Adwords Injustice

How to fight Bogus Banning

[Thomas Wikman]

I recently had a very bizarre experience with Google Adwords.

I am trying to launch a web site that I and my wife and a couple of contractors I hired created. It took us quite some time to finish because no one was working full time on it. However, it offers a unique and useful service to teachers and students in the form of an advanced tool for making many different kinds of quizzes, tests, adaptive tests, jeopardy games, surveys, polls, educational blogs, etc. It offers a trial version, the site is secure, is protected with an SSL certificate, has a privacy policy, is insured, and offers a free trial version. I advertise using adwords that correspond to the product. I've always paid my bills on time. If requested I can prove any of this.

Then my account is banned allegedly because of a violation of the policy. There are 70 points in the policy and we are in full compliance with all them. No explanation of which point is the problem or what the problem could be is offered and I am asked not to contact them again.

I asked on the Google forums about what the problem could be. Those who looked at the web site could not guess what the problem possibly could be. While reading/writing on the forums I notice that other people have had similar mysterious problems with banning and I read that people believe that the reason might be that Google is banning new upstarts that are threatening to established clients. I am not sure if that is true but I find it plausible. What I do know is that this mysterious and unjustified banning is fishy/bogus and I have to conclude that others complaining about the same thing also have been banned unjustly.

The problem is not just that I have to look at other advertising venues which is not a big deal. The problem is that this unjustly tarnishes our/my reputation. In addition there is a good chance Google is doing something fishy and perhaps illegal so trying to get to the bottom of this is worthwhile.

I want to know if other people here has experienced a similar bizarre ban. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to deal with this? What I want to know most of all if it is possible to find out the reason(s), if such reason(s) exist at all.

Could a lawyer help?

Has anyone tried?

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.

Thomas Wikman

[bwnbwn]

I have been doing much reading on this subject since it started what 6 months ago (not sure of the date and to lazy to look it up) of account banning, and the most important stand out I have seen come from Google is account banning is based on the account history.

Most of those banned don't add this information but I really feel if they go back and look at the account history they might find some information.

Even the million dollar account thread I wonder if his history was the problem that caused his account banning. I know when you have many employees working on accounts under one account some are lazy and don't do it right get low scores and redo the ad many times till it might be ok.

[Dlocks]

It also depends on how you offer the "free trail". You have to use something like the following on your website

[button] Download Free Trail
[small text below button] 30-day free trail, full version $...

When you (only) use the text "Free Download" on your website then Google might not like it.

And don't forget to use "Free Trail" in your ad text instead of "Free Download".

[trinorthlighting]

The site does take credit card information on the free trial part. I looked at the website and already did some test runs on it.

[smallcompany]

The OP said:

However, the trial version does not collect credit card information and before you purchase you are shown the price options.

and then TNL said:

The site does take credit card information on the free trial part. I looked at the website and already did some test runs on it.

Is it white or black?

[bwnbwn]

trinorthlighting are you talking aabout the thread starter site Thomas wickman site? If your are well there is the issue. Free means no strings to take a cc is not free but if ya don't read all the small print and back out your gonna get charged.

[trinorthlighting]

It did take CC info originally, but it has now changed. He is taking down the "free trial" portion

Just to update you in case Thomas does not respond, Google did look at his account and reversed their decision on the ban. Thomas is actually up and running on adwords now.

[smallcompany]

Thomas is actually up and running on adwords now.

Nice! That's why we've been left in the dark here.

Plus,

It did take CC info originally

and OP said it did not which is totally misleading and put people here into belief they should not spend their time on such threads anymore.

[bwnbwn]

Well well I do think Mr.Thomas seems to be the one being deceptive here. I for one am glad the truth came out thank you trinorthlighting
. I am happy he got his account back but please do tell him next time he rants and raves about how he was cheated he first be honest.

Google was correct in this ban and I am sure his history might not be all that good either.

Mr thomas you have been given a 2nd chance blow it and there isn't another.

[Dlocks]

On the previous page netfleet mentions how he got his banned account activated again. And now Thomas his account is also unbanned?

What happened with the Google that did not respond -other than copy/paste reply- to their banned customers?

It used to be very very hard to find one or two examples from people who got their banned account unbanned. Now there are two in one topic?

trinorthlighting, are you sure Thomas is still using his old account and not a new or other account?

[trinorthlighting]

Nope, the adwords points to the same URL. This was his only account and only website. This was the first time he used adwords and he had no account history. He called adwords and spoke with them and they reconsidered his website. He was not selling a dodgy product or anything like that.

His account was rejected soon after he started a campaign, so I would not say that this was a hard and well thought out ban like Google did a few months ago to all the dodgy accounts with a bad history.

