Why So Many AdSense Ads for Google Products?

Why does Google do this?

[eek2121]

2,000 pageviews. Not a single click. Usually i have at least a dozen. I go to my website in incognito and see nothing but Google ads filling the slots. Ads for stuff like Google Glass and Android Wear. Stuff my users are never going to click on. I tried an ec2 instance on the west coast, same type of deal. Adwords, Google Glass, etc.

[eeek]

Have you tried blocking google.com?

[eek2121]

I promptly did earlier, though it hasn't helped as of yet. Also tried using the Google Publisher Toolbar to doublecheck the URL, it only shows dashes (--) under the url. I'm assuming all the advertisers must be out of money or something. It sucks at any rate.

[tangor]

There's no contract to provide clicks. (sigh) Just is what it is.

What have you done to change things?

[piatkow]

First thing to look at is the content. It sounds as if your site just doesn't contain the keywords that advertisers are bidding on at the moment.

[martinibuster]

>>>doesn't contain the keywords that advertisers are bidding on

I agree. Take it as a sign to do some homework for improving your site. The problem isn't Google doing something to you. The problem begins and ends at your site content/niche first, technical issues secondly. It always does.

A good way to analyze your content for profitability is to do a Google search using the actual keywords used to reach your pages and review how many ads are displayed in the regular Google search.

Another way to do it is sign up for an affiliate account at CJ or ShareASale and find programs that will convert based on your content. Take a look at the percentages paid out. If the percentages are low then the profitability is razor thin for advertisers, money is tight. Electronics can be this way, for example. If percentages are high then profitability is high but actual buyers might be low. Compound that with an excess of affiliates attracted by the high profits then you could get good ad clicks but there's probably a glut depressing the market. Mesothelioma is an extreme example of that. Somewhere in the middle are the sweet spots for affiliate/adsense work.

Good luck.

[frankleeceo]

Make sure that you did not turn off interest based ads. Sometimes when your content isn't that great for adsense contextual advertising, interest based ads can provide much better earning.

What I notice is that google place your site into particular categories and serve more of the ads from the same category. Maybe your site got lumped with the "talk about google" category.

I observed during my early stages of websites I got alot of those google related product showing too, until way much later where my sites start showing my niche categories more often than not.

[eek2121]

Thanks for the input guys. I haven't touched touched anything about my website in the past 3 days. Now approaching 5000 uniques (6000 page views) and no clicks. This is after 2-3 years of this site having adsense and getting clicks every day. FYI the niche isn't related to buying, but rather learning a unique subject where there isn't much competition. I have invested hundreds of hours in writing unique articles and I'm worried something may be brewing with my Adsense Account.

[martinibuster]

>>>learning a unique subject where there isn't much competition.

Why do you think there isn't much competition? Is the barrier to entry set too high or is the financial incentive too low?

In this unique subject, are there any books, videos, gear associated with becoming knowledgeable or proficient?

[eek2121]

martinibuster, sorry for the lack of response. Traffic and clicks have never been an issue for me. I had those 2 days with absolutely no clicks (usually have 15-25)...woke up the next day and had 10 clicks. Ended the day with 27. It's been normal ever since. It's almost like Google stopped recognising clicks for those 2 days. I find it very hard to believe that there was a 100% drop off when everything about analytics says the traffic was exactly the same. Same countries, same percentages, same articles, same languages, etc.

[tangor]

I think some of us just track the metrics too closely, ie. minute by minute. Expecting instant results, bemoaning anything that appears outlier... The "take a deep breath and wait a few..." advice does not seem to fly... yet is the only good advice to share.

Any CHANGE perceived, my opinion, needs to last 30 days at a minimum.

Why? Databases update at different times. G, for example is HUGE, and might have cascading updates (by country/continent, etc.) and eager beavers hanging on every 10 minutes report will be sent into a tizzy.

[RedBar]

Honestly I don't think it matters what a publisher "tries" to do to supposedly "influence" G's systems ... it doesn't matter or change.

I've had everything off, everything on, all the bits inbetween, it makes no freakin' difference ... Google ends up serving whatever it wants to, all those supposed knobs and dials we have do SFA!

The biggest problem I see on my sites are the repetition on page after page after page, mostly in at least two slots, of the same advertisement, it's worse than IBAs, it's like having a paper magazine and every time one turns the page the same, damned annoying ad is there!

That is not SUBTLE, subliminal marketing, that is arrogantly stupid Google!

Listen G, I realise that "you" believe that you are placing the best-paying ad there however maybe, just maybe, someone may just be waiting for a different, lower paying ad for a product that YOU have absolutely no idea that they were looking for!

Just because an advertiser is prepared to pay MORE does not necessarily make their product(s) the BEST match.

Honestly, give me 1000 clicks at 10 cents rather than 100 at 20 cents! I want diversification of my niche ads, I used to have them, where are they now?

[eek2121]

This ad is haunting my ad slots ignore the green overlay, due to Google Publisher Toolbar:

It has no url. I don't dare click it. it plays an annoying video animation that a couple of users have actually complained about. It's been on my site the past 3 months on and off. I doubt it's gotten any clicks for my demographic.

I tried banning youtube.com, google.com, etc. No luck. Any ideas?

edit: nevermind, can't post urls. It's a youtube ad.

[netmeg]

I would take a screenshot of it, and I would right click on it to get the full URL and send it into AdSense support and ask them to block it for me. If it were I.