First Things First

Adsense has been around since 2003 but I'd have to be honest and say that I only heard about it some weeks ago when a friend suggested I put a few links on my website. So I enquired about it on Google's site and opened an account. I agreed to the long disclaimer with all the rules and regulations and to be brutally honest didn't read much of it. However, I was able to ascertain very quickly the main principles of how the program works and I have to admit none of it inspired me all that much, but it was still worth trying it out.

In case you are wondering, here are the salient points on what Adsense is about. You sign up to receive payment from Google every time a visitor clicks on an Adsense ad at your website. Google prepares the ads and you simply cut and paste the html code onto your website. Google then serves various advertisements and over time these change though the whole point is that the adverts are geared towards the subject depicted at your site. The idea is that your visitors are then deemed to be targeted audience which means they are more likely to click on these adverts. The so-called win-win situation.

So What Happened

I opened the account on 19th January 2006 and Google disabled it on the 31st. They wrote to me explaining that it had come to their attention that invalid clicks had been generated on the ads at my site. They were absolutely right and I wrote back to apologise and thank them for returning the $14 back to the relevant advertisers. I also explained that my 3 young children were mostly responsible for the clicks because all three have access to my computer. But I have to say that I myself also clicked on the ads because I wanted to know what it was I was advertising. It's all very well Google wanting to safeguard its name and reputation but surely they must recognise that the same is true of webmasters. In fact, I didn't actually like most of the web pages that the Adsense links were bringing up.

My website is dedicated to a new paranormal stroke science-fiction novel of which I am the author. We all know that the system that tries to match adverts to one's website is a moronic robot that simply does a comparison on words without appreciation of meaning and context. Why do I say that? Well on clicking some of these ads, I was transported to sites about tarot reading, faith healing, astrology and religious exposition to name but a few. And all because I had the words paranormal and supernatural at my site.

My point is that I firmly think webmasters should have the right to click on their own adverts because I don't believe in simply trusting Google's robots to serve relevant or appropriate material all the time. If one felt strongly about a certain link or ad, the site owner can then make an informed representation to Google to either retune their robot or to intervene manually to remove it. I know that most webmasters probably don't care one bit where the adverts lead so long as they can make money from it but surely this stance is irresponsible and may in the long run damage the reputation of the webmaster if he or she has any aspirations about the future of their website.

But I know what you are thinking at this stage. If webmaster's were allowed to click on their own adverts, doesn't that open the way for false clicking to generate false income? Of course it does and if it were allowed to happen, no doubt it would lead to the eventual erosion of the Adsense program. But hear this. If Google is able to tell so quickly and so efficiently who is clicking on their own adverts, all they have to do is put a simple condition in the program code that stops the generation of income if the click came from the webmaster's computer.

It's plainly obvious that there is a fairly sophisticated system in place to look out for certain patterns in the computer IP addresses from which the clicks are instigated. This is to stop not only the webmasters from clicking on their own ads but also their associates, friends, relatives and such like from doing it as well. If some of these patterns emerge from the clicking at your website, your account is automatically disabled and I believe even the email that goes out is automated. I find it astounding that Google will not put in place some kind of a check to ensure that false-clicking is not rewarded but instead opts for this Gestapo-style termination at the drop of a hat. This way the conscientious webmaster would be kept happy because they are free to check the adverts themselves and the advertisers are also happy because they will not be charged for false clicking.

So Why Doesn't Google Do This?

I don't know is the short answer and I don't suppose they would tell us if we asked them. As you would expect, I do have a theory. The first thing I would say about Google is that my admiration for them was boundless when they were simply a search engine. They are still the fastest, the most accurate and the biggest as far as this part of the operation is concerned. However, since diving into the deep blue ocean of profit-making several things began to change and there is no shortage of websites, blogs and forums to tell you about it. Google grew too quickly. It is still revelling in its own success and is showing signs of being absolutely petrified about losing it. It is absolutely paranoid about its reputation with advertisers so it will cut anyone else or anything else into shreds if necessary to safeguard this relationship. It knows that those webmasters that make sizeable income from the Adsense program need Google more than Google needs them. You know the adage I'm reminded of. Yes you've guessed it. "Power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely". In fact, I have no trouble in comparing Google to a teenage pop star who suddenly has more worth that he can possibly handle. The only way, I'm afraid, is down.

For those of you that are using the Adsense program and making money, please carry on. I do not in anyway want to discourage you from doing this but at the same time it does no harm to be informed about what is going on.