Can you SPAM for Adsense?

[xtendscott]

I first found just one so call "Searchable Directory" that popped into the serps. Actually it contains probably 1000+ static pages that has been developed from popular keywords. Most of these pages are filled with Links pointing to just a few sites. The search form if used to search for "key word" will try to send you to a page "key+word" and will 404 if there is no match. So it really isn't searching.

My biggest issue is that the pages have the Adsense ads and I don't want my clients to be listed on a bogus directory. To make things even worse I have found about 15 other directories very similar with only the header and footer modified, but each appear to focus on other product areas.

Has anyone else seen these sites? Anyone want there ads on a useless directory?

Not wanting to post the site, don't need any DOS on my or client sites.

[Dan0]

You can complain to Adwords, about such sites. They don't want this any more than you do.

[Bernard]

I would imagine that Google would be interested in hearing about possible abuses to the AdSense program. I would send them a note if I were you detailing the problem.

[xtendscott]

Dan0,

I sent a sticky to you with a list of the sites. Did you get it?

[Dan0]

Just got it.

That company has a lot of vertical sites like that. I don't really see much wrong with them.

[xtendscott]

I understand that the Adsense ad appear on a page that has thier key words in it, but is it good for a user to expect a page with valuable content and getting a half useless page with the best things on the page are Ads?

I have seen "content" on those sites that is repeated, taken from DMOZ(even have the submit to ODP), or even HTML code. Can't see how that can be good for a users experience.

Guess its just my $0.02. I wouldn't mind if those sites actually had a use. They went to a lot of work, a little more could make it much better.

[Dave Barnett]

Actually, your clients ads running on these sites might not be such a bad thing. A user comes to the site, sees the site is useless for what they are looking for. Sees you client's ad which is relevant to what they are looking for and clicks on it.

[Bernard]

It appears to me that was the designed intent of the site. Drive traffic to click on high dollar PPC ads. Someone probably got accepted into the AdSense program with another site and built these "directories" to generate commissions on hand picked, high dollar PPC terms.

[Dave Barnett]

I agree Bernard. I'm thinking that if you're an Adword advertiser, your objective is to have people click on your ad and come to your site.

While I think this type of site is spammy, if I'm getting traffic from the ad, I'm happy and I'm going to buy more Adwords advertising. If I buy more Adword advertising, then Google is happy and it's a win, win all around.

[xtendscott]

But if your getting clicks, are they good clicks.

If they are willing to spam for the listing then who would say they wouldn't have someone or thing clicking those ads to generate a greater income.

My guess is they would not send a bot to click ads thousands of times a day but if they even increase the clicks by another 5% that many ads would create a greater income for them but not the advertiser on phony clicks.

[Dave Barnett]

Good point

[Dan0]

Originally posted by xtendscott
taken from DMOZ(even have the submit to ODP)
When you use the ODP data, you're supposed to have the submit info. That's part of the deal, and perfectly normal for a site using ODP data.

[whl626]

I think Google is smart enough to filter out false clicks. Some sort of program must be running day and night to do the job. :thebomb:

[xtendscott]

So seperating the Adsense ads and the content of the site, would those sites not be considered as SPAM?

I would clasify a page constructed for specific key words that has virtually no useful content of any use to users, whether it is a vertical site or not as SPAM. It imply's it is searchable which in the pages I found was not true. It would construct a URL for a possible page to be found. It is really no more than 1000's of Door Way pages on each site.

Adding the tactics of creating such pages and then placing Adsense ad on those sites inorder to create an income, I could not imagine that they would not think about trying some techniques to enhance their clicks.

Yes some valid clicks may come through the sites but for clients I would have to recommend to disallow those sites.

How are these sites different from This Article - Goodrich (http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y03/m10/i24/s01). Of course without the redirect.

[xtendscott]

OK, I will correct myself. The one site I did most of my checking now appears somewhat searchable(trying to match one word to some content somewhere).

It may well be the same technique of harvesting information from sites and building a "directory" to point so certain sites. That guy in the article used that I posted previously. There are pages of duplicated "descriptions" pointing to different products.

I think the sites could have great potential, maybe they are brand new, I don't know, but I don't like it right now.

