Auto ads- I WANT OUT!

How Do I Get Out?

[Sally Stitts]

Once again, I trusted Google's advice.
Once again, big mistake.
Five ad blocks per page, ALL THE SAME, WAY bigger than they should be.
Performance is terrible.

Since I hand code, and have no CMS, I am searching all my pages to try and determine just where I placed all the auto code.

Issue # 1 - In reports, all I can see is "Automatically inserted Auto ad code", but it doesn't say WHERE?
Is there some way to see WHERE? This would be IMMENSELY helpful, but I don't know how to do it.
Are we denied that data? WHY?

I want to return back to 100% hard-wired 300x250 ad code, EVERYWHERE.
I don't want to see "Automatically inserted Auto ad code" EVER AGAIN.

Issue # 2 - The Responsive ad code has the line in it, " data-ad-format="auto"

AND, it also contains the line " data-full-width-responsive="true", which has got to go,
because it blows right out of the specified container.
So, apparently, I must replace ALL my "Responsive" ad code, to get rid of all the "auto" ad placements.
I'm glad I saved all my 300x250 ad code, But they will probably just ignore and overwrite it.

Suggestions?

Thank you in advance.

Let me reiterate.
I went from an average of $500/day throughout 2013, to $3/day today,
after vastly improving my site, and jumping through all the Google hoops, mobile, https, etc.
What used to be fun, has turned into a nightmare.
The little guy has been deprecated by Google, with a jackboot to the throat.
My Google traffic has been WIPED OUT!
And, to add insult to injury, we are now blessed with "auto-cr@p".

[levo]

I don't get any auto ads. Did you turned it off in Ads > Overview? The support page states that you can "Turn this option off if you don't want show Auto ads on your site."

[support.google.com...]

[JorgeV]

Hello-

I do not yet have the "new" Auto-ads, but, I just enabled Anchor ads and, so far, Adsense is respecting this setting, and not showing display or in-feed ads.

[Sally Stitts]

@levo -
Under Ads> Overview> Auto ads> Auto ads Global settings>
It says "No formats have been enabled".
When I click on "Change your global settings", it shows EVERY format turned off, including, in order, -
1. Display ads, 2. In-feed ads, 3. In-article ads, 4. Matched content, 5. Anchor ads and 6. Vignette ads,
with the "Automatically get new formats" box left unchecked.
BUT I still get 10-15% "Automatically inserted Auto ad code".

So, where are they coming from?
Are they coming from the "Responsive ad code", as I mentioned above, IN SPITE of turning off all of them in the "Auto ads Global settings"?
Looks like it to me.
The only way to tell for sure, is for me to replace ALL my new "Responsive" code with my old hard-wired 300x250 ad code.
That will take some time, but I will do it ASAP, never again to be suckered into junk.

I might add that when I made a ton of money back in the day, it was with 100% 250x250 ads, which was NEVER encouraged, and was highly advised AGAINST!
One thing one learns, after 16 years, is to take a grain of salt with EVERY Google advice. It is ALWAYS designed to help Google, NOT you!
.

[JorgeV]

In the lab section, I think there i also an option to let Adsense experiment with auto ads; may be it's turned on.

I might add that when I made a ton of money back in the day,

It doesn't mean, that what was successful 6 years ago, would still perform the same "today".

[levo]

I no longer have a Global Settings section, and I don't have any labs options. Here is the new(?) Overview page

[i.imgur.com...]

and the new auto ads preview & settings page.

[i.imgur.com...]

[Sally Stitts]

@JorgeV
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Right on. I turned that sucker off in a nanosecond.
I though they had said that they were shutting down "labs". Apparently, not completely.

@levo
Try as I might, I cannot find anything that says "Auto ads Overview".

I can't find "Auto ads preview", either. And I've been doing this for 16 years.

The complexity of this stuff is getting to be over-the-top. How do people cope?
I can't, and won't. I'd rather leave, than deal with all the intentional, double-speak, confusing head-spinning.
Google motto - "Just spin 'em like tops. Never be pinned down. That's the best approach." Sure.

What's the difference? They aren't going to pay me anything, anyway.
.

