[Inside AdSense] Inside AdSense now speaks Japanese

We're excited to let you know that we've just launched a 7th international AdSense blog -- Inside AdSense: AdSense 日本版 公式ブログ. There, you'll be able to read up on the latest feature launches and find answers to your AdSense questions, all in Japanese. Going forward, our Japanese support team will provide optimization advice to help you maximize your earnings, and will also feature Japanese-speaking publishers who have found success with the AdSense program.

Visit the new blog today, and don't forget to subscribe to receive posts directly via email!

Posted by the Japanese AdSense blog team

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/29/2007 12:33:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] Make room for new video ad formats

This week marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of click-to-play video ads. To that end, we thought it'd be fitting to introduce three new members of our click-to-play video ads family: the 728x90 Leaderboard, the 120x600 Skyscraper, and the 160x600 Wide Skyscraper. Previously, video ads were only enabled for the 300x250 Medium Rectangle, the 336x280 Large Rectangle, the 200x200 Small Square, and the 250x250 Square.

Just like before, users will see a play button on these three ad formats when a video ad is available - this play button will appear on the right side of the Leaderboard and in the upper half of the Skyscraper formats. Once a user clicks the play button, the video ad will begin to play within the ad unit. Here's an example:



Generating earnings with videos ads in these new formats will also remain the same. If the advertiser has chosen to display the click-to-play video ad as a cost-per-thousand impression (CPM) ad, you will be paid for every valid impression of the static image, regardless of plays or clicks to the advertiser's site. If the click-to-play video ad is a cost-per-click (CPC) ad, you'll generate earnings from valid clicks to the advertiser's site rather than clicks on the play button. In either case, you and your site visitors are free to watch the video as frequently as you like. Please keep in mind that you'll need to be opted into image ads in order to receive video ads, but we aren't able to guarantee that video ads will always be available for your content.

We hope these new click-to-play video ad formats will help enhance the advertising experience for both advertisers and publishers. For advertisers, this change provides additional options and inventory for creating click-to-play video ads. At the same time, publishers will benefit from the increased competition among text, image, and video ads in these three formats; if a click-to-play video ad appears in one of your ad units, this means that it has won the auction against other ads and will generate the maximum earnings for you.

If you'd like more information about click-to-play video ads, feel free to visit our Help Center.

Posted by Sandra Tsui - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/25/2007 01:48:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] Accidents happen

As most of you know, our program policies state that publishers are not permitted to click on their own ads for any reason. For this reason, we've received many emails from publishers letting us know that they've accidentally clicked on their own ads. If you're one of these publishers, we truly appreciate the efforts you've made to monitor your account and keep it in good standing. However, we do understand that an accidental click may occur from time to time, so there's no need to contact us each instance this occurs.

Because we closely monitor all account activity using engineering systems and thorough human analysis, chances are we've already detected your clicks on your ads and discounted them. While these clicks still show in your reports, we filter out their associated earnings so that advertisers aren't charged. However, please keep in mind that we don't ignore the clicks completely; if it appears to us that a publisher has been clicking on his own ads to inflate his earnings or an advertiser's costs, we may disable the account to protect our advertisers' interests.

If you've been clicking your ads out of interest or to see who was advertising on your site, we strongly recommend using the AdSense preview tool as an alternative. This tool will allow you to check the destination of ads on your page without the risk of generating invalid clicks. You can also find more ways to view the URLs of your Google ads by visiting our Help Center.

Discuss this post

This marks the last post of our 'Policy Thursdays' series - we hope you've found the information from the last few weeks useful. Thanks for following along and participating in the AdSense Help Forum discussions!

Posted by Mike Deeringer - AdSense Publisher Support


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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/24/2007 02:51:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] AdSense coming to a video near you

You've heard the expression "Content is king." We completely agree, and we also realize that these days website content is much more than just text -- it's also video. That's why we're excited to announce that this week, we're launching a pilot with a small group of publishers to test streaming video ads in their online video content. With this pilot, publishers control when the ads play in their videos and choose which videos get the ads.

We know there's a lot going on in the world of video, and you may be wondering how this relates to other video initiatives we've announced in AdSense. Here's a brief clarification:

• Click-to-play video ads: This is a video ad type on our content network. Any publisher opted into image ads and using one of the supported formats may see these click-to-play video ads on their sites.
  
  
• AdSense video distribution and sponsorship: We ran 2 pilots that allowed publishers to choose video channels (short-form video clips bundled with video ads) to display on their sites.
  
  
• In-stream video ads pilot: This is what we're announcing today - we're extending AdSense to online video content. Publishers in this test will be able to define at what point in their videos that streaming video ads will appear.
  

This is a closed pilot, which means we're unable to accommodate additional publishers for participation. However, we're looking forward to gathering learnings from this pilot and gaining insight into what works best for ads in video. Just as AdSense adds value to the text content on your website and is useful for your users, we think these in-stream ads in video will add value to publishers' video content and help to deepen engagement with users watching the videos. This pilot represents our continued efforts to address the challenges faced by publishers who want to monetize their video content, by advertisers who want access to quality video inventory, and finally by users who want ads to enhance their video watching experience, not detract from it.