[ric_harris]

But how did the webmaster of this strange search engine knows which clicks get more $$
Does Google gives some % of the bid?

[ric_harris]

what is a vertical site?

[xtendscott]

rc_harris,

When you participate in the Google Adsense program as a site that displays the ads you are given an ID that represents your site. Then when the ads are clicked that ID is sent to Google as where the click originated from and that site gets a portion of the ad cost charged to the Advertising company for that ad.

Vertical site:

Each site focuses on a fairly narrow topic, but with multiple sites like this they can cover many topics but they do some interlinking to promote each other(some call it partner links). They tend to link to many other similar sites and can become a promenent HUB site and charge for advertising or placement of listings to the other sites.

A vertical site is not bad or spam by itself and that is not what I have been trying to say. I know that you did not suggest that either, I just wanted to clarify.

I have just found a Network of vertical sites that have very little content that is of use to anyone that has Google Adsense ads on most of their pages. That is a concern for me personally and ethically I suppose.

Hope this helps.

[ric_harris]

xtendscott,

Thanks for you explanation!!

Can anybody give me a link to a vertical site to see one please?

Why the name 'vertical site'?

Thanks in advance :)

[whl626]

So far, I haven't come across a site with only bunch of links has Google Adsense on it.

This is not considered ' content site ' ?. But it seems that people will go to it for quality sites info, doesn't it ?

[xtendscott]

Vertical sites:

http://www.internet.com/
http://www.tek-tips.com/
http://sourceforge.net/

I hope this helps to understand a vertical site. Named for vertical is I am only assuming that it would be because of the "stacking of information in a small topic". I am not sure where the Term came from .

OK, i will post the first site I have described. I cannot say that they will not improve the site in the future but it does not seem as much content is there to be even classified as content for a Vertical Site.

http://www.artsuppliessearch.com

I would like to hear some other opinions.

[Quadrille]

It's important to remember the differences between a poor site and spam. Most of the "ODP clones" are pretty poor; they are over selective in content, usually out of date and (surprise!) tend to favour one or more of the owner's other sites.

That doesn't make them spam, just a waste of space!

And, as has been suggested, ads on those pages are probably more likely to be clicked, as the visitor seeks an escape - whether they convert into customers unknowable; but regardless of the quality of the site hosting the ad, it still would have had relevance, so there's no reason to dismiss it.

Google claims to be quite confident about detecting autoclicks and other scams - and there's nothing to link a site's content with those techniques.

I'd be a little suspicious, of course; anyone who does not understand "Content is King" is likely to be trying something else to keep the bailiffs away!

I've just looked at http://www.artsuppliessearch.com/ - not particularly impressive, but I don't see any spam or scam problem.

What upsets me about it is that some pages are broken http://www.artsuppliessearch.com/art/cross+stitch+patterns and others are very wide - few will scroll right to find an ad.

This is a pretty poor site by someone who has fewer skills than they think.

[xtendscott]

Quadrille,

That is a very fair statement that
remember the differences between a poor site and spam

I feel that a crappy or poor site by it self would not necessarily make it spam. It would appear to me that these "directories" are progamatically gernerated gleaning information off other sites, product by product. Wether it is from the database of the other site or ripping the Data from the html of the site it refers to(the more likely scenerio from your example of a "broken" page). Then static pages are generated to support specific key words. There is little possibility that a human would place that html code in the decriptions on that broken page, and if it was dynamically built the site would be structured enough to prevent every listing on the page to be "broken" like that.

It was also my impression that google was against AutoGenerated pages, similar to that link I posted earlier about Ebay and the guy harvesting data from its site. If this is true and the sites are built as such then it would be deemed "spam" by google. Of course these are "IF's" and I do not know for certain and not for me to determin, just brought up the subject for discussion.

The other aspect that would concern me is the Network of POOR sites and this site http://gnu.ctssn.com/ donating its PR to a list of near duplicate sites but on different topics at the bottom of the page. I'll admit some of the sites are better than others, but they follow the same general pattern of what I feel is "deceptive" as a directory.

I know it would be near imposible to create "standards" for sites that display google ads. And its possible they are not influencing the clicks for Adsense. But I would watch closely the clicks from those sites.

Of course it is just my opinions being expressed.