[JorgeV]

Hello-

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Right on. I turned that sucker off in a nanosecond.

You are welcome.

I though they had said that they were shutting down "labs". Apparently, not completely.

It might be progressive.

Try as I might, I cannot find anything that says "Auto ads Overview".

It might be because your account was not, yet, switched to the "new" Auto-ads. Which might also explains why you still had the lab experimental feature turned on.

The complexity of this stuff is getting to be over-the-top. How do people cope?

I think that the idea is to make it fully automatic, and people having no longer anything to do, to manage their ads. and focus on developing content (that's the utopia idea).

[guarriman3]

@Sally.

I went from an average of $500/day throughout 2013, to $3/day today,
after vastly improving my site, and jumping through all the Google hoops, mobile, https, etc.

That's my experience, as well. I'm spending a lot of my time for improving the contents for the users (and for the quality of the Google results, since users are finding the right data), for fitting my pages to AMP requirements, for making them mobile-friendly, even I also included https.

And the RPM of the pages has been dropping year after year. Initially the code was very simple to use, but I had to modify it for adapting to mobile formats, etc.

Last week, I decided to serve 100% of my ads throug Adsense Auto Ads, and the RPM was even worse, with a drop of 15%. Big and intrusive ads are shown, and the revenues are even lower. I do not know if I should let Google to train its algorithms, in order to know which sizes/placements are the best ones.

My aim was forgetting about the ads code/placements, and let Google algorithms work for me. But I'm not sure about my decision.

Thank you.

[Sally Stitts]

You're welcome. I understand.
I'm getting pretty "testy and vocal" over this on my web pages. I have always been very vocal.

I have always wondered if there is a component of the algorithm, which "swats bugs".
Talk bad about Google, and you get sprayed. If you were Google, would you do it?
I think they might. I think they have.
But why care, when there is nothing you can do, but suck up. I'm DONE sucking up.

Google started out totally awesome, and I promoted them heavily starting in 2003.
Then, in about 2013, the bean counters took over, and OUR downfall began.
Now, they are huge pile of p00p, in EVERY SINGLE area. The SERPs are pure rot. I can easily prove it, and HAVE.
Each person has his own boot-squishing threshold. I've reached mine.
Life is tough, and then you die. But first, you abandon the big G.
.

[Sally Stitts]

Just a little update.
I was getting upwards of 10% auto ads.
It is now pretty steady at 1%, so I am having success.
I am still looking for 100% success.
It's a game now, to keep them from doing what I DON'T want - dumping crud on my head, in spite of my wishes.

How the mighty have fallen. Smells like desperation to me. They used to be great!
The unbridled demand for ever-increasing profits will be the downfall of this company.
Destroying their previously great SERPs, for the purpose of grabbing every penny.
Bean counters are the antithesis of the brilliant Brin and Page innovation.

Apparently, Google ruination is being caused by too much success.
And there is nobody there clever enough to fix it. Just, let her go down. Blinded by greed.
.

[Webwork]

Just wondering out loud (out text?) if you used cPanel's (or its equivalent) ~"file -> search (for strings)" function as a means of tracking down any remaining code embeds?

I find the cP file search utility to be a helpful ally.

[Sally Stitts]

@Webwork
I'm just an old retired hardware engineer. I don't use cPanel, or anything like it. I am not a programmer or coder, just a little self-taught HTML
I don't use a CMS, every page is individually crafted. That makes it hard for me to keep up, in this century. I am at an extreme tech disadvantage.
I tried to learn CSS, but I gave up. I couldn't understand a darn thing.

I keep finding "remaining code embeds", but only by accident and faulty memory. Eventually, I will kill them all off.
But now, it looks like it won't make any difference. It appears they are going to jam auto-ads everywhere, no matter what.
It was great while it lasted (prior to 2014). But, you know what the definition of insanity is - repeating the same behavior, and expecting different results.

Anyway, thank you for the suggestion.

I must rid myself of thinking "Keep hope alive". It just ain't agunna happen.
I must seek new ways of occupying my time, which just might make me a few dollars.
Cheers.
.

[tangor]

@Sally Stitts ... please don't hold back. Tell us what you really think!

