AdSense Ads showing based not on site content, but previous site?

This is seriously irritating.

[digitalv]

So I spent the last hour or so on a Jeep forum and went to another site which I run, a stock quote site, to look up a quote on a company. And what do I see on the page?

Jeep ads.

In fact, ALL FIVE ads - one graphical and four text - were related to Jeeps. Remember, I am looking at a page showing a Microsoft stock quote and recent press releases, on a site that I run AdSense on. It has nothing to do with Jeeps. But AdSense "knew" I was looking at Jeeps earlier and decided to show me Jeep ads on my stock site?

Seriously, #*$!? Since May, my traffic to this site has been UP and my AdSense revenue has been down. Is this why? Is it because instead of showing users ads that are relevant to my site's content - the content they searched for that landed them there - it's showing them ads relevant to whatever crap they were looking at BEFORE they came to my page?

AdSense is supposed to be displaying content-matched ads, but this clearly isn't the case. How do I disable this crap and force Google to show ads only based on my site's content like they've always done in the past?

[netmeg]

You can't.

[leadegroot]

Nope - there is no opt out from the (relatively) new Interest based Advertsing on Adsense.

[farmboy]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that content based ads would "override" or at least compete with interest based ads for placement. ?

As antecdotal evidence of this, I have also experienced ads on a topic I have researched following me around from site to site. But when I visit my own site, ads are totally on topic from a content perspective.

If a surfer is being "followed" by interest based ads, could that mean the interested based ads are a better moneymaker for that site than ads based on the site's content?


FarmBoy

[AndyA]

Guess what, digitalv?

You'll likely be seeing Jeep ads for weeks now. I visited a corporate site just to find out what the company was, and what it did. That was in June. As of yesterday, I was still seeing ads on AdSense for that corporate site.

The corporate site uses Google Analytics, and based on that, I'm seeing ads of no interest whatsoever to me! That's why so many are reporting clicks down. It has to be.

Keep track of how long you see the Jeep ads. It'll shock you!

[netmeg]

Yep, I saw Crocs ads for at least three or four days after I bought them. I never once clicked on any ads while originally looked either, just went to Amazon and Crocs. It's annoying alright. But useless to whine about it. (And my clicks are way up, so if it's because of this, annoy away)

[ken_b]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that content based ads would "override" or at least compete with interest based ads for placement. ?

About competing... from the Inside AdSense blog [adsense.blogspot.com]

Does this mean that my sites won't show ads relevant to my content anymore?
No, that's not the case -- interest-based ads won't replace the previous ad targeting options you're used to. Interest-based ads will compete in the same ad auction as contextually- and placement-targeted ads, and we'll continue to show only the ad(s) that will generate highest earnings for you. As noted above, interest-based ads will gradually become available to show on publisher pages, and with more available ads competing in the ad auction, you should see increased earnings over time.

[jetteroheller]

I made 2 short experiments with "interest targeted ads" and turned it off again, after the eranings had been lower

[cien]

Well, I turned it off to see if it makes any improvement. Will report back in a week or so.

[netmeg]

I don't think that does what you think it does.

[ecmedia]

I think it is pointless to take such steps based on experience of one user (you). The way the tech works is that no two users see the same ads anyway and G is always trying to maximize revenue for itself (and us) and their research shows that as much as you may dislike seeing certain types of ads, the vast majority of users want to see ads related to their interest in a given session.

[AndyA]

I think it is pointless to take such steps based on experience of one user (you). The way the tech works is that no two users see the same ads anyway and G is always trying to maximize revenue for itself (and us) and their research shows that as much as you may dislike seeing certain types of ads, the vast majority of users want to see ads related to their interest in a given session.

It is being tested by others as well now, with largely the same results. It's your opinion that the majority of users want to see ads related to their interest in a given session, but when that session ended weeks ago, chances are quite good that their interests have changed as well.

If a friend tells you they have some disgusting skin fungus, and you search to find out what it is, you likely don't want to see ads for fungus cream for the next month. That isn't interest based.

And in case you missed it, there are quite a few on here that aren't receiving the benefits of Google's attempts to "maximize revenue" lately, and many of them seem to think it began about the time they started seeing "interest based" (i.e., irrelevant) ads.

[Jane_Doe]

I'm still seeing ads everywhere I go on the web for a car I researched and bought months ago.

[peterdaly]

After I researched and bought a Nissan Altima last year...the ads were following me around for weeks.

[londrum]

you have to see it from google's point of view.

before, the only place they could show those jeep ads was on jeep sites. but now google can pretty much show them on any site they want, and burn through the jeepsters budget 10x quicker, upping their spend.

they've no longer got 1000 advertisers bidding on 10 places, taking money from the top 5. they've got 1000 advertisers bidding on 100000000 places, taking money from the whole lot.

[Captaffy]

You can NOT turn off the display of interest based ads on your sites. All who think you can are mistaken.
What you can do is turn off interest collection on your sites. That is, your site about green widgets will not cause the user to be plagued by green widget ads everywhere after visiting. This option is of little practical value.

Now, as for being plagued by the same ad everywhere- I log in to the large domain registrar sites a lot (for clients of mine) and for months now I pretty much only see ads for those registrars. It's ridiculous.

[netmeg]

I don't think it's going away. If the behavior targeted ads really aren't working for you, then maybe AdSense just isn't a good fit anymore.

Google's not in it to NOT make money, and we know they test things exhaustively (because we get pissed when they do it on our sites) So it must be working for some publishers, and it must be working for Google, or they wouldn't have turned it on.

[micklearn]

I was under the impression that you could turn IBA off, based on the language/words they use with regard to the available check boxes in one's AdSense account. The wording they use next to the check boxes seems to be very different from what they were a few months ago.

