I am inclined to block all .info sites

Hmmm.... can we do that? How?

I am inclined to block all .info sites

This isn't possible through the competitive ad filter.

But a chameleon site is a headache. Not sure how you can get around that one.

I cannot understand why the Adsense product team gives us exactly one (one!) tool to combat MFAs, and that's a manual blocking list that filters just 200 domains.

How are we expected to fight against spammers that host up to 250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand, yes!) individual spam domains on one single IP address? Do Google think that the power is evenly distributed between the spammers and our tiny blocking list? Do they care? Do they listen to us? Can't they see what we see?

If only we could block all ads from a given advertiser, now that would be a real help. Maybe throw in an option to block all ads targeting a given IP address or -range. Or keyword based filtering. Where are these tools? When will we see them, if ever?

Sure, a quick fix would be a bigger filter list, but I would like to see TOOLS instead of manual setting up the filters. How long until the X additional slots are filled up as well?

And no, you unfortunately can not black TLDs. You can only block subdomains, e.g. you could block .co.uk but you could not block .uk

How are we expected to fight against spammers that host up to 250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand, yes!) individual spam domains on one single IP address? Do Google think that the power is evenly distributed between the spammers and our tiny blocking list? Do they care? Do they listen to us? Can't they see what we see?

I think we all simply have to accept what Google is telling us - either explicity or via their silence. And what they seem to be telling us is we have the ability to block up to 200 competitor URL's.

Beyond that, when we put that AdSense code on our site, we are leaving the ad quality decisions up to Google - it's out of our control.

That's the bottom line as of today - take it or leave it.

I don't like it any better than anyone else, but we simply have to accept that that is how things stand.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask for changes and discuss the situation among ourselves, but that's just the way things are right now.

I re-evaluate my take it or leave it decision at least weekly.

FarmBoy

It seems that the only way to stop this problem is to block by pub-code.

How would you block an advertiser using a publisher code? Adwords advertisers have a customer ID number. Is that what you're referring to?

albl, when you see mfa's, it means that your page value or ad block value is low, and it could be driving down your epc site-wide.

so take a hard look at the pages you have adsense on, especially the pages with low ctr... see if you can cut back on the number of ads, or possibly remove all the ads on the bad pages.

The MFA is an AdWords advertiser. But they're also an AdSense publisher.

True, but they are ONLY a publisher in order to have a page to show ads on. No arbitrage, no page. Not exactly a valuable content provider eh? ;) Don't think they'd be missed a great deal. Well, we'd have to find something new to bitch about here I guess...

it seems that the only way to stop this problem is to block by pub-code.

Err, no.

We need blocking based on Adwords ID, because there are many useless sites using other (i.e. non-Adsense) systems to monetize the traffic. Granted, some of these do use Adsense, but I want to be able to block ALL sites of a given advertiser, regardless of whether or not he is using Adsense on his sites. (In fact, I believe this would only change the problem from Adsense to YPN or Adcenter.)

As I said before, some servers host up to 250,000 domains, and many of the services are being advertised by the same company/individual. Should we ever get a block-by-advertiser feature, I guess that it will be much more difficult for advertisers to get that many Adwords account. AFAIK, you are only allowed one Adwords account per company or individual.

We need blocking based on Adwords ID

Interesting idea, but ineffective. People would just register lots of AdWords accounts.

Interesting idea, but ineffective. People would just register lots of AdWords accounts.

From the Adwords Help Center: "Individuals advertising for themselves or for their own businesses may only have a single AdWords account."

[adwords.google.com...]

So, no, it's more difficult to get multiple accounts.

We need blocking based on Adwords ID

although the adwords ID is not apparent to adsense advertisers, this sort of functionality could easily be added to the existing competitive ad filter. for example, publishers could put an asterisk before every url if you want to block ads from all domains associated with the adwords account associated with that domain. omiting the asterisk would block ads only from that domain.

i honestly believe that google will add something like this - the question is when. it doesnt seem to be a top priority.

So, no, it's more difficult to get multiple accounts.

It's safe to say that it's easy to create multiple AdWords accounts. I know some who have over a hundred.

It's safe to say that it's easy to create multiple AdWords accounts. I know some who have over a hundred.

Yet another flaw in the system.

I keep seeing the same useless phonied up email harvesting site with different URLs and fraudulent titles and ad copy, and I dash off an email to Adsense support about it whenever I catch it. There have been so many URLs used it could fill up the filter.

Maybe one of these days they'll have some good search technology available to them to automatically catch sites like that by detecting the same words being used on all the pages - or detect the absence of words relevant to the ads they're running.

[edited by: Marcia at 12:25 am (utc) on July 11, 2006]

I like Google, and I'm not one to complain, but the longer it takes for a Google representative to address this issue, the worse they look.

I've never mentioned "MFA" that I can recall, but I have used the words "junk" and "deceptive garbage," especially where it's nothing more than a search box or a sign-up form. In cases where there's redirection to totally off-topic sites, I might include a bit of detail to illustrate.

I don't spend the time following up, I just filter out what I don't want showing up and move along.

Has ASA ever said anything on all the threads that are running about MFAs? Is ASA still around at all?

On a related note, I think July 9 was the first time MFA's were ever mentioned on JenSense. Otherwise, she seems to be "in the loop" when it comes to AdSense.

FarmBoy

Marcia, when you mention an MFA to AdSense Support, do they reply to you about it? As far as you know, has Google ever taken any action about an MFA you've told them about?

In a word - no.

There is one landing page that I've reported repeatedly to adsense support and adwords support. It consists of a single ad block centered in white space and a few keywords in a small grey font many times below the fold. They simply don't respond to the emails. They mysteriously "Never arrive" despite having an automatically generated response of reciept with a number on it! Sometimes they will pass it to adwords, or adwords will pass it to adsense and you then hear nothing more.

Last time I emailed them I told them that as they hadn't blocked it, it clearly was in accordance with the TOS and that I was going to change my page to be identical. I asked them for the same treatment as that page, and asked for confirmation that they would never ban me despite the number of complaints the page would raise. Oddly enough there wasn't any reply to that. I've given up on that cause, and I'll see if QS drives them out of the market. I can't believe that page won't get charged a premium to be listed!

On a related note, I think July 9 was the first time MFA's were ever mentioned on JenSense. Otherwise, she seems to be "in the loop" when it comes to AdSense.

I noticed that too - interesting eh? I also noticed the picture she has on her page, she's most deffinitely a babe!

albl, when you see mfa's, it means that your page value or ad block value is low, and it could be driving down your epc site-wide.

If only that was the case... This MFA with different domain names took the first or second spot in my only AS block.

I was away for a month and haven't policed MFA's on my site, so it can be either:
- an attractive wording of the MFA ad pushed its clickthrough rate high and google algorithm moved it to the first spot
- or the MFA site is paying big for the keyword

I also noticed the picture she has on her page!

And if one is viewing in Opera the thing more or less falls apart.

Not a good ad for a "pro"!

I'm sick with ~ 2 chameleon sites for "free" antirus and antispyware.

They seems to have an infinite # of domains...

I have more than 50 000 pages on my site and where the "free" keyword is present.. MFA is there like hell!

I mean, Adsense do not provide any stats about which one of the ads are clicked and how much they were worth?

Excuse my ignorance ... but when I look at my ads on my website, how can I know which ones are MFA? And MFA do pay? does it not?

CCF

if you push adsense support hard enuf about mfa's that are not relevant to your site, they will finally tell you that they are referring your case over to the adwords people... and that's the last you'll ever hear about it.