G is reaching maturation, end-game, monopoly and thus are refining their "offer" and mechanics behind such and are no longer beholden to webmaster good will to grow their business. They have become "the elephant in the room" of advertising. FB has their similar path and the remaining "majors" are also headed in this direction.

Never was about the webmaster making money ... always about g's bottom line, and the use of "free" as a leverage to get folks to play.

THAT SAID, g does remain the most successful to the "ad agency" companies out there and some will make "just enough" to keep playing for some time to come.

As for new ways, do consider direct advertising ... though that is more work and time than any "cut and paste" solution.

[Sally Stitts]

... and some will make "just enough" to keep playing for some time to come.

Yeah, idiots like me. I just hit $8 for today.
I wonder if it will be there tomorrow morning. Perhaps half of it. Jaded? Faded? Yeah, that's me.
.

[tangor]

You play the game ... or change the game. Don't know what else to say!

[Sally Stitts]

I AM changing the game.
As G has been giving me the slow roll of degradation (Links, Ranking, Traffic) over the last few years, I am reciprocating in kind.
I am giving THEM the slow roll, and phasing THEM out.
I used to love the game, now I freaking HATE it.
There is NO LIMIT to the negative feedback I am able to heap upon the Gorg, but who will now see it?
But it is the only thing that I can do to get some satisfaction, now that the money is gone.

I try to be a positive person in all things in life, but hey, not on THIS subject.
A spade IS a d@mned spade.
Hiding from the truth by denying it, is counter-productive, and damaging to one's self-esteem and mental health.

G says I'M OFF. I say, hey baby, pot-kettle. I have NO DOUBT about my position on this matter.
I followed all their rules for years, which today, has resulted in them deeming me as worthless garbage.
So, there.
.

[tangor]

Well ... $8/day is about $2900 a year ... should cover most host and registrar expenses---and a meal for one at Mickey D once a month (no fries with that).

What's not to like for cut-and-paste free stuff? :)

.

[skaterpunk]

I followed all their rules for years, which today, has resulted in them deeming me as worthless garbage.

This sounds no different than how people feel when they have been let go from a job. And, for me, that's how I eventually looked at the current failure of my website project. This was a job loss and I eventually I had to find a new job.

[IanCP]

I decided I would look into this Ads> Overview>... All I got was a Pop Up masking thingy covering most of the screen with.

Grow your earnings with Auto ads

You can't kill it. If you follow the arrows you only get the option to...

GET STARTED

As if - I just left it alone. As long as AdSense still pay the bills, plus coffees, some pizza...

[thecoalman]

Wasn't aware of these changes and over the weekend they were implemented on my site. Went from one ad up to 5 ads. On a desktop I was getting giant ads something like 1000px * 400px (estimated). Some of them appearing randomly in forum posts, one had post tools icons like edit, quote etc floating over it. If I did that I'd be getting warning from them, would have been humorous if I had one.

Went into the Adsense panel, turned off auto ads for the domain. I was still getting one giant ad at the top of the page 6 hours later with apparently no option I can find to turn it off. The ad code on the page is just display ad and should be limited in size and only appear exactly where I want it to appear.

It was long run and Adsense was good to me years ago, this is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. There is simply no way for me to justify them any longer.

[tangor]

Keep in mind that voluntary exit of the program is right where g wants to be. Their advertising, from here on out, a for the big fish, not the little guy!

[thecoalman]

Tangor I don't know what they consider the little guy but I had thousands of impressions per day. I realize I'm still a small fish in a big pond but if they consider that not worth their while so be it. Fortunately I have direct advertisers, the adsense was just filler for space I didn't sell directly. I have a pretty good thing going when most forums are dying or are dead. I always prided myself on keeping the ads limited and unobtrusive, I'm not going to screw that up for peanuts.

[tangor]

@thecoalman ... I departed adsense YEARS ago, going direct, and never looked back.

We have two conversations at the moment. The one you and I are having, and the other where long time dependents on g's advertising teat are getting weaned off by lower returns, confusing directions, and dismal futures. I can see both sides.

