Screwed by Google
You are not going to believe this one.
Wondering where the Google ads went at the top of the page? So am I!
Google disabled my advertisement account saying I was cheating on the ads, because of the high percentages of people who were clicking on them. I am appealing it to explain that my target audience is very small and all have interest in the types of ads that appeared. If they deny the appeal, they will ban me from ever using their ads again. I have done nothing wrong, just have great supporters. They do not understand that. So we will see. I never received a dime from them, and never will if they do not approve the appeal. So all your ad clicks will have been a waste of time.
I think I will have to sue them. If anything for the wasted time my visitors spent on the ads. I can see them terminating the account, but they should have to pay out what was accumulated before they terminated the account. Maybe I will take them to small claims court.
A few mins later......
Of course as expected I get a form letter back saying that my appeal has been denied. Someone has investigated what they are calling "invalid clicks" and the decision to ban the account has held up. If you believe that a human read my mail and used reason to look at the history on my account and came to that decision, raise your hand. I now have some beach front property in Kansas for sale at a real bargain for you.
There is no evidence of any wrong doing and they cannot explain what these "Invalid Clicks" are. They just are using a statistical model that raises exception at a high percentage of users clicking on the ads. They are not looking at the fact that there are only 30 visitors a day. It is easy to hit 90% click through rate with 30 visitors, if that happened with 3000 visitors then something would be fishy. There are no invalid clicks, the site is just not statistically typical.
What I do have is a small audience of people who are very interested in the content of the ads they see displayed. I think that is what the advertisers would want. No one that is not interested in cancer research would have any reason to be coming to my site. So they have 100% matching target audience. And that is really the only kind of ads that I ever saw up on the site, because of the content related tool Google uses to select the ads that appear.
Small audience with very specific interest that matches the only ads that ever displayed = high percentage click through rate. No crime on my part, and I do not feel I should be punished by having my account disabled for your great support.
They have essentially accused me of cheating but cannot prove anything or even provide one single example of any wrong doing or "invalid click". One of their definitions of "invalid clicks" a program that automatically goes to your site and clicks on the ads automatically to artificially drive up revenues. Do you think if I wrote such a program I might set it for 3 million visits a day rather than my sites, earth shattering 30 visitors a day? It is total crap, and I have been screwed out of every dime that was generated. The advertisers still got the visitors, but Google says that all of your visits were lies. You did not really go click that or go there. I must have been cheating.
Well join me in boycotting all Google sites, tools, and utilities. Every time you use their search engine they make a profit from it. See the sponsored links in the right hand column after you "Google" something? They get paid from each of those sponsors in advertising dollars for the sites even appearing on your screen whether you click on them or not.
In the end the little guy loses again. It is even worse given the reason for this site to exist in the first place and the conditions that surround this particular case. Talk about kicking a guy when he is down. What bastards. There must be a special level of hell reserved for these kind of people, I know one place card there certainly says "Google".
Be better to each other than big business is to me another faceless, powerless victim.
Love,
Greg
Wondering where the Google ads went at the top of the page? So am I!
Google disabled my advertisement account saying I was cheating on the ads, because of the high percentages of people who were clicking on them. I am appealing it to explain that my target audience is very small and all have interest in the types of ads that appeared. If they deny the appeal, they will ban me from ever using their ads again. I have done nothing wrong, just have great supporters. They do not understand that. So we will see. I never received a dime from them, and never will if they do not approve the appeal. So all your ad clicks will have been a waste of time.
I think I will have to sue them. If anything for the wasted time my visitors spent on the ads. I can see them terminating the account, but they should have to pay out what was accumulated before they terminated the account. Maybe I will take them to small claims court.
A few mins later......
Of course as expected I get a form letter back saying that my appeal has been denied. Someone has investigated what they are calling "invalid clicks" and the decision to ban the account has held up. If you believe that a human read my mail and used reason to look at the history on my account and came to that decision, raise your hand. I now have some beach front property in Kansas for sale at a real bargain for you.
There is no evidence of any wrong doing and they cannot explain what these "Invalid Clicks" are. They just are using a statistical model that raises exception at a high percentage of users clicking on the ads. They are not looking at the fact that there are only 30 visitors a day. It is easy to hit 90% click through rate with 30 visitors, if that happened with 3000 visitors then something would be fishy. There are no invalid clicks, the site is just not statistically typical.
What I do have is a small audience of people who are very interested in the content of the ads they see displayed. I think that is what the advertisers would want. No one that is not interested in cancer research would have any reason to be coming to my site. So they have 100% matching target audience. And that is really the only kind of ads that I ever saw up on the site, because of the content related tool Google uses to select the ads that appear.
