Why I hate Google Adsense/Adwords

I, too, jumped on the Google Adsense bandwagon early on with one of my forums (a phpBB forum focusing on Haiku/Haibun writing).

My early enthusiasm has become profound skepticism.

First, most ads for most sites will be for your own competitors. You have to constantly filter the allowable ads. Then you're left with the irrelavant and low-paying ads, and then you have to filter those out... pretty soon you're comprimising your own content in the hopes of attracting "better" ads, and calling that "SEO". Bah!

However, my primary objection isn't with the relevance or pay-outs of the ads, it's the overall affect of this technology on the web.

As a direct result of Google Adsense, scores of sites have sprung up with no other purpose than to HOST THESE ADS! Much attention is given to finding the "high-paying keywords", and then creating sites "about" those keywords, which offer very little value to the web or anyone browsing that site. Adsense is ruining the web.

Another issue is the massive fraud - and the fact that Google's response to fraud is often to ban/punish the innocent while ignoring the core flaws in the whole approach.

I don't like what it's doing to Google, either, once my favorite technology company: their focus has shifted from being a Search company to being an advertising company. Their whole corporate focus now is on monetizing content, without authoring any content. The ultimate scam!!

They're scanning entire libraries of copyrighted information, so that they can show pages from those works as "search results", complete with handy Google Adsense ads. Does the author of that content make a cent?

Do YOU make a cent, when Google caches your entire site, displays Adsense ads next to that content, so that users don't even have to visit your site to see your content?

I decided to

1) Block all Google scripts using Firefox Adblock extension
2) Block all Google cookies
3) Never to use Google Adwords for an ad campaign
4) Use alternative search engines

I understand the need for a site and a forum operator to cover costs. Many sites exist as businesses in their own right, and so must make a profit. However, I feel the long-term cons outweigh any short-term pros with Google Adsense.

you know you can place a dont cache instruction into your robots.txt and still be indexed by google -

Google SERPs: For Profit Infusion or Content Delivery? (http://www.cpurigs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2695)

I once contemplated starting a site that promoted "ad-free" web-mastering. It would have a set of badges, much like the XHTML and CSS compliance graphics that many sites sport.

The site would have content about ways to cover costs without overt advertising. Sites that ran "ad-free" could be listed in a link-exchange directory, and could "wear" the ad-free badge on their site.

It was a glorious idea. But I didn't do it, because I couldn't figure out how to make any money with the idea. :)

Well, for what its worth we'll be adding some stock graphics here before long. Im just collecting things at the moment.



It was a glorious idea. But I didn't do it, because I couldn't figure out how to make any money with the idea. :)


Yeah, that could be a stumbling block...

Please tell me you understand the ironic humor of my last post. Where's our Brit contingent when you need them?

:D sure do

It was a glorious idea. But I didn't do it, because I couldn't figure out how to make any money with the idea. Yep, gotcha tgreer. Preferred your first post, though. Feel much the same way as you. Google, I feel, is more interested in global expansion and pleasing the Chinese (for marketing reasons of course) than it is with us little guys.

Not to worry. Pride always comes before a fall. I used to love Google when all I had to do with it was use it as my search engine. It has now become a monster which, as you rightly say, is fouling up the Web.

Nice thread subject. Well done, dude.

Regards

Biggles LLB (just a small part of the British contingent). :D