Posted by Christine Lee - AdSense Product Marketing Manager

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/22/2007 09:08:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] AdSense for content launches in Catalan

Do you know what language is spoken in parts of Spain, France, and Italy, and is the national language of Andorra? (Ok, we may have made it too obvious with the title above.) We're pleased to let you know that publishers can now display targeted AdSense for content ads on pages in Catalan. Visit the 'AdSense Setup' tab in your account to generate ad code, then paste it onto your pages and let our system take care of the rest.

Although AdSense for search currently isn't available in Catalan, stay tuned for future updates on the blog. In addition, we ask that you direct any questions related to Catalan pages to our Spanish team.

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/21/2007 09:35:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Clicks for charity?

In this week's 'Policy Thursday' post, we'd like to follow up on one of Mike's previous posts to highlight a more specific example of encouraging clicks that we often receive emails about. Many publishers have asked if they can place text on their sites which states that all or a portion of the earnings generated through AdSense will be donated to charity or another third party.

While we do appreciate your charitable efforts, this practice is not permitted by our program policies. We want users to click on ads because they are interested in the products or services offered by the advertiser, not because they are interested in supporting a site or a charity. Using this type of language can draw undue attention to the ads, and we aren't able to verify whether earnings are actually donated to the third-party mentioned on each site. As a result, we don't allow publishers to offer these types of incentives.

However, please know that once you've received your payments, you're still welcome to use them however you wish - whether it's donating them to a charity, paying your hosting bills, or treating yourself to a night out on the town. We just ask that you avoid using any language on your site that would directly or indirectly encourage users to click on your ads.

Discuss this post

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/17/2007 10:32:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Verifying your phone number

A number of publishers have asked us about phone verification and indicated that they're having difficulty with the process. After investigating these reports, we've discovered that our system is currently experiencing intermittent outages. We're working hard to fix the issue as soon as we can and appreciate your patience in the interim.

Not sure if you need to verify your phone number? Find out by visiting your Payment History page - if you've reached $50 in earnings and see the 'Please verify your phone number' prompt shown in the image below, keep reading. If you don't see this message on your Payment History page, you don't need to verify your phone number.



If you're required to verify your phone number, you can initiate the process by clicking the 'Please verify your phone number' link and following the instructions. We'd also like to offer you a few tips for completing the phone verification process, based on publisher feedback. First, our automated phone system isn't compatible with rotary phones or certain types of VoIP technology, so you may wish to double check the phone line you're using. In addition, if your phone has a Tone/Pulse option, please make sure it's set to 'Tone'. Finally, you may wish to try a different phone number if you're having difficulty - for instance, try switching from your cell phone to a land line.

If you're still unable to verify your phone number after multiple attempts, feel free to contact one of our specialists through our Help Center or the prompt in your account. We'll be happy to assist you further with your phone verification issue.

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/15/2007 11:15:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Site maintenance on Saturday, May 12th

Mom always said to go out and play on the weekends. Well, we hope you take her advice especially on this Mother's Day weekend while our engineers perform routine maintenance from 10am to 2pm PDT on Saturday, May 12th. You won't be able to access your account during this 4-hour window, but rest assured that your ads will continue to run and that your reports will still track all activity. Here's the maintenance start time converted for a few cities around the world:

London – 6:00 pm Saturday
Bucharest – 8:00 pm Saturday
New Delhi – 10:30 pm Saturday
Jakarta – 12:00 am Sunday
Tokyo – 2:00 am Sunday

Thanks for your patience, and Happy Mother's Day!

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/11/2007 02:57:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] A clarification on accidental clicks

We understand that there's been some confusion surrounding our recent post about accidental clicks. Specifically, many of our publishers feel that we've been sending mixed messages about placing ads near navigation controls, particularly where site optimization is concerned.

For those of you concerned about our optimization tips, we still recommend integrating your ad units and link units with your page content or navigation, in order to offer your users relevant ads in addition to the content they normally see. Here are a few examples of acceptable implementations:



However, in some instances we've found that publishers have placed their ad units so close to interactive (clickable) content that users accidentally click on the ads instead of the site content. While this type of ad placement may not inherently violate our program policies, it could increase the risk of invalid clicks being generated on the ads, which would be in violation of our policies.

You can understand that increasing the possibility of accidental clicks on your sites is not in the best interest of users or advertisers, and we wanted to make you aware of this risk. This is why we ask that you maintain sufficient distance between your ads and any elements of your page on which users may often click. Because every site is different, we can't provide you with the exact amount of space to put between these page elements. However, we hope you understand our reasoning, and we ask you to use your best judgment so as to avoid possible accidental clicks in the future.

