No need to be paranoid over clicking your adverts

Just be careful

[netchicken1]

I emailed Google over the thread here where people were getting paranoid when they accidently clicked on one of their own adverts, to the extent of even emailing an apology to the adsence site itself over it.

Here is my post... In this thread we are debating about getting banned if you click your own adverts.

People are saying that even if they click accidently they send off an email telling google about it. However I wonder if in reality the odd clicks can really penalise a member.

Now I am not trying to inflate my stats, and would like it if my IP could remove me from gathering revenue through clicks on my own adverts.

Surely Google staff are not draconian enough to penalise the odd click from a members IP address? Are we overly paranoid about it?
Thanks
URL: [webmasterworld.com...]

Their reply? Very sensible...

<paraphrase>

Google uses automated systems and human reviews to monitor clicks on AdSense ads. We look at many criteria beyond simply the IP address of origin.

If you ever suspect that invalid clicks, we suggest that you review your site's logs for any suspicious activity and notify us with your findings.

For more information, please refer to the following Google search terms:

["Webmaster resources"]
["Website tracking and logging"]
["Site traffic analysis"]

In addition, we cannot block individual IP addresses provided by publishers.

I hope this information was helpful. For additional questions, please visit our AdSense Support site at [google.com...] or feel free to reply to this email.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team</email paraphrase>

[edited by: Jenstar at 9:04 pm (utc) on June 10, 2005]
[edit reason] paraphrased email quote; actual quotes not allowed as per TOS [/edit]

[nanotopia]

I think the key here is "pattern." Google, using both an automated system, and human beings, is looking for a pattern of abuse.

The idea of emailing them everytime you click on your own ad is not only ridiculous, it also points to another problem -- you need to get your clicking under control. People with nerve disorders and such should be the only ones accidently clicking on their own ads with any kind of frequency.

[rubenski]

That's good to hear. I've been very paranoid about accidental clicks I made on my own ads. I've even emailed them about it but didn't receive the detailed explanation you did. Thanks.

[Rodney]

that still doesn't necessarily say that the "pattern" is not matching up the IP address to the person that logged into the adsense account with the IP address that clicked the ad and matching up the pub-ids.

It does no harm in letting them know, and who knows...if you did trip one of their "patterns", your email could help them show you are acting in good faith.

You also posted in the earlier thread:

I see interesting adds on my own site and click on them, purely to access the information.

The email above doesn't address this at all.

Clicking your own ads is still against the terms of service...so why would you risk it?

From the Program Policies page [google.com]:

Prohibited Clicks

Any method that artificially generates clicks is strictly prohibited. These prohibited methods include but are not limited to: repeated manual clicks, incentives to click, using robots, automated clicking tools, or other deceptive software. Please note that clicking on your own ads for any reason is prohibited, to avoid potential inflation of advertiser costs.

I put that last sentence in bold.

[Sobriquet]

The reply you got is a canned reply.
I got the same one ( word by word, till the end ) when i once mailed them about one of my site ( one fine day ) gave 7 times more clicks than usual.

I am still worried about even accidental clicks. Well, I guess it is better to be a paranoid than to lose the adsense account due to just carelessness.

[HiCairo]

I click on the ads on my website daily...

yes, that's what I'm doing, not to seek extra payment, but to see the contents of the websites advertising on my web.

If this wasn't the case, so how can you apply the ads filter for competitive websites?

[Rodney]

I click on the ads on my website daily...

yes, that's what I'm doing, not to seek extra payment, but to see the contents of the websites advertising on my web.

Did you read the post above with the quote from the Google Adsense Terms of Service that says clicking ads on your own site is prohibited?

You may not want to continue the practice of clicking on the ads on your website, as it *could* lead to you being removed from the program for invalid clicks.

How is Google (or the advertisers paying for your clicks) to know that you aren't doing it to gain extra income, but only to see the contents of the websites adverising on your site? They don't know your intent of each click, so they *could* think you are trying to inflate your earnings.

Since they have it in the Terms of Service that clicking your own ads is prohibited, they would have perfect cause to remove you from the program (I don't know if they will or not based on your pattern of clicking, that's up to them).

If this wasn't the case, so how can you apply the ads filter for competitive websites?

They provide the Adsense Preview Tool for this purpose [google.com]. It allows you view the ads that show up on your site in a separate window where can click on and view the ads you may want to filter without costing advertisers money for each click.

You could also click on the "Ads by Google" link under the ads which will bring you to a page that shows you all 4 (or 5) ads with the URLs.

Just trying to help :)

[ShunT]

HiCairo - Let me know when you get the email saying your booted and all payments withheld. I'm wondering what their turm-around time is for things like this.

[fischermx]

HiCairo, the thread was about accidental clicks.
Clicking on daily basis is another history, since guess what, you start to follow a pattern.
Good luck!

