I've got mail

yes, the mail everyone is scared of

[Kolb]

Hi,

I'm using Google AdSense for about 1 year now. Very succesfull for me, great support etc. It really helps me to keep the site up. The revenue is not that much because it's a non content site.

So i submitted my site last year and got accepted, great. Now a year later and no significant changes to the website I got an email of the Google team, they reviewed my site again and they think i'm violating there Terms and conditions. Nothing on the website changed, I believe I uploaded +/- 5 or 6 pages the last year. They ask me to remove the AdSense code from al non-content pages. But why was I accepted anyway last year, back then the site was just the same as now.
My site is even mentioned in the FAQ of Googles (Blogger) website.

If I sent them an email saying that I would like to know why now and not last year, would that be "rude", like rude enough to kick me out? Or should i just remove the code from every single page and search for other income.

Thanks,

Niels

Edit: I would like to mention AdSense is showing targetted ads, so it's not like there are always PSA

[alika]

This is an indication that G is starting to change its acceptance policy. What was ok a year ago is now receiving a second look, and deemed unacceptable to the program. This is really good news.

Kolb -- do you think you can add more content to your site and see if G will now allow Adsense to run on those pages?

[freeflight2]

can you still log into the control panel? did they send a warning or a termination?

[Nikke]

But your account didn't get cancelled, did it?

I went through almost the same for a bi-lingual site before Swedish was accepted as an AdSense language. Some pages where in mixed languages, and when somebody reviewed the site, AdSense support asked me to remove the AdSense code from all of the site.

I pointed out that the site had been bilingual all along, and that it was the rules that had changed.
AS support apolegized for wrongly accepting my site in the first place, so...

I removed the AS code, and after Swedish was accepted as a language, asked politely, and got approval for reinstating the code.

If I where you I would do as they say, and maybe, either start another site or, as previously suggested, add some content.

<added>Welcome to WebmasterWorld!</added>

[Kolb]

Thanks for the replies. It was a warning.

I'm just going to delete all the code on the non-content pages. Then mail Google to ask why, and then i'll see what happens.

Time to search for some alternatives. Damn this is so sad, that was my number one site. Too bad.

[hunderdown]

If you are supposed to remove AdSense from "all non-content pages," but not from ALL pages, I'm not sure I see a big problem. How many pages are non-content pages? Most of the pages on your site can't be non-content pages, can they? Or can they?

Or is the problem that Google didn't make clear which pages they regard as non-content? If so, I would just ask them.

[alika]

The revenue is not that much because it's a non content site.

I think the poster knows which pages are non-content (hopefully not all).

What sets this email apart from the other "dreaded emails" is that it does not pertain to invalid clicks, but for lack of content. It means that G is starting to raise the quality of their publisher network. Is this the end of "made for adsense" spam sites?

[cyberair]

I don't think this is new. To my understanding, Google never allowed AS in pages with very little or no content. This doesn't mean that he will lose his income or his account. Therefore, what is so scary about it? It would have been scary, if they had kicked him out of the program for it.

[alika]

cyberair -- read his post carefully. Kolb was accepted LAST YEAR. He has been running Adsense on a "non-content" site for a year now. But now, he got the email from G telling him to remove his codes. So he is asking why is G doing this to him only now, when he was accepted a YEAR AGO.

So this is a change. A significant change in policy.

[foxtunes]

Remove the code and comply with their request then reply. You've been in the program for a year and despite asking you to remove the code your account is still in good standing, or you wouldn't be able to log in. A courteous response should get a reply.

[cyberair]

I thought that the site had some pages with content.

If his site is entirely non-content, then how did he get accepted in the first place, when it has always been a policy that the page where AS appears has to have content?

[alika]

It may be one of two things:

1 - G was lax in accepting sites a year ago. They were motivated by expanding their publisher network quickly, with quality compromised. Hence, even a non-content site was accepted.

2 - He may have used another site (with content) when he applied. Once accepted, he was able to put the codes in this non-content site.

[Kolb]

Hi all,

The website i'm talking about has around 90% non-content pages (around 15 pages are content pages). And that was 90% one year ago too. My site is in the entertainement category. And this was the site from wich i signed up with Google AdSense.

I deleted the code on the non-content pages. But I just noticed that on all the content pages AdSense is showing PSA's. Have they blocked my account from showing ads? I can still login though.

Guess I'm gonna email Google.

Thanks everybody

[Gandhalf]

maybe it's a dumb question but...what exactly is a non-content page? Like a forum or something? Or a page with just links? Or just images?

[howiejs]

I second the above question "what is a non content page" - registration page? thank you page?

[Kolb]

According to there email, non content pages are pages which might include an error, opt-out, welcome, or pop-up pages.

In my case pages with images.

[Jenstar]

Other people have gotten no content warnings before. AdSense will remain quite happy with you if you just remove it from the pages they are concerned with. No reason to be really alarmed, unless you don't remove the javascript from those pages ;)

[btas2]

You have not (yet) received the dreaded email. All you have is a request to remove some pages that clearly violate the TOS. The fact you weren't asked to remove then earlier just means you've been lucky. You don't get nailed for speeding everytime you drive above 55mph either.

I once got email just like yours. What I did was modify the page in question and send AdSense a polite and prompt reply asking them to review the new page and let me know if it was OK. They said it was fine.

So just do it, don't complain, or the next letter you get WILL the the DREADED "you've been booted out" one.

[wellzy]

There are many pages that are considered non-content. A lot of affiliate pages (like on my site) are mostly product and little content. I would not be surprised to get this same e-mail myself sooner or later.

wellzy

[bhartzer]

In my case pages with images

I'm surprised. Last year image galleries weren't ok, but I heard that they are OK now as long as Google can identify what the page is about.

They say non-content pages go, wouldn't it be better to add content to your image pages rather and keep the Adsense code rather than taking the Adsense code off of them?

After all, it might be a pain and take some time to do, but if a picture is worth a thousand words then you certainly should be able to add a few words to those picture pages to make them "have content".

[brianng]

What if you add a place for people to make comments about the image and display the comments. Will it consider as a content page?

[europeforvisitors]

What if you add a place for people to make comments about the image and display the comments. Will it consider as a content page?

Even if people actually made comments (most people won't bother), the comments wouldn't necessarily help the Mediapartnerbot determine what the page was about. That's probably why Google wants text content on pages.

[markus007]

This is no big deal... I got the same email a few months ago, when i had placed ads on a page that only had 3 sentances of text. I removed adsense from those pages and google was happy.

[Kolb]

Hey,

Adding a form where users can add comment is well, quite useless, imho. For my site then, I don't know if i can mention the topic of my site, but the images are "emoticons".

And as I said, AdSense is showing correct and relevant ads. But thanks everyone for your replies and welcome messages. I appreciate it.

Niels K.