Rejected by AdSense program

Unnacceptable content?

[dickbaker]

Over the weekend I decided to apply to AdSense, after holding off for a few months while my site built traffic. I had planed on putting the ads only on "news" pages on my site, which constitute a small portion of the total number of pages.

I was surprised to get an email saying the site had been rejected because of "unacceptable content." My site involves guns (I hope I'm allowed to say that on this forum). It doesn't promote violence, hatred, overthrow of the government, or any other crazy stuff. It's a site where people can find stores, and find information about various models.

The site also has a classifieds section.

I've read and re-read the "unacceptable content" requirements for AdSense, and cannot make any sense of their decision.

Can someone here explain this to me?

[Jenstar]

Adwords does not allow any firearm or gun advertisers, so this is probably why you weren't accepted as a publisher.

[HughMungus]

This is weird. A google search for "gun", "guns", "rifle", or "shotgun" turns up no ads -- so I figured that sites about guns wouldn't have any ads to run which is why you might have gotten the notice.

But a search for "handguns" DOES bring up ads (for things from shopping.com to Handguns magazine to body armor).

Maybe they forgot "handguns" in the filter.

[novice]

"Maybe they forgot "handguns" in the filter."

There are ads for handguns but none for hand guns. Same with firearms and fire arms.

[Galtego]

The kind of AdSense ad I see most often (when ads do display) on gun-related pages that carry AdSense is for gun cases. To see the ads in search one needs to search for the combined form such as guncase, riflecase, or shotguncase. But for most pages, gun is a kill word for AdSense, unless it is softened by air, paint, potato, or water.

[IanTurner]

Guns = Adult content - as only adults are legally entitled to buy guns.

In a global context US gun laws are very liberal, so I can understand why Google errs on the side of caution in this area.

[Jenstar]

But for most pages, gun is a kill word for AdSense, unless it is softened by air, paint, potato, or water.

Thank you for that observation, I know some publishers are having problems with the stop filters with guns (such as paintball or air guns).

[figment88]

I have a movie site and the word "gun" pops up in a number of reviews. About half seem to only get psa's and the other half get targetted John Wayne ads or something.

I wonder if the kill-word has to be within the first part of the page or something.

[howiejs]

"I wonder if the kill-word has to be within the first part of the page or something."

Maybe ONCE on the page stops the ads?

[paybacksa]

Maybe one day our society (US) won't be so afraid to deal in what they are calling "adult content". After all, of the billions of people out there, most are adults, no?

Alcohol, tobacco, guns, gambling... how about voting and politics? They're "adult" too, no?

[dickbaker]

Thanks, everyone, for the clarification. This thread could easily dissolve into disputes over the issue of guns, and thus get ugly.

Instead, I'll take my site to affiliate programs that do not equate guns or gun owners with child molesters.

For those too young to have read George Orwell, Ayn Rand, or Aldous Huxley, I would recommend doing so.

In the meantime, I'll be checking the Advertising Affiliates forum for the best alternatives to AdSense.

Good luck to all.