ShoeMoney's AdSense Interview

Jeremy "ShoeMoney" Schoemaker has recently interviewed Brian Axe from Google AdSense and made the entire interview available in MP3 format.

The interview covers such topics as the recent changes in the Program Policies, being banned from AdSense, Smart Pricing, and more!

This is a must-hear AdSense interview.

Technorati Tags: adsense

How Google Targets AdSense Ads

There is a lot of speculation about how Google actually targets AdSense ads. Does it read the keywords meta tag? Should you put keywords in b(old) tags? What about em, strong, or i(talic) tags? Does font-size matter? What about the title tag? And so on.

To make matters worse, I regularly read messages from supposed AdSense experts stating with apparent authority that most of the above really do make a difference, particularly the meta keywords and b tags. So, do these things really make a difference?

Well, the answer to that question was recently supplied by a Google employee and I have kindly been given permission to share that information with you, courtesy of the direct recipient, Jon of Cobnut Web Services.

However, before we take a closer look, we need to examine what we already know from official sources about how Google targets AdSense ads.

What Google Says About Ad Targeting

In AdSense's help pages you will find the following in answer to the question, "How does Google target ads to my website?"

We go beyond simple keyword matching to understand the context and content of web pages. Based on a sophisticated algorithm that includes such factors as keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the web, we know what a page is about, and can precisely match Google ads to each page.

In addition, according to AdSense help, the only method of emphasizing some text over others, and having other text ignored, is by the use of Section Targeting.

Thus, we can conclude from official sources that the factors affecting ad targeting include:

1. Keyword analysis
2. Word frequency
3. Font size
4. Link structure (overall, web-wide)
5. Section targeting

However, many of those terms are pretty vague. Do "keyword analysis" and "word frequency" include the keywords meta tag, for example?

One point that is of great interest though is that font size is listed as a factor. I can only assume that this is true whether the font size is declared using font tags or CSS's font-size. Thus, it appears that words in a larger font may be given more emphasis than those in a smaller font. It is also my opinion that this applies mostly to headings and sub-headings that incorporate a larger font, not simply using a large font size for keywords that appear in the middle of sentences (if you see what I mean!).

What Has Been Shared With Me About Ad Targeting

Much of the information I received simply repeats the information above but it also contains a few hidden gems:

Our technology takes into account factors such as linguistics, keyword analysis, word frequency, font size, and the overall link structure of the web. AdSense only targets ads based on overall site content, not keywords within the meta tag or categories . . .

[i]f you'd like to display ads related to specific topics on your website, we recommend including more text-based content about these topics on your site to assist our crawlers in gathering information about your pages and determining relevant ads to display. Complete sentences and paragraphs are helpful to our crawlers in determining the content of a page. (Emphasis not in original.)

So lets, take a closer look at those gems.

Google Does Not Target Ads Based on the Keywords Meta Tag

AdSense only targets ads based on overall site content, not keywords within the meta tag

So, it is the overall site content that counts and not meta tag keywords. This is a very important point because it implies that you should be able to get ads that are relevant to your site even on pages that have low textual content provided there is sufficient text on the site as a whole.

Google Needs Text-Based Content

Now, this piece of information isn't exactly a surprise or new, but it's good to have it re-emphasized by Google that AdSense is contextual advertising with an emphasis on the text! If you don't have text, you won't get targeted ads.

Google Needs "Complete Sentences and Paragraphs"

Thus, if you want well-targeted ads on your site, you don't just need text, you need text that is comprised of complete sentences and paragraphs. That doesn't mean that Google cannot ascertain context from "telegram-style" bullet points or any other text but it does mean that the more keywords you have in complete sentences and paragraphs, the more accurately targeted your ads will be.

Summary

So, if you want highly targeted ads on your site, make sure your follow the following guidelines:

1. Put keywords in larger font-sizes (probably headings/sub-headings, etc.)
2. Try to ensure that pages linking to your site incorporate your keywords inside the hyperlinks
3. Use keywords inside internal hyperlinks (i.e. hyperlinks between pages of your own site)
4. Employ section targeting
5. Ensure there is sufficient "keyword-rich" text across your site as a whole
6. Make sure that your keywords are contained in complete sentences and paragraphs

Technorati Tags: adsense

Bye-Bye eBay

I am done with eBay.

eBay used to be a great place to sell stuff and I have sold many items on eBay over the years. However, that has all changed. eBay now has a virtual monopoloy in the online auction world and its power has gone to its head. The fees that are now being charged by eBay U.K., especially when coupled with the additional fees you have to pay PayPal, which is, of course, also owned by eBay, it means that it is now no longer viable for me to sell on eBay.

