but they will not refund your money. Instead, they will send you obviously stock e-mails about how it is entirely possible that unbiased users clicked on your ads.

4) When an AdSense site has language like "help me out and click on the links to the left", you can complain to Google. The AdSense site will change its language in the next few days, but they will not be kicked out of the AdSense program.

5) "AdSense for Search" is an insidious way for Google to change the rules on advertisers and run their ads even when they have opted out of the content network. The only way to get your ads out of these sites is by disabling the search network partners, and that means your ads won't show up at good places like AOL, AskJeeves, and Netscape. If you get too many clicks from one AdSense site and complain, Google will kick obviously offending sites out of the program but you won't get money back and in any case, it's like cutting off the head of a hydra: you can never keep up with the new sites.