The loss of "free money" (which was NEVER FREE, you pay with your content and access/stress to users with third party etc) is a hard thing to let go. BUT we have the year of GDPR and likely something similar in the future from other nations which will nail the lid on the coffin sooner or later ... and probably a lot sooner than many are prepared to face.

Direct sales are actual work. Pays a lot better than cut and paste "free money" and can keep a site not only clean in appearance, but DIRECT to the clients the site generates. Do it right and significant returns can be had.

WHAT IS OBVIOUS and too many are NOT SEEING IT is that g no longer needs the average webmaster to promote their advertising machine --- and g is no longer going to hand out "cash incentives" for the webmaster to play the game.

G is at the point where the cost of doing business with "nickle and dime" outfits exceeds their bottom line of "cost of doing business" and anything they can do to RUN YOU OFF is in their best interests.

This is NOT bashing g by any means! I actually applaud the quiet way they are getting to the next level of the "machine": big players only, the ones with billions in pocket. :)

Can give historical facts which show how each of the major monopolies in the last 500 years have done the same to create a market, get a base, and then hammer it for all it was worth (think Bell, Standard Oil, Railroads, etc.) but that's little consolation for those who have DEPENDED on the "free money" (it was NEVER FREE!) and are facing decisions as the margins get thinner month on month, year on year.

Moving to direct is a tough, scary, and HARD thing to do ... and will eat up your time and effort, but if you can figure it out, make it work, you will be in a far better place than you ever were with the cut-and-paste stuff. It is not for everyone. Not by a long shot, but if you can make the transition...

MEANWHILE, look to having material so unique you can go subscription as that is ALSO very viable as an income stream.

</spew of commonsense>

[Sally Stitts]

@tangor
Yowsa. Lots of wisdom there, in a not-so-long post. Impressive, apt summary.

Forcing me to confront the inevitable doesn't fill me with glee, but facing reality is what must be done.
You have summed up the situation very well.
It is now up to me to make some big choices. I must begin thinking clearly, and lose the nostalgia. Life moves on.
As you say, "There ain't no free lunch." Time to focus elsewhere.
.

[IanCP]

As I said earlier [and have many times before as well] so long as AdSense continue to pay the bills with supper money left over....

Ditto for Amazon as well...

Each cover the costs plus, plus...

[tangor]

Totally agree! (see reply earlier on $2990 a YEAR) ...

If costs are covered then everything else is a plus ... but...

If $2990 a year is all you can make site then upkeep and expansion becomes diminishing returns.

[thecoalman]

We have two conversations at the moment. The one you and I are having, and the other where long time dependents on g's advertising teat are getting weaned off by lower returns, confusing directions, and dismal futures. I can see both sides.

I believe there is three conversations, my complaints are (a) these ads still appearing 6 hours after I turned them off and (b) doing things that would get my account penalized. I mentioned it already, some of these ads were appearing inside of posts on forum. In some cases below floating icons to edit, quote etc. Then you have 5 ads appearing on one page even with little content. The very things they have been telling me for years not to do they are doing....

I was going to phase them out this year because of the issues you mentioned and others like privacy but ran out of time. They still generate revenue but I'm not going to basically lose control of how my site is presented for it.

At the end of the day the big loser is going to be local advertisers. I have a great site if you want to target local customers which is something that is difficult for me to do like Google does.

[randle]

The "auto ads" just dont seem ready for prime time. We don't do a ton with Adsense but we sprinkle it around enough to have had a pretty negative experience with this new feature. Most of the revenue we get from Adsense is coming from forums and the insertion of the ads inside a persons post did not go over very well with our users. In addition the number and size of the ads overwhelmed the look and feel of the forums.

We have found that the right amount of ads, and proper placement is something that needs a light touch, and a dash of taste. The "auto ads" option was making the site look like a shopping mall at Christmas time. More ads don't necessarily translate into more revenue. In fact we experienced the opposite, a significant drop.

Automating the whole ad placement sounded great to us, but this thing needs some spit and polish. If we could at least limit the number of ads per page, and the size of the ads that would be a good start. Or perhaps those controls exist and we just don't see them.

[ken_b]

This mess seems anything but easy to me.

I set up auto ads on one site today to see how it goes.

But my understanding is that auto ads are really an op-out deal, right?