[netmeg]

It probably just didn't occur to him to set up his free trial process differently. After all, it's a business model that a *lot* of businesses (legitimate AND dodgy) have used for a long long time, both with and without AdWords. And unless you come here first, it *wouldn't* occur to you, because it's not like Google spells it out in so many words. The only reason we here have a clue is that we've seen the situation enough that the pattern starts to emerge.

I'm glad he got his account back.

[trinorthlighting]

I have to agree netmeg, I would make it a point to make sure new clients know this fact. Google does not mind that websites have "free demo's" that take no personal information and that type of program is fairly easy for webmasters to make. As far as the "free trial" goes with taking any personal information, I would steer clear of that because it will raise some red flags to Google when a new advertiser kicks off a new account.

If a "free trial" is necessary in a business and they insist they want a trial, I would not label it as "free trial" What I would suggest is if the business charges a minimum amount (Like a 99 cent one month trial) or something along those lines where the cost is minimum and there is no reoccuring billing involved. I would label it: 99 cent one month trial with no reoccuring billing)

[bwnbwn]

trinorthlighting I am not sure that what your stating is correct. As I said when doing my research on a new landing page I am doing for our company over 50% of the advertisers offered either had free demo or free trial. No cc's were taken but contact info was in all of them. Most had the free trial or demo in the adwords ad text.

I am going to offer the free trial/demo and see what my QS will be and post back. I think Thomas got wacked due to the fact he was taking the cc for a free trial and as you stated a new company this itself throws him into a bad hole from the go.

I have been doing adwords for our company now 6 years and we have an excellent track record so there is a trust factor there.

[wildbest]

I am going to offer the free trial/demo and see what my QS will be and post back.

Do what Google does! Offer free trial but if you'd like to get cc details just introduce $5.00 account activation fee.

[Thomas Wikman]

Hello thank you everybody for your help, support and suggestions. Google has overturned their ban. I am happy it happened but a little bewildered at the same time since it was supposed to be indefinite and final. Well I am certainly not going to argue about that.

I still do not know what caused it in the first place but the Trial version was probably the culprit (if any).

I would like to point out that the Trial version does not take credit card information and it never did. What happens is that when the Trial version expires you have the choice of signing up for the full version. The prices are shown and you can at that point fill in the Credit Card. It has been that way the whole time.

However, the Trial version takes name, address and email and this needs to go. I will most likely delete the entire Trial version but if not make it so that it only takes user name and password (no email or name). I have not done any updates yet but I will in the next few weeks. I will also take care of a few bugs that a user reported. While I am waiting for that to be fixed I will continue advertising but very little just to make sure it is still working. After the fixes (Trial version + bugs) I will start to seriously advertise again.

Again, thank you everyone for all the helpful information you have given me. This is a very useful and helpful web site.

Thomas

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Glad to hear this worked out, Thomas Wikman.

It might seem odd to hear me say it, but as a general comment I think it is a good idea for a CPC advertiser to also at least try competitors such as Y!SM, MSN adCenter, etc. to compare and contrast - and then keep advertising on any and all programs that that allow one to see an acceptable return (whatever that happens to mean for the individual advertiser) for time and money spent.

In other words, as much as I love Adwords, there are options out there and they are worth trying out.

AWA

[trinorthlighting]

bwnbwn,

I did not take you wrong there, I was just expressing my opinion that I would tell my clients not to do even do a "free trial". From a consumer point of view, I like websites that show a free demo so I do not need to give out my personal information :-) I think Google is starting to understand that from a consumer point of view.

Thomas, welcome to Webmaster World BTW, you will find many people here who share some great tips...

[netfleet]

On the previous page netfleet mentions how he got his banned account activated again

Just to note here, this was only because the banning was completely incorrect. It wasn't anything to do with interpretation. They said something was black and it was clearly white.

However it was the third strike over the years. The first two strikes were through ignorance but did indeed breach TOS.

Horrible having that 3rd strike hanging over me though. For a while I considered not even touching the campaign ever again & just letting it run.

Anyway glad you got your account back Thomas

[Thomas Wikman]

I have not updated the site yet but I will soon. Just wanted to mention one more time that the free trial never took credit card information (have not changed it yet) but it is taking everything else which is bad.

I assume that the term "decision overturned" means that I not only got the account back but that I don't have a strike against me either.

Finally,

Thank you all,

netmeg, AdwordsAdvisor, TrinorthLightning, netfleet, wildbest, bwnbwn, smallcompany, brockgunterssmith, buckworks, Israel, Stoutfiles, and I probably forgot someone.

Your advice and the discussion here was most helpful. I will come back here and read and learn quite often in the future.

Thomas Wikman