Forum Moderators: martinibuster
Is it against the google TOS to disable the back button
It's shure against politeness
"frame, minimize, remove or otherwise inhibit the full and complete display of any Web page accessed by an end user after clicking on any part of an Ad ("Advertiser Page") or any Google-hosted Web page that contains Ads and/or Search Results."
I would of thought it would be covered in that, its doesnt say it explicitly but I would maybe email Google and ask them to make sure.
I have run across a few like that and
#1. I DO NOT click any ads and
#2. I DO not ever visit that site again.
My way of getting away from a selfish webmaster trick like that is to go to the back button and click on the arrow, scroll down to a page of a DIFFERENT site and click, Hey, Hey, I'm gone and you're forgotten.
Just my input,
Ann
You really arn't a webmaster are you? Why bother calling it a site? One page per visitor and then trap them?
>>>>>>>edited to control my temper>>>>>>>
Crap made for adsense, Bah!
Ann
a 1 page site? they're going to leave regardless if you disable the back button or not.. do you expect them to stare at 1 page for 10 minutes?
What are your views.
If it were my site I would worry that this tactic would torque off a fellow webmaster so much that he (or she) would not only complain to Adsense, fill out a general spam report on this site to all the search engines, and take the time to hunt down your whois information and your back links and report anything wrong with every site in your network.
Just a guess. :)
Don't disable the back button.
More than likely some 40 year old living in his mother's basement will take a moral outrage at this huge injustice of not being able to click back and start messing with your business. There are a lot of losers out there.
I'd suggest just designing a compelling page with adverts in prime locations. You really get one chance for people to click through and to be honest I think if they make the decision to click back, you've already lost them regardless of whether they can click or not.
MG
PS, lack of knowledge may be a contributing factor to some of the less desirable parts of the web, but lack of tolerance and understanding are what's kiling it. Some of the responses in this thread have been shameful, highly unprofessional and more fitting to a schoolyard.
Even though your goal is apparently to make it so the only way to leave your page is to click a paid link I suspect that it will backfire badly on you.
It's very possible that some folks will be so upset by finding themselves in this trap that they will report you to Adsense and/or the advertizer whose page the end up on to get off your page.
Adsense is too good a tool for making money to waste the opportunity on such tactics.
Write content in such a manner that folks want to click the ads and you'll have a much better experience, and for a much longer time.
Some of the responses in this thread have been shameful, highly unprofessional and more fitting to a schoolyard.
from Adwords editorial guidelines:
<< Working Back Button
Links to your website must allow users to return to the Google search results page or ad network by clicking once on the browser's Back button. -->
Working Back Button* Links to your website must allow users to return to the Google search results page or ad network by clicking once on the browser's Back button.
As far as AdSense goes, piss off your visitors and they'll be less likely to click your ads.
What should happen is that google should ban that behaviour. Google sets the playing field and then we try to make money using those rules.
FORTUNATELY, google does ban it. According to their policies:
Site Functionality
Your site must not contain broken links and must be launched, functioning, and easily navigable.
Haha. So another adsense sleezy tactic is disallowed.
Clearly, a site with no navigation is not easily navigable!
added: jomaxx beat me to it!
They made it so you had to click the back button or the ads, if that thread wasn't the problem with your car you were seeking.
It took me several times at clicking the back button to realize what was happening. Needless to say, I was frustrated, sickened, and mad at the obvious abuse of the visitor.
I would advice any confused adsense publisher to give priority to the freedom of any user on their site, adsense will certainly flourish (just like any other business) if you are a good 'host'. Don't wait for google to set any moral guidelines for publishers or explore for any holes in the TOS with a microscope. Most of the TOS is based on common sense with one basic underlying principle: Keep everyone (google, publisher, user and advertiser) happy. If you can stick to this ONE principle, your sites can never be in violation of the TOS.
Perception of a webmaster and a web user are usually quite different. Put yourself in the shoes of a web user and think, it might help you to survive longer and perform better.
In IE right beside the big green back arrow is a small black arrow pointing down. Under this you can find a list of sites you came from. Scroll down and click on the one you want to go back to...simple.
How many regular surfers knows that?
No, if one has ANY webmaster skills they would know how to code in some navigation and be proud of their site. Not have a disconnected bunch of pages written around certain keywords to just put adsense on and snare a newbie.
Sheeeesh, gives the whole web a black eye.
Ann
- To most of the others, I respect your points of view, but it would be hard to explain without showing or explaining all my reasons, for why I would be considering this.
- What about generating a pop up or pop under page with no nav at all? Is that against the TOS if it has google adsense adds on it?
- Now being someone that likes to experiment I will put some nav buttons on one page and see what kind of result I get with adsense on this site.
This is not my only site, I have others (normal ones), I am just looking at ways of improving my financial return.
Lastly could I ask you all to consider this:
Is it a crime to ask a question?
Nobody knows everything, even though some people think they do, or feel that they are speaking for the whole of mankind. Oh but ofcourse they're right to assume that everyone in the world has the exact same opinion of every subjuct as they do.
I will continue to always ask questions, I will always seek answers because that is the only way we improve ourselves and our views.
Isn't that what this forum is for?
Ann
I'd suggest just designing a compelling page with adverts in prime locations. You really get one chance for people to click through and to be honest I think if they make the decision to click back, you've already lost them regardless of whether they can click or not.MG
PS, lack of knowledge may be a contributing factor to some of the less desirable parts of the web, but lack of tolerance and understanding are what's kiling it. Some of the responses in this thread have been shameful, highly unprofessional and more fitting to a schoolyard.
MarketingGuy,
I'm not sure I'm getting what you said here -> "but lack of tolerance and understanding are what's kiling it." so correct me if I misinterperted...
I'm not tolerant when someone sets a browser trap for me. Nor am I tolerant when someone tries to trick me in just about any other way.
If no one did anything about these tactics the internet would be in an even sadder state than it's in right now. Both of us would be probably working a day job.
K
- What about generating a pop up or pop under page with no nav at all? Is that against the TOS if it has google adsense adds on it?
Is that meant as a rhetorical question? Because it is VERY much against the T&C for AdSense.
May I suggest you read and digest the Terms and Conditions and THEN ask questions if something isn't clear.
Although forums *are* for asking questions, it is aggravating to regulars to be answering basic questions that are so easily answered yourself by a little study of the rules.
And no matter how rude Ann may have come across to you, she truly cares... as do most of us. We care (at the very least) about the AdSense program being around for a LONG time... and for individual webmasters not getting themselves banned -- unless they had it coming.
What I'm getting at is that maybe, just maybe, a "harsh" answer here will be a wake-up call for some to not make that fatal mistake that will get you banned.
Okay -- off my soapbox now. ;-)