So, I have closed down my eBay store and, if I ever need/want to sell anything else online, I certainly will never use eBay again unless they drop their fees by a considerable margin.

Yes, there are other online auctions but none that even comes close to having the clout that eBay has. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Bye-bye eBay.

Technorati Tags: ebay, ebay fees

Sick of Inside AdSense Video Posts

As you've probably already figured, I'm not happy with all of the video posts that keep appearing on the official AdSense blog, "Inside AdSense." The latest post, "Laura Chen answers your referrals questions" contains the following teaser:

Laura addresses these burning questions:

1. Why am I receiving less than the full amount for each conversion in my reports? Is something wrong?

2. After I've referred a person to AdSense, can I see how much they've earned so far?

3. Can I ask users to click my referral buttons?

The post goes on to mention how you can find further information on referrals in the AdSense Help Center.

So, what is my problem with these video posts, and this post in particular? One simple word: accessibility.

Video posts are great if you have a decent computer with speakers and you can hear - but what if you can't hear?

I am shocked and dismayed that in this day and age, Google doesn't provide a transcript of the video that is linked to from the post itself. As an accessibility advocate, I think this is appalling.

What makes this even worse is that at least 2 of the questions in the "teaser" are not answered in the AdSense Help Center. How frustrating is that!

Shame on you Google.

Technorati Tags: adsense, accessibility

Joel Comm's Monthly Templates Violate AdSense Program Policies?

In the Program Policies for AdSense, which all AdSense publishers must adhere to, you can read the line:

No Google ad may be placed on pages published specifically for the purpose of showing ads, whether or not the page content is relevant.

The well-known Joel Comm, author of "The AdSense Code," sells from his web site AdSense templates, which are basically ready-built web sites, content and all, whose purpose is solely that of generating income via AdSense ads.

That sounds like a Program Policy violation to me.

So, I left a comment on his blog post in which he promoted his monthly templates. I mentioned this program policy and my opinion that his templates possibly violated the AdSense program policy. Now a few days later, my comment has not been posted and, of course, he has left no reply.

That troubles me. I'd mentioned in a previous post entitled "Joel Comm or Joel Con?" that I had my concerns about Joel, now I'm more concerned than ever.

So, in order to assuage my concerns, I wrote to AdSense support to inquire as to whether or not such templates violate the program policies and I received an interesting response:

I understand that you would like to know on whether using a certain template complies with the program's policy. However, we do not endorse or encourage the use of any third-party tools.

We recommend that you exercise caution when using third-party software to ensure that you do not violate the AdSense Terms and Conditions. Please note that AdSense participants are solely responsible for verifying that any tools or software used in conjunction with AdSense do not violate the AdSense Terms and Conditions.

So, if I were you, I would not use any pre-built web site templates, whether they are from Joel or anyone else for that matter.

You have been warned!

Technorati Tags: adsense, adsense templates, joel comm

Finnished With AdSense?

So, I was looking at my Internet Marketing and SEO Blog earlier today when I noticed the following AdSense ad:

Now, my blog is written entirely in English. I am sitting here at my computer in the U.K. yet I'm being served an AdSense ad for SEO in Finnish! I have a feeling it won't be the most popular ad being published on my blog.

Go figure!

Technorati Tags: adsense

Other Contextual Ads Get the Official OK from AdSense

I just received an email from Google in which they confirmed my interpretation of the Program Policy changes and, as a result, you may now run any other contextual ads alongside AdSense ads provided they have a different appearance, which, in some cases, means a different color scheme.

In addition, the email also confirmed that excessive advertising is no longer prohibited but is merely discouraged because "doing so may result in fewer repeat visitors."

Note, however, that the terms and conditions of the other advertising programs may prohibit their use alongside AdSense. In particular, the Yahoo Publisher Network's conditions prohibit their use alongside AdSense ads.

The bulk of the response that I received from Google is copied below:

AdSense publishers may display ads from other contextual ad networks on the same page as Google ads only if the formatting or color scheme of these ads is sufficiently different from the layout of the Google ads. In other words, if you choose to place non-Google ads on the same site or page as Google ads, it should always be clear to the user that the ads are served by different advertising networks and that the non-Google ads have no association with Google. If the formats are naturally similar, we'd ask that you use different color schemes for the competing ads.

Of course, we're constantly investing in our advertising technology, and we believe that Google ads will monetize best for most publishers. Be aware that the addition of third party ads to your site may cause fewer users to click the Google ads on your site and thus your AdSense earnings may decrease. We'd also recommend that publishers be careful not to place excessive advertising on their sites, as doing so may result in fewer repeat visitors.

Technorati Tags: adsense