Before, I think one of the options was something like "do not use data from this site for IBA". Last time I looked (maybe a few weeks ago) that check box option had changed to something like "do not show IBA on this site". I am almost positive that I read words somewhat similar to those quoted above. I might get angry if they're bypassing that selected option in some way.

[digitalv]

You would think that with the majority (at least from what I've observed) complaining that ad revenue is down that this notion of displaying ads based on previous topics isn't working.

I mean think about it... if I leave the Jeep site, it means I'm done looking at/talking about Jeeps. I've moved on to stock quotes... so why are you still showing me Jeep-related ads? I just left there. Show me stuff about the new topic I'm looking at.

I hope they create a way to turn this off for my sites, because this particular stock site was doing very well up until a couple of months ago and the revenue has been getting lower and lower each month, now half of what it was in March/April, and my traffic has gone up since the May update. This site was very consistent, the monthly payouts were relatively the same - literally a difference of $20 to $30 on a month to month basis - up until recently. About half of that site's traffic is repeat too, from the same people visiting several times per day. I can't think of other reason why the ad revenue would drop so significantly with all other factors the same other than the ads are no longer as targeted as they were.

[netmeg]

Well the choices I see are:

Show ads based on user interest categories. Visitation information from my sites may be used to help create interest categories.

and

Do not show ads based on user interest categories. Visitation information from my sites will not be used to help create interest categories.

That would *imply* that maybe you can turn it off. But who ever knows with Google. Turn it off if you think that's what's causing your problems; I'll be surprised but happy for you if it actually fixes anything.

[farmboy]

You would think that with the majority (at least from what I've observed) complaining that ad revenue is down that this notion of displaying ads based on previous topics isn't working.

As with other topics related to AdSense, the fact that the majority of publishers commenting here are complaining does not mean the majority of publishers are experiencing lower revenue - or that the lower revenue anyone is experiencing is related to interest based ads.


FarmBoy

[AndyA]

As with other topics related to AdSense, the fact that the majority of publishers commenting here are complaining does not mean the majority of publishers are experiencing lower revenue - or that the lower revenue anyone is experiencing is related to interest based ads.

Nor does it prove that the lower revenue isn't related to interest based ads. Sometimes two events that happen at the same time (interest based ads + lower revenue) are just a coincidence.

But often they're not.

[farmboy]

Sometimes two events that happen at the same time (interest based ads + lower revenue) are just a coincidence.

But often they're not.

My revenue is up since the introduction of interest based ads. So if often those two things are not a coincidence, then interest based ads must be the reason my revenue is up.

Of course, someone else could claim the opposite.

And this could go 'round and 'round.

My point in my previous post was to again point out that unhappy people are more likely to post about something, thus giving the impression that they hold a majority.

And my second point was to repeat what we've discussed here previously. There have been many times when a decline was assumed to be whatever the reason of the day happened to be at the time... right now it's interest based ads, in the past it's been MFA's, ad blindness, lack of ad inventory, AdSense keeping more of the revenue than in the past, etc. - whatever someone wanted to grasp hold of at the time.

Soon enough this interest based ads concern will pass and something else will be the evil of the day.

FarmBoy

[micklearn]

@netmeg

That would *imply* that maybe you can turn it off. But who ever knows with Google. Turn it off if you think that's what's causing your problems; I'll be surprised but happy for you if it actually fixes anything.

Thanks for showing the exact text that is next to the checkboxes. I was too tired to do so when I posted... But, doesn't this mean more than *imply*:

"Do not show ads based on user interest categories." I view that as a concrete statement and an agreement when I checked that box months ago.

If they aren't respecting that checkbox, why do they even offer the option in the first place? Are you suggesting that there is a coding problem and/or sites are being given a stiff arm, no matter what option they selected?

[Jane_Doe]

There are so many variable with Adsense it is difficult to pinpoint any specific cause for revenue changes - serps fluctuate, advertisers come and go, advertisers try out different ads, we can't easily see the regional ads that people with ISPs in different locations see, etc.

I know for sure the belly fat ads were wreaking havoc on my sites because of the dramatic income rise whenever I blocked them, but few other variables have been as easy to isolate.

[netmeg]

I'm not suggesting anything. Google is deliberately ambiguous about a lot of AdSense statements because there are tons of peoples - entire networks - working 24/7 trying to scam the system, and the least little thing they let drop immediately gets hashed out and analyzed to see if there's any way to use it as an exploit.

I don't fiddle with the dials anymore, it's a zero sum game. Nothing I can do (other than the quality and focus of my content) can make a whole lot of difference, and even if it did, I wouldn't be able to tell exactly what anyway. I rarely even add anyone to the filter anymore. And I've already doubled my best year ever (and it's still only July) Plus I get a lot more sleep.

YMMV.

[digitalv]

Google is deliberately ambiguous about a lot of AdSense statements because there are tons of peoples - entire networks - working 24/7 trying to scam the system

That statement right there is probably the root of the #*$! in AdSense. How many people have gone out and started a content-based site designed only to harvest ad revenue, simply because they know the topic of that site has either a high click-through rate or high-paying ads?

This method of showing ads based on visitor history instead of on-site content does a good job of preventing that, but at what cost? My stock site (which shows quotes for all stocks, but the content focuses on penny stocks - OTC's and Pink Sheets) had tons of good ads that enticed people to click (all of those "make money" type ads that we all hate appeared on that site, but because it was a penny stock audience they were perfect and I had very high click rates). Now it's dropped off big time - less than half of what it was making before while traffic levels are the same.

My site's problem is that most people visit at the end of the day when the market closes, so they've had a whole day of surfing the web built up for Google to history-match them. The ads relevant to my stock site - that they are VERY likely to click when visiting - just aren't showing up as much.

I really wish there was a better alternative to AdSense out there.