To help you, here's an example of an ad placement that could have a high risk of generating accidental clicks, and which we'd recommend avoiding:



Thanks again for your cooperation and your feedback. If you have any questions about optimization techniques, feel to visit our tips page.

Discuss this post

Posted by Mike Deeringer - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/10/2007 04:30:00 PM
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[Inside AdSense] You're invited!

Are you looking to make the most of your AdSense account? If so, then you need to attend our upcoming webinar, Taking It to the Next Level: Improving Your AdSense Performance. It'll be held next Wednesday, May 16th at 10:30am PDT.

During this one hour overview, our support specialists will provide you with tips and suggestions that we've found to significantly improve AdSense performance. Topics covered will include:

- Using channels to track your ad performance
- Optimizing your ad placement, design, and layout
- Noticing trends and making proactive improvements to your site
- Keeping your account in good standing

We'll also leave time at the end of the webinar to answer any questions or concerns regarding your ad performance or other account issues.

To register, click on the link below or paste it into a new browser window:

https://googleonline.webex.com/googleonline/onstage/g.php?d=574860052&t=a

Instructions for participation will then be sent to you via email from WebEx. If you're unable to attend, rest assured we'll be recording the webinar so you can view it after the event. To watch our previous webinars, check out our Help Center.

We hope to see you there!

Posted by Laura Chen - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/09/2007 11:22:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] It's all Greek to your unpublished pages

Recently, a number of concerned publishers have let us know that they're seeing ads in foreign languages in the 'preview mode' of their HTML editors or on pages that haven't been published to the web. We'd like to reassure you that this is normal.

Before our system can display targeted ads on your pages, our crawler first needs to access your pages. While you're building your pages within your HTML editor, your page hasn't yet been crawled, so you may sometimes see less-targeted ads or even ads in foreign languages. However, after you've published a page to the web, you should start seeing ads in the appropriate language. Please also keep in mind that it can sometimes take 1 to 2 weeks for our crawler to revisit your site after you've made any changes, but your ad relevance should improve over time. As always, we appreciate your patience as the crawler continues its work.

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/08/2007 09:35:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Don't run the risk of click and miss

As you may know, our tips and guidelines mention that "users should only click on Google ads if they're interested in the services being advertised". While there are many precautions a publisher can take to avoid encouraging clicks on their ads, we've found that some implementations of the ad code can lead to accidental clicks that the publisher may not have been able to predict. Some implementations that could lead to accidental clicks include placing your ads:

- In close proximity to Macromedia Flash games
- Under pop-ups or download prompts
- Near site navigation controls on your pages, such as drop-downs or menu links

Generally, we ask that you not place your ads near features of your site that your users may interact with by clicking. If your site contains elements that increase the number of ad clicks without increasing business results for the advertiser, we may consider these clicks to be invalid. "Business results" can range from an online sale to a page view. If we detect enough of these clicks and determine that the risk to our advertisers is too great, we may disable the account. To maintain compliance with our program policies and ensure that your users don't inadvertently click on the ads on your site, we strongly recommend that you move any ad units that are in close proximity to interactive site features.

As always, thanks in advance for your cooperation!

Discuss this post

Posted by Mike Deeringer - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/03/2007 10:39:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Extreme makeover for the AdSense homepage

Following the facelift we gave our ad units at the beginning of April, we've now started the same process for the AdSense homepage. You may have noticed recently that when you sign in, it's taken on a different appearance (at least sometimes). Over the next few days, you can expect to see this new homepage design more frequently as we roll out this change. If you haven't yet caught a glimpse of the new layout, here's a sneak peek:



We hope you'll find this new homepage to be more visually appealing. However, please be assured that your AdSense performance and the layout of your internal account pages won't be affected in any way by this change.

Posted by Arlene Lee - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/02/2007 10:44:00 AM
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[Inside AdSense] Google Accounts landing soon

Spring is a time for change, when couples fall in love, the trees bloom -- and swallows and AdSense publishers both begin their migration. That's right, we've just started our first Google Account migration tests for older AdSense accounts. When you log into your account, you may be greeted by a screen like the one below, asking you to upgrade your login to a "Google Account".



We're rolling out this migration slowly, so please don't be alarmed if you don't see this wizard in your account yet. If you like the email address you're already using, in most cases you'll be able to upgrade it to a Google Account and keep the same login and password. However, if you use another email address for other Google products like Gmail and Picasaweb, you already have a Google Account and you can finally use the same login for AdSense. Please note, however, that at this time it's not possible to update your login to an email address that is already being used as a login for AdWords or another AdSense account. We're working on fixing this, and you won't be required to migrate until we do.

Finally, please keep in mind that only older AdSense accounts need to be migrated, so you may not be affected. You're also welcome to skip the migration wizard for now if you like, although this means you may miss out on some cool new features!

For more information please visit our Help Center.

Posted by Dobromir Montauk - AdSense Publisher Support

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Posted By Inside AdSense Team to Inside AdSense at 5/01/2007 11:45:00 AM
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