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Prohibited Keywords

         

srichippa

4:37 pm on Jul 31, 2004 (gmt 0)



Are there any keywords which are prohited by Google? For example "gambling", "betting"

howiejs

6:53 pm on Jul 31, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



cigar, beer

mquarles

7:43 pm on Jul 31, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I wish they made the full list public.

MQ

anallawalla

11:26 pm on Jul 31, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



If you searched WW for "google poison" and similar, you could assemble a decent list that would be sufficient to determine the topics of contention.

GuitarZan

7:24 pm on Aug 1, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Hey,

Yeah, why is everything always a secret with Google... They don't inform people such as their advertisers enough.

C.K.

bnhall

8:19 pm on Aug 1, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



It's a hallmark of Google IMHO to be secret about everything. In most businesses this would alienate customers and partners to the point where you loose them. I guess G management don't think it will.

Transparency anyone?

Larryhat

12:54 am on Aug 2, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



I just Googled for BEER and GAMBLING (any order but both must appear) and G returned 280,000 results. That's not much of a ban it seems to me. -Larry

mquarles

2:03 pm on Aug 2, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



annallawalla,

Thanks!

LarryHat,

Um, how many AdWords ads? This is the AdWords forum, not the Google Search forum.

MQ

P.S. AWA--in all honesty, I can't think of a reason to keep this list secret. It would seem that it would save editor time and advertiser time on something that is not going to work. Am I missing something?

In the alternative, it would be handy if they were auto-banned on entry rather than being bumped to editors, with an appropriate message to advertisers.

Syzygy

2:46 pm on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Just recently I tried to utilise two keywords that describe a legitimate global, £multi-billion (in fact, to be more reasonable, lets call it £multi-trillion) science/business sector.

My ads wouldn't show around this phrase. Indeed, much to my surprise, there are no ads from anyone else either. Oh, and G lists some 1.4 million pages from primarily academic and business sources for this specific two-word phrase...

Pourquoi?

Syzygy

danieljean

2:59 pm on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



Beer shows no adwords, but wine does. I guess G wants to keep us guessing.

mquarles

8:02 pm on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Gin = Okay
Vermouth = Okay
Vodka = Bad

Is someone discriminating against vodka martinis for the benefit of more traditional ones?

Oh wait, Martini is ok. Guess we can buy 'em but not make 'em.

MQ ;-)

P.S. On a more serious note, if we haven't run off AWA, is there a way to get past the keyword ban? For instance, there are no gin ads, presumably because of concerns about selling alcohol. But what if I have a book on making all kinds of martinis? It would seem to me reasonable and consistent to allow me to buy "gin" terms as well as "martini" terms, but this does not seem to be the policy. Any clarification would help.

Syzygy

9:14 pm on Aug 4, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I can't think of a reason to keep this list secret. It would seem that it would save editor time and advertiser time on something that is not going to work. Am I missing something?

Spot on...

Syzygy

AdWordsAdvisor

12:14 am on Aug 5, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



...On a more serious note, if we haven't run off AWA, is there a way to get past the keyword ban? For instance, there are no gin ads, presumably because of concerns about selling alcohol. But what if I have a book on making all kinds of martinis? It would seem to me reasonable and consistent to allow me to buy "gin" terms as well as "martini" terms, but this does not seem to be the policy. Any clarification would help.

The only thing that I can really offer by way of clarification is that 'Prohibited Keywords' are addressed on an Ad Group by Ad Group basis, looking at a combination of the keywords, the ad(s), and the content of the site that the ad(s) link to.

As always, if you feel than a judgment has been made in error, then you may certainly respond to the disapproval email, and 'make your case'.

AWA

Syzygy

3:26 pm on Aug 5, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



'Prohibited Keywords' are addressed on an Ad Group by Ad Group basis...

...you may certainly respond to the disapproval email, and 'make your case'.

Now realising that I didn't receive such an email from G re the two keyword phrase I alluded to before, I've tried them once again.

The ads are still not showing - well, on Google UK that is.

Having now looked closer I see that the ad does indeed show up (using the &gl= suffix) in basically every other European country barring the UK. This is very intriguing.

Why not the UK, and why no indication that it will not show in this market?

Any thoughts...?

Syzygy

AdWordsAdvisor

4:20 pm on Aug 5, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Syzygy, because of the many factors involved, I'd suggest that you contact AdWords support. They'll be able to look at your actual account in detail, which is what is really called for here.

AWA

rbarker

3:52 am on Aug 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



You can add throwing stars (martial arts), ammunition, and guns to the list.

Personally I have problems with G forcing their morality on the general public. Wine but not beer? What's that about.

And G saying they do not censor the core search results, just the ads, is like the liquor store owner refusing to put a beer ad in the window because somehow he/she sees advertising beer as wrong.

If Larry and Sergie didn't "do evil" by limiting the voting rights of future shareholders, the public may have had a bottom-line related say in G's forced morality. But Larry and Sergie DID evil for all the world to see.

Sorry AWA, but there is some disturbing hypocracy coming out of the plex and some are not pleased by it.

willybfriendly

5:10 am on Aug 6, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Beer shows no adwords, but wine does.

Wrong search. Look for "microbrew" and the ads show.

I think G is just trying to maintain the appearance of class :)

WBF

Syzygy

2:30 pm on Aug 11, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



because of the many factors involved, I'd suggest that you contact AdWords support.

I emailed them last Friday morning, requesting clarification. Am still waiting for a reply...

Normally adwords support is spot on, but they're taking their time on this one. I am the patient type however and will just continue to quietly curse them under my breath until the full week is up...;-)

Syzygy

Syzygy

11:05 am on Aug 12, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



OK, got a courteous reply from Support re my keyword phrase:

I was awaiting confirmation from our (Widget) Experts to clarify
that the keyword (Widget) is blocked at server level for the UK.

Right, so this means that this keyword - Widget - is banned in the UK. Thus my keyword phrase, which incorporate the word - Widget - and represents a global business sector, is also effectively banned.

However, this specific phrase can be used on adwords across every country in the EU and North America. Stuff and nonesense!

Censorship? Nanny State? I would like to know how this decision was reached.

Have thus emailed for further clarification as in a global marketplace this policy is far too parochial and anachronistic.

Syzygy

Syzygy

11:09 am on Aug 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Well, I'm impressed!

Just had confirmation from adwords support that the UK ban on the specific kw-phrase I wanted to use has now been lifted.

Whilst the word 'widget' is still blocked (and I have no problem with this) the term 'widget phrase' has, after careful consideration, been allowed. A sensible decision.

As has been stated here, making your case really can make a difference!

Syzygy

AdWordsAdvisor

5:24 pm on Aug 18, 2004 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Just had confirmation from adwords support that the UK ban on the specific kw-phrase I wanted to use has now been lifted.

...As has been stated here, making your case really can make a difference!

Man, I love it when things work out! Thanks for posting with a followup.

;) AWA