How Often Do You Go Through Ad Review? Block Ads?

adsense,blocking ads

[Frost_Angel]

I don't really go to the Allow & Block ads section of my adsense account often. If ever really.

I do block domains here and there when I see them served on my site and feel they aren't a good fit.

I'm wondering, is it worth the time to go through all those ad previews and block stuff?

How often should this be done? I assume it helps boost earnings - but wondering if it's worth the time and trouble.

Thanks.

[icedowl]

Recently I blocked several of the "sensitive" categories and that really has helped a ton. Once or twice a month I take a look at the ads that have been shown and most are a good fit.

[Frost_Angel]

I just went through all my ads in the all/block preview and found about 25 of them that were not even remotely related to my site - so I deleted them. My earnings immediately started going up.

So I guess it's good to check it now and then.

[Chapman]

I go through Ad Review at least every couple of days using the Netmeg recommended procedure of progressing through them using the 1, 3 and then 7 day filters.

I find ~50-150 new ads every time I do a review and block all but a handful each time because they are in Chinese, Russian, spammy, are poorly worded/designed, have phone numbers and/or, of course, are totally off target.

This is also on top of having all sensitive categories turned off and blocking all of the 50 categories allowed in General Categories as an attempt to limit what actually does land in Ad Review.

At least every week or two I also try to go through every ad to find those offenders that have snuck through cracks. Often, this can mean going through as many as 500-1000 ads. I feel it's worth the time.

When I don't do this, the effect on CTR is immediately apparent. As every page view is a click opportunity, even well targeted ads may not directly appeal to that particular visitor but totally off based ads are very unlikely to have any appeal at all.

[Frost_Angel]

@Chapman

Thanks for your input. This is very helpful - I'm going to do the same! I was on the fence whether I should invest time in it - but it seems like I definitely should!

[1script]

Never did it in 10 years with AdSense. In fact the review center is a by-request feature, so I've just requested it for the first time.

There's still a question in my mind though: AdSense is supposed to be an intelligent system that optimizes ad serving for you (and for G, of course). So, wouldn't too much of manual input actually hinder the optimization algo rather than help it?

Also, presumably that does nothing to interest-based ads, right? So, is the review only effective with interest-based ads OFF (which I don't even know for sure if it's possible to turn off anymore)?

[Chapman]

@1script

If after reviewing 60 some ads I only keep 6, it would seem to me that the intelligence in the Google ad selection algorithm is somewhat suspect. If I don't block those other 54 ads, I WILL see them on both local and remote computers and I have to suspect my visitors will as well.

My sites all serve a niche revolving around art history - if the ads aren't about art... they're gone. It's the only reason people come to visit. Ads about house painting, powder coat systems, wedding portraits (while having legitimate value) are likely not what will interest my visitors.

And it is also with that in mind, that I try to minimize interest based ads as much as possible. Event sites like Meg's can easily be enhanced with IBAs but it doesn't work the same for mine.

While I'm not sure that shutting off IBAs in Ad Serving is completely effective, my stats do show fewer are served than when they're enabled. And yes, Ad Review has no connection to IBAs as far as I can tell - can't imagine how it could.

[buckworks]

I have a reminder in my to-do list to go through the Ad Review once a month. That's about right for the sectors I play in.

Ad Review is a task that can easily be forgotten, so I need the reminder, but it's definitely worth doing from time to time.

[1script]

I'm curious: is the "Ad review center" page getting populated by new ads as they are added to AdWords? I've enabled the feature but the page is empty - so I guess nothing to review. So, is "once a month" frequency a function of the rate with which this list is getting populated?

[martinibuster]

If I see an annoying ad all over the Internet then start seeing it on my sites, then I will act to block it.

[Chapman]

@1script

As with many other facets of AdSense, you have to give it time. As I recall when I enabled it, there was a day or so delay before I had anything to review.

[Play_Bach]

Never.

[piatkow]

If I get a slump in takings I have a look at what is being displayed and block anything that looks grossly off topic. Sometimes that works, sometime it doesn't.

[IanCP]

Rarely. Why? The last time was about five years ago [I think] and I'm not going to devote hours in the day going through thousands of ads. Pointless.

[denisl]

Unless I am missing something, they still don't tell which site they are appearing on. So with a range of different subject matters in my sites, I can't always tell if the ads are relevant or not.

[Chapman]

@denisl

While that's true, the Google targeting algorithm does an amazingly good job of selecting from my ad inventory.

Along with my art sites, in the same account, I have a couple of smaller sites devoted to wine. When I use Ad Review, I simply allow both types of ads to remain in the inventory and Google shows the wine ads on the wine sites and art ads on the art sites.

Since there are many more ads relating to art, there are times when art ads are shown on the wine sites but I've never seen wine ads on the art sites. Works well enough for me! YMMV

My primary concern if that the inventory is not polluted. The sites are designed such that targeted ads appear to be appropriate collateral material. If the ads are severely off base they look like... ads.

[Frost_Angel]

Today I see this "scorecard" section on my adsense dashboard. I'm sure that basically it's going to tell me to add more adsense to my site... lol

[m0thman]

I go through my ads now and again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, haven't done for a long time though - and it's about time I ddi as CTR is down.

[edited by: m0thman at 8:47 am (utc) on Jun 27, 2013]

[m0thman]

Noticing a lot of those "you could be owed..." refund type ads and CTR is really poor. Anyone blocking these?

Also, does anyone check what category advertisers put their ads in - is it possible for publishers to tell?