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

I think this may be a case of HiCairo and ByeCairo wrt Adsense ;)

[Rodney]

No need to be paranoid over clicking your adverts

Are you still sure about that?

Read one person's recent experience in deliberately clicking their own adverts (which is what you were speaking of in your original post and what hicairo also mentioned):

[webmasterworld.com...]

[Hanslicht]

I also clicked one of my own ads and send a mail to Google. Here is the reply:

<snip>

[edited by: Jenstar at 2:35 pm (utc) on June 13, 2005]
[edit reason] No email quotes please, as per TOS [/edit]

[Buzliteyear]

I click on the ads on my website daily...
yes, that's what I'm doing, not to seek extra payment, but to see the contents of the websites advertising on my web.

If this wasn't the case, so how can you apply the ads filter for competitive websites?

You gotta be kidding me.

If you came to WW, you came here with the intention of learning. Well, learn this...if you click on your ads, you will be banned. It is not up for discussion. There are dozens of threads on here about sites being banned. If your don't beleive us, go look for yourself.

[Rodney]

I also clicked one of my own ads and send a mail to Google. Here is the reply:

Yes, that is their standard reply that they send when you report that you accidently clicked your own link.

The original poster was implying that it's ok to click your own ads *on purpose*, which is not correct.

[sailorjwd]

You might want to check the lead content of your coffee cup.

[arrowman]

It does no harm in letting them know

Yes it does. Imagine yourself in their position, with who knows how many tens of thousands publishers e-mailing about individual clicks. Handling an e-mail costs much more than one click's worth.

[Rodney]

Yes it does. Imagine yourself in their position, with who knows how many tens of thousands publishers e-mailing about individual clicks. Handling an e-mail costs much more than one click's worth.

Which is why they have a standard auto-response that the send out that probably takes a half a second to send.

I still don't think it hurts anything, and at the very minimum, it is at least on file that you were forthcoming about any clicks that may have occured.

[Buzliteyear]

Rodney,

I am with you.

Should my site ever fall victim to a click attack by a competitor or something similar, I like to think that a long history of communications as a responsible AdSense publisher would be considered. The same goes for if I ever find myself in a position of appealing to get back in the program.

I've reported accidental clicks, extremely high CTR rates, massive increases in site traffic, and similar such things.

Don't get me wrong, I email them at most once a month, but if something flukey happens, I would rather they learn of it from me.

I've mentioned before that my personal restrictions on my sites are tougher that G TOS.

While this is probably considered silly and paranoid by some, the next twenty years of AdSense income could be astronomical, and I try to take whatever proactive steps I can think of to maintain an excellent relationship with G.

[voices]

Not only would I never click on ads on my own site, I often don't do it in the search engine. I know I am just looking for info and not ready to buy. I type in the URL so the advertiser doesn't have to pay. I thought affiliates loved free traffic? Why not share.

I did think about it and I think it would be easy to go around and click a few ads on my sites everyday and not get caught. No doubt an easy way to boost my income but as I am not a thief, I can't do it. I don't want parasites stealing from me, why would I steal from another?

The other problem with clicking on your own links is that all advertisers have the option of NOT running their ads on content sites. If more merchants take this option, your adsense revenue will dry up.

[elsewhen]

I did think about it and I think it would be easy to go around and click a few ads on my sites everyday and not get caught. No doubt an easy way to boost my income but as I am not a theif, I can't do it.

i think it is more difficult than you think. for example, they know the IP (and lots of other info about your computer, OS etc) when you login to your adsense account, if another click comes from that computer - they know about it.

i am sure a big red flag goes up... they may let one click go, who knows their threshhold... but if you did it a few times every day, i think you would get nabbed.

i am not at all suggesting that you would do it, or are even contemplating it... i just dont want new members here to think that it is so easy. i would assume that you would have to perform all sorts of spoofing (IP, browser, OS, language) to even have a chance.

in my opinion, it is MUCH easier (and needless to say infinitely more ethical) to continuously add great content and make a great site.

[HiCairo]

oh sorry, i was mistaken.. but no problem, i'm still newbie :)

Clicking on my own ads is a wrong thing and I was wrong.

but for you information, clicks from Cairo are of a very smal tiny petit payment, around 1 cent or less per click :D

if i clicked on my ads so to see who is advertising in my site, in my situation won't bring me more than 1 or 2 cents per day :), so i wasn't doing it for gaining extra money, but just to feel that there are clicks on my site :D

now, how can i know if I'm still in business :D
Did anyone here report me :D:D:D?

[HiCairo]

something else too...
i was thinking that invalid click are not counted,
i mean that clicks from my IP are deducted from the amount i gain, and not the account getting cancelled.
how far am i true?

thanks.

[uk_webber]

I think people are being stupid worrying so much about clicking their own ads!

You would be better advised to worry about how you can compete against competitors.

Channel your energy into something positive!