Small audience with very specific interest that matches the only ads that ever displayed = high percentage click through rate. No crime on my part, and I do not feel I should be punished by having my account disabled for your great support.
They have essentially accused me of cheating but cannot prove anything or even provide one single example of any wrong doing or "invalid click". One of their definitions of "invalid clicks" a program that automatically goes to your site and clicks on the ads automatically to artificially drive up revenues. Do you think if I wrote such a program I might set it for 3 million visits a day rather than my sites, earth shattering 30 visitors a day? It is total crap, and I have been screwed out of every dime that was generated. The advertisers still got the visitors, but Google says that all of your visits were lies. You did not really go click that or go there. I must have been cheating.
Well join me in boycotting all Google sites, tools, and utilities. Every time you use their search engine they make a profit from it. See the sponsored links in the right hand column after you "Google" something? They get paid from each of those sponsors in advertising dollars for the sites even appearing on your screen whether you click on them or not.
In the end the little guy loses again. It is even worse given the reason for this site to exist in the first place and the conditions that surround this particular case. Talk about kicking a guy when he is down. What bastards. There must be a special level of hell reserved for these kind of people, I know one place card there certainly says "Google".
Be better to each other than big business is to me another faceless, powerless victim.
Love,
Greg
posted by Greg at
5:32 PM
7 Comments:
As I am writing this note, I realized that Google has it's hands in EVERYTHING!! I have a Gmail account that will now be idle. I, like you, am outraged at this thinly veiled 'screwing'! Do you have anything that they sent to you with the agreement and conditions? I assure you that I will be more than happy to prepare and sign an affadavit outling my activity on your blog and the "valid clicks" that I made daily. I was very interested in, and spent time reading, every sponsor link that I entered. Bastards, you betcha!!
I am checking with a consumer advocate - national radio show - to see how you can possibly go after a giant like Google!! I pray that the "bigger they are" saying will apply here.
No matter sweet Greg - you will always and forever have our support in anything you need done. You and all your wonderful supporters can sleep well knowing that our efforts were honest and honorable!
I love you Greg!!!! Tammy
By
Anonymous, at 9:50 PM
Nicely put Mr. Greg.
I have just completed removing all signs of GOOGLE from my computer in my "Add & Remove" section. I will whole heartedly join you in this boycott and I hope that everyone who reads your blog will do the same.
David slew Goliath with a slighshot.
There is no giant too big for God to bring down. How dare they.
What do they think we all did when we pulled up their sites? I for one got a lot of knowledge from the sponsors and forwarded them on many times.
Yes, Tam, the bigger they are.....
and we all know the rest of the story.
Love and cheers to you, Greg
Mom
By
Stella, at 11:56 PM
Im not sure how to even respond to this at the moment. Im pretty taken back by them doing that. I'll just sum all my thoughts up by saying flat out that's "Bull Shit" and what they thought was saving them SOOO much money is now going to be alot more trouble then they imagined! Way to go Google...smart move...allow me to be the 1st to say "Welcome to Hell! Hope you feel good about yourself and your ever so giving company!"
By
Dana, at 12:53 AM
I am so sorry for the trouble Greg. Yes you hit the nail on the head....it's the little guy that loses. If i knew who to write to about this i would write them and testify that I am a legit viewer on your blog and I am ahuman person who clicked on those ads to view them. I know they have technology to track ISP numbers so why dont they do that to verify.
I never use anything from google anyhow.
Well i wish for you a beautiful day and a weekend filled with blessings.
God bless and keep smiling through the storms.
Hugs
Sindy
By
Anonymous, at 9:20 AM
Dear Greg: The ones with the money want to cheat those without most of the time. To bad about it but their time will come when their practices will get them into trouble because cheats cant quit they always want more. God bless my prayers are with you.
Geno
By
Anonymous, at 11:59 AM
Dear Greg,
I have a knot in my stomach after reading your last blog.
It seems to me that Tammy's idea about checking with a "consumer advocate" is a great idea. So would be forwarding an outline of what happened to you to Oprah, Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King, Charles Gibson...all shows that might want this juicy tidbit to boost their ratings.
Our removal from their services will never be notices. Exposure certainly would.
Pray about it, as I will.
Love and prayers,
Auntie Phyl
By
Anonymous, at 5:34 PM
Dear Greg,
Stopping by to send love and prayers.
Auntie Phyl (Weds. 7/25)
By
Anonymous, at 9:09 AM
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